helen99 | Beekeepers Association Meeting - Meadmaking workshop with Rialian

Tonight is a meeting of the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association of Maryland. We can't give rides unless you meet us at the house by 6:45 (no time to collect anyone after work) but if anyone's interested, here's the information:

"Our meetings are on the second Wednesday of the month, 7:30 PM at the Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Rd. Wheaton (right next to Brookside Gardens). In addition to socializing, we discuss the latest beekeeping and management appropriate to the season. We always welcome guests. Bring a friend." .

Here's the best part:

rialian will be teaching a meadmaking workshop there tonight at 7:30 pm. Anyone can show up.

As an added attraction, they have an indoor observation beehive on the premises, which is most wonderful to watch - they've dotted the queen with a white spot so you can see where she is in the buzzing tummult. It's interesting to see different bees doing different things like building the wax compartments, feeding the babies, polishing the eggs, polishing the queen, dancing, laying eggs (queen only), and flying too and from the hive through an exit in the wall.

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You know what's also good? Hard ciders! But ya know, those suckers catch up to me before I know it! The room turns concave before I know it, with only three hard ciders! Mead is easier, I think. I wonder why that is... *laughs*

We've got a carboy full of apple cyzer going right now - it's ready to bottle. Apple cyzer is mead made with apple cider and honey rather than water and honey. You can make it as dry or sweet as you want by varying the amount of honey and mead yeast added. It's not exactly apple cider, but it's alcohol, and it tastes like apples...

Oh my goodness! That sounds GOOOD! Can I have some? *begs like a crazy woman* Or maybe I can buy some from you? *grins* I could, um *thinks hard* use it at my next single's meetup event!

Legally we can't sell it w/o doing all kinds of things we don't want such as getting licensed and adding preservatives. I'm not sure we can ship it either legally. We make it basically to share at gathers and give away to friends as Yule gifts and such. If you're ever in the DC area, we'll save some for you!

Thanks! I was wondering about that too, after I sent the post response, that is, whether you could send it through the mail or not.

I don't know when I'll be out that way again, though I've been casting an eye towards Salem, MA (closer) after my brother gets out of prison, as a likely living place. Who knows where I will be in a year or two, or more, though.

I respect your wish for privacy, but that last (now private) post sounded desperate. Whenever I hear that tone, I jump first and ask questions later. The reason is, Rialian's brother committed suicide in 2001. I won't get a second chance to talk him out of it. I fully understand that Net relationships can be anemic and 1-dimensional.

I think that getting to know people in any real sense of the word is a lot slower in some ways, but faster in others since some people write a lot of stuff they wouldn't ordinarily say, so you get a deeper perspective in some areas. But of course it omits hugs, body language, the sound of their voice, and many other irreplaceable things. I really do think that over time, real friendships can happen from Net ones, though.

I wish you the best, and hope that you are able to work through all this. You know where to find us.

Thank you for understanding.

Beekeepers Association Meeting - Meadmaking workshop with Rialian

Oooooh. MEAD!

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In response to your wish for privacy...

Re: In response to your wish for privacy...