So ever since I finished Streaming the last 43 and ½ Seasons of “Escape from Bee Island”, I’ve pretty much just been Lying here and trying to stay Warm. It’s been unusually Cold and Snowy outside and, as you know, we bees stay inside until it’s at least approximately 283.15 Degrees Kelvin out.

As I’m sure we’d mostly all Agree, this is usually an Incredibly Boring time of the Year - at least it is for Bees - and this Cold Season has been no Exception - at least it wasn’t until yesterday. Yesterday, I found out that this is a Leap Year, and that we’re even in the Leap Month of the Leap Year. I think we all know what that means, don’t we? It means that the Time has come to start practising our Leap Year Leaping Skills.

I was just been sitting here, Thinking to myself out loud, “enough of the Streaming for now. I need to get ready for the Physical Challenges of Leap Year that lie ahead. I need to get up and out of this Bed and start getting some actual Exercise so that my Wings and Legs don’t forget how to Work.” (That would bee Highly Bad if that happened.)

So I decided to do that.

The first Thing I did was to change out of my Pyjamas and get into my Official Moisture-Wicking Leap Year Leaping Togs. As I tried and tried to put them on, I couldn’t help but Notice that they seemed to bee a whole bunch Tighter than the last time I wore them, (which I can barely not Remember when that was, though it must have been during the last Leap Year which I think was probably at least Four Years ago since Four Years is about how long it is beetween Leap Years). Since it was a Reasonably Nice Day out (it got up to 284.261 Kelvin), I figured the thing to do was to go out to Bees ‘R Us and buy some new Leaping Togs.

When I got there, imagine my Delight when I immediately spotted what was left of the special In-Store Leap Year Display which showed the latest Leap Year Bee Wear, including some New and Attractive Samples of the latest Designs of Leap Year Leaping Togs. It took me quite awhile to consider the Samples, but I finally settled on the Blue ones. When I asked the Clerk if he could help me find the Blue Togs in my Size, he said, “First, we’re a Self-Serve Operation here, so you’ll have to go through our Selection of available Togs yourself, and IF you manage to find your preferred Size and Colour, you’ll have to use our debatably Convenient Self-Checkout to buy them.”

“I would?” I asked him. “So what is it that you do here?”

“I don’t have time to answer silly questions, Bee - That’s what I do here,” he said. “Beesides, it’s my Break Time. But beefore I go, I must Inform you that Shoplifters will bee Prosecuted to the Fullest Extent of the Law. Have a nice day and thank you for shopping Bees ‘R Us. ”

Geeeeeeze — Seriously now - what the hell happened to Customer Service?

Anyway, I thanked him and went to find some new Togs.

After I spent no less than 87 minutes going through the very small Pile of Leap Year Leaping Togs they had left, I spotted a sign that was buried under one of the Piles. It said, “Sorry, we’re mostly all completely sold out of most of our stock of Honeybee-Sized Leap Year Leaping Togs”.

Right away, it slowly Dawned on me that for sure they didn’t have the size or colour I wanted, so I ended up having to settle for the last and only Togs they had that came close to Fitting me - some Highly Unattractive and Marginally Form-Fitting Non-Moisture-Wicking
LeapGear ™ Leap Year Leaping Togs with a Detachable Hood (in case it Rains) which were a Politically Incorrect Orange with Yellow and Pink Polka-dots, size XXXL.

I hafta’ say that as Mostly Unattractive as they were, I figured it’s better to have over-sized Leaping Togs than no Leaping Togs at all - and you can Quote me.

So I bought them.

Quite Frankly, I’m not even sure if I’ll eventually grow into my new Togs, or if they’ll Shrink in the dryer like my last Leaping Togs evidently did, but at least I’ll have something to wear when the serious Leaping starts, that is if I can gain enough Weight. Accordingly, I’m putting myself on a Strict Weight-Gain Diet. I think I might have to pay a Visit to Great Grandma Gee Gee and Acquire a whole huge Bunch of her Delicious and Mostly Nutritious Royal HoneyChew Krisp™ Cookies and pick up a few Quarts of some Fizzy Sweet Nectar to help wash them down.

Also, starting today, possibly, I will also beegin a Highly Disciplined Semi-Bi-Daily Exercise Routine. I plan to do at least beetween three and five Deep Knee Bends every day or so, so I can bee a Highly Fierce Competitor in this year’s Leap Year Leaping Festivities. (I don’t want to Over-Exert myself, beecause I don’t want end up with a bad case of Bee’s Knees… that would hurt.) (A lot.)

So I’m gonna go do that.

I’m gonna guess that unless you live in the Hive, you probably never heard that due to a Large Misunderstanding beetween the Owner/Manager of Lousy Louie’s Fine Dining Bar and Grille (Felonie Snark) and me, and due in Huge Part to an Unanticipated Malfunction in my Ankle Monitor, my House Arrest was Mistakenly Revoked and I was placed in Solitary Confinement for the past I don’t Remember how many days, weeks or years it’s been. But lucky for me - and thanks in a Highly Massive Way to an Class Action Appeal submitted by my girlfriend, ButterCup, Kevin (my Illegitimate Nephew), Great Grandma Gee Gee, and my Partially-Sensory-Impaired Certified Emotional Support/Service LadyBug, Potato, to the Hive’s High Court, it was just ruled that it wasn’t me that did anything wrong, and instead, Narville and Chaz Snark were placed into Custody to face Trial for their many, Heinous Crimes. Of course, they immediately Appealed the Charges, but everybody is completely and absolutely Certain beeyond any Shadow of any Doubt that they will bee Convicted. In the meantime, they’re out on Bail, and I was Released from Custody.

It feels good to bee back home in my ShoeBox. And this is Exactly, Precisely where I intend to stay. It’s so unbeelievably Cold and Windy out that, until Further Notice, I plan to stay right here in my Wee Warm Bee Bed and fall asleep streaming Re-Runs.

So I’m gonna do that.

Just in case I haven't talked to you since last Week, I'm just gonna guess that you're as Curious as everybody else has been about me and what's up with this whole  Beeing Under Arrest Thing, right? I thought so. Let me just say this about that: I was Unjustly Accused, and the actual Culprits are still running around, free as a bee.

