Day #590 Rain, Rain, Rain

The ground around here has been gasping for such a long time, but today, there’s rain. Not just a little bit. A lot. And it reminds me of something.

I went without a piano for a number of years, from the time I left home to go to college until well into my married life. Finally, though, I got tired of feeling like parched earth. I wanted the rain of music back in my life.

So I bought a piano. The music started falling, just like tentative raindrops. I hadn’t touched a piano in so many years, it was almost like starting over again. Scales. Finger-limbering exercises.

But then the floodgates opened, and music filled my life once more.

Nowadays I don’t play the piano often. But I sing with the Gwinnett Choral Guild. I play my mini bongo drums just for the fun of it when I walk past the kitchen counter. I hum along as I drive.

It’s just like the rain. A little here, a lot there. A little here. Some more there. And my world is satisfied.

BEEattitude for Day #590:

       Blessed are those who fill their combs with pollen and honey, for they shall be well-nourished all their life long.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #524 Am I Way Too Busy?

I would have liked to go to Eagle Eye Books in Decatur Saturday to see Cathy Kaemmerlen, who spoke about her book The Buzz on Honeybees. One of the regular readers of this blog emailed me about Cathy's presentation.  Thank you, Mary G. I appreciated the heads-up, and was sorry to have to miss it. I hope you enjoyed it twice -- once for you and once for me. 

Kaemmerlen is an author, actor, and storyteller whose latest book is about -- what else? -- honey bees. I love the idea that someone is speaking at schools, teaching young people to respect the pollinators, sending a message with a great deal of humor and animation, so they’ll remember the lesson (hopefully) all their lives.

Instead, I was singing in a Mozart concert for the Gwinnett Choral Guild. Why are there so many worthwhile things that I want to do? Why do they all seem to happen at once? 

BEEattitude for Day #524:

       Blessed are those who do what they love, and love what they do, for they shall feel fulfilled.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #486 Volunteers

Sometimes I think this country runs on volunteers. Yesterday evening I sat through a meeting of the Gwinnett Choral Guild Board of Directors, and I was struck with the level of dedication of those people. All of us believe in the work of the Choral Guild. We come together to sing for the sheer joy of it, and we all love the way our director gives us challenging music to sing.

But, a lot of people in that room last night have been on the Board, in various positions, for years and years. I’m one of them. I happen to believe that I have a responsibility to put in some effort for the groups I want to see succeed. 

There are quite a few members of the Guild, though, who see the Guild running quite well day to day, week to week, and probably think that their input isn’t necessary.  But volunteering is like voting. If you don’t do it, you don’t have the right to complain!

Well, maybe we’ll get them this go-round. It’s that time of year when the nominating committee gears up to select a slate of officers for next year. 

How about you? Have you looked for ways to volunteer? I’m not talking about running yourself ragged trying to be on every committee ever invented. No. Choose what’s important to you -- and then why don’t you do something to help? Believe me, you’ll be appreciated! 

BEEattitude for Day #486:

       Blessed are those who nurture the baby bees, for they shall ensure the continuous of the hive.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #420 Cooperation

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I sing with the Gwinnett Choral Guild. If you check out our picture on the home page, I’m the 6^th one from the right (the one who looks like a ghost).

Over the past few weeks we’ve given three different concerts. The first one was (sort of) a Thanksgiving theme. The second one was all about Christmas. And the one we sang Monday night at Delmar Gardens, a local retirement home, was a combination of the two.

In all three concerts we presented a number of different genres, from classical and baroque to jazz to blues to pop to pure schmaltz – and it was wonderful. I so enjoy singing with a dedicated group of people. We’re none of us professionals, but we work together to create some incredible music under the direction of G. Phillip Shoultz III, an amazingly talented director.

As I was singing my heart out last night, I wondered if bees ever feel the same sort of satisfaction for a job well done. I’d like to think so. Their music certainly resounds as beautifully as ours did.

And here's book #3. Have you noticed yet that the stripe at the top of the book gives the color of the next book in the series?

