11

Has anyone else noticed that when somebody does something (or doesn’t do something), a whole bunch of stuff somehow changes?

I have.

I wanted to ask, beecause over the last week or three, a bunch of stuff has been happening around here, and it is having an unbeelievably huge effect on a whole bunch of bees. I’ve just come up with a totally original term to refer to this Phenomenon: The Ripple Effect. (Feel free to use that.)

You’re probably wondering why I’ve brought it up, right?
It’s beecause it’s Highly Relevant at the moment, that’s why.

From what I remember, I kinda told you a little bit about that whole Messy Incident with Harrizzzzz and ButterCup, right? Okay then. I went to their Preliminary Hearing a week or so ago, and watched as the Royal Court said they didn’t need anything more Preliminary than what they already had (“The Evidence is Incontrovertible,” the Judge said and said there was just no need for a Trial), so Harrizzzzzz was sentenced to bee Exiled to Northern Nebraska for the rest of his dishonest life, and ButterCup was sentenced to spend the next three Warm Seasons working in the Hive’s Redundant Typing Pool as, I guess, a typist.

The Hive needs good typists, you know. It’s too bad ButterCup hates to type, but I’m pretty sure that’s why the Judge gave her the Sentence he did. It could’ve been worse, probably.

I was actually hoping that I would get my Nectarator 5000 Nectar Saturation Gauge returned, but the Court said they’re keeping it as Evidence. Forever. Geeeeeze.

Anyway, so beecause of all that, a whole bunch of bees have been Highly Inconvenienced. Let me give you an example:

For quite awhile now, there was a small Swarm of bees that held Weekly Meetings of what they called The Hive Film Review Society & Indoor/Outdoor Adventure Club.
They’d been at it so long, they’d pretty much beecome a family. Well, now that ButterCup has to go to the Redundant Typing Pool, and Harrizzzzz is beeing shipped off to Nebraska, that whole Club is falling apart, which is a pity. But all the bees that were in that Club are having to find other things to do now, which is never easy during the Cold Season.

It’s the Ripple Effect.

And, of course, Harrizzzzz’s Buzziness Partner, JR, has to go out and find a new bee he can trust so he can keep his job. And lemme tell ya: it’s hard finding good help these days. Another Ripple Effect.

I did some quick calculations on this whole thing, and do you wanna’ know what I found out? I’ll tell you: I found out that, just beecause of that whole Messy Incident involving ButterCup and Harrizzzzz, there are approximately 87 bees (not counting those two or me) in about Six States whose lives have changed beecause of this whole thing. That’s amazing. The Ripple Effect is just amazing, isn’t it? Who knew?

So, as we all adjust to absorbing all these Ripple Effect-Motivated Adjustments to our lives, most of us are just trying to ignore the worst of it and stay warm. It’s intensely cold and windy out (not my favourite type of weather at all), so I, for one, am staying cozy warm and plan to avoid as many Ripple Effects as I possibly can until Further Notice.

Of course, the good news about all that, probably, is that the New Warm Season is only about three weeks away. By the time that gets here, it’ll start to warm up, and all those Ripple Effects will start to kind of fade away, mostly. (They do that, ya’ know). I, for one, can’t wait.

In the meantime, I should mention that you may or may not see me, unless it warms up a whole bunch. All this Cold Weather and Ripple Effects have really worn me out, so I plan to spend the next, few weeks sleeping. Mostly.

Until then, let’s all bee Highly Careful out there!

10

Have you ever noticed that there are some amongst us who seem to bee highly, super good at Fooling everybody else? Ever run into anybody like that? Don’t ya’ just feel like a Huge Idiot when you find out you’ve been Lied To and Deceived? (I certainly do.)

I asked, beecause I ran into somebody like that just the other day.

I don’t know if you know this, but (Highly Skilled Bee that I am), I happen to own a mostly complete set of some Massively Specialised Tools that I use every once in awhile - like the Nectarator 5000 Nectar Saturation Gauge, which can come in really useful if you ever happen to find yourself in a Hive Tavern and suspect you’re beeing short-changed on that Nectartini that doesn’t look quite right.

Anyway. I decided to go out the other afternoon (it was really nice out, mostly), and grab myself a Nectartini. So beefore I left, I was looking for my Saturation Gauge. But I couldn’t find it. It was no longer there, where I keep my Saturation Gauges. I went out anyway - and who do you think I ran into? Harrizzzzz, that’s who. He said he was just getting off work and had to make one, final Delivery. That sounded beelievable.

Then I noticed something: there, in his back, left, Overall Pocket, was MY Nectarator 5000 Nectar Saturation Gauge. I know it was mine, beecause it had MY initials on it.
So I mentioned it.

