Happy Fields of Flowers

Can't ask for a lovelier Seguin as of late. Y'all have a great weekend! And if you're going to Trade Days tomorrow, please come see me at our booth and say hi. We have a double booth behind the court house.

Wisteria and Bees

Good morning, everyone! Just a quick hello from Seguin. Haven't had much time to post as we had a big event this past Saturday for our new beekeepers. Here's a shot of the latest thing to bloom in our yard - upright Wisteria. I love it and so do the bumble bees. Yesterday I saw three of them buzzing around the tall plant. Their flight behavior is so different from our honey bees so I enjoy watching them dart around in start/stop fashion (versus the more smooth flight of the honey bee). Here's a shot of our class from Saturday. We had a SUPER FAB time and now there are at least 24 new beekeepers in South Texas, keeping gentle bees. That's not counting the folks who got a jumpstart on things and picked up nucs weeks earlier. Let's hope we all have a great honey harvest this year!

Huisache in Spring

This year the Huisache is blooming all over the place like there's no tomorrow and they've got to show themselves now! It is pure eye candy this year in terms of flowering trees and bushes in addition to wildflowers. Everything is so lovely and colorful and green. Seems like we are getting rain every week or other week - what a great thing for us! The tanks are getting full as well. Many had dried out during the harsh drought last year and I didn't know how long it'd take or how it needed to rain to fill them all up but it looks like we are on the right track for sure. Love it.

Oaks at Dusk

This is a shot I snap at the Farm bee yard along Highway 123 and Kingsbury. I roamed the hillside as we were "stuck" for a bit on the side of one of the lovely slopes. Note to you - do not attempt to turn your vehicle around and allow your tires to rest on any green. :-) Looks like the wet winter and spring has really soaked our grounds! It pretty much became ice under our tires and we managed to slide about eight feet down the hill. This is what the ground turned to after spinning tires for a bit and slip sliding around. Towards the tank.
 
Time to call for backup! Our friend David came to the rescue and brought along a very long cable and voila - we're pulled back up the hill. Thanks, David! It was still a lovely evening and I got some play time in while the beekeepers worked on getting us out of there. Here they are strategizing on the best way to proceed.

Luckily I had my boots on so I could explore all I wanted to without worry about bugs, bees and snakes. Poor Bluebonnets. Sorry we trampled you. We didn't mean to but you grab our tires and wouldn't let us go! Y'all have a great weekend!

Spring Breaks

Happy Spring Break, everyone! Seems like the whole state is on break this week. The work parking lot is mostly empty. Makes me just want to skip work and take pictures of all the blooming loveliness about town. I snapped this beauty out at the nearby My Father's Farm nursery on Highway 123 close to our house, which is very near the center of town. I always wonder if people realize there are over thirty bee hives on that nursery property. They are doing quite well out there between the abundant wild mustard blooms and now all sorts of different wildflowers are coming out. Very lovely to see.

The Wind Sure Blew In Fast!

When I got home from work, it felt warm and muggy. Not pleasant to me to sit outside with Smokey on the deck. But after twenty minutes or so, I went out to carry in a small plant my mother had given me so that any hard rain (as is forecasted for us) would not damage it. Well, to my delight and surprise, the cold front was blowing in finally and the skies was churning clouds this way and that. It made for a wonderful show with the different shades of grade constantly changing. By the time an hour had passed, the temperature had dropped over ten degrees and it was cool enough to put on a light jacket for a dinner out. Then, a cup of hot chocolate. :)

Check out the other sky shots this week over at Sky Watch page.

Huisache in Bloom

Before I came to Texas and before Mark kept bees as more than just a hobby and way before we kept close track of what's blooming so that we know what our bees are feeding on...well, before all this, I never knew a thing about the Huisache. It, along with many other trees and low-to-the-ground plants, are in bloom right now and we couldn't be happier. Not only is the landscape taking on colors of the rainbow, but it means our bees are way happier this year than they were last year when the drought cut short the flowering season. So, happy eating little bees and happy eye-feast folks. Have a great week!