BEEattitude for Day # 420:

       Blessed are those who buzz beautifully, for they shall spread joy and receive it right back, multiplied.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart

my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats):  http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Fran+Stewart

Day #417 Telling it again and again

It’s funny how often I run into people who haven’t heard yet that I had to get rid of my bees. These are folks I don’t see often, or people I do see regularly but don’t have frequent conversations with (like the whole soprano section of the Gwinnett Choral Guild). Every once in a while after rehearsal, one of them will ask, “So, how are your bees getting along, Fran?” And I have to explain the whole rigamarole all over again.

I do wonder when telling that story will cease to feel like such a loss.

The good news is that I’ll get to usher Bob (the husband of my main character, Biscuit McKee) through the process of getting bees and learning to deal with them through the next few books in the series.

You can be sure I’m not going to write him with an allergy to them.

That shouldn’t happen to more than one of us.

BEEattitude for Day # 417:

       Blessed are those who eat what is best for them, for they shall glow with good health.

_______________________________

The teeny details:

BOOK SIGNINGS

Dec.   3   1-3 p.m.  Books for Less, Buford GA

That’s Today!

Come on by if you’re in the area.

Dec.   4  1-3 p.m.  Humpus Bumpus Bookstore, Cumming GA

Dec. 10  2-4 p.m. Peerless Bookstore, Alpharetta GA 

my print books:  http://www.franstewart.com

Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006AA0I4M

Day #412 Messiah Sing-Along

Yesterday was a special day for me. Every year, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Gwinnett Choral Guild hosts a Messiah Sing-along. If people have scores, they bring them along. If not, the Guild has a bunch to loan out.

We, meaning the Choral Guild, and the BJ Chorale (co-hosts of the event) pay for professional singers to do the solo work, as well as a small chamber group and a couple of dynamic trumpeters (for the Hallelujah Chorus).

The audience sort of divides up into sections – Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses. And we sing out hearts out.

It’s glorious! Now, as far as I’m concerned, the holidays are almost over. I’ve become something of a Grinch, as I’ve mentioned before. I still need to watch George C. Scott’s Christmas Carol, sing one more concert with the Choral Guild on December 3^rd, and send in an extra donation to Heifer International in my grandchildren’s names; then that’s quite enough holiday for me, and I am content.

BEEattitude for Day # 412:

       Blessed are those who celebrate joyously, for their hearts shall sing, just the ways our bee hearts buzz.

______________________________ 

The teeny details:

BOOK SIGNINGS

     Dec.   3       1-3 p.m.         Books for Less, Buford GA

     Dec.   4       1-3 p.m.         Humpus Bumpus Bookstore, Cumming GA

     Dec. 10       2-4 p.m.         Peerless Bookstore, Alpharetta GA     

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006AA0I4M

Day #381 Mission Statements

I sing with the Gwinnett Choral Guild, and I’m a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. We’ve been meeting recently to flesh out our mission and vision statements.

You’d think it wouldn’t be that complicated. But what, after all, are we really about? Singing, of course. Musical excellence. Community.

How, though, do we craft those essential statements? How do we agree where we are and where we’re going?

Bees don’t have that problem.

·         Mission – honey and pollen.

·         Vision – survival of the hive.

Hmmm. I want more than food and survival. And I’m pretty sure the whole GCG will want more than that as well.

So, in this, I guess we people don’t have to emulate the bees.

BEEattitude for Day # 381:

       Blessed are those who know who and what they are, for they shall rest easy.

_______________________________ 
The teeny details:
my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.
my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart
my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats):  http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Fran+Stewart

Day #346 Bees Don't Like Rain

Bee don’t like rain, but I sure do.

I have a condition called vitiligo, which simply means that I don’t have a lot of melanin in my skin. Melanin is the stuff that darkens the skin and protects the body from ultraviolet rays.

It started when I was pregnant with my 1^st child – more than three decades ago. A little white patch appeared over my left eye. Over the following months, the patches spread. At one point my arm looked “like a map of the Alaskan archipelago” – that’s what my highly-artistic sister said.

