Bee update

When any broccoli bolts and goes to flower, fava, peas, it's bee heaven. I had so many bees that you could hear the garden.

Actualy, you answered your own question in one of your recent Dallas Morning New columns. The right dismisses environmental concerns and most assuredly 'global warming' because they see such concepts as a threat to free market capitalism. And not incidentally, having Gore be the poster boy is, to the right, what having Jane Fonda speak at an anti-war protest. Need I say more. I was at the Majestic Theater in Dallas last Sat. night when Dennis Miller was the 'comedian'. He immediately launched into a diatribe about how global warming was the left's attempt to dismantle capitalism in the name of the ecology. He then made it personal about Gore (they always do), saying, "No one wanted him for President so now he's shooting for the Nobel (f____ing) Peace Prize." I wondered, among other things, if Miller recalled how more than One Million American voters more cast their ballots for Al Gore than for the winner, GWB. Fair is fair...."No One Wanted Him?" Welcome to the world of ,'Say it and they'll think it's true' selective history. In any case, I was just listening to a re-mastered Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" CD, more than 1/3rd century old, and the very questions about war and the ecology was the entire premise for that landmark 'concept' album. Darn shame our President, who was leaving college when that was the Grammy Album of the Year...was apparently listening instead to Willy Nelson's "Whiskey River".

I ordered my first package of bees earlier this week. At first I was going to keep them in the backyard of our suburban neighborhood home. Now I am thinking I will keep them on some property my mother-in-law has in the country. It would probably be safe to keep them at home, but I think I would be more comfortable getting a little experience before keeping them in such close proximity to other people. Besides I don't want to overwhelm the neighbors. I've just finished converting a small backyard shed into a chicken coop and will be getting some chicks in a day or two. I also plan on starting a garden. Maybe some eggs, produce, and honey will help remove any suspicion that the neighbors have of me having gone completely insane.

Rod, ask your rescuer to share some of the honey. You will beeeee so glad you got to try some!

There is a mentally challenged woman who rides at our barn who has learned how to keep bees from 4-H. Not only is her honey terrific (organic, too), but she does a brisk business in candles. It's one of those skills that we don't pay much attention to but is fascinating.