The Past Week

 

Carriage House Farm Splendor

So, my country mouse family continually sends me emails with pictures of the farm and updates on its progess throughout the year. Which is great. I love it. It sometimes makes me jealous and/or homesick, but I love it.

And now that my brother is hip deep in beekeeping, I get pictures of bees a lot.

Here are the newest pictures which make me terribly jealous right now--because clearly, Cincinnati is in full bloom, while up here in Chicago, we just got an inch of snow. grr.

I'm thinking this first shot is of a crab apple:


the second shot is a tiny fuzzy bee butt busy in this crab apple:

more snow bees

My bro's bees totally rocking the Ohio winter.

city mouse, country mouse

I live in Chicagoland, but my people live in Cincinnati and work full time on the family farm in Cleves, OH. So, I've chosen to be a city mouse, while my brother has chosen to be a country mouse. And this works out really nicely for us, because I love visiting the country, and when my brother and his wife's schedule allows, they love to visit the city.

But sometimes visiting doesn't feel like enough for me, the city mouse. I wish I could be there more--certainly to help out and to see how the farm changes from season to season, but also selfishly to take part in (i.e. eat) the harvest. I miss the work and the family and the land.

Thankfully, they all keep me in the loop and send me updates and amazing photos, and I secret squirrel study the farm's blog that my brother manages when I need a country fix. This past year, my brother added bee keeping to the already long list of farm activities/businesses. I've always been a fan of bees and the work they do, but now I'm getting to understand their fascinating personalities and work ethic vicariously through my brother.

Here are a few pics of bees being amazing even during the winter. . . and inspiring, too. If these little skinny guys can keep at it in the cold and the snow, then with my coat and mittens and boots and scarves, I can certainly keep plugging away even in sub-zero temps.