With a little help from my friends
-Posted by Isaac
A strange man with a strange instrument. What a market treat! I think he must’ve tired of my questions because he finally just grabbed a crate, sat down and said, “Well… let me show you…”
He entertained us for the next half an hour. And he probably helped the honey sales. You just never know who’ll come along to get you through.
And that’s what this post is about—the ones helping me to stomach this last bitter stretch of winter. I think I’d be lost without them. Because let me tell you, it’s not easy to wake up to snow on March 1st… especially after the maples have bloomed and we’ve had three beautiful days of t-shirt weather.
I looked outside, felt disgusted, looked at the weather app on my phone, felt even more disgusted. More snow on Sunday, a high of 17 on Tuesday!
But I’ve learned something… it’s ok to start disgusted. In fact, I do all the time. (Especially if I check my news feed.)
The day can turn around. You can turn things around! And your friends can help.
If winter isn’t going to relinquish, we’d better go after more firewood. Gavin helped me with a couple loads this week.
Just look at that hustle!
Bridger, my Dapper Dan man, helped me by just being himself.
And Maizy brought her little buddy out for a visit as I plugged away on the new fence.
It’s nice to be reminded of why I’m spending all this time and money.
And of course, speaking of time and money, we’ve got the bees to worry about.
My many many friends. My labor of love. They’re hanging on, they’re growing and brooding up, and they’re hungry!
Eden helped me finish the second round of feeding.
She’s fearless. She’s determined.
Not only the bees… she helps me to hang on.
We plowed through the second pallet of feed, and had to order another.
And look who showed up to start on that third pallet— long lost Seth!
Notice he wore his military fatigues to remind us… he still belongs to Uncle Sam. But it sure was nice to visit. I never tire of Seth’s special brand of introspective philosophy.
We knocked out 11 yards in just a few hours. Amazing what you can accomplish with good help. I begged him to stay another day, but just like the Seth of old, he had girls and adventures to attend to.
And now he’s back overseas. Conquering Italy this spring.
Having previously conquered France last fall.
Going into winter, looking at the bees and their honey stores, I was thinking that it would only be a two pallet winter. But I was wrong, wasn’t I? They ate a little more than expected. A welcome expense. At least it’s not the six pallet winter we had a few years back. Here’s a sensible little rhyme for you penny pinching March beekeepers: Better fed than dead.
It’s March. And it’s still cold. But the bees are looking great and the end is in sight. Hard to believe, but in less than a month we’ll be making our first splits.
Sometime within the next six weeks I’ll be standing out there in a t-shirt. Some gorgeous purple evening, I’ll look out over a field of nucs.
I’ll crack a beer, maybe fire up the grill, soak up the sweet scent of spring grass, watch the deadnettle, the dandelions, the daffodils, listen to baby chicks and baby ducks, think about baby bees and Easter eggs…
…and I’ll give the memory of this (expletive, #%&#, expletive) winter the good cussing it deserves.
We’ve made it, my friends! We’ve made it!
Thanks for all the help!