Beginning Beekeeping
Last year, I decided it would be a good idea to raise bees. It was one of those “how hard could it be” moments. For Christmas, my wife and sons got me assorted beekeeping equipment, so I was all set for the adventure. During the winter, I took a class and read several books on the subject. I learned enough about bees to know I did not know enough about bees. They are very interesting and complicated insects.
In spite of my misgivings, I set out a swarm trap and caught a swarm of bees looking for a new home. They seemed happy in their new surroundings but apparently were not. One day I went to check on them and every bee was gone. They had just packed up and left. This year, I decided things were going to be different. I purchased an established hive of bees. They already had a queen that was laying eggs and had built out quite a bit of honeycomb.
The evening my new
(Outdoors
bees arrived, I was ready and suited up with coveralls, bee veil, and gloves. Transferring them to their new home went smoothly and none of the bees seemed at all upset. I fed them some sugar water and put them to bed. I let them settle in for a week before I checked on them again. Not knowing what to expect, I again donned the full regalia of protective clothing. To my surprise, when I opened the hive, the bees did not seem at all concerned about being disturbed. They went about their business making comb and caring for the newly laid eggs. I fed them again and closed the hive.
The following week, my son went with me to check and feed the bees. Knowing how calm they had been in the past; we only wore veils to protect from bee stings. With pulling each frame to check on the work in progress, the bees did not get upset. We took off the veils and put them aside when about half done checking. A few bees flew around and
some even landed on us as though they were curious but not threatened. I decided, this was a nice docile group of bees. Saturday afternoon, I went down to the hive for their weekly inspection and feeding. Knowing how gentle my bees had been, I wore a T-shirt and no veil or other protective clothing. When I pulled the Ranger up to the front of the hive, I noticed forty or fifty bees at the front door as though they were guarding it. This was unusual and they seemed to be glaring at me with their beady little eyes. I went about my usual routine and pulled the top off the hive. The usually calm bees that previously had ignored me suddenly came alive in full attack mode. In the time it took me to get back in the Ranger and get out of there, they stung me four times. Sunday afternoon, I went back out to finish the job I had started the previous day. This time, I wore the full protective suit from head to toe. When I approached, the guards were again
at the door, but they did not seem nearly as annoyed at seeing me. As I worked my way through the hive, a few bees flew around, but none attacked. I got them fed and closed up without incident. As a beginner beekeeper, this is another thing I learned I do not know. Perhaps one bee was having a bad day so the whole hive had a bad day. I do know I will wear at least part of my protective clothing so I do not have a bad day when they decide for unknown reasons they do not want me in their hive.
June 8, 8:30am-11:30am
People get excited for Memorial Day weekend. In just a few days, the schools will be out for the summer, traditionally kickstarting the summer vacation, camping, and picnic seasons. I love a picnic. I remember picnics with my family when I was a small child.
Mom was a great cook who could make something out of nothing when there was “nothing to eat in this house.” She also packed a delicious picnic.
Sometimes, our picnics featured hotdogs and hamburgers on a park grill—an old-fashioned grill mounted on a steel post in the park. Dad would start the charcoal, and when it was ready, he placed the hotdogs on the grill and burned them. Dad would never take the blame for charring the dogs; one of the kids distracted him and caused the hotdogs to burn.
To avoid the grilling fiasco, Mom would usually pack sandwiches. Bologna salad sandwiches were always a hit, but I liked the liverwurst with Miracle Whip better. My favorite picnic entree was Mom’s homemade fried chicken; at home or in the park, Mom’s chicken was the best! No matter the main dish, every picnic included Tupperware.
Sandwiches were stacked in oblong flat containers. Every picnic had a big yellow or green Tupperware bowl of Mom’s homemade potato salad. Of course, all Tupperware containers were properly burped for freshness.
Tupperware pitchers were filled with lemonade, iced tea, or KoolAid. Ice for the drinks came from the bottom of the cooler, which was used to keep food items cold, especially
sandwiches made with mayonnaise. Although Mom usually used Miracle Whip, she was a stickler for keeping anything with mayo (or similar products) cold. I never did get Mom’s recipe for potato salad, but a few years ago, I got a recipe from Melissa’s aunt Gail.
