these lengthening days warmed by the afternoon sun set the sky ablaze
~kat
It’s been a while. I’ve been passing mindlessly, from one day to the next, barely breathing. Well, I exaggerate. Obviously I am breathing. But I can’t catch my breath. Everyday another terrible bit of news spews from the spineless, malevolent fools in government. Every day, choosing ways to manage rising basic living costs by deciding what we can do without. Living with some sense of comfort in these times takes great effort and diligence. I’m bone tired.
My saving grace…my glimmer…the moments I actually pause from work, is at sunset. A brief few moments of watching the sky transform before launching into my night-time chores. Honestly, it is something I need desperately.
And there is writing…my love of words. I am planning to enter another NaPoWriMo exercise in a few days. It’s been a hard winter. Time for spring in every sense!
tell the bees . I understand now how important they are not only because they are master keepers of all life in balance but as sages of great wisdom. consider the hive… . a bustling community of workers, drones, and one queen, each of whom has a vital role to play in the health, safety, and prosperity of the whole where the swarm protects at all cost the matriarch, the very heart. it’s not honey that drives them, it is she… . ancient feminine energy hidden away just buzzing to be known by humanity gone astray honey drunk, where drones have taken over the hive… they forgot, the workers are legion
~kat
The poem is a pi-sequenced offering based on three sections: 3.1415926535.8979323846. 2643383279, determining the syllable count for each line. Happy 3/14!
Wisdom from the Bees
There are three vital roles played out by very distinct players in the life of a hive. It’s not about the honey. While it is a sweet byproduct of the harmony of a healthy brood of bees, it is not the heart.
That would be the queen. A single fertile female who holds everything together. Bee queens live 2-3 years laying up to 3000 eggs a day. She is literally the mother of all bees, the quintessential life giver of the colony as well as the anchor that keeps the hive humming.
The queen is sustained by worker bees (also female). These busy bees tend the hive, clean and feed the queen royal jelly, a special food reserved only for queens, and provide for her every need so that she can spend her short productive reign reproducing. Worker bees are born from the fertilized eggs of the queen. Given the fertile reproductive qualities of a heathy queen, workers are legion. Throughout their relatively short lifespan (in the summer two to six weeks, and in winter, up to 20 weeks because they don’t venture out of the hive during colder months) worker bees do it all! After 21 days, honey bee larvae emerge fully grown and the work begins with cleaning the cells (days 1-3), feeding the worker and drone larvae (days 3-7), and attending exclusively to the queen (days 7-11). Around days 13 – 18 the workers use wax from four glands in their abdomen’s to build and restore the cells of the hive. On days 18 – 21 when their stinger has matured, they move on to guard duty protecting the hive, and finally, in the last sweet stage of life these busy workers emerge from the hive to scout and forage for water, pollen, and nectar. A foraging bee will make 9-10 hour-long trips to and from the hive in a single day. There are other tasks which worker bees do such as maintaining the temperature of the hive and mortuary duty (removing dead and non viable eggs from the hive). I’m figuring out where the term “busy as a bee” comes from.
Which brings us to the drones. These guys (the male component in the life of bee colonies) are born from the unfertilized eggs of the queen. She basically creates these fellows for herself, as they have one vital role to play. They do not have stingers (an important fact to ponder), they do not feed themselves (worker bees provide them royal jelly for a few days, then a steady diet of honey), they do not scout or forage or protect the hive (remember…no stingers). When a queen emerges from her nest, she takes a maiden flight solely for the purpose of mating with several drones. This act will fertilize all the eggs she will ever lay in her lifetime, so once the deed is done, each drone dies.
I could go on and on…there are so many details i could share regarding the masterpiece that is a bee colony. And there are a few analogies as well that I could indulge, but I won’t. I’ll let you fill in the rest of the story. Suffice to say, is it any wonder that compassion, kindness, peace, community, conservation, nurturing, the arts and wisdom are making a bold resurgence in these times we find ourselves living through? And what can we learn from the bees? I’ll just leave all of this here for you to ponder. 🤔😉 😊
Much love, peace, compassion, and honeybee wisdom glimmers to you.
The view outside my window today…isn’t it lovely! Rainy glimmers today…yes even in the rain… ✨💚✨
the rain
I don’t mind the rain the sound of each droplet tapping the ground is comforting, the scent of nearby lakes heavy in the air fish and fauna, fill me with delicious melancholy I don’t mind the rain even as the sky dims a pale gray, the ground’s verdant glow, earthy and pungent sparks something deep in my core connecting me to life’s force ancient, eternal… how could I ever mind the rain cool, damp, messy, lingering, fragrant some of my favorite things are these
If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?
bouquet muted
though faded they are beautiful a rose is and always will be by any other
~kat
Happy National Caregivers’ Day
so…I missed it
I didn’t know that there’s a day, well, there was a day commemorating caregivers I might have been more intentional had I known I might have taken time to savor a cup of tea finishing it, before it turned cold I might have … oh, I don’t know celebrated, a little. lit a candle, cooked my favorite meal, watched an entire movie… I might have even taken a day off an entire day, from my day job just because…instead of saving those hours…those days for appointments for those unexpected plot twists when showing up is not an option, when being there is all that matters because I love them…
it’s just as well, not to have wasted eight hours paid, to sleep most of them, because you know that’s what I would do sleep…then apologize for sleeping, for taking a break, for trying to remember my dreams upon waking, only to realize I stopped dreaming years ago
so, happy belated caregiver day…me
for better or for worse, you know I said those words, out loud decades ago and I meant them
just knowing that there was a day even if I missed it softens the load, gives me a brief glimmer, reminds me of how strong I am and how fragile just knowing
maybe next year…
~kat
Just knowing that there was a day to remember caregivers gave me a moment’s pause, a smile, and the realization that somewhere in the universe there was someone who thought it was important enough to let me, and others like me, know that they see us and appreciate us. As glimmers go, you can’t get much better than that. Well, you could, I suppose, but this one feels pretty darn good!
Much love, peace, glimmers, and gentle care for those who care…
So it is easier for you to find all the parts/chapters of my ongoing fiction series, I created a new page that lists all the links. You can check it out HERE!
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