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Honey, Working with Bees

Posted by MFish • Profile • 09/12/19 at 11:28PM • Other • See more by MFish

I was discharged from the Navy in 56.
Not many jobs were available.
Bucked hay bales for about 3 days.
The skin between my fingers
had blistered from using hay hooks.
Yes I was wearing leather gloves.

My next job was working for
Charles Porter, who had an Apiary.
In late summer, we would go to
his Bee hives. Wear long sleeve shirts,
with collars and sleeves buttoned tight,
put on the hat with the screen mesh,
pull on my gloves, then to the hives,
to take the Honey by lifting out the comb
that was covered with Bees.
Puff up the Smoker, brush the Bees
off with a soft hand broom.
Didn't want to harm the Bees.
Harvest the Honey but leave some
for the Bees would have food.
Go back to the building, where
Mr. Porter had a centrifuge to extract
the Honey. Put in the combs, turn on the
steam, turn on the centrifuge and we would
have golden Honey. Fill up the 5 gallon tins,
stack them away and repeat the process
until the end of the day.
The combs were not thrown away as
the beeswax would be harvested.
I couldn't wear gloves inside, as the
Honey could be very sticky so I would
be stung 10 or more times, on the
back of my hands until they looked
like Mickey Mouse hands, fat and puffy.
I would finish up, change my clothes
then go to the bus garage to drive
the afternoon bus, #16 and head to
the grade school, and high school.
You did what could to bring in money.
I would also have some sweet Honey.
Great times to remember most of all
especially when we are heading towards
the beautiful Fall.

The Hurt I cannot See

Posted by MFish • Profile • 09/09/19 at 11:25PM • Other • See more by MFish

I see my love, every day.
We talk about when she
was having radiation and chemo,
for treatment of lung cancer.
The good news; Cancer is in remission,
Bad news, early onset dementia.
I believe this was triggered by
or accelerated by the chemo treatment.
We saw that early, when she
couldn't remember our anniversary
and she was unable to balance
the checkbook or pay bills.
Her mother had dementia, in her late 80's.
I am seeing similar behavior
in my love. She can't remember names
or the names of objects. She does remember
one name and that is our Granddaughter.
Confuses the names of our two sons
and our close friends.
She told me that she didn't know my name.
Evenings are the worst. There is a tendency to wander
or get in a discussion that is close to an argument.
Then I'll hear "Put me in a home.'
I tell her no, that's not going to happen.
There is no logic or reasoning present.
I'll talk to her and she won't hear me,
so I raise the volume of my voice and
then she tells me, "you don't need to shout.
Tonight, in the space of 10 minutes, she
asked me if it was raining. I replied No.
That upset her as she said, " you know I
can't hear.
Sorry for the whining.

Off We Go, Clearing the Brain

Posted by MFish • Profile • 09/08/19 at 11:01PM • Other • See more by MFish

Here I go again.
Once more I write
what comes to my
mind, as I try
to bring forth thoughts,
from the deepest past.
Thoughts from long ago,
that I no longer can
recall or see,
when I peer back,
into my cluttered mind.
I hope this writing
of my thoughts
will keep coming,
so that very soon
I will recall
those thoughts and memories
that I can embellish
and find the time,
for thee. Fine tune is
a broad term that
I hope to convey,
when all my thoughts
remain or stay
to explain to you
what I always must
of all this random
wordly dust.

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