All About the Buzz

B.
I like Aunt Bea from Andy Griffith.
I like Bumblebees in my garden. Not on me, but buzzing about minding their own business.
"To Be or not to be, that is the question."

B.
This may seem funny but the word of the day for this Beautiful letter B is: Buzz.
Yes, it is the sound a bee makes and it is a kind of haircut in the summer. It can even refer to a certain feeling you get after consuming certain drinks. For me on this day it is making me think of the news about town.

You know, the Buzz, the gossip, the report.

What made me think of this was a conversation I had this morning with my grandma over breakfast. We were remembering how, back in the 70's and 80's (and probably before that, but that was before my time...) each household in the Cove Road and immediate surrounding area would get a phone call from Myrtle.

"Hello, this is Myrtle and I'm calling for the news."

Then, depending on whether or not someone in the family had just had a baby, got married, had company for Sunday dinner, visited relatives from out of down or had relatives visiting them, attended a funeral, birthday party or bridal shower, or even had any recent significant sickness or hospitalizations, the person answering the phone would relay that information to Myrtle. She then in turn would relay that information to The Republican newspaper and the tidbits of community life would appear in a little section entitled "The Cove News." At least that's what we called it.

As a kid, I really thought she was like Ike Godsey's wife Corabeth Walton Godsey on The Waltons.

 In my mind, she was just like her and she had a daughter who I also imagined was just like their TV daughter Amy. This woman was in charge of the Community Buzz. She heard it all first, just like Myrtle.

Now, gossip is one thing, but sharing our lives with each other is another. The difference is when I share the details vs. someone else sharing the details. With all the devastation in the world, whether through natural or man-made disasters, it is somehow refreshing to read about the seemingly small details of life.

Why should I care if Betty from beyond the bluff befriended Barbara at a bridal bash?
Or that Bill the beef farmer bought big bales of barley from Bert?
Or that brand-new babies were born before breakfast?

It is not that I have to care. It is more that I want to care. The Buzz about town is about everyday life. To some it may be Boring, but to me it's the Best. Even Aunt Bea would agree. To be or not to be, that is life.


Love,
Dianne