Note: This story appears here just as it did in the Washington County News on page 10, Friday, May 24th, 1991

On The Wild Side

By: Bonnie Wells

LITTLE HOCKING - The summer of 1978 was quite hot with only enough rain to keep the crops growing at a slow pace. Insects seemed to do their fair share of crop damage that year and for some reason the bees seemed more plentiful than usual.

The elderly couple living next door were an inspiration to me, and I enjoyed talking to them about the various ways of doing things around the yard and garden.

I always paid close attention to what they told me, and usually they were right. The one and only time I can recall I really had to question their wisdom was the evening Mr. Watson informed me...

"Come dusk, I'm going to get rid of that

yellow-jacket nest down back."

I was eager to help in any way I could, so come dusk, out I went with all the courage I could muster.

I was somewhat baffled at first. Mr. Watson had built a roaring fire in the old trash barrel and was stringing extension cords from the house to the back yard. He then headed for the house to get his secret weapon.

Only when I saw Mrs. Watson come shaking her head and frowning did I realize he was doing something she thought foolhardy.

He followed closely behind her with her vacuum cleaner, while she carried a large package of new bags for it.

I thought, "No, he's not going to suck them up in a vacuum cleaner." Sure enough.

He sucked bag after bag full and tossed them into the burning barrel!

He then poured gasoline down the hole in the yard and proceeded to lite it.

Needless to say, he did precisely as he said he would _ come dusk, he got rid of those yellow jackets down back.

And in the process he showed me there is always a way of doing things, that seem peculiar to some, but that works quite well.