I've BEEn busy

You remember my neice  Ashley....

Well, she let us join her to pick corn a second time.

I think we got a little carried away the second time.

The first time was a learning curve,

the second time was getting our years supply in our food storeage.

But Ashley has a husband (one that 'ya kind'a find yerself look'n at long'r than ya 'otta).  His name is Spencer.  He is a bee keeper.

Have you ever meet a Bee Keeper?

Or a Bee Charmer?

Well,  Spencer and Ashley are!  Let me tell you, they really are.  Ashley holds bees in her hands!

They have hives everywhere.  They are in farmer's fields of clover, or hay or wherever.  But they are in lots of places.

When we finished picking corn we went into their new barn and saw the bee business.  We saw where they put the trays of honey combs and spin the honey out. 

And this is what those trays look like.  They are filled with the honey comb, and we got to taste the pure honey.  We stuck our fingers in the largest hole on the right of this tray and scooped out pure honey.  It was so clear.  It was so dang good.  We couldn't believe it!  We even broke off a chunk of the comb and chewed it up to get more honey.  The comb stays kinda waxy in your mouth and chunky, and then, suddenly, it just all clumps together and you have a big gob of gun.  It turn black inside your mouth.  It looks gross when you take it out, but it sure tastes wonderful.

A few bees were flying around us, but they didn't seem to mind us, so we were inhospitable towards them and totally ignored them.  They didn't care.  They are secure in their habitat and their super powers and they know that no matter how big we think we are, they can totally take us down.  They are very right. So we ignored them...

.........except when we didn't.

In the barn is a window.  The sun was shinning in the window.  The bees loves to lay in the sunshine.

The bees were kinda drugged out on the sun.

They just layed their, sunning their furry little backs.

A few were teenagers and wanted to show off a little for us.

I heard them say, "Hey, that lady has a camera.  Let's give her a cool photo of just the two of us."  Let's show her how we climb up the window.  Let's get her looking at just us, and forget all those other lazy bees".

And they did give us a show.  The sun was sparkling through their wings.  Words and photos can't show you the beauty of these, just a few, of God's creations.  And to think, these little guys made that wonderful honey.

They all work very hard, and they each have a job to do.

The queen just sits around being a queen.

The drones just serve the queen.

The worker bees.....they work!  Everyday,  All day...and then they die.

Did you know bees only live for about 3 weeks?  Yeah, That is what I learned.

Some of the little guys were are the end of their hard working lives.  They were just plumb tuckered out, and layed down, ready to give up the ghost.

In the barn there were hundreds of hives and trays.  Outside there are thousands placed around the Snake River Valley.  They bees are out there.  They are working.  And people like you and me are the ones who get to enjoy their labors.

These few hundred bees aren't outside working, and don't ask me why.  I don't know the answer to that.  My guess is they were in some of the trays of honeycomb when they were brought in.  But I am guessing.

I just wanted to share with you a little of the honey business I learned.

And for the record.  On the second day we picked corn.  I froze 45 bags of corn.  Each bag contains 3 cups of corn.  Yep.  Daughter #3 hung in there with her dad and mom and helped us till the bitter end.  From the picking, husking, cutting off the cob, filling the bags, and counting them when we were finished.

So, we now have 16 pints in our food storage downstairs, and 45 bags in the freezer.  Fresh, straight from the field.  What a feeling of accomplishment.  It is a very satisfying experience to know you can provide food for yourself and your family.  We are "prepared". 

We may be a little "corny", but we are prepared.

We work like little bees.

And we are as sweet as honey.