Bugging out

   Went outside just now, and there is a ridiculous number of insects enjoying my porch light. And a ginormous spider setting up a trap for them across my porch. In this photo, it appears that the giant spider is going down my neighbor's chimney. Thanks for the nightmares, Mr. Spider!
   In slightly less horrifying news, a leaf with legs--or perhaps a leafy-looking grasshopper--is hanging out above my mailbox. Actually, Maria just said it's a katydid.

A Hiking We Will Go

   Rafael unexpectedly came in to town from Rochester and had Sunday free, and the weather was GORGEOUS ( spring arrived about a month ahead of schedule due to "the winter that never was", but I don't hear anyone complaining!).  We figured those were all the excuses we needed for a hike, so we piled into my Rav and drove out to Clinton Lake.
   It's amazing how everything has greened up and blossomed in the last couple of weeks. It really is miraculous how quickly it happens. Between that, and the fact that I haven't been hiking since my surgery over seven weeks ago, this outing was particularly appreciated. The dogs could barely contain themselves—and didn't! We pulled into the parking lot, and Rafael opened the back gate, and the dogs flew out and into the woods in the blink of an eye. Leash-less, of course. It was impossible to tell which way they went—the trail split off shortly upon entering the woods, and the tall, impossibly green grasses concealed them.
   Apparently it was a day of miracles, because Aki answered my calls and was back with me just  a few minutes later. And Tay—the one I was really concerned about—obediently returned a few minutes after her. I guess if everything has to be on his terms, but he returns safely, that may be the best I can hope for. But I could tell our training sessions over the last few weeks are WORKING.

brilliant green

Taylor spontaneously posed for Brett

(and for me)

   There were lots of firsts: the dogs found a snake & millipede, &amp Taylor repeatedly jumped for joy (actually, he was jumping because he wanted to EAT the snake!)

   Aki swam for the very first time... by accident. A guy in a boat came somewhat close to the shore, & she took off to try to catch him. It was just like the old Looney Tunes cartoons, where Wile E. Coyote runs straight off a cliff, and hangs midair until he realizes he ran off the cliff, then reacts. Aki leapt into the water valiantly, got up to her ears & you could see the look on her face: "Oh no! This water is WET!! I have to get OUT!!!" She hurried back to shore. It was very funny. (And now, just imagine observing the 3 of us idiots trying to get into & out of a kayak!)

We also found a new lil' friend... (click to see more)

    Afterward, we drove through Lawrence to have dinner at Free State. The traffic was slightly insane as we neared town. Suddenly Rafael said, I think KU might be playing tonight. Yep, it was the Sweet 16 game, which fortunately was live in St. Louis. Campus was mobbed with celebrating students. But through some stroke of luck, we easily found a parking spot past Mass St., walked right into Free State (pass a mob of kids drinking beer out of plastic cups), and got a table with NO wait. Amazing! The end to a perfect afternoon: a Cyclist (beer + lemonade) and a bison burger.

Bittersweet Farm: Beauty in the Details

A Honey of a Comb

Spinning the Frames

Resisting the Urge to Lick the Honey on the Frame & Risk Being Ejected

Spun Honey

The Looms of the Bee's Fruit

Honey Harvest

Empties

The Bee Equivalent of the Sistine Chapel

Chock Full o' Honey

Cut Combs

Beeswax

Nature's Design

To find Bittersweet Farm (and to buy some honey, if you're lucky),
visit bittersweetfarmhoney.com.

   Huge thanks to Mark & Becky for graciously hosting such an amazing day on their farm. I learned a lot and had a ton of fun! Thanks also to Patty & Bob for inviting me to join the fun. And to Robert, Mary, Zoey, Jane, the other two Marks, and everyone else on the farm that I had the pleasure to meet today, best wishes to you all.

Bittersweet Farm: In Action

   Mary and Zoey, Bob, and Robert remove the outer layer of beeswax to reveal the sweet honey inside, so the frame can be spun, removing the honey for straining, then bottling.

   Mark explains an important rule to Zoey and me as the honeycomb is spun to extract the liquid gold.

      After most of the honey is extracted, we carried the frames and hive boxes outside so the bees could eat the remaining honey. They discovered the boxes almost immediately and communicated the location to the others, causing a swarm. (Hey, at least we don't have to clean up!)

Bittersweet Farm: The Honey Harvest

   My friend & coworker, Patty, invited me to join them at Bittersweet, their friends' farm today for their annual honey harvest! I knew I was in for a treat, but until I got there, saw the farm and met everyone—and especially until I tasted that fresh, raw honey—I had NO idea just how much of a treat this would be! The whole experience just blew me away... and gave me a whole new appreciation for honey, and the honeybee.

   We started the morning in the little stone farmhouse, which has been owned by Mark and Becky's family for over 50 years. It's a beautiful, rustic house furnished with antiques from the area. We started with a hearty breakfast (who says the 9:00 am hour is too early for red wine?). There were fresh biscuits at the ready to sop up the first honey to be spun out of the combs.

   The hive boxes full of frames coated with honeycomb—and honey!—were already stacked in the kitchen, ready for us to start working:

   Ten wooden frames, covered with a plastic or wax guide for the bees to follow when building up the combs, fit in a hive box. The frames are spaced 5/8" apart, the optimum distance to allow the bees room to move, but without wasting precious space that could be occupied by MORE HONEY.

Bob and Mark demonstrate for the honey virgins in the group

Not hard at all—sticky but satisfying!

The hot knife cuts right through the wax, which falls into the sink, so it can be pressed later to remove all the honey that fell with it.

First honey of the season!

Using a hot knife to cut the bees' wax comb flush with the frame

Scraping the combs to uncap the honey, so it will spin out:

We kept the combs spinning...

And the honey kept flowing...

   I think we ended up with about 30 gallons of honey in the tanks, from 13 hives, and who knows how many bees. This was considered a small harvest, considering some years have produced more than 80 gallons of honey! As Mark explained, the harvest should really happen in July when flowers are done pollinating, when the bees have made all their honey and haven't started eating all of it. But July was SO hot that no one wanted to be in the suits, and anyway, it's good karma to give a little honey back to the bees who made it.

   The bees in this frame spent their time making art instead of making honey. How cool is this honeycomb??

   My hosts, Patty and Bob. 
They just celebrated their thirty-eighth anniversary! Congrats!

To find Bittersweet Farm (and to buy some honey, if you're lucky),
visit bittersweetfarmhoney.com.

   Huge thanks to Mark & Becky for graciously hosting such an amazing day on their farm. I learned a lot and had a ton of fun! Thanks also to Patty & Bob for inviting me to join the fun. And to Robert, Mary, Zoey, Jane, the other two Marks, and everyone else on the farm that I had the pleasure to meet today, best wishes to you all.