Cricket feels that all creatures have a purpose in Nature or God's Creation or whatever you want to call it. It's just that some of them, he can't see what that purpose is. Yellow jackets are one of the ones he's not sure of, and he would rather not find out at his own expense.
Bees of all kinds, though, are welcome in his personal space. He holds a fingertip out to one of the ones on his sleeve as if to let her investigate his hands.
He laughs a little and nods. "She scratched everyone but me. I think she thought I was her baby. She was kinda gray and orange with a white belly. Pretty cat, just ornery as all get-out."
"It'll get warmer over the next few weeks," he adds. "And the bees can all come out more. Even inside, back home. Aunt Winnie won't notice none."
He's fascinated all over again by the way all the bees respond to the verbal communication. Even the smartest, best-trained horses and dogs don't do that, from what he's seen. There is some kind of magic here, and it's exciting just to see it unfold.
When Hugh looks at him again, he's grinning, but he nods and pushes his lunch pail aside, getting up slowly. "A'ight. Now that the fires are hot enough, we put the pots on, with the mash in'em, and fill the condenser with cold water. I'm gonna need you to keep a distance from the pots once they're on, because if they heat too fast they can pop or let off steam and I don't want you to get hurt, but if you can watch the condensers, that'd help."
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Bees of all kinds, though, are welcome in his personal space. He holds a fingertip out to one of the ones on his sleeve as if to let her investigate his hands.
He laughs a little and nods. "She scratched everyone but me. I think she thought I was her baby. She was kinda gray and orange with a white belly. Pretty cat, just ornery as all get-out."
"It'll get warmer over the next few weeks," he adds. "And the bees can all come out more. Even inside, back home. Aunt Winnie won't notice none."
He's fascinated all over again by the way all the bees respond to the verbal communication. Even the smartest, best-trained horses and dogs don't do that, from what he's seen. There is some kind of magic here, and it's exciting just to see it unfold.
When Hugh looks at him again, he's grinning, but he nods and pushes his lunch pail aside, getting up slowly. "A'ight. Now that the fires are hot enough, we put the pots on, with the mash in'em, and fill the condenser with cold water. I'm gonna need you to keep a distance from the pots once they're on, because if they heat too fast they can pop or let off steam and I don't want you to get hurt, but if you can watch the condensers, that'd help."