-
The Devil with Deviled Eggs
I swore to my husband a couple of years ago that I would never again promise to make deviled eggs for Easter. I reminded him of that today as I swore over the hard-boiled eggs that refused to peel. Eggs that were destined for deviling for tomorrow’s Easter festivities. He reminded me that I swear… Continue reading
-
I Am an Expert—I Bet You Are, Too
I came across an article promising to make me an expert. According to a Tedx Talk expert on expertise, David Mitroff, I only have to do three things to be considered an expert: Spend three years learning about my area of expertise. Build my confidence. Take action. (This can be as simple as nominating yourself… Continue reading
-
The Vaccine Games
Who knew, in the spring of 2020, that the battle to find toilet paper was just training for getting a Covid vaccine? Who knew that our lives would begin to ressemble the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies as we scrambled to get a vaccine appointment? Who could have imagined that we would even… Continue reading
-
Installing the New Bees
Our new honeybees arrived this week. We picked them up Monday evening, having made an appointment for pick-up and advised to arrive with protective gear—not to protect us from the bees, but to protect humans from each other. So, with our corona masks in place and our hands in thin vinyl gloves, we exited the… Continue reading
-
Teaching From Home: One Month In
Good news! A month of teaching from home has not killed me. It came close in Week Three, with my resting heart rate mounting from stress and an allergy medication contributing side effects of anxiety and depression. But the doc released me from the allergy med and we got –dramatic pause– Spring Break! I don’t… Continue reading
-
Teaching From Home: Setting the Pace in Week Two
There are a lot of runners in my family. You could say it runs in the family. Sorry. Not. I am not one of them. I walk. But I still know the difference between a sprint and a marathon. This COVID-19 teaching experience is a marathon like no other. And we don’t even know… Continue reading
-
Teaching from Home: We Survived Week One
We did it—my students and I got through our first week of school from home! The learning curve has been steep but, with the weekend’s respite from students, I may get beyond the feeling of treading water to actual swimming. THE KICK-OFF Half the stress of this week was due to the shock of… Continue reading
-
Propolis: Bane of the Beekeeper’s Wife
There are many things that set me off on a rant but the worst ones involve Any Other Person messing up My Stuff. It doesn’t have to technically be my stuff. If I use it and/or clean it, it counts as mine. Any beekeeper wife will agree that beekeeping presents some challenges with protecting stuff.… Continue reading
-
The First of This Year’s Honey: Beating the Bear
We pulled four frames of honey today. They were capped and we are so afraid that the local bear will defeat our electric fence and get to the hives again that we decided to pull some honey as soon as possible. Those of you familiar with our bear escapades will remember that last year the… Continue reading
-
Oops, No Queen: Recombining a Hive
A few weeks ago, in the midst of the spring nectar flow, with queen cells popping up everywhere, BeeMan decided to split a hive using some of the unwanted queen cells. The three other hives, with more room to grow and no longer honey-bound, resumed laying eggs and all is well. Honey-bound is when the… Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 