New adventure

It has been weeks since I wrote anything and months since I have really done creative work in the studio. Call it burn out or re-prioritizing my time and activities? Slowly though, the creative urge is coming back and the class I took the other week at the Campbell school with Dan Essig definitely contributed to get me fired up again.

But even if I go back in the studio, it will not be with the same extreme focus and obsession as before. During these past few months, I have taken the time to do other things I really enjoy and had not done in years, for example work in my garden. I got 3 little chicks in June and my son David built me a wonderful chicken coop. So now, not only do I enjoy fresh eggs every day, but I am having a blast watching those little hens. Who would have thought!

They were too chicken (ha ha ha) to get out in the snow!

But my new adventure is something else. John, my husband, and I had talked about it years ago, but lack of time and funds pushed the idea back. Then recently a couple of my friends got...bees and I decided that this year would be the year for me too! So I thought I would share that adventure here.

All through the winter, I read about bees and beekeeping and realized how ignorant I was. I also got really fascinated with the whole thing. Finally, yesterday, I picked up the parts to build my hives and got a smoker. I will get the rest of the equipment when the bees come.

Apparently, that a smoker is one of the most important tools in beekeeping. Until yesterday, I had only seen pictures, but did not really have any idea of how get it going and why it helped handling the bees.

Here is what it looks like.

I just found out that the reason beekeepers smoke the bees before handling the hive is because the bees think smoke means fire, fire means that they might have to leave the hive and so they gorge on honey in case they have to go...which makes them a bit more mellow and takes their minds of the beekeeper's presence.

But there is smoke and smoke! The smoke must be thick but yet cannot be too hot or it will singe the bees wings and it has to last long enough to do whatever needs to be done in the hive. The gentleman I got the material from is also teaching a class at our local extension office. He is quite an experienced beekeeper and is very knowledgeable. His advice: practice with the smoker way ahead of the time of getting the bees (which will be around mid-April). So guess what I just? I tried the smoker. I managed to light a fire with packed dry leaves and put some wet leaves on top to cool the fire and make more smoke. It took a few tries but that worked....however, if I had been doing something with the hive, I would have been in trouble because my fire ran out way too soon!

Guess I will have to practice some more!