Cooperative Living October 2021 - 38

Rural Living | by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
Bee Prepared
On keeping your distance
while admiring bees' handiwork
I
've been reading several books
recently that feature bees as central,
or minor, characters.
There's " Queen Bee " by the late
Dorothea Benton Frank, one of my
favorite authors, whose books I will
miss greatly. I've taken to reading her
published ones again. I just finished
" The Beekeeper's Apprentice; " fiction,
of course, about Sherlock Holmes and
a young woman he met while studying
bees. They became lifetime cohorts.
While Sherlock keeps hives in the book,
there was not nearly enough about bees
in it to support the title. There's another
book I may try to find at the library:
" The Secret Life of Bees. " I'm sure
there are many more I have not
discovered yet.
It's not that I'm particularly
fond of bees, the honey variety or
otherwise. In fact, I give bees a wide
berth. That comes from my mother,
who was very much afraid of bees. It
did not turn out well the night she put
on a dress she'd recently taken off the
clothesline, only to find an angry bee
lurking inside. My sister and I were
startled to suddenly hear cries from the
bedroom, " Get it off me, David! Get it
off me! " It became one of our little
family fun stories.
I know that honeybees are in danger
of disappearing, and that, with them,
our sources of food. I hope something
can be done. I will do my miniscule part
by keeping away from them altogether.
I can't forget my most memorable
encounter with bees. I looked out my
Key West kitchen window one morning,
and saw a fellow in a full beekeeping
outfit, carrying a towering stack of hives
down the driveway.
" Hey! " I shouted. " What do you
think you're doing? "
He said his name was Leonard, and
he and his bees were moving into the
apartment in the back of the house.
36 | Cooperative Living | October 2021
I watched as Leonard carefully
carried the hives down into the
backyard, and began setting them up,
just beside the clothesline I used at
least twice a week
" You can't put those bees there! "
I cried.
By now, my boyfriend had heard
the commotion. He - all 6-foot-5
inches of him, with flaming red hair -
flip-flopped down the driveway to have
a word or two with Leonard, a spindly,
spare specimen.
I don't know who called them, but it
was not long before the Key West police
arrived. The two officers got out of
the car and surveyed the shouting
match down by the clothesline.
Then, they waded into the fray.
I also don't know what
happened, or how, but the bees
became quite disturbed. They started
to swarm about, buzzing loudly. The
air seemed filled with angry bees. The
policemen grabbed their nightsticks.
They began swinging and swatting
the clubs at the swarm. As you might
imagine, this did no good whatsoever.
It simply further enraged the bees.
Screams of pain and anger filled the air.
The bees were immediately attracted
to my friend's red hair. I remained safely
behind the kitchen screen, watching
the drama.
No one was arrested. And, Leonard
did not move out immediately with his
hives. But I did. I moved on my bicycle,
carrying my possessions in my bike
basket to a new cottage, pedaling back
and forth until the move was done. I
pumped the pedals furiously because
there was definitely a buzz in the air.
I don't know if those bees ever settled
down. Not to mention the policemen. 
Order Margo's book, " A Party of One. "
Call 540-468-2147, Mon.-Thurs., 9-5,
or email therecorderoffice@gmail.com.
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WhatzIt?
Each issue, we will publish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object. Submit your best
guess along with your name, email and phone
number to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperative Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340
or guess online at co-opliving.com under
" Contests. " Deadline is Oct. 20. Correct
entries will be placed in a drawing for a
$25 Amazon email gift card.
DO YOU
KNOW WHAT
THIS IS?
WherezIt?
Look for the CL logo, like the one here, in
the pages of each issue of Cooperative Living.
Submit the page number where you found
it along with your name, email and phone
number to WherezIt, c/o Cooperative Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340 or
go online at co-opliving.com under " Contests. "
Deadline is Oct. 20. The winner will receive
a $25 Amazon email gift card.
The CL in the August issue
was hidden on page 7. Tammy
Hostetter of Buena Vista, Va.,
is our WherezIt winner.
Congratulations, Tammy!
The August WhatzIt was raw shrimp.
Cynthia Buchen of Pittsville, Md.,
is our $25 email gift card winner.
Congratulations, Cynthia!
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Cooperative Living October 2021

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