Bzzzzzzzzzzz...........ouch!

While weeding the vegetable garden, I put my hand down on the grass and got stung by a bee going about its business in the clover. At first I felt a sharp prick on the pad of my left pinky finger, then when I lifted it up and saw nothing there and the sensation was getting stronger instead of going away, I noticed a poor bee in the grass and realized that I had just been stung. It was so unnecessary, as the bee will now lose its life and it�s unlikely that I would have hurt it in any case. I immediately ran the affected area under cold water, then applied a paste of baking soda and water, and I was right as rain in no time.

This morning in the Diaryland chatroom I got into an argument with twocoffees because she called me a liar. Somehow the topic of eating well came up and I mentioned that I was a vegetarian. I know, we�ve had this discussion before, but please bear with me. I also said that when people invite me over for dinner, I have to tell them that I am a vegetarian but that I also eat fish. This was the point over which she made an incredible fuss. Why, she wanted to know, did I lie to my friends? Because I eat fish, I am technically not a vegetarian, according to her, and hence am lying about my diet. The other person in the chatroom, siddel found a quick link to a definition of pescevegetarian, a vegetarian who supplements her diet with fish. I thought this would vindicate me, but twocoffees was adamant that I was lying to my friends. We did not get into a discussion of whether or not a lacto-ovo vegetarian was also a liar, since eggs and milk, while not animals themselves, are technically animal products, and hence not vegetarian. Perhaps only a vegan would be an �honest� vegetarian to her.

I must admit that I got rather angry. First of all, she was making assumptions. I had said �people�; she heard �friends�. I don�t have to tell my friends what to serve me because they obviously already know. It�s people who are having me over for the first time who need to be informed of my dietary habits, and they may not necessarily be friends. They could be academic colleagues, business associates, or friend-wannabes. I did not bother setting twocoffees straight on this point, however. I did truly resent being called a liar, though. I pointed out to her that I thought of myself as a vegetarian in the original meaning of the word, coming from the Latin vegetus, as someone who eats whole foods. This wasn�t good enough for her. In her books I was still a liar. So I left the chatroom.

Later on I looked lie up in several dictionaries, and the definition that came up consistently was a falsehood intended to deceive or to present a false appearance. Since neither is my intention, I do not therefore consider myself to be a liar. I am curious, however, as to what others think of this dilemma. So, if you want to jump in, be my guest.

Eight cups of white currents were picked this afternoon (for jam), four cups of red were also picked (for a pie), two loads of laundry were washed and hung out to dry, weeds were pulled, groceries were bought and a bath was taken. All this as well as a beesting. I think I was certainly as busy as one, in any case.

|

<~~~ * ~~~>