Thank you so much for these kind words, Tonya! Bees are just as well enjoyed from afar, and I enjoy you from afar, as well. Mutual adoration, over here!
in many ways, i agree with your assessment of the show AND this comment will feature a twist ending of a kind.
i think you're right on in encapsulating it like this:
"horrible people be horrible to each other"
that is not my favorite thing to experience. however, i watched it all because there was something compelling about it. it's a show that i understand is good, very high quality, the acting, the writing, all of it, it's very artfully made, beautiful even. i see that.
it's a show that really highlights for me the distinction between "it's good" and "i like it" or "it's great" and "i love it." for this show, i think it's great and i'll say that i like it, and also i very much resonate with your "aggressively meh" assessment.
i don't love seeing horrible people being horrible to each other. my girlfriend feels similarly, i believe. HOWEVER (twist coming), we both LOVE "white lotus." (which on paper is "about" the same thing. but there are different elements that go into it, it would seem. in part, THE MUSIC. love all the music and the use of it in "white lotus." specifically. just, the flavor of it. also, molly shannon! jennifer coolidge! specific actors i love watching do their beautiful thing. a matter of taste. something about the ingredients in that show does it for me a LOT. also, on "white lotus," there ARE more characters who don't fit the "horrible people" mold.)
I too have romanticized bees, even though I've barely interacted with your bee hive that is right there at your house where I visit sometimes. I admit I would likely flinch at the sound of buzzing things zipping around my head in stereo. But I would love to grow my level of comfort with them and achieve that calm painterly feeling! My grandfather kept bees, and now one of my cousins keeps hives on the same land, producing unrefined dark honey with a rich taste I am sure I could pick out of a lineup. I am never going to live in rural Kentucky like they do, but beekeeping is one family tradition I hope I can continue someday.
have you thought about teaching T sign language as a means to communicate simple desires/wants? My daughter is now an adult, but when she was 9 month or so, we began teaching her simple sign language and it made all of our lives SO much easier! Signs for more, thirsty, want, no, yes, please, thank you, hungry, etc. We continued using it through her toddler years and beyond for silent communication between us. The sign for NO was especially useful as I could use my voice to call her name from across the room/playground etc and sign NO and she’d stop doing said behavior deemed unacceptable. Ha! That was always my favorite lol.
As a fellow bee-watcher-from-the-sidelines-while-someone-else-does-it, this was a relatable read (except for the part where you actually take over and do something - what?!). However, I am proud to say that I recently switched the inputs on our TV from the gaming console to the Roku, another task I have exclusively outsourced for eight years so....small wins, ya know?
But in all serious I definitely relate to the tension: sometimes its easier (and maybe better?) to just be like "that's not my thing," but then sometimes you try it and actually it's really easy (like the roku thing) or really fun (like the bee thing).
Baby signing is one of those things that sounds like new age silliness but 100% isn’t because talking is harder than signing and words that sound alike are signs that look different and vice versa. 20 words is enough to bridge a lot of the gap (“more” and “all done” go a long way).
Also not silly; there’s nothing wrong with saying “No” to a small child but it’s rarely the useful answer. You’re asking the absolute least qualified person in the room to figure out a) what you want them to stop doing and b) what they should do instead.
I second the baby signing! We taught our son just a handful of signs, and it was so helpful. We did words like: more, all done, please, help, thank you, and eat. It gave him a way to communicate with less frustration.
Our doctor also told us to do this, and I’m really really trying to teach her! But I’m really struggling. I don’t know how to teach her how to do it. I have her watch videos, I model it, I physically move her hands to have her do the signs, we use them every time we say the words. And she SAYS the words way more than she does the signs. I wish that she did the signs. I am probably not teaching them right. Any tools for this?
Use the signs to communicate, consistently, like you do words. Use signs for things she is interested in (my toddler signed “bird” and “dog” a lot). Use signs even between adults for the signs you know. Also it can take a while -- my kid’s daycare used signs (the baby room people were passionate about how much it improved their lives) and they started back at 6 months! It’s fine if your speaking household uses words and signs and your kid picks up the words instead since your whole goal is to achieve communication, you’re just offering another option. And if all you get out of it is the ability to ask your partner to bring you a water or tell them you’re going to the toilet, so be it. Not everything works for every family and this phase will end eventually.
