[ATM] Beeswax

["Francis J. O'Reilly" <foreilly@bestweb.net>]

I don't believe in homeopathic cures and when something says it is natural,
I steer away from it.

But when Dick Parker told me that I needed beeswax for my pitchlap to cut
down on sleeks, I jumped to it.

I made another pitchlap at home for my 200 mm project about on a Saturday
evening about three weeks ago.  The lap looked pretty good, and then I
remembered Dick's admonition about beeswax, but where to find it?

I contacted my landlord, who owns an apple orchard, the retail store is
across the street. He has bees all summer and sells honey and beeswax
candles, but he does not sell beeswax. To Google, I learned all about
making candles and various suppliers of bee supplies. I also found out that
it is illegal to keep bees in New York City, but that several people do so
and sell their products. A beekeeper's business is called an apiary. Not
wanting to go to the city, I Googled Apiaries, after some research and
learning some interesting facts, I found that there weren't any apiaries
open within striking distance that were open on Sunday at this time of
year, although I could buy beeswax through the mail.

I was impatient. I am just off an extended leave of absence from glass
pushing, punctuated by a stint of active duty in the New York Guard for a
terrorist attack, and a subsequent divorce. I wanted to get my life back,
and since I was 11, pushing glass has been an important part of who I am. 

It was time to leave to pick up the kids for Church and I was resolved to
find beeswax that day, after church. I left the house to get my three
youngest of my seven children. (My oldest has his own life, the second
oldest belongs to the U.S. Army and is currently in Afghanistan, the others
were busy.) My youngest, Seamus is profoundly autistic, he likes his
routine, and is very knowledgable, if you know how to get it out of him and
you listen.

Seamus Nine years old, Elizabeth (another atm at 13) and Anne, 15, got into
the car. Good morning kids! Seamus said "First Church, then Home Depot."
But Seamus, I need to get beeswax. "Michaels" he said. We went to mass at
our parish church, St. James in Carmel, NY then to Home Depot in Southeast,
by Brewster, NY just off I-84 at exit 19. Seamus said "Michael's" again.
There was no beeswax at Home Depot, we then went to Lowes in Danbury CT.
Interestingly it is off exit 7 for I-84 by the AMC Loews theater, no
beeswax. Next we went to Ace Hardware on Route 22 in Southeast, where I had
found pure lye the prior week to help remove some old Beryl coatings. No
beeswax there either, but I did learn that toilet floor gaskets are now
made of a synthetic material not beeswax anymore.

Frustrated, I took the kids home and then fed them lunch. Later I dropped
the sisters at the movies by the store where their mother works and kept
Seamus with me. We went to the park, in spite of the freezing weather.
Driving home, Seamus said Michael's once more. Then it dawned on me that I
should listen to him, maybe this craft store sells beeswax. We went back to
the Home Depot shopping center in Southeast, where Michael's has a store,
parked, went in and went directly to the candle making supplies. Sure
enough, there was 100% pure beeswax! Seamus came through. I picked up a
pound of the liquid gold and Seamus went to a basket directly across the
aisle. It was filled with black plush toy cats. He picked one up, gave it a
hug and a kiss and held on to it until we got to the checkout counter,
where he released it long enough for the cashier to scan it. He picked it
up again and we both left the store happy. I drove him back to his mother's
house. On the way home we stopped at a lake and walked out on the ice to
see the ice fishermen.

That evening, I melted the beeswax in a can that I had purchased from Home
Depot and carefully applied it to the pitch lap. Seamus is now also an atm
as far as I am concerned.

Francis J. O'Reilly


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