And Then, They Swarmed

I had been wondering for weeks if this might happen. Indeed it did. Just a reminder that I am still a new beekeeper and these are bees are still very mysterious. I had noticed before that large amounts of bees were sitting on the front of the hive. I thought perhaps they were feeling crowded with the new brood hatching so I added another super. Then I thought they were new bees. New bees often stay close to the hive, buzzing around in a cloud and landing near the entrance. I am cautious of opening the hive too often so I decided to leave them and hope they would settle.

Today I looked out my window and there was a cloud of bees. I knew they were swarming and I couldn't stop them. I was so disappointed. I quickly took out my bee books, watched YouTube videos, scanned blogs, searching for a solution. I had worked so hard to build a healthy hive, these bees were important to me, I felt crushed by the idea that I might lose so many of them.

Almost as if he knew, Jon came home early today and set to work helping me capture the swarm. They swarmed in a terrible place, it was almost inaccessible. My Jon, such a wonderful man, went for it anyways. The first time he tried simply brushing the swarm into a box, sadly as he was closing the lid he dropped the box (and I was at the base, supporting the ladder, and got stung by some very angry bees). We waited and they returned to the tree. This time he cut the whole branch, carried it down and shook all the bees into a box. This time he was stung by bees who managed to get into his coat. By the time we had the syrup made, the hive assembled and the frames in place all the bees had escaped the box.

The final time seemed the easiest (of course it wasn't me up there). Once again Jon brushed the swarm into the box, successfully carried it down and dumped all the bees into a waiting hive. Of course not all the bees made it into the box and we noticed a few of them gathering in the tree again but after several hours the hive seems to be humming with bees. We are hoping that the bees in the tree will get the message from the bees in the hive that there is food and protection near by and join them in the hive tomorrow.

Such an amazing learning experience but also so stressful. Questioning why this happened? Is the queen ok? Is the first hive's queen still alive? Will they stay in the hive? Will they make it? Jon says he feels "pumped" after spending an afternoon wrangling bees. He called himself "the bee master" and although neither of us completely know what we are doing, we are taking each lesson these bees offer us and hopefully becoming better guardians of these colonies. I'll keep you all posted on these hives.

A Garden of Her Own

 

April has been very interested in flowers this year. She is always keen to point out when she notices flowers coming up. The only thing was that she would often want the full sensory experience; looking, smelling, squishing and oh yes ripping. I didn't want to see my beautiful spring bulbs ripped from the ground so when April's Easter gift had an empty sand box included I decided it would make a perfect little garden.
We took April to the local nursery and picked out some flowers that were in bloom now, some that would be soon and one little strawberry plant. We worked together to pour the soil, rake it out and dig holes for our new seedlings. April planted them with typical toddler vigor but her own sweet style. "There you go flower, there you go" she would say to them as she covered their roots with soil. We planted half the bed with seedlings and left the other half for raking (which is a daily chore lately) but I hope later this season I can convince April to lay some seeds there. Maybe some nasturtiums or even some pretty lettuce.
For now I love watching her tend to her garden. She brings worms to it, rakes the soil, pats down the soil around her flowers. I'm so proud of her nurturing spirit. She has not pulled out the flowers as I worried she might, instead she checks them daily and tends them. Oh my mama heart.
We have been inviting her into our food garden while we weed and rake in preparation of planting in the near future. I hope that the little gardener in her will be equally tender to my vegetable garden. Do you garden with your little ones?

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

Feels like Spring

We had a lovely laid back long weekend over here. We soaked up the sun, got outside and made lots of progress. Most of the garden is now turned and ready for compost and planting. My starts are happily sprouting on my dinner room table, my bees are out in mass, my trees are blooming and my laundry is on the line. It is certainly spring and I hope it stays.
It is so refreshing to step outside in bare feet and feel the grass between my toes. To lie in the hammock at dusk and watch the stars come out. I'm feeling renewed. I have renewed resolve to make my garden the best yet, to grow as much from seed as possible, to use everything I can and to be outside as much as we can stand.
It felt like a long winter with a high energy toddler about. We made it through though. Thank you art project, activity kits, swimming pools and playgroups. The sidewalk chalk, bubbles, sand boxes and swings (oh yes the swings!) are ready for their date with my child.
The bulky sweaters, hats and mittens and winter boots are being put away and sunglasses, brimmed hats and sandles are already in use. It certainly feels like spring indeed.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

Petting Zoo

Spring is in the air and the sun is making an appearance. It was the perfect time to hit the petting zoo with friends. Baby animals are arriving weekly, which makes for a wonderful reminder to children that this is the season of rebirth. The earth is getting greener and flowers are coming up all around. Even the cherry trees have burst into pink to spite the cold temperatures. I am busy making plans for my garden and my hive but April still reminds me to take it slow and notice all the new things appearing around us. We are rejoicing in the opportunity to spend more time out of doors. When the wind dies down it's almost warm enough to open the windows and dry the clothes on the line.
The earth is breathing, taking in all the nourishing sun and rain. We are breathing too. Taking deep breathes and preparing for another growing season. What a relief after this wet winter to see the sun and some color outside my window. My child is relieved too, the smile on her face tells me she is glad for spring.

AppleSeed

If it seems that I have been away from this space for a while, well it's true. Jon and I have been busy launching our new business. We've decided to open an little toy shop. We will be doing most of our business online but we do plan to attend a few local markets as well.

We've been making toys for April for a long time now and nothing makes me happier than to see her holding and playing with handmade, natural toys. I make all the felt and fabric toys and Jon makes all the wooden toys. They are definitely Waldorf inspired toys but so much more than that. We make the toys with as much local product as possible (the wood, the wool), natural materials and we try make toys that provide a lot of open ended play. I want the things my daughter holds in her hands to look and feel beautiful, to reflect nature and to engage her imagination. There is a lot of heart in these toys.

Come check us out, our page is on Facebook at the moment. We are always adding to our stock but we also do custom orders. This is definitely where my heart is and I'm so pleased to be able to share these toys with other families. Here are a few samples of our products.