Big Things

-Posted by Isaac

What do you get when you cross a biker with a cowboy?

...I don't really know, but it's pretty funny.

Yesterday Jayne took the kids horseback riding in the Hocking Hills. It was part of Maizy's week of birthday celebration. Big things! Our princess turned eight last Friday, and the Barnes Kingdom has been rejoicing with one thing or another just about every day.

The week started with a roller rink party and about 30 screaming kids.

Most were second graders, some were younger. A loud and frantic three hours loaded with ice cream, cupcakes and Kidz Bop. For better or worse, a learning experience for one and all.

At some point early in the week, a beautiful present showed up at the Honeyrun Farm doorstep.

Last year Jayne wanted me to build a "face board." After a little eye rolling, and dragging of the feet, I finally got it done, and promptly forgot all about it.

We needed a real artist, so we sent it to our long lost employee Julia Thompson. Julia is now studying to be a pharmacist. This summer she found a little time to work on the board. It surpassed all expectations!

Come on out to the farmstand and take a closer look. Bring the kids!

For what seems like years, Mason has been counting honey sticks and doing odd jobs in the honey house. We pay him and encourage thrift -- Instead of spending his hard earned cash on junk, think about something he'd really like, and save up. For once, he listened. Now he's the proud owner of a fluorescent green kayak. 

We took it out for a spin on the mighty Dry Run creek this week. 

Unfortunately, in August, the big waters are no more.

A different sort of white water...

At some point, Jayne and I had put up with about enough of our kids. It was time to dump them on Grandma. We had a Gillian Welch show to catch in Nashville. 

Making our way to the Ryman, we ran into an old friend. Another great singer / songwriter. 

Look at Miss Ohio.

Jayne is a big bluegrass fan and an accomplished mandolin player in her own right, so running into Bill Monroe on the streets of Nashville was quite a turn on.

But what got her so unhinged with the PDA, I haven't a clue.

"Drink a round to Nashville, before they tear it down..."

We sat down and simply asked to sample some local honey.

Apparently the bees forage on something different down there.

That's right, let's get back to the bees!  Enough of the playing around. Focus!

On Thursday Dan Williams had the Scioto Valley Beekeepers over to talk about queen rearing. Dan is the largest queen breeder in the state and a wealth of knowledge to boot. Over the years I have not only relied on Dan's great queens, I pick his brain any time something comes up.

Speaking of Dan's great queens, last night 32 more of them went into the pumpkins. These nucs, started in mid-June, are now employed at Circle S Farms.

You can see how strong they are already. It takes a little love and a good mama.

So that's the last of the pumpkin pollinators. Most of the hives on the vine crops have been employed a month or more. Circle S is a little late with their planting, but they'll be the first to want the bees out. It's a pick-your-own pumpkin patch.

Back by midnight, it was an early night. I was even able to see Jayne off to market at 5:15 this morning.

We'll see the girls again in a few weeks for some more love.

So that's the end of our big week. But not the end of our Big Things. Maizy is already working on her Christmas list, and soccer practice looms large on this beautiful Saturday morning.