Aunt Gail makes a mean bowl of potato salad because she uses lots of boiled eggs and finely diced onions; Mom did, too. Gail shared her potato salad recipe with me, and I’ve made it several times since then. However, Melissa tells me, “There’s just something a little different. It’s not the same as Auntie Gail’s.” Hmm. Why? It’s the same recipe.
One summer, my buddy Stu Stetter was visiting with a couple of friends. The four of us went on a men’s
camping and fishing trip to Ester and Devilfish Lakes on the Arrowhead Trail. I made a batch of Gail’s potato salad for the outing.
“Isn’t this potato salad just the bomb,” I asked Stuart.
Stu shrugged his shoulders. “It’s okay.”
“Okay? Just okay?” I was aghast. “Are you going to tell me that’s not the best potato salad you’ve ever had?”
“It’s okay,” Stu repeated. Then he chastised me, “It wasn’t made with Hellmann’s mayonnaise.” Seriously? I’d known this guy for over thirty years and had no idea he was a Mayo snob!
When we got home, I called Gail to tell her that Stuart didn’t love her potato salad. “He complained because it
(Just
wasn’t made with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise,” I reported.
Gail questioned, “Well if you didn’t make it with Hellmann’s, what did you use?” I told her I used Miracle Whip.
“YOU USED MIRACLE WHIP IN MY POTATO SALAD?” She was aghast. “I certainly hope you didn’t tell him that was MY recipe!” I’ve known Gail for twenty years and had no idea she was a Mayo snob, too.
After being chastised a second time, I have since switched to Hellmann’s—and only Hellmann’s—mayonnaise in potato and other salads. However, I will admit I still prefer Miracle Whip on bologna, tuna fish, and peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
A couple of weeks ago, I made a batch of potato salad and used the rest of my jar of Hellmann’s. I immediately wrote Hellmann’s on the grocery list. Heaven forbid I should start a batch of potato salad someday and discover I was out of Hellmann’s. I just don’t think I’m emotionally strong enough to handle a third chastisement for using Miracle Whip. On my next trip to the store, I bought a jar of Hellmann’s.
Unfortunately, I didn’t notice the mayo was gray until I got home. I don’t know if the jar had an air leak or what,
but you can bet your last dollar I will return it for a good jar. The only thing that could get me chastised more severely than not using Hellmann’s would be making potato salad with bad mayo and giving my wife a case of green gills. Maybe I’ll try something other than potato salad for this year’s picnic.
Years ago, I told people about a Jell-O salad I had in the 60s made with lime Jell-O and green olives. People didn’t believe me; not even my siblings remembered it. People said, “You’re sick!” and, “That’s just gross!” But I swear to you, Mom made such a salad, and it was good!
Mom made the salad in a fancy mold with lime Jell-O as its base. It had mixed in chopped celery, onion, green olives, and chunks of cheddar cheese. But nobody believed me until one day, I found a Jell-O advertisement in a vintage magazine from the 1950s featuring this very salad. Mom made a variety of
Jello-O salads. Another lime Jello-O salad had cottage cheese, pineapple, shredded cheddar cheese, and pecans. One of my favorites was orange Jell-O with shredded carrots and raisins. I can still taste them. They were delicious and pretty, too.
Speaking of pretty, how about a red Jell-O salad with bananas or strawberries. Jello-O with mandarin oranges is fantastic. Jello-O salad with fruit cocktail or peaches is good, too. And, you can never go wrong with any flavor
Jell-O with miniature marshmallows stirred in. (Of course, today, people add whipped cream and call it fluff.)
I haven’t replaced that bad jar of Hellmann’s yet, and we might be having a picnic this Memorial Day weekend. It may be time to surprise my wife with a cool, refreshing Jello-O salad with green olives, diced onion and celery, and chunks of cheddar cheese. I wonder if it would be good with a few sardines added in?
I could make it look like the fish were swimming inside.
I could even put a figurine of a barefoot little boy in coveralls fishing on top of the salad. I could have a fishing line with a hook and a worm running from his pole into the Jell-O dish.
Happy Memorial Day, my friends. During your gatherings with family and friends, be sure to remember the purpose of this weekend: to celebrate, honor, and remember those who gave their lives in military service to this great country of ours.
