becca the bee keeper

There has been a very exciting development around here. Our bee keeper who housed some of his bees on our land last year had too many paying clients and not enough bees. So he didn't have bees to put on our property. But we really want bees. And we want honey. And we want honeycomb for candles and soap. And even last year I had told Rory I wanted to learn how to care for our own bees. I'm sincerely interested.

And when we met Andrew Peterson after a concert he told us he had bees and that we "really had to do it on our own." And the way he said it made me think, we had really better do it on our own.

So we talked to Adam, our bee keeper over burgers at our favorite burger place and he actually offered to take this year to teach us and get us up and running with our own bees. He is the nicest guy, seemingly excited to pass on what he knows and I have vowed in my heart to be his number one student. I am going to try so hard.

And that's the fun thing. This is my thing. The bees are my deal on this farm. Rory seems to have a enough going with the garden, the orchard, the maple syrup, the animals and his actual job that he wasn't as game to take on a whole new trade.

But I was. Because at age 33, the thought of picking up an entire new trade is exhilarating to me. Just as I found absolute peace with being a stay-at-home mom, I have now added another title: bee keeper. And that feels good. Like adding a new title at a job you already enjoy.

So I spent the weekend in California reading a book on organic bee keeping cover to cover. And what I learned is that I have a whole lot to learn. And how glad I am to have Adam, ready to mentor me all season, passing along everything he has learned throughout his years of bee keeping.

Bees don't make me nervous. They never have. Which is good, because they can sense a persons anxiety, and may feel threatened by that anxiety and sting that anxious person. The goal is to be completely calm, relaxed, using smoke just enough...not too much, not too little.

I had on a jacket with hood and long gloves and didn't get stung. And today was a big day. They were moved from their nuc box into their new boxes. Rory will probably do a step-by-step (or maybe I will...) over on the grovestead sometime. It was really amazing. Loud and fascinating.

Perhaps the most story-worthy of the whole experience was that just before Adam showed up I was pushing Elsie in the swing. And I was thinking about how calm and peaceful I needed to be before I went near the bees. Ivar was walking towards our peonies and I saw an s,n,a,k,e right in front of him. I can hardly even type the letters without getting the chills. In college I had to put post it notes in my biology books whenever there was a picture of a, you know.

I have a life goal not to pass my fear of those things onto my children. So I tried to act really casual, pointed it out to Ivar like it was super fun. Got Elsie out of her chair and told Ivar we could go watch a show. I got in the house with a screaming Elsie who was not done swinging (she never is) and felt adrenaline pulsing through my body. I was completely pitted out and had the shivers every time I thought of the thing.

And then I had to go charm some bees.

Thankfully our neighbor girls came over and assured me that they had never seen an animal of that kind in this area before. So I decided to claim that as truth. That this little guy was an abnormality and just as soon as he meets my husband, he will meet the end of the shovel. For all of our sakes, I hope we never see him again.

And in the meantime, you'll find me standing in a swarm of honey bees.

To each his own.

unplugged

On Friday I flew to San Francisco by myself to see our friends John and Shannon. I didn't bring my laptop. And my phone had no coverage at their house. I was completely unplugged. Shannon and I went for a few walks, shared a lot of great meals and mostly talked about everything. I had told her I was ready for some good soulful conversation, and that is exactly what we had.

When she first picked me up we went and had lunch and then walked around a little lake on the dirt path that took us through the redwoods. It was really stunning. And then we went back to her house and each took a nap. She had scheduled it into our plans. Nap time. It felt so luxurious. Followed by a drive to a great town for an incredible dinner.

Being unplugged for that long, away from  my email, facebook, instagram, blogs, my blog, was so awesome. I read so much. I sat out in she sunshine overlooking the glorious hills in their backyard. I wrote with a pen on paper and got a few thoughts worked out.

It was a sweet time with a very dear friend. I came home with a full heart, grateful and glad. And I think that's what Rory was feeling too, when I drove back up the lane: grateful and glad to see me and ready for a nap time of his own.

mother's day

This family picture above is a new favorite of mine. Look at all that love for the mama! We had a great mother's day. Except that I didn't get to see my own mom! The Harrington's had last minute plans to get to Jedd's grandpa's funeral so we got to join the Groves for some sweet family time and one amazing buffet.

These pictures make me so happy. Kirby was three when I worked for Sara and Troy. And now I have my own three year old who wears stripes and adores his big cousins.

Rory brought tomato plants for all of the mama's. A fun tradition he has started. Here is Sara and Mike Wozowski. We typically bring big lilac bouquets for everyone but everything is so late in Minnesota...they aren't even budding!

And in a crazy twist, I woke up on Sunday morning with absolutely no voice. Even a whisper was hard to hear. So I sat next to Lisa and whispered into her ear when I wanted to say something. Which proved to be a lot like a game of telephone with lots lost in translation. Many a laugh at our end of the table...

sonna is seven

The May birthdays are here! A week after Mara's ladybug party, my niece Sonna had her Zebra party. Last year, you may remember was a rainbow theme, and this year was all black and white. She started her party with a scavenger hunt all over the neighborhood. It was pretty much pandemonium. Because nine first graders seem to come with a whole lot energy.

One of the stops on the scavenger hunt was to the neighbor's zip line. Which was a huge hit.

Sonna wasn't able to be in the picture with her zebra cake because she was too busy hanging out with the boys at the horsey swing. Sonna has a TON of personality and brings a whole lot of energy to every moment of the day.

Annika made this awesome zebra cake and the party was super fun. The kids ate those jelly bellies, where each color jelly bean is either something yummy or yucky. A peach colored jelly bean will either taste like peaches or vomit. Or a black jelly bean will either taste like skunk spray or black licorice. That game lasted a long time. And then the kids had hotdogs roasted over the fire and ended playing out under the pine trees in the way, way backyard.

We love you Sonna. You are so fun to be around, so full of creativity and energy. Yo have so much personality and confidence. You are amazingly talented at gymnastics and I envy your ability to do a cartwheel. :) I love you so much!

Syrup is now on Sale!

Rory has everything lined up. Our Maple Syrup is now on Sale! Click here to order.

It really is fun to have come to this stage of the syrup making process. Especially after watching Rory stand by a fire for twenty-some hours this spring, often in the rain. I'm happy to have my large pots and pans back for my own kitchen use and excited to get to share all of this sweetness with you. Enjoy!