Susan R. Matthews: Cutter's Songs

Bee hunter extraordinaire,
Tatra with the copper hair!
Bee hunter on the fly,
Tatra with the copper eye!

(No tune for this of course.)

*These aren't honeybees, but orchard mason bees (from our very good supplier, Knox Cellars). They look a lot like flies from a distance, but their wings are on straight (not like fly wings that make a vee) and they are Much Much Much Cuter in close-up. They're a native American pollinator; they don't hive, but they like to all nest together, maybe safety in numbers.

Orchard mason bees have no stingers, although sometimes they'll give the tiniest of nips as they crawl all over your hands.

Susan prepares Bee Tubes for them every year, and spring is their hatching season. There are a lot of boy bees near the back door trying to score with newly-hatched lady bees — Susan always carries a few in on her clothing by mistake because they like to hang on. Tatra is very good at locating these wandering bees and letting us know that they need to go back outside.

Tatra's Songs
War Chant (for when helping Susan corral her orchard mason bees*)
Bee hunter extraordinaire, Tatra with the copper hair! Bee hunter on the fly, Tatra with the copper eye! (No tune for this of course.) *These aren't honeybees, but orchard mason bees (from our very good supplier, Knox Cellars). They look a lot like flies from a distance, but their wings are on straight (not like fly wings that make a vee) and they are Much Much Much Cuter in close-up. They're a native American pollinator; they don't hive, but they like to all nest together, maybe safety in numbers. Orchard mason bees have no stingers, although sometimes they'll give the tiniest of nips as they crawl all over your hands. Susan prepares Bee Tubes for them every year, and spring is their hatching season. There are a lot of boy bees near the back door trying to score with newly-hatched lady bees — Susan always carries a few in on her clothing by mistake because they like to hang on. Tatra is very good at locating these wandering bees and letting us know that they need to go back outside.

Prime Song (Tatra is a Class-A snuggler)
As I was sitting on the floor, snuggling with the copper-eyed Tatra suddenly a thought came into my mind: I'd like to cuddle the copper-eyed Tatra. Cuddle her up, cuddle her down, tickling the toes of the copper-eyed Tatra, cuddle her up, cuddle her down, make the doggie laugh out loud. Fresh fish! (This is to a tune about the One-Eyed Reilly that we learned on a Clancy Brothers record a long time ago. Warning: rude songs listed on this page; the song itself is fairly rude. Tatra is not. The "fresh fish!" is from the original song. It is clearly appropriate for Tatra to have a song based on an Irish original, because she's obviously Irish -- she's a redhead.)