June 8, 2009,
It's quite late, almost 11 pm, but one of the things I determined to do today was update this letter. What a spring it has been! And while summer is almost officially here, we're into our regular summer temperatures now.
Bee-wise we're still in what beekeepers call "honey flow". In our area it generally runs mid April to June, though some plants do produce nectar earlier. Based on my own observations and those of other beekeepers, we're not expecting a lot of honey this year. There were so many rainy days in May that we lost a lot of ground when the bees couldn't fly out to get nectar. I'm personally postponing extraction till July so the bees will have every advantage while the nectar producing flowers are still in bloom.
Not all is bad news though - it's been a good year activity wise. We were privileged to participate in Troy University's Earth Day observance in April, and the Wiregrass Festival of Murals last month. Both events were a real treat. Currently the Wiregrass Beekeepers Association is hosting a tent at the Poplar Head Farmer's Market in downtown Dothan. Last Saturday was the kick off day and was a splendid day to be out and about. I hope to get to the vegetable vendors earlier next week. If you're in the Wiregrass area you should definitely plan to attend! The market is open every Saturday 8am - 12pm on Saturdays June and July.
We've made some changes around the farm. Our "office" has moved home from it's former location. This has helped tremendously in a conscious effort to "green up" a bit. It also forced some much needed spring cleaning (more like spring discarding!) around the house and moving the guest room across the hall to a freshly painted "suite." Norman also built a clothes line, something I've wanted for years but we could never quite agree on. One of the craziest things we've done is install electric fence around the yard so we can let the horses out. They like the grass in our yard . . we like not mowing so much. And there's nothing more peaceful than having a horse just outside your window. One of the coolest things we've discovered doing this - they spit out what they don't like - invasive grasses and dandelion!
That's it for now! Come see us - just be wary of the fence in case we have the horses out. We hope you and yours have a safe and blessed summer!
Blessings!
Ros Horton
Dale County, AL