Beetles and Beeswax

I don't believe I ever mentioned there are two students  going to school this year. Linda and I. Last year there were six of us which is just about capacity for the little shop. I am also living with Linda which has been working out nicely (last year I lived with two different students, not so nice).
I haven't written in a while but today it just felt like it was time, not me forcing myself like it's homework which I dread, no I was on the computer and thought oh I WANT to write on my blog :) Maybe it's because I have something to say. Many weeks ago something happened that I really wanted to remember and write about. Several weeks ago Brian was working in the shop and doing things that made me feel like I was living in the 1800s for the day (more so than what usually goes on). He was making varnish, sealent for the wood before varnish, and creating a natural pigment. I felt like it was 1812 as I was watching him boil bug bodies (to extract color; it is a type of small beetle that has shriveled and dried) and beeswax, literally very raw beeswax, straight out of the hive, with lots of particles and bee parts stuck in it. I was intrigued and asked him if he learned this at Chicago which is where he went to school, and he said no. He learned it on his own from doing some research. I thought what he was doing was great! It was like a long lost art! Especially with my generation, it is the norm to go to the store get exactly what you need, many times already prepared, but what Brian was doing was very different. And then I think about what we do everyday and get the same feeling. It is refreshing to create something so spectacular with raw materials. I rarely even cook that way! I like tortelinni with the meat and cheese already packed in each little bite! I discovered for me, what we do at school is humbling. This feeling has replaced the inexperience and frustration even though I have a long way to go and the things to do, make, try never end.