Adventures in Deutschland

What's that? You don't? Really? Well then you must not be German, because apparently these folks love that sound. They must, considering they don't do air conditioning or window screens. We have a fly swatter and have killed a few (though my favorite method is sucking them up in the mini Dyson--I don't apply Zen/Karma thinking to flies, they have to be exempt). But, that's just a losing battle. At any given point we must have 5 or so of the buggers exploring our place. Mostly in the kitchen. Ew? I guess the Germans are more at peace with all that nature brings. A German cashier at the gas station told me the other day not to worry about bees because if you don't bother them they don't sting you since the KNOW they will die afterward. Really? They know? Maybe instinctualy, but I don't think a bee pauses to weigh its options before his kamikazee mission. The reason I worry more than average about bees is that in my bathroom (you have to open the windows to vent after a shower) I found a bee that was 2 inches long and 1/2 wide. I am not even exaggerating. I had to go somewhere (even if I didn't I wasn't about to go near that bee) so I shut the door and didn't check on him for hours. When I did, I found him lying dead one inch from a LIVE normal sized bee. So, I became more afraid of the garden variety sucker. I mean if it somehow killed that big scary guy what could he do to me OR MY BABY who sleeps with her windows cracked or open? So, I somehow talked myself into believing that the BIG bees don't sting. Didn't I hear somewhere that the cute really fat bumble bees that buzz around pretty flowers don't sting? My father in law debunked that myth by asking "Was it yellow and black? Then it stings." Fab-u-los. One more thing for this new mother to worry about. Then my friend from Turkey shared that a really big guy was stung by one of those really big bees and he cried because it hurt just that much. My new biggest fear has arisen. But, otherwise, Western Germany is wonderful in the summer.