I had one of the most spectacular experiences yesterday. There was a swarm of bees spinning and swirling over my marsh. Thousands and thousands of bees. I went and stood under them (they were flying at about 12 feet), listened to the hum, and watched as they swung one way and then the other, looking for a place to cluster. They chose a cedar in my yard, and the queen called them all together at a branch about shoulder height. I caught them in a cardboard box, and dumped them in an empty hive I assembled from parts that were currently unused. Here is a photo of the new hive, just 24 hours after they moved in. They are coming and going and working as though this always had been home. And then there were three. Is this the magic number for my home? Three hens, three eggs a day, three bee hives, and three new chicks waiting to hatch on Monday if all goes well (that is another story). Tonight's dinner will include beautiful, beautiful, beautiful lettuce from the garden. Here it is being rinsed. The sun is finally out, the weather feels like early summer, and all the sounds and smells have changed. The seasons have turned.