Now, all these years later, I simply look extra-pale. If you check out the official photographs of the Gwinnett Choral Guild on their website, I’m the one who looks like a ghost.

I don’t mind it. But boy do I enjoy rainy days! There is something so relaxing about clouds, lots of clouds. No need to worry about sunburn. It’s wonderful!

Now that I have bees, though, I worry about my bees getting wet. What is it about people that we always seem to need to find something to worry about?

BEEattitude for Day # 346:

       Blessed are those who accept life’s ups and downs, for they shall enjoy the rollercoaster.

p.s. please forward this blog link to:

your friends who have dogs

your friends who read

your friends who’d like to learn about bees!

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Get Your Dog in My Next Book!

From now through the end of September, anyone who donates $10 to WAG, also known as the Walton Animal Guild, will be automatically entered in a drawing.

If you win, your dog will be in my next Biscuit McKee mystery!

http://www.wagwalton.com/News.php

The donate button is right on their home page

Every $10 donation is automatically entered in the drawing

See Blog #324 for the details.

Hot Chocolate Taste Test

I seem to be in a taste-testing mood. A few days ago, it was pollen. Today it’s hot chocolate.

Last week I was at the Gwinnett County Public Library’s “Book Bistro” as a visiting author. The library had arranged to have Andre and Latoya Bentley there to serve generous samples of their Organo Gold iced latté. I’m not usually a coffee drinker, but I do admit to guzzling more than my fair share. The day was hot, after all. The coffee is infused with something wonderful called “Ganoderma” that helps strengthen immunity. I’ll take all the help I can get.

I brought home a couple of sample packages of their hot chocolate. This is not just any hot chocolate. It has the Ganoderma in it, too. But I wasn’t willing just to say “must be good.” I did a taste test.

I have two mugs that, other than the color, are pretty much the same. Same weight, same shape. I took the generic hot chocolate mix I keep on hand for my grandchildren and dumped it in the green mug. The Ganoderma hot chocolate mix went into the brown mug. I poured an equal amount of hot water into each and stirred them both.

Then I closed me eyes, sang three of the songs I’ve memorized for our Gwinnett Choral Guild concerts – “Ashokan Farewell,” “Homeward Bound,” and the hauntingly beautiful “Prayer of the Children.” While I was singing, I moved the cups around. After the first 10 or 15 bars of music, I’d truly forgotten which mug was which.

Keeping my eyes closed, I tasted. Not even close! The Ganoderma chocolate was truly delicious – even more so when compared to that other stuff. It was rich and mellow; no yucky aftertaste, either.

I’ll be reporting on a honey taste test once my bees let me rob their hives. I’m no Julia Child, but I do know what tastes good. You can look this up at http://www.happybcoffee.com/. Tell ‘em the bees sent you!

BEEattitude for Day # 217:

       Blessed are those who share good news, for good shall bounce right back to them.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com

my ebooks on Amazon for Kindle

my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats)

Day #216 Working Together

I love to step out on my deck and sing to my bees. I don't know if they enjoy it as much as I do, but their humming seems to increase while I'm singing. They're such fun to watch, too. I’m always intrigued with how well honey bees work together, each fulfilling her role (or his role—the drones have a part to play as well) without a hitch.

Saturday evening I had a chance to experience something like that when I sang with the Gwinnett Choral Guild. This was a weekend full of concerts – one on Saturday evening and one on Sunday afternoon. The theme was “America Sings” and we performed songs about love, war, peace, people & places, and praise.

I’ve enjoyed singing with the Guild for years now, and I have to say, we’ve managed some pretty impressive performances, but Saturday night’s concert was one magical beehive moment after another. I felt completely attuned to all the other singers and to the marvelously responsive audience. At the center of it all was our director, G. Phillip Shoultz III, who has done wonders with this particular old lady’s voice. He can pull music out of me that I didn’t know was in there.

Like a beehive, where every bee fulfills her role (whether she’s a nurse bee, house bee, guard bee, or forager bee), all of us singers—soprano, alto, tenor, bass—joined to bring alive the music of the spheres. We sang together the way bees work together.