Love the post Sophie. I have a Luke called Frank so I get the calm. Morning coffee on our deck in the sun looking over the lavender to the hive, bees settling on the lavender is mesmerising. The honey is delicious. I feel calm just thinking about it.
Ohhh I meant to ask…Succession! I’ve heard a little bit about it but have not watched it yet. Anyone have anything to share about it? Is it a waste of time…? Sophie, why so ‘meh’ about it?
OK, I don't know what to say, and I'm not the right person to talk on it, but did you see "White Lotus"? I feel like it's a similar audience? Like, enjoying horrible people be horrible to each other? And it's funny, but not in a LOL kind of way most of the time? I enjoyed reading the Vulture recaps of "Succession" and Hunter Harris's power rankings, and that was where my interest began and ended. I thought it was funny and smart, but mean. My sister loved it, and so did my husband. It's not, like, GENTLE.
Thank you for these words Sophie! It makes me absolutely ache for my one year of beekeeping that I had been dreaming of for many years! The apartment I am about to move into is an impossible home for bees but I sincerely hope one day to live in a home where I can have a couple hives again! Keeping honeybees was an experience full of wonder, delight, frustration, and awe to me! I miss it dearly. Since those days, I have been trying to learn more about the native bees in my area!
Oh I want to know more! I also have friends in apartments who keep bees on their rooftops!? And then there's making friends with people with bees who will let you be surrogate parents. (You don't live in Chicago, do you? Because if you did, you would be 100 percent invited.) Anyway, you didn't ask me to fix this. I just ache for you to be with bees!
Thank you so much for these kind words, Tonya! Bees are just as well enjoyed from afar, and I enjoy you from afar, as well. Mutual adoration, over here!
dear sophie,
thank you for all of this, as always!
i particularly like the phrase "aggressively 'meh'"! (among many other phrases!)
my thoughts on bees include that i want them to be happy!
love,
myq
Did you like "Succession"? I have a person asking up there!
thanks for asking!
in many ways, i agree with your assessment of the show AND this comment will feature a twist ending of a kind.
i think you're right on in encapsulating it like this:
"horrible people be horrible to each other"
that is not my favorite thing to experience. however, i watched it all because there was something compelling about it. it's a show that i understand is good, very high quality, the acting, the writing, all of it, it's very artfully made, beautiful even. i see that.
it's a show that really highlights for me the distinction between "it's good" and "i like it" or "it's great" and "i love it." for this show, i think it's great and i'll say that i like it, and also i very much resonate with your "aggressively meh" assessment.
i don't love seeing horrible people being horrible to each other. my girlfriend feels similarly, i believe. HOWEVER (twist coming), we both LOVE "white lotus." (which on paper is "about" the same thing. but there are different elements that go into it, it would seem. in part, THE MUSIC. love all the music and the use of it in "white lotus." specifically. just, the flavor of it. also, molly shannon! jennifer coolidge! specific actors i love watching do their beautiful thing. a matter of taste. something about the ingredients in that show does it for me a LOT. also, on "white lotus," there ARE more characters who don't fit the "horrible people" mold.)
hope that is helpful! thank you for asking!
I too have romanticized bees, even though I've barely interacted with your bee hive that is right there at your house where I visit sometimes. I admit I would likely flinch at the sound of buzzing things zipping around my head in stereo. But I would love to grow my level of comfort with them and achieve that calm painterly feeling! My grandfather kept bees, and now one of my cousins keeps hives on the same land, producing unrefined dark honey with a rich taste I am sure I could pick out of a lineup. I am never going to live in rural Kentucky like they do, but beekeeping is one family tradition I hope I can continue someday.
Do you want to come over and keep some bees with us one day this summer?
Sophie,
have you thought about teaching T sign language as a means to communicate simple desires/wants? My daughter is now an adult, but when she was 9 month or so, we began teaching her simple sign language and it made all of our lives SO much easier! Signs for more, thirsty, want, no, yes, please, thank you, hungry, etc. We continued using it through her toddler years and beyond for silent communication between us. The sign for NO was especially useful as I could use my voice to call her name from across the room/playground etc and sign NO and she’d stop doing said behavior deemed unacceptable. Ha! That was always my favorite lol.
