The editor of “A country year” explains to us that 23 centuries ago Aristotle was the first human to realize that in each hive there is a bee different from the others, that he thought he was a king instead of a queen, and that in any case, imitating some small and wise French beekeepers we would all have to call “la mère”, the mother.
In this book Sue Hubbell, biologist and librarian, and mother, tells us about bees and when he decided, in 1973 to leave her urban life behind and go with her partner to the Ozarks, a mountainous region of almost virgin forests in the Midwest of the United States. Soon their relationship ended and Sue was left alone in the Ozarks, dedicated to beekeeping.
A simple, simple book that speaks with simplicity of the passing of the seasons and their day to day, and that without idealizing nature, brings us closer to it, and to its daily life from the deep respect for life and everything that surrounds it with pay special attention to bees.
A curious look, captivated by the wild beauty that surrounds her, which reveals the secrets of all the living creatures with whom she lives every day. As Sue herself points out:
“There is nothing merely ornamental in nature: every branch, every node on the tree and every leaf counts.”
“Over the last twelve years I have learned that trees need room to grow, that coyotes sing by the creek in January, that you can only drive a nail into an oak when it is green, that bees know more than I do about making of honey, that love can turn into sadness and that there are more questions than answers”
“We have learned to live as if we were mortals, making decisions with care and reflection, because we will not be able to make them again. For us, time has an end; it is precious, and we have learned its value.”
More about the book at “Un año en los bosques de Sue Hubbell: serenidad natural” and more about natura in our Green books section.