One day while sharing some of my old memories with my grandaughter I though of the small beekeeping hobby I had growing up in Arizona. Later in the day I took a little time to draw a picture showing some of those memories. The painting is not exactly accurate, but I will explain that more later. I build my apiary by collecting swarms, mostly in trees and around homes in our town. I placed an ad in the local paper in the spring when bees were swarming and received many calls. The Cushman Mailster was my transportation. My hives were kept on the roof of the small apartment behind our home. I have many great memories of it.

THE FIRST DOG IN OUR MARRIAGE

By Rodger Minatra

About two years ago I paid $1100 for a dachshund puppy which I had to drive 4 hours roundtrip to get. Although it really doesn’t matter now, I would never want my dad to know that. He would honestly drop his head in shame that his oldest son would pay so much for a dog. “Never carry the money for a dog in your pocket” he would say (I believe he was quoting his dad). It meant that you should never pay for a dog.