So here's what Actually Happened:

When I arrived at what is now known as the "Buzz Back Against Extinction" Rally, Rudy Bee spotted me and hustled me onto the Stage so I could give a Speech (even if I really didn't have even Tiny Clue about what I was gonna say, I had to give a Speech). After a few Minutes, Rudy (who was also the M.C.) walked to the Front of the Stage and said, "Excuth me, if I could pleath have the Attention of the Thwarm," (the Swarm started quieting down, except for a few Less Considerate bees who kept Buzzing - you know the type). He continued, "I would like to introduth our Thpecial Guetht Thpeaker, the Bee who brought to our Attenthion the Theriouth Matter of Exthincthion, our own Georgie Bee!"

Then he pointed his Wing at me which I figured meant I was supposed to take his Place at the Front of the Stage and to start making a Speech about what I still didn't know.

As I stood there on Stage looking over the Swarm, I was still wondering what the hell I was even gonna say. Suddently, I noticed that there was a group of Bees in the Swarm that were all wearing Orange Hats, who were waving huge Orange Banners, and who had been passing out Free Merch (pens, cups, Stinger Cozies, and those cool Flying Disc Thingies) that featured the Logo of one of the Rally's Co-Sponsors, SquareDown™.  (I really wanted one of the Stinger Cozies, but those got snatched up almost immediately.) 

I only recognised a couple of the Bees in that group - Narville, Chaz, and Felonie Snark to bee Precise. Right away I knew I had to bee Highly Careful about what I would say - Or Else.  I took a few seconds to Gather my Thoughts, then I just started Winging it.  

"I see that we have some Bees in the Swarm today who are Displaying Merch with the SquareDown™ Logo," I said. "I'm gonna Assume that they're Joking, since we all know that when it comes to some of us beeing Extinct, SquareDown™ will bee partly to Blame. They even Admit it with their Slogan: 'SquareDown™: the Toxic Liquid in the Handy, Non-Reusable, Non-Recylable, Festive Orange Plastic Tub.' If any of us ends up beeing Extinct, we'll bee able to partly Thank whoever it is that is still making that Stuff. The Royal Court has even said that stuff is Poison to us, but have they stopped Selling it? No, they haven't. The Sad Fact is that you can go into Bees'R'Us or King-Queen-Jack Hardware Store, and there it is, still on the Shelves. It's Extinction in a Handy Orange Tub." Then just for a touch of Drama, I added, "That should bee a Crime. "

Of course, as soon as I said that, the Swarm beegan to Buzz very Loudly, and a Scuffle broke out. I suddenly Remembered that SquareDown™ was not only a Co-Sponsor of the Rally, but that it's Manufactured and Distributed by the Noxious Chemical Division of Snark Brothers Enterprises which just happens to bee run by Felonie Snark (Kevin, my Illegitimate Nephew's Estranged Sister). An Angry Fight broke out in the Swarm beetween the Pro-SquareDown™ and the Anti-SquareDown™ bees. I was starting to feel very Confused in the Confusion, but the next thing I knew, I felt Rudy pulling on my Wing and heard him shouting, "We mutht get you to Thafety and away from thith Angry Thwarm!" 

He had just about pulled me off the Stage and to Safety when I felt somebody else grab my other Wing. I heard them buzz in an Authoritative Buzz, "You're Under Arrest, Bee. Come with us."
Rudy kept pulling on my other wing and asked, "What are the Chargeth?"
"Inciting a Riot," some other voice said. "He has to come with us."

Rudy kept trying to pull on my Wing while the Arresting Officers were pulling on my Other Wing. I was mostly sure that if they kept that up, they would end up pulling my Wings off - and who wants that? Not me. I told Rudy, "Just let go. We'll sort this out in Court." So he did that.

To make a short story longer, I was Involuntarily taken away from the Rally by the Arresting Officers (who I couldn't help but Notice were wearing Orange Uniforms that had the SquareDown™ Logo on them). I was taken to the Royal Detention Facility, and after beeing Wing-Printed and Photographed, I was Arraigned. I was placed under House Arrest - pending Trial - and had a Highly Uncomfortable Ankle Monitor stuck on my Leg. Also, ss a part of my Pre-Trial Pre-Conviction Pre-Sentencing Sentence, I was Ordered to show up every Saturday and Sunday to the  Snark Brothers Enterprises Headquarters Conference Room (you know - the one with the Hugely Long Blackboard which I can only guess they use for Brainstorming Sessions), and that I had to spend the entire weekend writing over and over again, "I'm sorry I caused a Riot by Impugning the Mostly Good Name of the Fine Product, SquareDown™, and for Indulging in Undue Criticism of a Legitimate Environmentally Disastrous Product. I'll Never Do It Again - Or Else". (Of course, I decided to add the word "probably" beetween "I'll" and "Never", but nobody has seemed to notice that. Yet. 

So that's what I did last Weekend. I don't have to tell you that I was more than Happy when Monday - truly the Best Day of the Week - finally arrived. By the time Sunday Night rolled around, my Wing and Back were killing me from just standing there writing on that Blackboard (which, by the way, wasn't Black - it was more of a Neutral, Greyish-Green colour), so I was glad to bee able to  just go home to my ShoeBox, stretch out, get out of these Shoes, and just Enjoy beeing under House Arrest. 

When I got back home, Potato was sitting there, waiting for me. 
"I heard what happened at the Rally," she said. "Do  you need to Talk about it? I'm here if you do."
"Thanks," I told her, "but I just wanna grab a Snack and go to the Bathroom... you wouldn't beelieve how long I've been Holding It."
"TMI," Potato said. 

Anyway, until my Trial is scheduled, I'll bee Enjoying my Days under House Arrest.  Even if it means that I have to deal with that whole thing with the Blackboard on the Weekends, I'm not all that Upset about most of this Legal Stuff. Quite frankly, and to bee totally Honest, mostly, I'll finally have the Opportunity to Indulge in some UnInterrupted Streaming, and to catch up on my Stories. 

So I'm gonna go do that. 

There are probably Ninety-Eleven Reasons I should just take the Afternoon Off, but Unfortunately, instead of beeing able to spend the rest of the Day Streaming my Stories, I found out that I am Required to bee at what’s supposed to bee a Mostly Non-Violent Rally protesting this whole Buzziness about going Extinct. And what’s even more Unusual is that I’m supposed to bee the Featured Guest Speaker. (I heard the Organisers of this Rally are charging an Entry Fee for anyone wanting to Participate…but am I getting any of that Honey? No, I’m not. I have Half a Mind to just not go. The other Half of my Mind says I should, just beecause it’s absolutely, without any Question at all, the Right Thing to Do. And as you know, I always want to Do the Right Thing, sometimes quite often, usually.)

