Eusociality

Last night, for my birthday, we had a family Zoom call, as none of my sons are home, yet, for the holidays. I know that we are all tired of Zoom. I know that Zoom is a poor substitute for experiencing the energy and closeness of each other, in person, but still, there are some good qualities to it that I enjoy. Watching the screen, is like seeing a moving portrait of my beautiful children. Further, it keeps my kids in contact with one another. A lot of times we moms tend to become the “news deliverers” to our children, about what is going on in their siblings’ lives. As kids scatter and move in all different directions, in their busy, hectic lives, the well intentioned calls to each other, often and understandably, get pushed to the wayside. So, Zoom, has a way of reminding them, that their siblings are actually a pretty fun, warm bunch. And I relish in watching them enjoy each other.

Holiday Mathis wrote today about “Eusociality” which is a scientific term for the way creatures such as ants, and bees and termites live and survive, in their social groups. Individually these organisms cannot live long without their group. They each have a special task and duty and purpose to fulfill, and the individual is not often capable of fulfilling the other tasks carried on by other members of the group. Some scientists actually see the larger organism (the group itself, living and working for the whole) as the one living entity because individually, most of these creatures could not survive for long on their own. Holiday says that some scientists argue that humans are “eusocial.” I believe that could be true. At the very least, when you have a family group or a friend group, and one member of that group is gone, the whole entity changes. When we have Zoom calls and one family member can’t make the call, the nature of the Zoom meeting is often completely different. And that’s only the micro-view. Imagine your day today, without your grocery workers, or the farmers who grew the food in the first place, or your postal workers, or the people who are keeping this internet thing afloat. (Imagine your day without reading my blog – scary! 😉 )

Even in these socially distant times, if you take the birds-eye view, we are still working as an interdependent life system, with every other living thing on this Earth. No mask can cover that fact up. And this one major life system of ours, might be a little sick right now, and it might have parts that are conflicted and weakened, but in the end, this life system of ours will heal itself. That is the beauty of Life and Creation. It was made to live and to breathe and to thrive. We are each just one little unit of that healing which goes to the healing of the whole, and I need to believe that we are well on our way. If we each do our own part to heal ourselves, we’ll be at overall wellness, before we know it.

Oh Yes!

oh yes...it's FRIDAY!

Happy Friday!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! What a nice little, easy, short week a lot of us have had with The Fourth being on Thursday and a lot of people taking today off, as well! Here’s to 4 day weekends!!! May they prosper and multiply!!!

New readers on Fridays, we keep it light, simple and materialistic. On Fridays, I list three favorite things, music, websites, books, etc. and I encourage you all to add your favorites to the comments section. Please check out previous Fridays, to peruse more favorites, to make your Friday even more fun.

My husband loves bees. He loves honey. He is just fascinated with bees. Therefore, I have a lot of bee motif jewelry and I have no problem with that part of his obsession. I have jumped on the bee bandwagon and I have filled our home with bee trinkets, as well. Here are some recent bee purchases that I highly recommend to anyone who is also entranced by bees.

Costco Native Bee House – This cool wooden and bamboo contraption is like a bird house for mason bees (great pollinators, but these bees do not produce honey). It looks adorable hanging on our fence and we have seen a couple of bees looking at the real estate with interest. There is even a slot for butterflies who are the flamboyant tenants that I am really hoping take up residence.

Wisteria Beehive Hose Holder – I love this hose holder so much, I would bring it inside. It is absolutely adorable, yet functional. The shape of it reminds you how they got the name for the 1960s beehive hairdo and it has little statuesque bees all over it with springy wings. Sometimes, I just go around the corner of our house, just to gaze at this adorable container.

Laguiole French Home steak knives – Not only are these steak knives divinely sharp and functional, they are beautiful works of art, with lovely handles. The bee part comes in, with the fact that the top of every knife has a bee ornament on it. I think it is the small details that can make something go from ordinary to exquisite!