Sitting here now, looking out the bay window at my hives, I can still feel the magic.

BEEattitude for Day # 216:

       Blessed are those who buzz mightily, for they shall abound with joy.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com

my ebooks on Amazon for Kindle

my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats)

Day #182 Oh Dear! Too Many Flower Choices?

I just read that honeybees have a tendency to focus on one particular type of flower at a time, which is why it’s possible to have clover honey/ macadamia nut honey / sourgum honey / tupelo honey and such like. And here I am planting all sorts of different flowers and veggies in my yard so my bees will have lots of choices.

It seems like every time I read something lately, it makes hash of what I read last week or last month. Isn’t it great to know there are so many people experimenting with different ways of keeping the bees happy?

So, I’m going to keep on planting the flowers and shrubs that I love, and the bees will figure out how to deal with it.

BEEattitude for Day # 182:

       Blessed are those who love us enough to plant delicious flowers for us, for we shall enjoy whatever they plant and shall pollinate it well.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The Gwinnett Choral Guild. I love singing with them.

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #162 A Pretty Good Life

I heard from H & L Bee Farm, saying that the pick-up date for the bees probably won’t be until April 10^th. Part of me says phooey because I want to get them sooner, but another part of me is relieved. There’s still so much to do before they get here.

We’ve had so much rain I haven’t finished staining the deck yet. I don’t want to be slapping a paintbrush around while my bees are getting used to their new location.

Meanwhile, all those seeds my grandchildren and I started inside are outgrowing their little pots, but it’s still a bit too early to transplant them outside.

I don’t have my boxes branded yet, although my branding iron from Brand New is waiting patiently in what used to be the family room but is steadily being transferred into the Bee Equipment Launching Pad.

On top of work (5 doctoral dissertations and 2 novels to edit, plus my own book to write, a seminar presentation to prepare, and some book clubs to speak to), I agreed last week to serve as the treasurer for the Gwinnett Choral Guild. It’s a community 501(c)(3) choir, and I know I really should do my part, which is why I agreed to take on the position. Everybody’s busy, so the simple fact that I’m busy is not an excuse.

Still, I’m drawing a line here and now:

I’m not volunteering for ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!

I’ll work. I’ll do what’s necessary around the house. I’ll connect with my family and friends. I’ll give blood every other month. I’ll knit and sing. I’ll walk and garden and read. I’ll uphold my volunteer commitments, care for my cats, take care of myself, and play at beekeeping.

Come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good life, doesn’t it?

BEEattitude for Day # 162:

       Blessed are those who know what they want to do in life, for they shall be infinitely satisfied.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My comfy old sweatpants    

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #156 Two weeks to go till B-Day

B-Day (Bee Day) in two weeks! or maybe three . . .

And there's still so much to do. We’ve had so much rain lately that I haven’t finished staining the deck yet. Don’t want to be slapping stain around while my brand new bees are getting used to their brand new location on my back deck. So far I have half the deck stained with one coat, and I need two coats over everything.

Then, all those seeds my grandchildren and I started inside are outgrowing their pots, but it’s still a bit too early to transplant them outside.

As far as my wonderful work goes, my 6^th Biscuit McKee mystery is still in one of its numerous drafts, and I have five amazingly productive doctoral candidates whose dissertations I’m editing, as well as two novels. I’ll be leading some classes and doing some book signings and speaking to some book clubs.

On top of all this, Monday night I agreed to serve as the treasurer for the Gwinnett Choral Guild for a two-year term starting in June. Egads! It’s a community choir, and I know I really should do my part—which is why I volunteered. But I’m so busy . . .

Can it, Frannie. You’re in control of your own calendar. If you’re busy, it’s your own responsibility, so that’s not an acceptable reason to whine.

Okay, okay! But I draw the line HERE. From now on, I’m not volunteering for ANYTHING else.

