It's a summer morning here, the kind where you feel the heat and moisture in the air like sweet breath (that becomes angrier as the day goes on?) the scent of Valerian flowers and lilies waiting on the steps to caress the next person's olfactory receptors and make one sigh in summer flower bliss. My youngest has been eating caramel yogurt and watching cartoons beside me. My eldest has been cooking an omelet and getting ready to go beekeeping with my Grandfather, doesn't that sound amazing? I am so proud of my lad, and the opportunity for a child to get to do something like that with their great-grandfather just blows my mind.
I used to bee-keep you know. Yes, I quite enjoyed it, also. Beekeeping, though hot, i found to be rather relaxing (when one is not panicking, i must admit that the first time a whole swarm of bees heightens their buzz and surrounds you, it is hard to remember that you are safe) it is a job that requires mindfulness and patience. An awareness of the miracle, too, of these tiny little creatures, all working towards the central good. The miracle of each little drop of nectar eventually becoming a delightfully yummy, sticky, beautiful and natural treat. Amazing. Also the company was delightful, mostly men in my grandparents' generation, some ladies,though, too. Usually i would do the actual beekeeping with my grandfather and his friend, Pan, a really lovely gentleman with long, leather hands, and very sweet personality.
So why on earth would i stop this practice i so enjoyed?? Sneaky buggering allergies. I was never afraid to be stung, had been stung before, and was actually researching apitherapy, where one intentionally gets a bee sting to induce the endorphin response for various reasons, one being arthritis. We had talked at the meetings one time that beekeepers wives often develop the allergy to stings from doing laundry. the dried venom from the suit can become airborne when, say shaking out the suit and putting in the washer. i used to joke that since i was my own wife... I had a few stings slowly swell way beyond my usual reaction, which was somewhat bothersome for several days, this of course making if difficult to do work or housework. While extracting honey was when i got the first, rather alarming reaction. The set-up was in a large (clean) basement, at the beginning, we put the boxes full of frames from the truck onto those rollers that they used to have in supermarkets, remember those? So, using bare hands (oh i didn't mention it's quite hot !) i acidentally pinched a bee between my hand and the box. Sting, no big deal, carry on.. There are a couple other parts to this process, usually we cut the wax caps off of the honey comb with a hot knife, then place the frame into a machine that spins quickly and flings the honey out. Got a couple more stings, i think i pinched one in the ankle crease of my pants.. and one more i can't remember now.
SO. Then crept on the unexpected reaction. Suddenly, my vulva was on fire, terrible, itching burning agony. I mentioned it was hot in the room we were working, so i thought somehow a yeast infection or something, had onset with a violent rage. It was unbearable.I remember i went to the washroom, the feeling having spread then to my bum, eventually also to the hot-spots. my waist bad, bra band, under arms became big, swollen bands of hot itchy and awful. I think at some point, i mentioned to my grandfather that i was feeling unwell, he drove me home where i took some anti-histamine and had a shower. eventually the feeling sudsided somewhat, though i did still get some swelling inside my ears, and also actually had to miss work that week, because my hand had literally swelled to the size of a pillow.
I never mentioned before, that at this time, i was about 24 years old, and a single mum. On the days that i helped with beekeeping, my grandmother would watch my little boy, and we would get a meal, like lunch on normal days, but on this honey day, i knew we were having roast beef. We totally still went, though my ears were closing up.
For some reason, my grandparents wont see why i can't go beekeeping anymore. My grandmother has repeated again and again that it was because i found out that stings hurt. Much to my frustration. You see, doctors disagree (i find this amusing and interesting) about how these type of allergies (or i would say sensitivity) work, that they could become worse and worse and perhaps one could experience sudden serious, life-threatening symptoms. with just the huge swelling that occurs, i have to generally miss work for a week, which obviously is more than an inconvenience. So, though i do really love it, i have to take a long break, perhaps when my children are older i will try again..
Do you have any hobbies?