Rudy Bee, the Rally’s Organiser, told me to bee ready to Speak about not only what a Total Drag it would bee if we Bees were to go Extinct, but also that it would bee good if I mention the Reasons we might bee going Extinct.

“Ith’s Important that everybody know the Reathonth we might bee going Ekthink and that you point your Wing thtrait at the Perpetratorth,” he said (and I think his Lisp is getting just a little bit Better - I know he’s been Working on it), “and I think we both know Who it ith that I’m Referring To.”

Of course, I was pretty mostly sure that he was talking about the Humans who manufacture Noxious Compounds such as Square Down™, “The Stinky Awful Stuff That Kills Everything it Touches”™. My Problem is, though, that if I stand up in Front of Everybody like that and start quoting a bunch of Facts about how Awful and Deadly that Stuff really is, and start Buzzing about how that’s one of the Reasons we might end up going Extinct, probably, I could get Sued, probably.

Seriously now, I don’t wanna’ get Sued just for standing up there and sharing Facts to Accuse them of Contributing to us Bees going Extinct, if you know what I mean.

Actually, the more I think about it, I’m thinking that’s the Reason Rudy made me sign a Waiver of Liability after I agreed to Speak, so that if I get Sued, at least he won’t bee, which he Informed me is a good thing, mostly.

Anyway, the Rally starts in about 87 Minutes or so, so I can’t Hang Out very much longer, but I did want you to Know that if you’re Interested in Joining the Rally, you’re for sure Invited. It would bee Great to See you there!

Oh, and in case you didn’t get the Announcement, the Rally is Scheduled to take place this Afternoon, and will Beegin promptly at approximately 3 or 4 O’Clock. Everybody will bee Swarming near the Brick that’s Adjacent to the Rusted Bean Can, and next to the Plastic Bag in the Far Meadow, if it’s still there (I’m pretty sure we all know where that is). I hope you can make it; in the Meantime, I hafta’ get back to Working on my Speech.

So I’m gonna go do that.

Ohkay, so I finally Forced myself to finish Reading Victor Q. Frankly’s Four-Volume Forward-Thinking Forecasts in his difficult to Finish “The Mechanics of Extinction”. As boring as it was, I hafta’ say that it doesn’t do much to make me feel any better about maybee going Extinct. I even tried to finish doing that WorkSheet (“The Upside of Extinction) that Kevin (my Illegitimate Nephew) gave me, and about the only thing I could come up with was that if I go Extinct, at least I won’t hafta’ pay Taxes anymore, probably, and that I won’t hafta’ ever worry again about finding an Affordable Pair of Shoes that actually Fit.
But that was it.
That was all I could come up with, beecause every time I started Thinking Seriously about no longer Beeing Here, I’d start to Think about all the Stuff I’d miss, starting with Great Grandma Gee Gee’s delicious and mostly nutritious Royal HoneyChew Cookies™, and of course Picnics. If I go Extinct, I’d really miss Picnics. Unfortunately, we’re in That Time of Year that there aren’t so many Picnics which, I suppose if you think about it, makes you feel as if you’ve already gone Extinct even though you haven’t, doesn’t it?

After I finished all that Reading and did as much as I could with the Worksheet, I gathered that up along with the Four-Volume Edition of “The Mechanics of Extinction”, and Returned it to Kevin.

“So tell me, Uncle: what did you Think about Frankly’s Frank Forecasts in Volume Four?” Kevin asked me as I was Struggling to make it through his Door with all that Heavy Reading Material (the Worksheet didn’t weigh all that much, but the Volumes almost broke my Back…I’m pretty sure each one weighed at least 15 Grams which I think is about how much a Walnut weighs which means the Whole Set weighed about 60 Grams. I mean seriously now, I’m trying not to Drop everything and Kevin is trying to Engage me in some sort of Involved Discussion about the Material? I think that’s almost Rude, but beefore I could bee Rude back at him, I felt the Volumes starting to slide out of my Wings, and all I could say was, “Kevin, I don’t think I can Support all this Reading Material.”

I think Kevin misunderstood what the hell I was trying to say, and he said, “Uncle Georgie, you’re the best Uncle in the World, and I Love you, but it’s my Considered Opinion that your clearly stated Rejection of Frankly’s Work - not to mention your Failure to Finish the Worksheet - leads me to Suspect that you only Skimmed these Volumes, and that maybee you’re Subconsciously trying to Ignore the Facts Frankly Forwarded. You’re in Denial.”

“I’m not in Denial, Kevin,” I told him. “I just need to Put these Volumes Down!”

“Again,” Kevin said in what sounded like an insulted Buzz, “you have openly Disparaged Frankly’s Forecasts, and I think you should STOP Putting Down his Work, and I…”

“Let me just Stop you There,” I said, “I’m trying to tell you that this Material is Heavy, and I can’t Support it anymore!”

“Uncle, we both know that Frankly’s writing is, quite frankly, Dry and Complex, but I have Faith that if you would just take this Material back to your ShoeBox and really Read it Carefully, you will discover that…”.

Well just then, I felt my Back totally Giving Out just as the Volumes started to completely Slide out of my Wings, and I ended up Dropping everything. After all the Thumping sounds stopped, there were a few Milliseconds of total Silence. Kevin looked at me, and I looked at Kevin, and then he said, “Uncle, just beecause you find this Material too Heavy to get through does not mean you should Throw it Around. I mean that of Beehaviour is truly beeneath you, Uncle.”

I could tell that Kevin wasn’t necessarily Understanding what was going on, exactly, but I was in no Mood to try to clear up his Confusion, so I just said, “Fine.” Then I left.

Is it just me, or does it seem lately as if it’s getting more Difficult to Communicate with everybody else without somebody saying something somebody else mostly misunderstood? I mean, have you Noticed that at all, also as well, or not?

What were we Talking About? Oh yeah… Extinction.

