With family in Texas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma a threat to family in Georgia and South Carolina, we’re a little anxious over what the next few days will bring, but also counting our blessings as so many others are in far more dangerous situations.    We also have even more opportunities to realize how many wonderful people we know, from friends and family who took time to help hubby secure our hives when they certainly had enough of their own property to take care of to the friend who has opened up her pastures to shelter evacuated horses.

Hubby drove down to the farm to secure the hives and hive equipment as much as possible.   He, his brother, and a friend pounded pickets into the ground on either side of each hive and strapped each hive down.   The bees appear to know what’s coming because no bees were out foraging, even though they love the buckwheat that is right outside their door.   They’re all abuzz inside but didn’t even check out what the guys were doing.

Even my Beverly-Hillbillies-reject lawnmower got it’s own ratchet strap.   It’s not pretty to start with, but it’s still better than cutting all the grass we’ve been able to get growing with the push mower.   Of course, a bigger concern is our RV.   It’s also not the prettiest in the world, but we’ve put a lot of work and a lot of love into our home-away-from-home, and we already have so many good memories of our first 18 months with friends and family at our future full-time home.   Still, the RV is of secondary concern to the bees, as they are not only our business but also living creatures that are just trying to get ready for winter.

We’ve already lost our city bees.   They were crawling all over the outside of the hive in confusion as we headed into the eclipse a couple of weeks ago.   Right after the eclipse, they went back inside, but the guard bees were very aggressive.   We came back from the farm the following weekend to find the hive abandoned.  A yard without bees is so very strange these days — I still walk up to the hive when I get home from work hoping to find new occupants!

Our thoughts go out to everyone who is in the path of the storm.  Put safety ahead of material goods and we’ll see you when the skies clear.