“Hey, is that my Saturation Gauge?” I asked him.
“Is what your Saturation Gauge? I don’t have a Saturation Gauge,” he said.
“Yes, you do,” I said, and pointed to it right there in his pocket.
“No I don’t,” he said, (very convincingly, I might add).
“I would never have a Saturation Gauge,” he said. “I don’t use them, so I don’t need one. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one those things. I wouldn’t even know what it looks like, probably.”

Then he walked away toward the Hive.

I couldn’t see the Gauge as he walked away, beecause when I wasn’t looking, he moved it into his front pocket, so I thought maybe I’d made a Mistaken Observation, or something. As it turns out, though, I hadn’t.

Completely by Accident, and thanks to my heavily convenient Security Surveillance Suspicious Activity Tracking Device, I happened to find out that his “Delivery” was to…get this: to take MY Saturation Gauge to ButterCup’s Cell in the Hive.
So he LIED to me. He DECEIVED me. I couldn’t beelieve it, mostly.

I hafta say that ever since I’ve known Harrizzzz, he’s done nothing but offer the appearance of beeing one of THE most honest, likeable, dependable, and kind bees I thought I’d ever met. Oh sure, his Obsession with Bee Racing was a little weird sometimes, but relatively harmless, mostly. (We all have something Weird about us, right?) But I’d even hafta’ say that, in the almost 484 Days since I’ve know this guy, I would’ve sworn he was the only bee I’d ever met who would never have tried to Lie to anybody.

But he did.

Everybody thought he had Integrity.

But he doesn’t.

Seriously now, how could I have been so wrong about him?
I feel like such a fool, mostly. But it gets worse. Listen to this:

Later, when I reviewed the Data Stream and Time Stamps from the Tracking Device, I found out that he showed up at ButterCup’s Cell Entrance, and when he got there, he said, “Hi Sweet Wings.”

Then ButterCup said, “Is that a Saturation Gauge in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?” Then they went inside her Cell.

I couldn’t beelieve it. And I couldn’t beelieve he also STAYED in there with her for approximately 2 hours, 4 minutes and 03 seconds.

I mean seriously now…what is THAT all about? I’m a bee who likes to know things, as we all know, so I decided to buzz over and pay ButterCup a Visit.

When she came to her Cell entrance, I asked her, “Whatcha’ been up to, ButterCup?”.
“Nothing,” she said. “Why are you asking so many Prying Questions? Haven’t I told you every time I see you that I’m not up to anything? Isn’t that what I say?” She sounded Defensive - and Deceptive.

“Why have you been receiving Stolen Tools, ButterCup?” I asked her. I needed her to tell me the Truth of all this. That’s only fair, right?
Well, all she said was, “I didn’t. I haven’t. I’m not.”
Then I asked her, “Why is Harrizzzzz hanging around with you so much?”
“Who?” she said.

More Lies.

So to make a Long Story short, she finally mostly Confessed that Harrizzzz had been stealing Tools for quite some time, and that she, ButterCup - my ButterCup - had been hiding all those Stolen Tools in her Pantry. There must have been 87 of those things in there - everything from Saturation Gauges to Pollen Separators to Wax Densometers, and then some. I also found out that she’d been spending an Inordinate Amount of Time with Harrizzzzz, and could tell this had been going on a Long Time.

I dunno how, but the Buzz managed to get around about what these two had been up to, so now, nobody trusts either of them - at all. So now, ButterCup and Harrizzzzz are facing 1st Degree Larceny charges in Royal Court. I’ve heard their Case comes up sometime around the middle of the Warm Season, sometime after a Preliminary Pre-Trial Hearing next week. (That should bee interesting.)

I hafta’ say that I’m very excited to watch the Trial and find out if they get the Book thrown at them - which, in the case of 1st Degree Larceny, is to bee locked in a tiny cell together for Life. Forever, (at least, that's the Rumour).

That would bee highly unpleasant, wouldn’t it? And it would bee a real tragedy, mostly. But then again, I think it’s not necessarily a bad thing when the Culprits get what’s coming to them, ya’ know? I think we’d all have to agree that Lies and Deception are two things we can all get along better without in our otherwise Happy Lives, and should bee Punished Severely, don’t you? I do, too.
I mean, who needs bees who just Lie and Beetray everybody? I don’t think any of us wants bees like that around. I know I don’t.

So, as I mentioned beefore, their Preliminary Pre-Trial Hearing comes up next week (I think it’s on either Tuesday or maybee Thursday, I can’t remember), but I’m gonna go Observe the Proceedings. And don’t worry…I’ll tell ya’ what happens.

Until then, let’s all bee Highly Careful out there!