we were swarmin'

A few weeks back I returned from a vacation in Texas and realized I didn't have my keys. Everyone with a key was at school or work and I was tired and in need of a hot shower and a nap. Because we keep the back gates locked I had to creatively scale the back fence and then find an open window to slide through. While I was in the backyard, I heard this high-pitched humming. We are not far from the freeway and frequently hear freeway noise. Since it was 3pm, I figured rush hour traffic was starting. And yet, it sounded different. Maybe some rice-rockets were racing around? Or is that a remote control car/airplane I hear? I brushed it off, slid through my window successfully and went around to the back door to retrieve my purse and suitcase.

As I came out the back door, I heard he humming again. We have carpenter bees in our overhang but this was slightly different. I saw a smaller bee fly by, then another, and then another. I looked around and saw thousands of bees in my neighbors yard - one house over and one house behind. I guess this is what they mean when bees swarm. I had never seen anything like this in my life and though I'm not afraid of bees, it was a bit intimidating. They were buzzing everywhere and in a frenzy so I quickly picked up my gear and got back in the house. By the time I got out of the shower and peeked out the back window, they were completely gone. Very strange indeed.