Pretty Polly

Bees!

Summer has hit us full force. Typical of the season, life on the farm runs ahead at top speed while we try to carve more fun time out of the daily chore schedule.  We manage to strike a balance between the two although we secretly wish for those childhood summers long ago when days were lazy and free time was plentiful.

In that spirit of sweet summer freedom, we packed the truck for a long weekend stay in our West Virginia home.  There it always feels like summer camp - the cool wooded trails, endless nights around the fire playing music and telling stories, and neverending stillness.  Things went according to plan until Brady noticed a few bees showing particular interest in the corner of the house.  Further investigation revealed the beginning of a swarm taking up residence and building comb beneath the floor.  Yikes!  After a few hours and a quick trip to find a hive box (thanks to Indian Run Apiary!) Brady secured another addition to our apiary.  Yes, we traveled back home with thousands of angry bees who probably didn't want to leave West Virginia in the first place.  :)

The garden is coming along despite the daily battle with weeds and watering.  So our minds start to wander to the fun things we thought about those long winter months.  This weekend we started our first batch of homebrewed red ale (tentatively titled Smith's Red Beagle Ale). Brady & Cody began building more hive frames using his cool new tool - a stapler attachment to the air compressor.

Cody the builder

I finished Wingspan using Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dye sock yarn. 

Unblocked Wingspan

For years (and years and years) I've dreamed of having an art/craft/music studio space, a comfy creative place for "want to do" versus "have to do".  I think I'll set up something in Amanda's room since Brady's claimed the basement.  Hopefully I can start putting it all together within the next few days.

In West Virginia we saw more hummingbirds than flies.  But here in Ohio they are few and far between. 

Coming Up

Finish goat website, finish sock pattern (another last call), update band website, order band business cards, interview banjo players