An Old Fashioned Trade

 

Lots of rainbows up to the north

I've mentioned before, that my former Port Angeles house mate  does the mowing at my place. Recently while mowing near one of the sheds, he was wasp stung. I promised I would remove active wasp nest.

The old shed

I once removed a small one in California. Uh... sure I would. I meant to remove the nest. While I'm not afraid of bees or wasps, having experienced multiple stings over the years, I do respect the striped warriors. 

I watched loads of YouTube videos on wasp nest removal, but finally  to call in the troops. I called a local pest control company.

THE wasp nest

When the pest control guy came out, I showed him the nest. Unlike the last time I viewed the nest there were now zero wasps flying in and out. It seemed the wasps had flown away. The pest control guy rapped his knuckles on the eave over the nest, but nothing flew out. We stood there 'talking wasps' for a bit, but then a little wasp showed up in its doorway, as if to see who had knocked at the door.

Someone was home! You can see arrow pointing at the tiny face peeking out from the shed's nest, in the photo on the left here. 

Bald-faced Hornet

The wasp nest was identified as that of the 'Bald-faced Hornet', the largest native wasp in Washington state. As long as someone was home, the guy set about removing the nest, and I took off home, to avoid being around for that bit of action. 

So when he'd taken down the nest, the man came to my front door, telling me the nest was down. Then, when I brought up his payment, he offered a trade instead. He said his fruit tree failed to produce much this year, and he asked if in place of payment if his wife and father in law could come pick some pears. I was totally tickled with the idea and agreed to the trade. 

A few days later, the wife, her dad and one kiddo, came by and picked pears. I was beyond tickled.

And trust me... that pear tree had enough pears on it for that family and then some. Here's a photo of it taken a week or so ago.  That tree is chock full o' pears.  

If you're thinking I haven't thought to donate pears or apples to a local food bank, remember in Washington, fruit trees, particularly apples, abound. You can drive around Sequim and literally see tons of apples on trees, and piled up on the ground under trees. There is no scarcity of fruit trees in Washington you practically have to get on a waiting list to donate fruit.    

The photo on the right here is friend and former house mate Ingrid, whom I encouraged to pick pears. The load of fruit on the tree is AFTER  about a couple of weeks of fruit picking. 

I've baked pear cake, pear cream cheese pie, pear tart and pear cream pie. I'm not running out of recipes either, and still have pear upside down cake and other recipes to try my hand at.

No doubt, I have plenty of fruit for  baking into my experimental pies, tarts and cakes. 

One of my experimental pies: half left over store bought blueberries,
 and half of orchard pears. I know!