Mystery of the Hives
Bobbette Rose
For all the “end of the world” cataclysmic stories we have told ourselves, it may end up that a small buzzing honeybee is the vital link to the chain of our existence. In this piece, I contemplate our need to discover the mystery behind the Colony Collapse Disorder. The “cells of the hive” hang on fragile threads…maybe breaking apart or maybe growing and clustering together? A thin layer of natural beeswax fills some, not all, of the cells. The answer to the mystery of the hives will most assuredly challenge us. Our response will determine if this is a “half-full” or “half-empty” prophecy.
"Here is a story that always makes me smile with fond memories. Because I was new to this whole outdoor installation thing, I didn't take into consideration what it would mean to hang a mobile out in the woods. I made the cells to hang on individual strings and you guessed it, wind and weather would routinely tangle the strings. Gene Farley, the founder of the Linda & Gene Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability was still alive and he shared with me that as he took his routine walks every morning in the Natural Path Sanctuary he would stop at my piece and untangle the strings so it hung properly. That's how I picture and remember Gene...a man of peace, an untangler of strings."