A symbol of dedication, focus, and productivity, bees are called “busy” for a reason! Bees also symbolize wealth, good-luck, prosperity, abundance and success in life. Wearing bee jewelry, dreaming of bees, or seeing bees in nature, are all signs of good fortune.

The variations of creativity for a bumble bee brooch are infinite. They are made in every style, material and ornamentation imaginable (some even with mink fur).  And the prices vary commensurately.  It isn’t only the precious gems or gold which ignite the prices.  Some of the bumble bee brooches are antiques which distinction alone contributes to the astronomic prices.  As might be expected there are numerous brooches from China which sell for very little but which I would suspect merit the price paid.  London, England by contrast contributes a more expensive and remarkable category to production.  And of course there are the inevitable Cartier, Tiffany, Herbert Rosenthal, René Kreiss, Gucci, David Yurman, Herrods, Aspinal and similar retail compositions.

Competing with this accessory obsession is the spectacle of the setting sun upon the meandering Mississippi River in the Town of Mississippi Mills.

It compliments the natural beauty of the landscape to have smooth roads upon which to venture abroad howsoever moderately. Ostensibly it all feeds into the retail appetite but it also satisfies a larger yearning for mechanical excellence. I confess that today my second outing with a vehicle which I have not as yet “broken in” was contaminated by several technological issues.  I hesitate to identify them as problems because I am uncertain whether the problem (if any) was them or me.  And it may have been neither; viz., internet connection matters or the like. There as well (as I have learned by annoying experience) so many software updates which precipitously tumble onto the vehicle because I park underground which obstructs overnight activity until I remove the vehicle. In the meantime I have opted to presume that the proverbial “reboot” will rectify whatever petty matters or complications I may have inadvertently promoted while playing with the gadgets today.

What matters paramountly is the steady alignment and smooth functioning of whatever is under the hood. Indeed while at the gas station filling with Ultra fuel I opened the hood and had a look. I was examining only for any caps which may not have been in evident order.  Otherwise the appearance was one of outstanding cleanliness and undoubted precision. My perspective is however normally confined to the driver’s seat where I appreciate the Head Up Display (HUD) and the smooth operation of the cruise control, indicators, wipers and dashboard climate controls. The music is handled by verbal commands to Siri (or the indignity of having to access the menu on-screen or using touch buttons).