Eleven months ago on a whim, I decided to order a package of bees. I bought a copy of “Beekeeping for Dummies” and, without any prior knowledge, began to build my first hive. This endeavor has...

As my dad made a jarring right at the intersection, I noticed the gray sky and the gray parking lot, abandoned by all the cars that would have made it colorful. I was alone with my dad, sitting in the...