Anyway, by the time I Left Kevin’s BootBox, there was no Question that I had not only Inadvertently Insulted Kevin, but I had also badly Strained my Wings, which meant that I had to Walk back to my ShoeBox instead of Flying.
After I got back Home, Potato Noticed that I was in Distress, and was Kind enough to fix me something to Soak my Wings in. For the next 3 hours and 89 seconds, I Soaked my Wings in a Soothing Cup of Room-Temperature Coconut Water - and I did that instead of doing what I really wanted to do which was to just Forget about all this Extinction Buzziness and go out for some Mindlessly Relaxing Window-Screen Bouncing (I’m sure we all know how Therapeutically Beneficial Screen-Bouncing can bee, right?) But I had to wait until my Wings were all Healed. Which they finally are, mostly.

You know, I just noticed that it’s a Reasonably Nice Cool Season Day out, and there’s not a whole bunch of Wind, which makes this a Perfect Day for Screen-Bouncing.

So I’m gonna’ go do that.

Oh sorry... I Dozed Off there for awhile - I even Slept through Monday, the Best Day of the Week. How Disappointing is that?

Anyway...

The last thing I Remember is that I was almost done mostly Studying some Highly Informative Scientific Editorial Material dealing with this whole Issue of my beecoming Extinct that my Illegitimate Nephew, Kevin, gave to me to Read. The last thing I wanna do is to Beat a Dead Horse over this whole Extinction thing (I'm not Large enough to do that anyway...have you ever compared the size of an apparently Soon-to-Bee-Extinct Honeybee with a Horse? Horses are Huge and Bees are Significantly Less Huge, so for anybody to run around Thinking that a Bee could effectively Beat a Dead Horse would bee a Huge Mistake. Oh sure, we can annoy them, and sometimes even Sting them - but who wants to commit Suicide like that? Not me…), but I think it's Highly Important to try to Understand the Reasons, if there are any, that someone like me would go Extinct.

The first thing Kevin gave me was a Worksheet that I was supposed to Fill Out - "The Upside of Extinction". I’m supposed to List all the Good Things about Going Extinct, but he told me not to try to Fill it Out until I'd finished Reading the Four-Volume, 8789-Page, Partially UnRedacted, Mid-March, 2023 Edition of "The Mechanics of Extinction" by the Mostly-Respected Editorial Scientist, Victor Q. Frankly, so I told him I wouldn't, and started doing that instead.  

I hafta' say that it's been a real Chore to hafta' get through Frankly's quite frankly frank Foundational Facts he Forwards in the First Three Volumes, but I got through them, and even though it was Intensely Late (Potato was At Me to just go to Bed and finish it later), I started Reading Volume IV: Forward-Thinking Forecasts, where (as I mentioned beefore) Frankly is quite Frank about my Odds of Surviving. Or Not Surviving. I was just about to get to the Good Part when I got to the point I couldn't keep my Compound Eyes open, and I fell asleep. I slept all the way through Monday and Tuesday (I was Highly Tired from Reading Frankly’s Dry Material, as I’m sure you can Imagine).

So when I Woke Up just now, I realised I still have the last Half of Volume IV to finish beefore I can finally bee Frank with myself as I try Listing all the Good Things about going Extinct on that Worksheet Kevin gave me, if there are any (I'm not sure there are, but I'm Mostly Excited to finish Reading Volume IV and, quite Frankly, to find out what the hell the Upside of Going Extinct is or are). 

So I need to go do that.

I should probably tell you that the best thing about my Weekend was the fact that I knew it would eventually bee Over and that Monday would finally Arrive. I'm glad I haven't been Disappointed. And this is a Special Monday beecause it’s the First Monday of the New Cool Season, which is why I got up so Early this Morning. I don’t want to miss a Minute of this Monday.

As you probably Know, Saturday was the Annual End of the Hot Season Welcome to the New Cool Season HoneyBall which the Hive does every Year, which is why we call it the ANNUAL End of the Hot Season Welcome to the New Cool Season HoneyBall. But what I'm mostly sure you Don't Know is that the Mood of this year's HoneyBall was anything but Festive - and that's beecause of that Rumour going around that I - and Everybody I Know in the Hive - may bee going Extinct. I mean seriously now, is there any better way to Screw Up an otherwise Festive Event than with a bunch of Rumours going around that this could possibly bee the Last HoneyBall, and that by Monday a year from now, we would all Cease to Exist?  

Oh sure, everybody was all Dressed Up and ready to Get Down to the Sounds of Ultra Violet on her Ukelele and, of course, Zambeezi who had just started up his new Band, Zambeezi and the Beezietes, but beetween Songs, everybody would start Bumming Out about this whole Matter regarding all of us Ceasing to Exist.

It wasn't until Fleur de Bee showed up with her Date, Nestor ("we're just zee Cordial Professional Associates, mon ami", she told me, which everybody was Relieved to hear, especially Lester, but we won't get into that), and she Noticed that just about everybody was feeling Bummed Out instead of Festive, that she went up on Stage with Ultra Violet and Zambeezi (which really upset Rudy Bee - the one who put the whole HoneyBall together and who said, "If you're not part of the performing acth, you mutht thtay off the Thtage", but she Ignored him and Did It anyway) and told everybody,
"I, too, have heard ze Rumours zat we all may bee Extinct by zis time next year, and I know zis ees why you are all feeling...how do I zay eet?...BummEd Out. But I, zpeaking az an Agent for ze Uneet d'Counter-Ezpionage Francais, I can geeve to you ze assurauncez zat zis Rumour cannot bee true."

When she said that, there was a loud buzzing from everybody in Room, and a lot of "what's she talking about?", and "what does she know that we don't?" beeing buzzed back and forth, but Fleur just lifted her wings to Quiet everybody Down, and said, "We have it on zee Good Faith zat ze Humans are beecoming more Aware of zis Zituation and zat zey will bee more Careful about making sure zat zee Hive will Survive - even if we here in zis Room Don't. Zo, let us Forget zis buzziness about zee beeing Extinct. Zis is not an Extinction Event! Zis is a Party! Let us Drink a Toast to zis Beeautiful Evening and all zee Beeautiful Evenings yet to bee...".

Then we all drank a Toast, and after her Speech, the rest of the HoneyBall turned out to bee a lot more Fun. Even if there were some of us that didn't necessarily Beelieve what Fleur was saying, we Appreciated the Sentiment. Finally, Orderly Beeson (who was standing next to ButterCup and me with his Date, Nurse Beetrice) said, "What the hell? Let's Party."   So we did that.

