Wow! One of the FUbarians put 2 and 2 together about a small town that we both had family connections to. It so happened that his aunt and uncle were bee farmers in that town and had died in the 80's. I couldn't help but respond to him by stating --
"When I was little there was a bee farmer that would bring over to my Grandma's and Grandpa's ranch a couple of jars of the best honey with the combs still in it. Honey became my favorite commodity.
The man that would bring the jars would sit with my family in the country air and talk to us. He was the nicest man and I really got a kick out of his visits -- especially when it meant that he would bring us honey... lol!!
One time, he had held me in his lap and a bee landed on me. He said to me - don't worry. The bee won't sting you unless you show him that you are scared....
It was a great exercise in overcoming any possible fears of bees and every time I encounter bees, his voice echoed in my head.
My Grandpa worked for Humble Oil for many years, then the Lumberyard until he simply couldn't work anymore. He ended up with TB, lung cancer, and emphesema...so he stayed in the house connected to the garage mostly and would come out on the porch, smoke a pipe, and tell us all kinds of stories.
Because he stayed in that house, we would meet in the yard between the two (the garage house and the main house) and socialize; hence why the bee man was also visiting us in the country air versus in the house.
You stating that they died in the 80's makes perfect sense since it was a rare find after that time to have that delicious honey. Whether or not they are one of the same, it was nice to relive that memory."
It is amazing how small of a world that we may or may not live in....and it is wonderful still that such inquiries can trigger such marvelous memories from our childhood. I can still smell the freshness of that honey that the bee farmer would bring to us, a quality unmatched from honey sold today.