Image result for bee quotes

BEE Good This Weekend

“It’s Friday. Any plan of being a productive member of society is officially thrown out the window.” – Unknown

Happy Favorite Things Friday, my dear friends and readers!! New readers, I keep my Friday posts in the mindset of Levity and Frivolity, my two favorite Friday friends. I discuss three favorite items, websites, twitter feeds, books, etc. that just tickle me! I sincerely urge my readers to let Levity and Frivolity guide them to my comments section and to add their favorites so that we have even more offerings to choose from. (ahem, ahem)

Over the holidays, when my husband and I would be talking to our family, friends and business associates, the subject of our eldest son now being self-sufficient and “on his own”, would inevitably come up. My husband and I have noticed a common theme of questioning from everyone, when this topic comes up. It is such a reliable inquiry people have about this subject, that we have made a game out of seeing if anyone won’t ask it. That hasn’t happened so far. The question we consistently get when we mention that our son is now out of the house and self-supporting is, “Wow, so he is completely off of the payroll now, huh? Even his cell phone bill??”

It seems that telephone bills are a nemesis of all parents everywhere since the invention of the telephone happened. I remember getting heart palpitations as a teenager when our family’s long distance telephone bill arrived in the mail. It was the the opposite of what you wanted in communication from a college acceptance committee. You did NOT want that telephone bill envelope to be thick and heavy. Don’t worry readers, nothing regarding telephone bills will EVER make a Favorite Things Friday list. (oh and yes, my son pays for his own cell phone bill) Speaking of the Favorite Things list . . . .

Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca perfume– There is a “no horse pucky” story tied to this one. (see previous “no horse pucky” blog posts – they are worth a read) I’ve told you before, that I adore anything that smells fabulous. Sometimes I think that smelling is my favorite sense. Anyway, I own a gazillion perfumes and the smell of this one does not fall into my usual spicy choices, yet I LOVE it! I discovered it in the most unusual way. I was practicing yoga at this lovely studio and I would go the bathroom and they were using this perfume as the bathroom spray there. However, it was an old bottle (I came to find out that the owner of the studio had purchased the half-used bottle, at a garage sale) so you could not read what the name of this fabulously wonderfully smelling stuff was, as much as me and the studio manager with a magnifying glass, tried to make it out. So, thankfully, I am absolutely dogged when I want to know something and with some internet sleuthing, I was miraculously able to figure it out. It is a minty, fresh, unusually clean, enlightening smell. (Fragrantica, btw, is a wonderful website and resource when you are researching fragrances.) I wish I were one of those people with a “signature scent”, but I am far too mercurial and expansive to settle on one or even, six perfumes.

the CREME shop I am GLOWING dewy primer & setting spray– When I was in CVS the other day, desperately waiting for the Minute Clinic doctor to help me to fix my miserable sinus cavities, I was killing time looking at their new display of The Creme Shop make-up. Now, typically I don’t like setting sprays. They make my face break out and they make me look like I accidentally missed my hair and sprayed a bottle of Aqua Net on to my face. Still, I’m a hopeful person, so I purchased this stuff and I love it! It sprays on more like water and it does not make my face feel stiff or sticky. Yet, I do notice that my make-up seems to last longer without having to do touch-ups. Now, they also offer a matte finish, but I choose to stay clear of matte finishes. I find that matte finishes on me, scream, “Hey, hi, look at my wrinkles! Here, I’ve highlighted them for you with my spray.”

Lady Bee Lavender Hand Soap – I feel guilty putting this one on the list because I’m not sure that it is even available anymore. I got mine at T.J. Maxx and I haven’t seen it there in a while and an online search of it was fruitless. Still, if you are dogged like me, go on a hunt for it. It is worth it!! I bought this on a whim one day, because my husband has a thing for bees and honey. Therefore, I try to surround us, with all things “bee.” We have a bee coverlet, I have lots of bee jewelry, and we even go to bee-themed restaurants. Seriously, one time we went to this restaurant in Colorado called The Golden Bee. The waiters threw little sticky bee-themed patches at you that stuck to your clothes, as you were ordering your food. True story and fun! Anyway, this is another concoction that smells too good for words. I keep it in the kitchen, and I have never seen my family wash their hands more. I don’t understand how we get sick, we wash our hands so much. It is incredibly good smelling soap!

Okay, guys, that’s a wrap. Have a fantastic weekend!!!

“I’ve eaten more than enough kale this week to justify destroying my body this weekend.” – someecards