I’ll edit and write. I’ll do what’s necessary around the house. I’ll donate blood every other month. I’ll knit and sing. I’ll connect with my family and friends. I’ll walk and garden and read. I’ll uphold my volunteer commitments. I’ll play at beekeeping.

Hmm . . . That sounds like a pretty good life, doesn’t it?

BEEattitude for Day # 156:

       Blessed are they who appreciate their lives, for they shall glow with well-being.

What Fran is grateful for right now:

       My editing clients    

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #153 Taking the time to say thank-you

Sunday afternoon the Gwinnett Choral Guild performed at Spivey Hall. What a glorious place to perform. No wonder that hall is a favorite of world-class musicians.

At any rate, after the performance was over, I wandered out through the lobby, heading toward my car. I was stopped, though, by two women who took the time to add their personal thank-you for the performance. They mentioned specific things that had brought them joy, such as the power of the Gospel Magnificat—and said that they’d both cried when we sang the hauntingly poignant Prayer of the Children.

It was so thoughtful of them to hang around for a while waiting for us to appear from the back halls, just so they could give more than the applause we’d received in the hall.

I’ve decided that for the coming week, I’m going to go out of my way, at least once each day, to say thank you. Won’t you join me in that endeavor?

I wonder if bees have a way to say thanks? Surely, when a forager bee unloads her pollen and hands off her nectar to one of the house bees, the bee on the receiving end must wiggle her thanks one way or another. How else could bees have functioned so well for 140 million years?

BEEattitude for Day # 153:

       Blessed are the music-makers, for they shall feel a deep and abiding connection with each other.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The audio book (The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane) that kept me company on the long trip to and from Spivey Hall. It’s a great story that weaves the lives of women from Salem Massachusetts in 1692 (witch trial times) with the life of a young graduate student in the 1990s.

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #149 The Prayer of the Children

On Sunday I'll be singing at Spivey Hall with The Gwinnett Choral Guild. I hope you can come to the 4:00 performance. The theme will be feeding the hungry, and that means the hunger of the heart as well as of the belly.

One of the songs we're performing is Bestor's "The Prayer of the Children," which he wrote after having visited a war-torn land. This link is to a performance by Baylor University's Men's Choir. The pictures, I must warn you, are very sad, but they show the reason why war is so insane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xj6Ymz9ak

Bees are smarter than humans. Even the Africanized bees, which I wrote about on Day #67 (December 17^th), take over a colony fairly peacefully. Pretty much the only one who dies is the queen, after which the invader bees install their own queen and become part of the hive. All the baby bees are safe through the whole process.

Spivey Hall is on the campus of Clayton State College in Morrow, GA. I hope you can attend the 4:00 performance and enjoy our glorious music. If you can’t be there, will you send my throat some good vibes?

BEEattitude for Day # 149:

       Blessed are the peacemakers, for their hives shall grow many happy baby bees.

Someone Fran is grateful for right now:

       Phillip Shoultz III, the inspiring director of the Gwinnett Choral Guild    

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Check out my eBooks at either Smashwords or Amazon 

Day #136 Bees Don't Have to Apologize

People who make lists and schedules are optimists, because they have the underlying belief that they’ll be able to check off each one of those items and make each one of those appointments.

That usually works around this house, except when the computer acts up. Writing used to be done with a pencil or a clickety old typewriter, and while I still do a lot of drafts longhand, ultimately the ‘puter must be warmed up.

I write each of these blog entries the day before, so I can post them just after midnight, EDT. Guess what happened last night? Penelope Puter wouldn’t cooperate. That maddening little blue circle kept twining its way around the screen, no matter what I tried to click on.

At least the power button still worked, so I finally shut the whole thing down. Of course, this morning, Penelope informed me, rather sternly, that this was all my fault, since I had not powered her off properly and she was going to have to spin her wheels for quite some time trying to make sure that my stupid actions hadn’t caused egregious errors in my documents.

Okay, so maybe she didn’t use exactly those words, but the whiney tone was definitely present. Whatever happened to the concept of an apology?

