More Cluck, Less Stuck

You have the power to move yourself wherever you need to go. Sure, you may not actually be able to fly,* but you have everything you need to waddle toward a life that brings you joy.

—Goldie Hen

*more than 11 feet

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

The bees have finally slowed down on swarming and are now fully focused on honey production. This weekend, I’ll crack each hive open and check to make sure they have plenty of room to store the nectar they’re bringing in daily. I’ll also have to take each box off one at a time and check for what’s called a “honey ceiling.” Bees start storing honey from the bottom of the hive up, and sometimes they’ll store so much at the top of one box, they can’t actually get up to the next—which is totally empty. It’s a long, hot chore (that rather pisses off all the bees), but important for making sure this year’s honey harvest is a success.

We had about 10 inches of rain in May, and as a result, my tomatoes are looking sad and anemic. It’s like they haven’t gotten to do their photosynthesis thing since the sun has refused to show its face. I’m hoping to give them a big shot of compost on Saturday and see if that—plus a week of sun ahead—perks them up. Come on, tomatoes! Toughen up!

The first truly warm days arrived this week, and Veli quickly relearned exactly how to keep herself cool. It started with a sip from the trough….and then…

She decided a more thorough splashing was in order.

Finally, she parked herself in the trough for about 20 minutes and watched the sun go down. Not a bad way to end a hot day.

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

Did you know that North America has glow worms? Yup. In very select areas throughout the southern Appalachians, you can find bioluminescent fly larvae in caves this time of year. There’s a famous spot up the road from me, where rangers at Pickett State Park take visitors to see the glowing worms each June. But they also exist in a secret cave right behind our farm (and no one, except, well, I guess you all now) knows it. This weekend, I’m looking forward to trekking back there, turning off our flashlights, and, once our eyes adjust, seeing a constellation of stars scattered all across the cave floor and walls.