MAY 18, 2011 A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY

Bee Hive: http://www.brushymountain.com/

Pride House: Cherry Grove 2011 (check out Summer Place Reality in Cherry Grove for other houses for rent)

Wooden Bench: Porch deck on second floor of house

"THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO LIFE, TO THE END OF OUR DAYS, LIFE IS A LESSON IMPERFECTLY LEARNED" -- H. Salisbury

Regardless of how much you try, there are no shortcuts to life. From the beginning to the end, your life is a lesson which must be learned. It is a lesson that has imperfections. I repeat, It is a lesson that has imperfections. No life is perfect. This lesson is imperfectly learned. Do you want life to be perfect? I certainly do not. I am not happy about some of life, but then again I had something to do with that phase of my life. It was a hard lesson, but well worth it. I am grateful that I have addictions. If I had not accepted my addictions I would have never entered a twelve step program. That lesson was imperfectly learned but well worth it.

A Weekend in the Country is a marvelous idea. Try to get away. My weekends in the country is not in the Catskills, nor the Hampton's and not in Hudson, New York. My weekends in the country are in the Cherry Grove Community in Fire Island, New York.

The top photograph is my Brushy Mountain Cottage Style Hive set on the land of Pride House. Pride House is one of the oldest houses in Cherry Grove. It was one of the few houses that withstood the winds and rains of the 1938 Hurricane. This colonial house still stands today. It has been called Pride House as long as I can remember.

Setting up a beehive is relatively easy after my beekeeping courses and reading beekeeping books: Beekeeping for Dummies and The Backyard Beekeeper. Being a good neighbor includes doing as little all I can to reduce the honeybee/neighbor interaction. Placing the beehive in the southeast position is best. I want it away from my neighbors as to allow the bees a more constant flight pattern for both coming and going from the hive.

People's reaction to bees and beekeeping in unpredictable. Education is needed. A few in the community are excited and enthusiastic, some may not even care, and there are some who strongly object for one reason or another. A little talk will go a long way. Some may be allergic and that might be their main concern. Unlike wasps, yellow jackets, and bumblebees, honeybees hardly sting unless seriously provoked. The honeybees of today are more docile than twenty years ago. Italian honeybees are very docile. It is true that a few people will have a life threatening reaction from a bee sting, but the percentage is very low. I will always have an EpiPen in my habitat. If anyone has a serious allergy to an insect bite, that individual should have their own EpiPen. The typical bee sting is a slight red reaction at the bite site with some itching two to three days afterwards. This can happen with any insect bite. I am more concerned over spider bites than any bee sting. Since I want to have a real relationship with my bees I have placed their hive not in direct sunlight, and always have a water supply of a fountain nearby but even a neighbor's swimming pool could be a water source for bees. Just as Spencer, my King Charles Cavalier doesn't like direct sunlight and prefers some shade, so do my Italian Honeybees.

Warning signs can be posted for your neighbor's protection. These signs are not to scare anyone but to notify them. Signs may also inform people in the community about saving the environment.

All of us have temperaments including the neighbor who doesn't understand, and so do the bees. I have learned to examine the bees on warm sunny days and never in the cold rain. I will be gentle opening the cover. Bees should remain docile especially if smoked. If I get stung I will feel bad, as within 48 hours or less the bee that stung me will die. I have been taught to always keep my bee suit clean especially after a sting . I didn't understand the logic at first, but I have learned that venom left on the suit after a sting could be a warning sign for the colony of bees that I am a threat and cause other bees to sting. Honeybees will not deliberately sting you unless you are provoking them while they are foraging or try to kill them.

I will always be there for my bees and my neighbors. Not only are bees needed in our community but this is a way for many flowering plants to continue to flourish since bees are the major pollinators on Earth.

It is also a way to give back to Mother Earth.

Just think of this--free honey for your neighbors as long as you protect the bees with enough honey for the winter months.

"A Weekend in the Country" is a song from a Sondheim musical. It was revived last season with Catherine Zeta Jones (she won a Tony) and the legend, Angela Lansbury. The replacements were as fabulous as the original revival cast. It included Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.

Can you guess which musical?

Until tomorrow...