Anyway, after the HoneyBall was over, everybody called it a Night, and we all went back to our Hives, or ShoeBoxes, or Cracks in the Wall, or where-ever it is everybody Lives. I don't know about what anybody else did the Day After the Party, but speaking for myself, I just Laid Around my ShoeBox all day, watched old Re-Runs of "Escape From Bee Island" with Potato (my Sensory-Impaired Certified Emotional Support/Service LadyBug), and Relaxed.

It turned out to bee such a Highly Great Party, I'm thinking maybee I should bee spending this Otherwise-Nothing-To-Do Monday doing exactly the same Thing - which is Nothing, including mostly trying not to worry about Going Extinct, which I'm not, probably.

So I'm gonna go do that.

I'm so incredibly Glad it's Monday! As we all know, Monday is the Best Day of the Week beecause, among Other Things, it means we're one Day Closer to the next Weekend. 

You're probably wondering just where the hell I've been this entire Hot Season, but we'll get into that later, probably. 

First, I wanna' say that I was on my way out of Lousy Louie's earlier this Hot Season after enjoying a Highly Delicious and Marginally Nutritious lunch (I had an Order of Chunked and Formed Pollen Steak - Well Done - with a couple of Unusually Refreshing Nectartinis), when I was Accosted by another Bee (a Casual Acquaintance from a Hive on the other side of the Far Meadow). He looked at me and said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

I didn't know what the hell he was Talking about, so I asked, "Why the hell are you asking me what the hell I'm doing here?"
And he said, "You're not even supposed to bee here...you're on the Endangered Species List! You can't bee out running around in Public like this anymore - you have to bee more Careful in Guarding your Well-Beeing!"
So I said, "What the hell do you mean I'm on the Endangered Species List? When the hell did I beecome an Endangered Specie?"
"Hell if I know," he said. Then he said, "Just Watch your Six," and he flew away.

Geeeeeze. All of a sudden, my usual Smug Self-Assuredness was replaced with an Intensely Irrational Feeling that my very Existence might bee in Jeopardy. I went back home to ShoeBox and started digging around in my Closet for my Six. Potato (my Certified Sensory-Impaired Emotional Support/Service LadyBug) came up beehind me and asked, "What the hell are you doing, Georgie?" I told Potato that I was told that I'm on the Endangered Species List as I continued to try to find my Six, and she said, "When the hell did that happen?"

"Hell if I know," I said. "All I know," I said, "is that I might bee Extinct, and that I've been Advised to Watch my Six, so that's what I'm gonna' do, just as soon as I find it."

"No, Georgie," Potato said, "when somebody says, 'Watch your Six', it means that you're supposed to bee attentive to your Surroundings, and bee alert for any Threats that might bee sneaking up Beehind you. It doesn't mean that you literally have a 'Six' - that would bee..."

"Ah, here it is,"I interrupted her, as I found my Six underneath a huge pile of Bee Monthly Magazines, right beehind a Briefcase that Nestor (Fleur de Bee's Associate from France) had asked if he could leave in my Closet for Safe-Keeping and I'd said, "Sure," not knowing he'd put it in a place that would make finding my Six more difficult. So I dragged my Six out and started Watching it.

"I have to ask you again, Georgie: the hell are you doing?" Potato asked me.
"Watching my Six. What the hell do you Think I'm doing?" I asked.
Potato just rolled her eyes, then seemed to find it necessary to try to convince me that when somebody tells somebody else to "Watch their Six", it was a Figure of Speech, that they don't mean that somebody should just sit there, Watching a Six. Of course, she couldn't have been more mistaken. If somebody just happened to have a Six, why the hell wouldn't they Watch it if somebody told me I should? Of course they would. And since I just happened to have a Six, it's Outstandingly Ridiculous for anybody to Think I wouldn't Watch it, isn't it? Of course it is.

So basically, that's what I've been Doing since finding out that I'm on the Endangered Species List: I've mostly been Watching my Six. The last thing I want to do is to bee Extinct.

Potato has tried a few times to get me to do other Stuff since then - she even tried to Remind me that the End of the Hot Season Welcome to the New Cool Season Honey Ball is coming up, and that I should not only go to that, but that I should ask my Girlfriend, ButterCup, to go with me. She also said that I should rent a Tuxedo for the Event beefore they're all gone. I asked Potato if she thought it would bee okay if I brought my Six with us to the HoneyBall. "Why the hell would you want to do that?" she asked me. "Of course it wouldn't bee okay. Two's Company, Three's a Crowd," she said. "Just leave your Six at home. And don't worry - while you're at the HoneyBall with ButterCup, I'll Watch it for you if you want me to."

"You'd do that?" I asked her.

"Of course I would," Potato answered. "What the hell do you think my job as your Emotional Support/Service LadyBug is? I'm not here just to listen to your insufferable nightly Bitch and Moan Sessions, Georgie. I'm here to make sure you're Okay. So don't worry - I've got your Six."

"You've got my Six?" I asked her.

"Yes, I do," she told me.

"Okay, but you'll give it back, right?" l had to know.

"What?" Potato asked.

"You'll give me my Six back after I get back from the HoneyBall?"

"Of course I'll give it back, and you can Watch it all you want to. I'll even help you Watch it if you want me to," she said.

I still felt uncertain about leaving my Six at home with Potato to Watch, but she was probably right about leaving it at Home, even though she was Completely Wrong about one thing: adding a Six to Two (ButterCup and me) doesn't make Three or a Crowd. It makes Eight. But whatever. It's amazingly Fortunate that Potato is my Certified Emotional Support/Service LadyBug, and not my Math Tutor. As we can all see, she's lousy at Math.

"Fine," I said. 

So now I have to fly over to ButterCup's Place to invite her to the HoneyBall, then I have to go Rent a Tuxedo. Hopefully Franknbee's Formal Attire and Overstock Shoe Mart will have the same Tuxedo I Rented last time I had to go to whatever the hell it was I had to wear a Tuxedo to.  

It's been awhile. 

So I'm gonna go do that.

So you probably already know that Fleur de Bee (French
Counter-Espionage Agent) arrived here several days ago, and you probably also remember that Potato and I had cleaned up the Extra Bedroom in the ShoeBox so she could stay here, with us, during her Short Visit.

