OK, so I show you all the pretty things from the garden on a regular basis. Today is not to show the good, only the bad and the ugly. A few tomatoes are ripening, and here you see what happens as soon as they get some color: birds. I have been to store after store to try and find some netting to keep them off, but there is no more to be found, at least not in time for this tomato and his kin.
I don't know about your location, but here it has been drier than I ever have seen it before. My usually wet, squishy back lawn is drying and dying, from front to back, as each day progresses. I can't keep enough water on the garden. Here you see my standard squash for this year: green and pretty at the stem, yellowing and softening at the tip, just after reaching about 5 inches long. So very sad.
Finally, the new hive, with Queen Ella, is acting very strange. Last night they were terribly agitated, running in and out of the hive, up the front and back again. Not common behavior for bees. This morning they are back at it again. I wonder if they are considering leaving for another location, or if the queen flew out to mate and didn't make it back, or, horrors, if we injured or killed the queen when adding a new box the other day. Only time will tell, as it is too early to check for eggs and brood on this new bee family.
Don't worry, I still love my garden and my bees. I accept that, along with all the pleasure and good food they give, they also bring a bit of frustration and worry at times. Once again, a garden as a metaphor for . . . well, just about everything!
