Grandpa,
My brother and his family are touring Europe on vacation. He has always been one to “decorate” the truth about things so I find it hard to believe what he told me about multi-colored honey in France. In college, I spent a year as a foreign exchange student in France. I have never heard of blue or green honey, yet my brother and nephew have told me that bees are producing it in France. Are they greening me, or is this some sort of GMO product? I’d like to get some, if it is real.
Grandpa says: Jamais entendu parler de miel vert? Sacre Bleu! You never heard of green honey? Heavens Above! Actually, yes, beekeepers have had a problem with bees producing honey in hues of blue and green. The situation was confined to a town called Ribeauville in northeastern France. I am not familiar with the town. I never got much farther west than Dinard in Brittany, which is coastal. Ribeauville is in Alsace, near the border with Germany. So, what is causing the bees to produce green and blue honey, or miel vert and miel bleu? M and M candy! Actually, the waste from the candy manufacturer is processed at a plant in town and the bees love all that free sugar. Plant operators discovered the gaff and are doing everything possible to cooperate with the local beekeepers to keep the honey pure and dye free. If it were happening here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., some enterprising soul would be marketing the tinted treat for huge profits. Your letter suggests that there would be a market. I would be delighted to have green honey on biscuits with my green eggs and ham!
Grandpa,
My father died several years ago. Since then my mother has looked to me for companionship. I am fine with that. She likes to talk “woman to woman” on many topics. Lately, however, she has been talking to me about intimate details of her love life with my father. She speaks very graphically about details I do not care to know. I have asked her to please not tell me things that are none of my business. Yet, she persists. What can I do to get these mental images out of my head?
Grandpa says: That all depends on her mental state. If she is clear-thinking and alert, let her know that the woman to woman talks have boundaries and if she violates them you will stop participating. Be firm. Whenever she starts down the wrong path, stop her, and say, “Mom, that is going into too much detail.” Then, should she persist, excuse yourself and leave. You might try introducing her to some people of her own age with whom she can talk openly. You can take her to the senior center for activities. She will meet some ladies of her own generation and develop friendships. You might consult with a good counselor who can see her professionally to determine if she losing the ability to define what is proper. Bless you.
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