As it turns out, she had other plans. And as it turns out, Fleur wasn’t planning just a Short Visit. When we went to meet her at the WTF Airlines Baggage Claim, it was easy to see that she packed for an Extended Stay - and, as it turns out, she wasn’t Alone when she got here. She brought a Friend - or, who, as I found out later, was a fellow Agent who came here to work on a Highly Confidential UnderCover Operation involving an Investigation into some Questionable Dealings in the International Nectar Market involving some Foul Play by the Snark Brothers which he told me to say Nothing about to Anybody, so I won’t).

As we were Dealing with all their Luggage, I extended the Invitation to Fleur - and her Associate - to stay in our Extra Bedroom during their Visit.

“Oh Zank you zo much, Georgie, Mon Cher. Zat is zo Kind of you, but ve do not vant to Intrude,” Fleur said in that Cute little French Buzz of hers. “For me, zis iz a Buzziness Trip, zo ve can Deduct ze Expense of all zis, but again, zank you anyway, Georgie.”

“Fine,” I said. I tried my best to Hide my Disappointment.

Then she said, “But beefore my Associate and I Check In to ze Luxury Suite at ze Five Seasons Hotel, I must Introduce you to my Associate.”

That’s when another Bee who looked like just about every other Bee anybody’s ever seen suddenly appeared. He was carrying a Briefcase, but set it down while he stuck out his Wing and said, “Bon Jour. I am pleased to bee meeting you. My name ez Francois Nestoreau LaFete - but my friends just call me Nestor.”

I shook his Wing and told him it was nice to meet him, mostly. Since I didn’t know at the time that he was actually an Agent working under an Assumed Identity, I asked him why the hell he’d come along with Fleur and messed up the Visit we’d planned to enjoy with her.

“Oh, Oui, of course you haf ze Curiosity about me,” he said. “Quite zimply I am ze Buzzinessbee here to meet wis ze Suppliers for my Company in Nice,” he said.

“Oh, that’s Nice,” I said.

“No,” he said, “Nice.”

“Whatever,” I said. (As I found out later, it was all a lie anyway, so it didn’t matter.) “So what Buzziness are you in?” I had to know.

“Nectar,” Nestor said (which also turned out to bee a Lie). “I am here to Negotiate a Contract wis a Group of Investors beefore I must zen Return to Nice.”

“Nice,” I said.

“No, Nice,” he said.

“Whatever,” I said (the Language Barrier was really beeginning to get on my Nerves).

Anyway, Fleur collected all her Luggage, and she and Nestor started to leave to Check In to their All-Expenses-Paid Luxury Suite at the Five Seasons. Beefore they left, though, I told them I’d like to take them both to Lousy Louie’s (who I mentioned was my Illegitimate Nephew, Kevin’s, Estranged Sister and my Alleged Niece, Felonie Snark’s place) for some Nectar Fizzes and a Large Order of Honey-Glazed Pollen Puffs - if their Schedule allowed.

“Zank you for ze Invitation. Zat would bee zo Nice,” Nestor said, “and perhaps we could meet your Niece.”

“I suppose,” I said, though at the time, I didn’t know why Nestor would find it so Nice to meet my Alleged Niece.

It was about Three Days Later that Fleur and Nestor finally accepted my Invitation to meet at Lousy Louie’s. That’s when I started finding out more about what the hell Nestor and Fleur were really up to…which I’ll tell you about later, beecause right now, I gotta go find a Bathroom.

Remember this guy? Well you won't beelieve this, but for some reason he decided to Invite himself and about Two Dozen of his Closest Friends to Hang Out at, around, and on my ShoeBox. It's been beeyond Annoying. I'll tell you right now: the last thing I need is a whole bunch of House Flies bugging me, especially now that I heard that Fleur de Bee (who, as we all know is still Employed by a Special Counter-Espionage Unit in Paris, France) is planning to come visit. I can't wait. 

After I heard that Exciting News, I told Potato that we needed to start really Cleaning Up this ShoeBox just in case Fleur needed somewhere to Stay while she's visiting. I know she usually stays with my Girlfriend, ButterCup, but I'm hoping that maybee she might consider staying with Potato and me this time. We've got a Spare Bedroom, after all.  But I can tell you right now - that's not gonna happen with all these House Flies Hanging Around. I already know that Fleur detests House Flies. She finds them not only Exceedingly Unsanitary, but also Highly Surly. I think we all do, probably.

Anyway, I've been told that, depending on her Work Load, Fleur is planning to Arrive here sometime beetween now and the Middle of the Hot Season, which is good beecause it gives Potato and me a lot of Wiggle Room to finish cleaning this place up, and to get rid of all these House Flies.


Quite frankly, I don't remember Issuing an Invitation to just Hang Out  to that House Fly I ran into awhile ago. For him to just Show Up like that and start Hanging Out with all his Unsanity and Surly Friends is Highly Rude. Seriously now. Who does that? (Okay fine. My Bee Friends and I do that sometimes, but I don't think we're Unsanitary and we're most certainly not Surly, at least I'm not, mostly, ...and okay, yeah, maybee some Bees are a bit Surly, but that shouldn't make anybody Dislike our Species the way we all Dislike House Flies, should it? No, I don't think so, either. I mean House Flies are Intensely Dislikable... I don't know what they make, but it sure the hell isn't Honey. We make Honey - and who doesn't like Honey? No, really... who doesn't like Honey? I'd like to know.) 

So today, and for ever how long it takes, I'm gonna spend my Preciously Valuable Time finishing up the Cleaning Job on my ShoeBox, and trying to get rid of these House Flies. They’re Insufferable.

I think I'm also probably going to ask those Roly-Poly Bugs who are still living underneath my ShoeBox to please leave and go find some rock or something to crawl under. I'm sure they'd bee much happier not having to bee Downstairs Neighbours to Potato and me (we play our Music very loud, you know...we find it Soothing).

So I'm gonna go do that.

As some of you possibly might know or not, it was my Birthday the other day. Not that I’m counting, but in Human Years, I’m 47 Years Old. Somebody asked me what that was in Bee Years; of course, since it was my Birthday, I totally wasn’t in the Mood to do Math, so I asked my Illegitimate Nephew, Kevin, to figure that out for me. Just this morning, he Informed me that I am approximately 407.33302 Years Old in Bee Years. Geeeeeze.

