An unexpected yet pleasant visitor

While our new patio is great and we are loving it, it has brought one pain. See, we built the patio underneath our pear tree. What we failed to remember is that in late summer, all the pears fall on the ground and we have a plethora of bees. We have always raked them up every night and it hasn't been a problem. Well, now with the patio the pears fall, smash into the stone and then even when cleaned up there is pear smooshed on the patio. With that said we have a major infestation that started with harmless honey bees and has morphed into wasps and hornets. Nicholas and I are the only ones to sustain stings thus far and the pressure washer has taken up permanent resistance for morning and afternoon clean ups. Sam mentioned cutting the tree down, to which I gasps and said are you crazy!? For only 1 month a year of pests? No way, I love that tree.

Of course, these are not our pleasant visitors. Along with the pesky bees, we now have 4 doe that come right up to the porch and eat the pears. It is amazing to watch. They are only 2-3ft away and in no rush. The boys just love to sit at the window and watch them. They are doing a wonderful job helping clean up, but are also doing a good job of helping mash them into the stone with their hoofs.

They also like compost. I put the compost bowl on the patio table and then went inside to do something before I dumped it. Dinner time for our friends!

This is the initial doe that we had before she told her friends. She WILL NOT be dinner, she has become my friend. Sam will have to hunt elsewhere :-)





After I had put the camera aways she jumped down the wall and got pears right on the table. Of course then the dogs realized what was going on and barked and she was gone before I could get my camera out again.