Path of Pollen - Meeting other like minded Bee People

  On Tuesday I went to a local salon to have my hair dyed blue. After chatting about my new refurbished tattoo with Katie, I commented on the Bee tattoo on her foot. She launched into Bee stories for the next 2+ hours. Her Grandfather was a famous Fort Collins Bee Keeper.
  Katie told so many fascinating stories about her Grandfather. She also randomly declared that she herself and her daughter (2yrs) are Bee whisperers. This is all before I could get a word in edgewise.
She told me I had permission to recount some of these. She told me that ever since her Grandfather passed, she 'knows' that when a Bee is hanging around her - it is her Grandfather. Now she even has people around her that comment as such - One day her ex was dropping off her daughter. They look in the back seat and the little 2 year old has her hands cupped. When Katie reaches in for the little girl a Bee crawls out from inside her little hands. HA!! Then the Ex exclaims - "What the hell is your Grandfather doing in my car?"  The bee did not sting any of them.
  Another time, Katie grabbed a grocery cart in the store and realized there was a Bee on the cart handle. She told her Grandfather hello. She did all her shopping with the Bee, just kind of walking back and forth. Katie actually thought perhaps the Bee was sick and dying. When she got up to the checkout the clerk kind of freaked out about the Bee, but Katie assured him it was fine and that she intended to take it back outside. When she got out to her car, she carefully scooped the Bee up to brush it into a planter, thinking that would be a nice place for it to die if it were sick. She told Grandfather good bye. Then the Bee simply flew away.  Fantastic right?
   So, when I finally did get a word in edgewise I started telling Katie about my plans to go study the Path of Pollen in England. She was interested, though kind of hyper and not sure if she was soaking up what I was telling her. I talked about learning more about the magic and medicinal way of the Bee. Not to become a beekeeper. (As I am allergic right?) I told her that I make infused honey and would bring her a jar on Saturday. (I hope to make some batches tonight with the New Moon)
  I also told her about the Bee Hive sculpture I am making with dead bees on the inside and the jeweled antique bee pins on the outside. She told me she collects anything to do with Bees. When I then told her that I am trying to get my dead bees from Copoco's she told me that her Grandfather had donated all his hives and equipment to Copoco's when he got too elderly to use is all. I emailed them today to check in. I have been so absorbed in life this past 2 months that I have not made it back over to the store to check on their hives and to see if she kept some dead bees for me.
  So at some point we got on the subject of dating. She told me how she met her current boyfriend on match.com. He was far enough away that she wouldn't commonly write to him. For some reason she did that night. Somehow that got onto her favorite topic - Bees. She told this guy that her Grandfather was  a Bee Keeper in Fort Collins and that she had grown up with hives, gone on swarm rescues, bottled honey, never been stung, etc. Turns out that the new boyfriends Grandfather was a big ol' Bee Keeper in Longmont Colorado. The two Grandfathers probably new each other. Wow!!
  I'm sure I am forgetting some of all we talked about. It was a speed download of information for both Katie and I. It was lovely that she started telling everyone in the salon that we are new friends. I look forward to Saturday and getting the final blue glaze on my hair - Mostly so I can absorb some of Katie's young enthusiasm for Bees.

Blessed Bee!