Life Here on the Farm...

 We have been anxiously awaiting for it to be time to harvest the honey from Scott's hives.  Last weekend was the perfect time to do it, temperatures were warm and we had NO sporting events!

 I wish I had gone with him when he took the frames out of the very active hives...But, I had to stay with Lindsay and didn't want to take a chance on her being stung, so we stayed home.

 What an incredible process! You would be hard pressed to NOT believe in THE creator when you ponder the intricate work that bees do.  There is one queen in each hive, she is well cared for by her worker bees.  Her only job is to lay eggs.  The worker bees also keep the hive spotless and at a certain temperature at all times, they also make the wax"holes" that the queen lays her eggs in. The worker bees are also responsible to go out and look for nectar and pollen to bring back to feed the hive.

 The bee society is remarkable.  They all know what their jobs are and they do it! (I wonder how our  society would be if people were to do the same thing?) 
When all of the hive works together, they are able to create this wonderful product we call honey!  They make enough to feed themselves and allow us to harvest the rest. However, they do not give it up easily....Scott wears a full bee suit so he doesn't get stung by the protective hive. 

The rest of the time the bees are quite calm, tending to their responsibilities.  Scott checks on them often without even wearing a mask or any protection.  Every time I go out to see them with Scott, we are both just amazed at the whole process.  What a fun hobby!

Take a look at the honey comb that is created completely by the bees!  Isn't it amazing?!  I like that they are neat, tidy and precise!  Only GOD could orchestrate this talent!

Scott filters the honey through a series of 3 strainers, ending up with beautiful, clean organic honey!

The honey pours easily into the prepared jars and is ready to be spread onto Scott and Lindsay's sourdough toast in the morning!

Beautiful Churn Creek Bottom honey!

One of the by products of the harvested honey is beeswax.  It has  many uses....including being made into lip balm!  Anna has found a new hobby!

My favorite is the tangerine peppermint flavor!  I am an avid Burt's Bee's user, but they have a fierce competitor here on Dandelion Drive!

Just to prove that we are "farm living" here in the city...

We have a John Deere model B tractor in our driveway for the time being, getting a little overhaul!

And, lest you think we have gone completely hillbilly around here- Dottie, Anna, Chloe, Carolyn and supported the fine arts department at Redding Christian School by attending their rendition of one of my all time favorite movies, White Christmas.

What an unbelievable show!  The dance/musical numbers were incredible.  The hard work of the cast was evident.  We are always amazed at the talent in this small school!

On to another weekend.

This one is filled with basketball ;)