Two Kid Schoolhouse
Bee Mania Continues Mar. 25, 2006
Just finished a fantastic book: Sweetness and Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee
by Hattie Ellis. This beautifully-written and fascinating book
fed my ever-growing desire to become an amateur beekeeper.
Next up is some bee-related fiction: Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter, and some more history: Bees in America: How the Honeybee Shaped a Nation
by Tammy Horn. I don't have time for all these fun books, of
course. But I must read them. I also picked up some
technical manuals from the library but don't feel ready for that level
of detail yet. So maybe I'm not really serious about the bee
thing. Most of my life, it seems, I've preferred to read rather
than do.
Recently
I read that a novice or potential beekeeper should work with a veteran
for at least a year before obtaining their own hives. After
reading about some urban beekeepers in NYC, who seek people to host
hives on their rooftops, I've decided to look for a beekeeper who might
like to take advantage of the clover, wild blackberries, and other
flowers (wild and otherwise) in my large yard. I could learn at
home! Perfect for the homeschooler, right?
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The Beekeeper's Pupil - I Finished A Book! Feb. 12, 2006
It's
not often I find a novel I really enjoy. It seems that most
contemporary fiction is either insipid and silly, or so full of bleak
or grotesque situations that I can't get very far into it before
putting the book aside. I'm so thankful for the library so I
don't have to actually spend any money to be disappointed by a book.
So it's very exciting to have finished a very good book. The Beekeeper's Pupil
by Sara George is just lovely. Historical fiction, it is about
two very real men, Francois Huber and his assistant, Francois
Burnens. Huber was blind but obsessed with learning about bees,
and Burnens became his "eyes" as they worked together. They lived
and worked in Switzerland during the years of the French
Revolution. The book is written as Burnen's journal.
I
didn't do any research about Huber and Burnens so I don't know how much
the book delves into historic fact. Most of the book is about the
research they did - I don't know if anyone not interested in bees or
beekeeping would enjoy the book. Maybe it would spark an interest,
because it's so well-written. It is also a story about
relationships. But it is not sentimental. It is very
elegantly written and though there is some unpleasantness in it - an
out of wedlock pregnancy, and a bit of sexual tension between Burnens
and his master's wife - it never overtakes the story and it never gets
ugly.
Today at the library I picked up another of George's books - The Journal of Mrs. Pepys, more historical fiction - and a nonfiction book about bees I've been wanting to get to - Sweetness and Light
- in which there is at least a mention of Huber. I love bees and
reading about them. Maybe someday I'll even have a hive.
But now it's just time to read.
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Bees Oct. 29, 2005
We
love to watch the bees buzzing around our plants. The mint -
which I didn't plant and wish previous owners hadn't, as it just takes
over - reallly attracts them. So does the lavender. My kids
have learned not to be afraid of bees.
Every year when we go to the Oregon Agriculture Festival (Agfest) we spend a lot of time at the beekeeping booth
So
it was pretty exciting when a few months ago I was wandering around in
Borders and I saw two new books on bees and beekeeping. Having
been stung before (hahaha) by uninteresting books, I went to the
library and got them. Started reading, books came due, we went on
vacation... I didn't finish the books, but I still keep thinking
about bees. For some reason on this gray morning, thinking about
harvesting honey is cheering me up. We have the room for a hive,
or two...
It'd
probably take a couple years to study up and make the decision to get
some bees. We don't do things quickly around here.
But maybe if we got some bees I could put the kids off on the dog a little longer...
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