I haft’a say that even though I might not feel as Young and Enthusiastic as I did the week I was born, it seems to me that Kevin needs to check his Math. I think he Over-Calculated on this one.

Anyway.

By the time my Birthday showed up, all those Heavy Storms we had every day during the Warm Season finally stopped, and I was finally able to get the hell out of my Shoebox where I’d been stuck with Potato (my Sensory-Impaired Certified Emotional Support/Service LadyBug). (Beecause of the Weather, she and I spent the entire time either Streaming all of our Stories on BeeFlix - usually more than once - or having Deep and Meaningful Conversations about how much more Dangerous and Often Crazy the World Outside is these days and how we feel about it. As Interesting as that was, we’d pretty much run out of Conversation, so for sure I needed to grab some Fresh Air.)

Of course, before I left, I asked Potato if she wanted to come with me, but she just said, “No, but thank you. I’m going to just stay here and take a nap. But before you go,” she said, “I have a Birthday Surprise for you which I very much hope you like.” Then she gave me a Huge Box which she had Festively Wrapped in a Non-Recyclable Plastic MostlySafeWay Bag. Much to my Surprise, the Box contained the complete, Unabridged 12-Volume, Fake-Vinyl-Bound Set of the “Partially Annotated Encyclopaedia of Industrial Applications of Unprocessed Bees Wax, Second Edition” translated into Broken English from the Original French Edition.

I don’t know how she Knew I’d always Wanted that, but I guess that’s one of the things that makes her so Special.

Anyway, I thanked her, she said, “You’re Welcome”, then I left.

So after I spent some time sampling some Nectar from the Healthy Crop of Flowers that were blooming, I decided to go by Great Grandma Gee Gee’s BootBox and Cookie Factory to see how she was doing. When I got there she said, “Oh my, I heard that today is someone’s Special Day!”

“Really?” I said, “Whose?”

She gave me a Funny Look and said, “Why YOURS, of course, dear. And in honour of your Special Day, I have a case of some of my Freshly-Baked Royal HoneyChew Krisp™ Cookies for you, which you can either eat here, or take with you.”

Of course I decided to eat them there (it’s hard to fly when you’re carrying a bunch of Stuff). They were Delicious.

After I finished up all the Cookies, I thanked Gee Gee, and decided to make my way over to the Hive. I thought maybee somebody there might be throwing me a Surprise Birthday Party for me. Nobody was. In fact, Nobody was even there, so I figured everybody was either out Working in the Far Meadow, or they had all gone to what I hoped was a Surprise Birthday Lunch at Lousy Louie’s (it was right around Lunchtime… in case you didn’t know it, Lousy Louie’s has a great Lunch Special - one free order of Pollen Puffs, one Pollen Salad Sandwich, and one Non-Fermented Nectar Fizz, all for just a Quarter Pound of Honey - and if it’s your Birthday, you get the Special for Half-Off).

Of course, nobody was at Louie’s, either, and there weren’t any Parties going on. After eating all those Cookies, I skipped the Birthday Lunch Special and just ordered a Nectar Fizz - Fermented - then I left, and headed toward the Near Meadow to see what might bee going on.

When I got to the Near Meadow, the only thing I saw Going On was that there was a House Fly I didn’t recognise who was buzzy working on what was left of an Od, Rancid, Moldy Waffle…it looked Highly Unappealing, but the Fly seemed to bee Enjoying himself. I thought I’d just stop for a minute or two and visit with him.

“Hello,” I said. “I’m Georgie Bee, and today is my Birthday.”

“How Special for you,” the Fly said in what kind of sounded to me like a Sarcastic Tone.

“Yes, it is,” I agreed with him. “You haven’t heard of any Surprise Birthday Parties for me somewhere around here, have you?” I had to know.

“You’re kidding, right?” the Fly asked me.

“No, not at all, I was just thinking that…”

“Do you honestly beelieve that if there was a Party going on anywhere around here that I’d bee Invited?” he asked.

“Well, I…” he Interrupted me again.

“No. Anybody that knows Anything about House Flies knows that we’re Never Invited to Parties. Or Barbecues. Or Picnics. Or Concerts in the Park. Or even inside anybody’s House, even though we’re called House Flies - which never made sense to me, but oh well. So no,” he said.

Then he said, “If there were any Parties around here, don’t you think I’d already know about it?”

“Well, I…” I started to say, but it turned out he wasn’t done talking.

“ … and don’t you think I’d bee at that Party enjoying myself with some fresh HoneyCakes instead of Here, trying to choke down what’s left of this Rancid, Moldy Waffle? Do you, bee?”

“I suppose that…” I wanted to answer his question.

“Don’t bother answering. I’d bee at the Party. But in the meantime, I think I’ve spent quite enough time trying to Explain things, bee, and if you’ll excuse me, I want to get back to this Waffle. I would advise you Turn Away. What I’m about to do isn’t Pretty,” he said.

So I Turned Away.

There was part of me that Seriously Considered sticking around and following that House Fly just in case he found out about a Surprise Birthday Party for me, but it was getting Late, so I left him to his Waffle and flew back to my ShoeBox, where Potato was waiting for me.

“Did you have a nice Outing?” she asked.

“Not really,” I told her. “It seems I’m not getting a Surprise Birthday Party this year, which I find Highly Disappointing.”

“Would you like to Talk about it?” Potato asked.

So we did that.

By the time we were done, she had me feeling Significantly Better about beeing Stiffed on the whole Surprise Birthday Party thing. She helped me Understand that, when bees get Older - like me - Surprise Birthday Parties were usually reserved for Even-Numbered Birthdays. She told me that it was her Opinion that the next time I get a Surprise Birthday Party, it would bee when I turn 50 (in Human Years). “Fine,” I said. “I suppose I can wait the 1,095 Days ’til then.”

“That’s my Bee,” Potato said. “In the meantime, I found a new, 87-part Series that’s Streaming on BeeFlix. It’s about a Butterfly that gets tangled up in a web of its own Lies.”

“That sounds interesting,” I said. “I suppose we could do that while we wait for the Hot Season to Officially Beegin.”

So for the next, ten days, Potato and I Beeinged all 87 Episodes of, “Monarch: A Butterfly’s Story”. (If you haven’t watched that yet, I Highly Recommend it.) By the time we finished the day beefore yesterday, the Warm Season was over.

