BEE FEEDER: “In response to the person having bees in her
hummingbird feeders, I would bet the feeder tubes or the faux
flowers on them are probably yellow, which seems to attract all
sort of flying, stinging critters.”

That’s the observation from Donny Fields of Friendship, N.Y.,
who writes in response to a Rixford reader who had called us about
the honeybees clinging to her bird feeder.

Donny continues: “We’ve changed our feeder tubes to red or
clear, and the bees don’t swarm around them so much. This idea also
worked for our seven-year-old, who was getting stung a lot. No more
yellow clothing, no stings three summers.”

Donny said he located this information on a hummingbird Web site
and was skeptical until he tried it out.

“As a related aside,” he adds, “most of the traveling blocks on
the drilling rigs in Texas and Oklahoma were painted bright yellow
or orange and would attract yellow jackets by the thousands,
creating one more hazard for derrick hands.”

FOOD PRICES: One of our readers agreed that everyone seems to be
feeling the pinch on gas prices, but wonders how grocery prices in
Bradford compare to other areas.

“The last time I was home (in Bradford), these prices seemed
quite high compared to where I now live in Florida,” she
writes.

“We are enjoying ridiculous bargains in stores lately with the
‘Buy One, Get One Free Bargains,’ including meats, shrimp,
vegetables, fruits and even rice.

“There is also a promotion for free milk and eggs. And another
promotion is that if you transfer your prescription to the grocery
store, you can get a ,25 gift card, on which they have gas cards as
one of the choices.

“I am wondering how others are faring in other parts of the
country and if you are as lucky.”

SPECIAL PLACE: Gus Gocella emailed us with this memory: “I also
attended Camp Cornplanter in the early 50’s. I sold salt water
taffy to get to go since we could not afford the fee to attend.

“I, too, remember the ‘ghost’ of Cornplanter stories around the
outdoor fires at night and the ‘ghosts’ who would scare the bedevil
out of us during the evening hours just before dozing off to sleep.

“A few people I remember were firemen – Tom Keane and ‘Greek’
Cotillion. There were great counselors. It was a good, wholesome
and fun time growing up in Bradford.”