I’m terribly sorry, Miss Frannie, that my internal workings screwed up royally yesterday, causing you to miss a deadline or two. It was all my fault, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I’ll try to do a better job in the future.

            Your friend,

            Penelope Puter

Bees never have these kinds of problems.

BEEattitude for Day # 136:

       Blessed are those who apologize nicely when they err, for they shall be appreciated.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The Gwinnett Choral Guild   

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #64 I'd rather be singing . . .

Well, Monday night was a dress rehearsal for the Gwinnett Choral Guild, singing at Brenau University in Gainesville with the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra. Tonight (Tuesday) will be the performance.

I'm missing both of them. Phooey!

How do opera singers ever manage? Surely they must get an occasional cold(?)

Or maybe not.

Yes, I apologize. I'm still whining about feeling sick.

So, what is there about bees that will cheer me up?

   1. They are a sunny yellow, just like my bathroom walls. I like yellow.
   2. It's only about 14 more weeks until I get to pick up my nuc and my package of bees.
   3. Worker bees do a wag-tail dance to identify where the nectar is. I could dance around my living room just for the heck of it, and that would keep me from grumping about my sore nose.
   4. On days when I can't sing myself, I'll be able to step outside and listen to my hives!

Okay. I feel better now.

Will somebody tell my nose to keep up with me?

BEEattitude for Day #64 :

       Blessed are the singers, for they shall be filled with joy. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Hot water.

Day #56 Rockin' Gospel Singing

Well, Saturday and Sunday were great fun. The Gwinnett Choral Guild gave two concerts. The music was challenging, and I was astonished at how much sound came out of my old lungs. We just got started singing and sang our hearts out.

In case you're interested, we started with three different versions of the Magnificat. High-falootin' stuff. Organ music - which I can't stand, so don't ever give me an organ CD, but I must admit the volume was impressive.

Then we sang some more traditional Christmas songs - White Christmas, Sleigh Ride, things like that - interspersed with performances by the Georgia Young Men's Ensemble, a phenomenal group of young guys from 6th grade through high school (and even a couple of college guys who enjoy singing with the group so much, they keep on attending rehearsals).

We ended up with yet another Magnificat -- this one The Gospel Magnificat by Robert Ray. Soul music at its best. We had the place rocking both concerts. I ended up energized and exhausted both. Love singing with that group!

Have I mentioned that I plan to sing to my bees once I get them here? I think that makes sense. I wonder if they'd prefer classical or jazz? I'm pretty good at elevator music, too, but if they want rock or rap, they'll have to hear that in somebody else's back yard.

BEEattitude for Day # 56:

       Blessed are those who make music, for we shall enjoy their buzzing. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The GCG's director, Phillip Shoultz, who can pull more music out of us than we knew was in there. 

Day #41 Singing is Like Buzzing

As I write this, it's 6:30 Saturday evening. I just got home from an all-day rehearsal for the Gwinnet Choral Guild, and boy, did I have fun. I simply love singing with that group. The conductor, Phillip Shoultz, is dynamic and exacting, and kind at the same time. He can pull music out of us that we didn't know we had in us. I enjoy being held to a high standard of excellence (is that phrase redundant?)

We're getting ready for some upcoming concerts, rather like bees preparing for the winter. They gather honey -- we gather song. They dance -- we sing.

We're going to do our annual Messiah Singalong on the Sunday after Thanksgiving at Lawrenceville (GA)Presbyterian Church. Come on along and sing a hallelujah or two. The two Christmas concerts will be Saturday December 4th and Sunday the 5th. Details are at the GCG website.

"But, I live in Texas," you say.  Or in Louisiana or Michigan or Australia. Well, just as there are bees practically everywhere (except Antarctica), so there are singers. Check out your local high school. I bet their music department is putting on a concert of some sort.

After you hear the singers, tell me all about it.

Just 129 more days until I get my bees! Do you think you can stand waiting that long?

BEEattitude for Day # 41:

       Blessed are the singers, for they shall have rich lives indeed.

Two people I’m grateful for right now:

       Veronica and Millie, who cared for my cats while I was in Colorado.