So now, it’s already Day Two of the New Hot Season.

I hope it’s a good one, without too many House Flies.

Have you ever had one of those Days when it seems like you find out that pretty much everything you’ve ever Beelieved or Thought was definitely probably True might not actually bee True, after all? Isn’t that annoying?

I asked, beecause just the other day, I was sitting there with Potato, streaming an Encore Re-Run of that George Clooney Movie, “Gravity”. If you’ve never seen it, you should, even though (and SPOILER ALERT…) there’s a part in there when George Clooney floats off into Space and we never actually see him again. It’s clear that George Clooney died in the Cold, Lonely Vacuum of Space - which I have always thought was a real shame beecause I often sometimes usually liked him as an actor, mostly, so it was beeyond Sad that he died like that, ya’ know?

Of course, after the Movie was over, I told Potato that I thought the Producers and Director were completely Negligent to have filmed in Outer Space without the Necessary Safety Precautions beeing taken, and she said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how sad it was that George Clooney Died in that Movie, and that the Producers and Director should have…” .

“I know what you said,” she said, “I can read your Mouthparts just fine. What I’m asking is: what in the hell are you talking about? You don’t really think that George Clooney actually Died in that Movie, do you?”

“Well, it’s pretty clear that the Safety Harness they were using while they were filming in Outer Space didn’t hold very well, so when he…” .

“Let me just stop you there,” she stopped me there. “First, they weren’t in Outer Space when they Filmed that Movie.”

“But no, they were floating around in…”. I started to say.

“Let me finish,” she said. “Those were Special Effects, Georgie. George Clooney was not actually in Outer Space, and he didn’t actually Die in that Movie. It was all Make-Beelieve.”

“Really?” I asked her.

“Yes, really,” she said.

Then she said, “Georgie, ever since you Emerged from your Persistent Coma, your Thinking has been a bit Scrambled. And I don’t think that Or-Elsing the Snarks gave you helped the Situation at all, so I’m going to suggest that you and I consider investing some Quality Time in helping you get past some of your obvious Confusion. We need to Schedule some Emotional Support Sessions where you and I can just sit and Talk. As your Sensory-Impaired Certified Emotional Support/Service LadyBug - and your Friend - that’s what I’m here for: to help you.”

“Help me with what?” I asked her. “I’m Confused.”

“Exactly,” she said, which Confused me even more, then she said, “but let’s not have a Session right now. After all the Binge-Watching you and I have been doing for the past Week, I’m feeling totally Baked, sorry to say.”

“You’re Baked, Potato?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “So we’ll Visit later. I’m no good to anybody if I’m Exhausted, which I am, so I’m going to go take a very long Nap now. We’ll talk after I wake up.”

“Fine,” I said, then she did that, and that’s what we’re gonna do.

Until then, I think I should go stream “Gravity” again, just to see if Potato is beeing Honest with me about all this. I hope she is… I wouldn’t like to keep thinking that George Clooney actually Died for our Entertainment, ya’ know?
So I’m gonna go do that.

So as you might possibly know, probably, Mondays are my Favourite Day of the Week - and for good reason.  Not only does Monday mean the Weekend is finally over so you can finally call those Carpenter Bees to come over and fix the Wooden Fence around your Mint Patch that got damaged in that Windstorm on Saturday without having to pay Overtime (as you would if you called them on a Sunday), but this year, two Highly Appealing things happened on Monday. First, it was the First Day of the New Warm Season - and we all know what that means, so I'm just not gonna get into that with you. And the other thing is that as Spring Sprang, I was Sprung from the Hive Clinic, and finally Escaped the Massively Unpleasant Scrutiny of Nurse Beeatrice.

I never ever want to hafta go back there, or bee under her Massively Unpleasant Scrutiny ever again. I’m Serious.

I also have to say that, after having some Immobile Quiet Time to Think Carefully about it, I have pretty much Decided that I probably never want to go to work for the Snark Brothers ever again, either. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been in the Hive Clinic in the First place, and I wouldn’t have had to put up with having to Survive on an ⅛ th of a Small Eyedropper of Warm, Lime Nectar a Day which Nurse Beeatrice told me is the new "Mostly Healthy Patient Diet beeing Implemented due to Patient Care Budget Cuts brought on by Unforeseen Salary Hikes and Bonuses beeing paid to the Cinic Staff." That stuff was Horrible. (In case I’ve never Mentioned it, I really don't like Lime Nectar unless it's in an Ice-Cold, Sparklingly Refreshing Lime Nectar Fizz.)

I asked Nurse Beeatrice if I could have one of those instead of the Warm stuff, but she just said, "You must bee Joking, and if you’re not, you should bee,” which I took to mean I shouldn’t ask again even though I wasn’t Joking. So I was always Hungry, but I do have to say that, on the Bright Side, I did manage to lose some Excess Weight, which is always a good thing, probably.  

Still, when I was finally Let Go from the Clinic, I had this weird Craving for an Ice-Cold, Sparkingly-Refreshing Lime Nectar Fizz, so beefore I went back home to my ShoeBox, I went to Lousy Louies and had a few of those.  (When I did finally make it back Home, which was sometime after Closing Time, Potato and I kind of Got Into It - she was Upset that I hadn't just come Home and that I'd Indulged in several many Lime Nectar Fizzes.

"You've been drinking Lime Nectar Fizzes, haven't you? You don't need to Answer that - I know you have beecause I can smell it on your MouthParts,” she said after I kind of Accidentally Tripped over her and Woke her Up when I came in.  

Judging by the way she seemed to bee Glaring at me, I kind of figured I had some Explaining to Do, but I was Highly Tired and feeling sort of Marginally Disoriented by all those Lime Nectar Fizzes, so I told her that she and I could engage in some Usefully Informative Explanatory Banter all about my beeing Beat and Buzzed the next day, which we did, and which I'll tell you all about some other time.

Anyway, now that I've Escaped, and it's finally the New Warm Season, I need to try to figure out what it is that I'm gonna bee Doing with my Valuable Time. But beefore I beecome Unduly Distracted with all that, I need to catch up on my Stories (there is no TV and no Streaming Services in the Hive Clinic anymore, you know - it's all part of those Unforeseen Salary Hikes and Bonuses, which I guess makes Sense).

So I'm gonna go do that.