Registration Open for Bee Ball

Come have a ball with us! https://www.xpressreg.net/eReg/?ShowCode=BCBB0916
There will be art, flowers, music, dancing, food, drink, face-painting, 4-H, live demo hive, and an original choreography of the "Dance of the Queen Bee," by the Zariifa Belly Dance Troupe. The event is open to the public and is very affordable!

Ripping out the roots

This past weekend was glorious on Cape Cod. Seriously, it was Paradise Found. I had my Passion Red Volvo convertible cleaned and waxed, put the top down and WENT. There were oysters, top neck, Monomoy steamers, duck and more. It was great fun. And, fun is good.

This weekend I also started clearing the space for Honeypot Hives at Cape Cod Organic Farm. This spring I am moving the hives to a sunnier, more open location. The space is currently covered with old vines, and the ground is tangled with established weeds, brambles, vines, and such-like. Clearing was hard work. Hard work is hard. It’s easy to want to give up and just have fun. Grand plans with no action is no way to live. That is just not my focus for my life.

A life with intention. My teenaged daughter directed me to a fashion-y blog written by an insightful, beautiful young woman. In this particular blog that Olivia pointed me to, the author writes about a life lived with intention. She’s no Deepak Chopra, but not everyone is (thank goodness!), however, her thoughts resonated.

Ripping out the roots is hard, whether it’s the roots of vines or the roots of pain. It’s easy to want to give up and go have fun. Resiliency is underrated. Personally, I’d rather deal with the roots, do some intense yoga, take a bath and move on (in that aforementioned shiny red car!).

That is probably why today is the best day in the world. Driving to work with the top down, listening to great tunes, with some sore muscles and a smile on my face, I know I earned it. I am ready to live a life with intention, not afraid of the work, and ready to enjoy the sweet stuff.

Love,

Kalliope

 

Burning

This weekend I burned. Firing up the burn barrel or getting a big ol’ pile of branches, left-over clippings from last year (my Incrediball hydrangeas become mini-fireballs), and the like, is a welcome harbinger of spring. The smell of smoke on me reminded me of beekeeping and got me excited for my season.

When my daughter and I completed Bee School is the winter of 2006, we had to decide on a hive management plan. When going into a hive, you have several options for controlling the 60k+ bees that are in there. Going in when bees are out foraging reduces the bees by a bit, but you still need to think about protecting yourself and keeping the bees occupied.

My Olivia decided she wanted to spray sugar water on the bees. This method distracts the honeybees from wanting to sting you, as they are so busy licking sugar water off their fur with their proboscis. The other method is smoking them, which Olivia objected to. She objected to this method because the smoke freaks the bees out. They think their house is on fire. They are so busy ingesting honey to protect their stores that they cannot be bothered with you going into their hive. It also sets the hive back. She didn’t like that.

One summer, when we were newbie backyard beekeepers, there was a summer drought. I didn’t know this, for whatever reason. We rarely went into our hive in the summer, and  generally nectar is abundant. Well, we went in with sugar water and the bees flipped out. They were starving and angry and sugar water just didn’t cut it. The bees circled the house for days. Lesson learned. I always smoke my bees.

As a commercial beekeeper smelling like smoke has become common for me. Yesterday evoked the memory of regular hive visits, hot summer days, a swim at the Mill Pond after working the hives with the farmer, maybe clam fritters at Capt’n Frosty's (they open April 18!!!!) and more. At my evening yoga class, (Vinyasa Flow) I could smell the smoke on me from burning during the day. It’s a certain kind of perfume for a beekeeper (we can’t wear perfume…).

Sending you loving smoke fairy bees to soothe your soul with wing kisses on your cheeks and forehead.

Kalliope

Honey Dust

Ah, honey dust...the general reaction has been along the lines of, "cool," with a bit of bank stare, or pause at the other end of the phone. Well, folks, I am making it and it will be for sale at the farm stand this summer. I know my Woods Hole girls are all about it!
Last night was the Annual Meeting for Buy Fresh Buy Local Cape Cod. The get-together was at Cape Cod Beer, in Hyannis. The food was made by Pizza Barbone-super yummy! It was great fun talking with land and sea farmers, state senator Dan Wolf (he is a beekeeper!), and generally connecting with the ag crowd on The Cod.
Back to honey dust...I am working on my recipe and it will definitely include gold (organic!) dust. Email me if you want a sample in June or July...
All my love,
Kalliope

Peace, love, and 'appiness

What is better than a lovely spring morning? Working on bee equipment, listening to the best reggae show, with anticipation for the best day. The Boston firefighter ordeal has been on my mind. What heroes, what loyalty, and what honor. I admire and respect men and women who have that level of integrity and dedication to public service. They are a little like honey bees: protective of each other; fiercely loyal; always getting the job done. No whining. No cowards. Respect! I am grateful to be brave enough to face life and have courage to live it to the best of my ability. 
This week I've been blessed to spend time with my beautiful, smart, and funny teenager,Olivia Blackburne Rose. She's been away at at school all winter. I've missed her lots and its been a cruel winter here in the Northeast. We have been talking, shopping around, eating, loving on each other, being honest, waxing...getting massages, sushi, friends, and seeing movies! 
A short reflection on The Worst Winter in decades...well, it is over and life and love springs eternal, thankfully. This past late winter I've been running a lot, practicing yoga, getting lots of massages, writing, meditating, and taking great care of myself. It has been fantastic. A couple of demons appeared, both real and imagined, and I was amazed that I have the strength to address the crap life tests us with. Like the tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc. that are emerging from the frozen earth, such is life, love, and hope.
Today is going to be the best day ever with my daughter, topped by the best dinner! Sending you smoke fairy bees to shower you with honey dustings of love, Kalliope

The bees are in!

I put 5 packages of bees in on Saturday, April 27. The hives are on the west side of the property, facing east, southeast. They are partially shaded by an old birch tree and are backed by the old stone wall bordering the entire farm.