Last Saturday, we had a drama unfolding in our backyard with a cast of thousands. Thousands of our neighbor’s honey bees, that is. According to bee literature available online, when a hive with its own queen becomes too crowded, the queen and her entourage decide they need a new palace. So, they swarm en masse into the air, and then alight, as a huge clump clinging to one another, in whatever temporary haven is convenient. In this case, one of the trees in our backyard. I have to say that I was terrified at the initial swarming – I was out in the garden doing some weeding, and all of a sudden the sky was full of bees circling in the air. But once the bees are safely in their huddle, only a few scouts fly here and there, searching for a proper new home. They then come back to transmit information to the rest of their hives mates, and they somehow all decide where to go next.
Needless to say, the beekeeper wants to entice them to come home to establish another hive in the backyard, not to find some dead tree in a nearby park or other cozy den. So, he arrived in his full bee regalia to try to make that happen. Having never done it before, he had a few false starts.
The process involved cutting down the branch with the bees, and trying to head them into the empty hive. (This is when watching from an upstairs window feels much safer than watching fr
om outside, even from within the screened-in deck.)
Bees everywhere, some dutifully entering the empty hive box, but most regrouping into another tree clump in record time (seconds!). If you don’t get the queen into the box, the other bees are not buying it. Finally, our neighbor got the queen in and the other bees followed, and the drama came to an end. But, while it lasted, it was a fascinating glimpse into the Secret Life of Bees (which you should read, by the way, because it is a great book).
I have been in Armenia on a work trip for the past week. (Yes, I am only planning to go places that begin with “A” from now on.) It’s been an amazing experience. Since one of the focuses (foci?) of the project we are working on is food, eating has been a big part of the trip. Since I am planning to write a work blog about “Armenian Snickers,” I will not mention them here, you will just have to wait for that. But, we have been eating a lot of delicious food. Yoghurt (madzoon) is a whole new experience here. Each morning at breakfast at our hotel, I try another combination of nuts, jams, and honey (and even corn flakes) with this thick drained version of yoghurt – think the best Greek yoghurt with no sour “bite” to it. Also, it is made into soup called “spas” with grains and a particular type of herb (it looks like tarragon in the soup, though I am sure people use different types of herbs. 
Then tea or strong Armenian coffee and “gata” (cake). This was after visiting one of the most spectacularly situated historic monasteries in the country, called 
right into it and live in Depression-era style, quite well just as is. Attention to detail.
citizens. It is almost retro in its simplicity. I couldn’t resist trying it out. There’s a boom box, and you pick one of four thematic edited recordings. I picked one on victory gardens. The sound was fine, and the story was well edited, and the directions (just put on the headphones and pick the track) were clear. There was also a transcript of the story. In this world of everything online and high(er) tech, the hands-on quality of this method of delivery was refreshing. Bravo, 
heart-shaped post it notes to attractive squares of craft paper and let anyone so moved write/draw a message or symbol or some combination in honor of Claudine. The squares were hole-punched in the middle of each of the four sides, and then connected to each other with pipe cleaner pieces. As you can see, the display method was also simple: we borrowed a yellow (Claudine’s favorite color) tablecloth from the caterers of the event, and covered a big sheet of alligator board (from a sign left over from the 
s (as in, the neighborhood kids since we only have one) used to play in when they were younger. I never noticed, but this metal gate has the name of 
at houses
dal Basin to see the blooms. (Full disclosure, this photo is of last year’s blooms.) We began to talk about all the things that make us grumpy while walking around the Tidal Basin during Cherry Blossom Madness. These include: Photographers who set their tripods up in the middle of the walkway. Parents with double strollers hogging the sidewalk. People jogging – really, you can’t find a better place to jog than a sidewalk clogged with tourists? People walking multiple dogs. Not just one little dog, but three medium to large sized dogs. On long leashes that get tangled around people’s legs. Oblivious people taking selfies with the trees. Kids who pick blossoms off the trees for a souvenir. Okay, so there are always too many people, not enough sidewalk, and things that are going to annoy you. But, still, the cherry blossoms are gorgeous and despite it all, you have to enjoy them and share them with everyone, be they considerate or not. The blossoms remind us of everything lovely and fleeting, soft and seasonal.