Let the Orchard Begin!

July 25, 2009 - After using our new posthole digger to loosen up the dirt, we dug out five big holes for the fruit trees. My friend Holly Molly works at a tree farm and we got the deal of the century on five fruit trees. She and her husband Eric came with a big truck carrying the five trees and a skid steer in the morning, we've definitely got friends/experts in the right places. :) Eric deftly removed the trees from the truck, pronounced our holes 'perfect' and then we started placing the beauties. A Plum, two Apple Crisps, and a Pear went into the 'pool yard', creating additional barrier from the road and making a nice introduction from the arbor. The cherry tree was planted in the newly fenced backyard, eventually making a shady spot for Luca. When we were done we sat down to a well-deserved lunch - BBQ/Shredded chicken sandwiches, potato salad, and chocolate revel bars. We asked the trees to kindly GROW and give us some fruit. They are working on it.

Sweet! Our first harvest.

July 21, 2009 - We have been 'beebeesitting' some bees for our beekeeper friend Philbee and he came out the other day to check on the bees. Well, lo and behold, many of the bees were swarming on the outside of the hive. They have been very busy bringing in bloomers of pollen, and apparently had outdone themselves, almost filling the one level of the hive. Phil raced back home and brought back another level, removed the top of our hive and discovered an overflow of honey. He scraped the raw honey off onto a baking sheet, gently sweeping honey drunk bees off. Then he put the second level on, leaving the bees to settle into their new digs. Phil tells us that the first year of establishing a hive you don't usually collect honey, as they need it to winter over, so this excess was a true bonus. I will never forget Phil handing Steve a chunk of dripping raw honey fresh from the hive and the look of both wonder and ectasy that overtook my husband's face. Indeed, the honey was divine. We now know what our land tastes like from a bees perspective, that's very cool. Phil gave us half the honey that he collected, and we dole it out as if it were liquid gold, and indeed, it is.