Clarence and I Visited the Pardee Rose Garden in New Haven!

It was a good day for a visit to the rose garden. The rains of the previous day had gone on to soak another area and the sun was shining. It was warm but not too oppressive for a cat. Clarence's person suggested the outing and of course when my buddy told me about it, I wanted to go with him. I have a neat camera and was very anxious to get some close-up shots of the roses.
I thought that Clarence who also has a nice camera would stay by my side but alas, I was disappointed after we arrived at the park. He looped the camera around his neck, waved his paw and meowed, "See ya!" and dashed off in pursuit of nature's glories. I was alone. I sighed and then trudged off to find a nice rose to photograph. Since an digital SLR is a very heavy camera for a cat to haul around, I don't run around gardens like a maniac cat being pursued by an irate dog.
There was a small honey bee flitting around a blooms of a rambling rose bush and I cautiously approached the site. "Ahem!" I meowed, pleasantly. "Do you think you might settle down some so I could snap your photograph? I would put it on my website."
The bee looked up from the blossom, its feet and legs covered in yellow pollen. "Yeah, kitty! Like I've got nothing better to do than pose for pictures! I am a union bee. I believe in my union. I work whenever the sun is out. You got that? The sun is out! I work when the sun is shining! It rained yesterday. I didn't work. That was my day off. So bug off, kitty!" He made a threatening fly-by near my nose snd I took leave of the bee and the bush.
Clarence seemed to be running around, snapping pictures at a furious rate. I felt dejected and sat down under another bush and tucked my paws under my chest. I almost fell asleep. Then I saw him! Right above my head was a big bumble bee! He was not gathering pollen from a flower, he was resting on a leaf. "Not working today?" I meowed.
The bee looked down at me. "Actually, I am working today but I'm taking a little break."
"You're a union bee, I bet and you get regular time off to rest?" I purred, hoping he might let me take a few photographs of him in repose.
The bee shook his head. "Our hive isn't unionized. I've been flitting around since sun up this morning and I can tell you, cat, I am pooped!
"But you get regular work breaks, don't you?" I inquired.
"If my foreman saw me squatting on this leaf he'd really get his pollen all in a sweat!", said the bee. "By the way, my name is Stamford. And your name is ......?"
I purred loudly. Someone had noticed me! "I am Henri, Henri of Twin Brook! I have a website and write stories about my life and the friends I've met along the way."
"Sounds cool," remarked Stamford. "I should get a job where I could sit down and write stories or something. Not that I have anything to write about you know. I tell you, cat, flitting around a garden, collecting pollen is no bed of roses! It's work, work work. Gotta keep the hive going! No time to rest! Just work, work work!"
Stamford spread his wings and flew down to a branch on the rose bush which was closer to me.
I shook my head. "I'm sure your life is very interesting and you would have many stories to tell. I could teach you code and could set up a webpage for you," I meowed.
Stamford stared at me then began buzzing loudly. "I don't want to get involved with a computer! I don't want anything to do with a computer! I heard about those things! All kind of bad things on the internet! Bumble bee pornography and stuff like that!" His wings began to vibrate wildly. "And scams too. You can lose the hive right our from under you!"


"Just the other day, I heard of a family loosing their hive to forclosure because of a bad loan they got on the internet!" Stamford finally settled down and rubbed his face with his front feet. "I suppose I could use my friend's computer without having any problems, like spam mail and stuff like that..."
I smoothed my whiskers. "Well, Stamford, I'm sure you have lots of interesting things to write about. I'd be glad to help you if you would like to have a go at it," I meowed. "I'll let you take a little nap so you can get back to work. Maybe you could flit by my house one of these days or when you have a some time off."
Stamford glared at me. "Time off? Right! That's a joke! No time off! No pension! No health benefits! Just work, work, work!"
"Join a union!" I growled. "In numbers, there is strength!"
"I'll think about it, cat. I really will!" The bee yawned, stretched his legs and wings and flew off toward a large bush of roses.
I left the bee, hanging from the branch of the rose bush and walked slowly around the garden, taking pictures of some of the blooms.

I found Clarence sitting on a bench under a big tree. He looked happy as he waved his paw at me. "Got some great photographs, Henri!"
"Me too, Clarence," I replied. "but it's getting really hot. Let's go find your person and go home. I've got a story to write!"


Pat my head to return to my homepage!