nerd’s eye view

Sweet

June 10, 2007 – 12:58 pm | by nerd's eye view

In answer to your questions, (a) he’s okay, arrived “home” safely and all that and (b) okay, though it is very quiet here.

Instead of sitting around feeling glum, I walked the two miles to the Farmer’s Market. I needed honey and I love to buy it from the people who harvest it. Today, the grandson of beekeeper Roy Nettlebeck of Tahuya River Apiaries told me that their bees are fine, thank you very much, but they don’t farm them out to pollination projects. The blackberry honey is delicious, a very rich flavor, though he tells me they’ll have a darker, wildflower honey later in the summer. I’m curious about beekeeping and honey and feel a funny affection towards bees, perhaps that’s a hangover from reading the Bee-Man of Orn too many times as a child. The barrista at our local Verite has a smashing bee tattoo on his calf and every time I see a bumblebee I think, “He doesn’t know he can’t fly.” Words to live by.

Audio sweetness at the Farmer’s Market was provided by the always delightful Canote Brothers. It was a real treat to find them there accompanied by a handsome man on the stand-up bass. It was surprisingly sunny, so I bought a raspberry lemonade and a savory bread pudding. I stowed the honey in my backpack, and sat on the steps of the bank to eat lunch. The brothers played swelled old timey toons, babies bounced and rocked, hipster parents wandered about, earnest green types bundled produce in to their bike bags, a very sweet Sunday afternoon.

If you’re curious about the vanishing bees - so long and thanks for all the pollen - read this. What, you didn’t know bees were vanishing? They are and it’s kind of a big deal. We need pollination for, you know, food and stuff. And there’s a free, downloadable version of the Beeman of Orn here, though it doesn’t have the fabulous Maurice Sendak illustrations.