Sitting on a hornet's nest!

One of my favorite garden amenities is a refurbished chairlift that we use as a swing and that originally was hanging on Alta's “Supreme Lift.” As today was the beginning of the every-six-year maintenance and repainting routine, I dismounted the wood slats that fashion the lower part of the seat.

From underneath the seat, I could access the screws and removed those by laying right on the flagstones surrounding our beloved chair. Looking from the bottom, I could see the 2 inch diameter, hollow post that swings from the top and attaches to the chair, and suddenly noticed what looked like a hornet nest.

Bravely, I poked a screwdriver inside the opening and stirred the whole inside, letting a few hornets lose. I prudently retreated and when most of the hornets returned inside the hole to inspect the damage, I duct-taped the opening and continued taking down the slats.

All this to say that we never really know what we're sitting on, and after discovering this little community, I'm glad no one ever got stung!