I so enjoyed todays post! Thank you 🖤
Hah! I didn’t see this when I posted mine.
Also never underestimate the power of being able to tell your partner you’re going to the bathroom silently from a distance.
Thank you so much! Several readers recommended this, so I have to give it a try! Thanks for encouraging me.
Your writing brings me all the feelings. Thank you Sophie <3
I'm always glad to share internet space with you, Kris.
As a fellow bee-watcher-from-the-sidelines-while-someone-else-does-it, this was a relatable read (except for the part where you actually take over and do something - what?!). However, I am proud to say that I recently switched the inputs on our TV from the gaming console to the Roku, another task I have exclusively outsourced for eight years so....small wins, ya know?
But in all serious I definitely relate to the tension: sometimes its easier (and maybe better?) to just be like "that's not my thing," but then sometimes you try it and actually it's really easy (like the roku thing) or really fun (like the bee thing).
Hey, CONGRATULATIONS! That’s HUGE! I really relate to this, too. I think learning this kind of tech mystery is really liberating. I’m impressed!
Baby signing is one of those things that sounds like new age silliness but 100% isn’t because talking is harder than signing and words that sound alike are signs that look different and vice versa. 20 words is enough to bridge a lot of the gap (“more” and “all done” go a long way).
Also not silly; there’s nothing wrong with saying “No” to a small child but it’s rarely the useful answer. You’re asking the absolute least qualified person in the room to figure out a) what you want them to stop doing and b) what they should do instead.
I second the baby signing! We taught our son just a handful of signs, and it was so helpful. We did words like: more, all done, please, help, thank you, and eat. It gave him a way to communicate with less frustration.
Our doctor also told us to do this, and I’m really really trying to teach her! But I’m really struggling. I don’t know how to teach her how to do it. I have her watch videos, I model it, I physically move her hands to have her do the signs, we use them every time we say the words. And she SAYS the words way more than she does the signs. I wish that she did the signs. I am probably not teaching them right. Any tools for this?
Use the signs to communicate, consistently, like you do words. Use signs for things she is interested in (my toddler signed “bird” and “dog” a lot). Use signs even between adults for the signs you know. Also it can take a while -- my kid’s daycare used signs (the baby room people were passionate about how much it improved their lives) and they started back at 6 months! It’s fine if your speaking household uses words and signs and your kid picks up the words instead since your whole goal is to achieve communication, you’re just offering another option. And if all you get out of it is the ability to ask your partner to bring you a water or tell them you’re going to the toilet, so be it. Not everything works for every family and this phase will end eventually.
Love the post Sophie. I have a Luke called Frank so I get the calm. Morning coffee on our deck in the sun looking over the lavender to the hive, bees settling on the lavender is mesmerising. The honey is delicious. I feel calm just thinking about it.
Oh, I'm planting more lavender. Thank you for ther reminder.
Bees definitely work too hard.
Ohhh I meant to ask…Succession! I’ve heard a little bit about it but have not watched it yet. Anyone have anything to share about it? Is it a waste of time…? Sophie, why so ‘meh’ about it?
I meeeeeean...
OK, I don't know what to say, and I'm not the right person to talk on it, but did you see "White Lotus"? I feel like it's a similar audience? Like, enjoying horrible people be horrible to each other? And it's funny, but not in a LOL kind of way most of the time? I enjoyed reading the Vulture recaps of "Succession" and Hunter Harris's power rankings, and that was where my interest began and ended. I thought it was funny and smart, but mean. My sister loved it, and so did my husband. It's not, like, GENTLE.
Thank you for these words Sophie! It makes me absolutely ache for my one year of beekeeping that I had been dreaming of for many years! The apartment I am about to move into is an impossible home for bees but I sincerely hope one day to live in a home where I can have a couple hives again! Keeping honeybees was an experience full of wonder, delight, frustration, and awe to me! I miss it dearly. Since those days, I have been trying to learn more about the native bees in my area!
Oh I want to know more! I also have friends in apartments who keep bees on their rooftops!? And then there's making friends with people with bees who will let you be surrogate parents. (You don't live in Chicago, do you? Because if you did, you would be 100 percent invited.) Anyway, you didn't ask me to fix this. I just ache for you to be with bees!