Alchemy of bees
Transforms sunlight and flowers
Into liquid summer.

Alert viewers may have noticed there are quite a few pieces about bees and honey in my collection.

It happens that my sweet honey is an amateur beekeeper and honey lover who is fascinated by the ancient art of beekeeping. When we lived in Italy, at one point I counted seventeen different jars of artisanal local honeys in our kitchen. My husband claims his lifelong love of honey comes from the fact that a great-grandfather on his paternal side was a bear.

Bee that as it may (sorry), today I gave him a hand-bound book I made of seven of my haiga about bees and honey. Made with gold and lavender textured papers, this small book, called Rich on the Tongue: Honeybee Haiku, is a lovely piece to hold in the hand. This is part of my newest adventure—making books of my poems and art using traditional bookmaking techniques.

I plan to show this and other hand-made books at a show this fall by members of the North Coast Book Arts Guild. The book arts show will be held at Eureka Books in Eureka, California; it opens September 4 as part of Eureka’s monthly Arts Alive festival. If you are in the area in September, buzz on by!