The Bees are Back in Town

Guess who just got back today?

Our very first Woogie Bees traveled up from California and
their almond orchards to pollinate the old apple orchard here at the farm. I suppose they thought they were in for some nice Spring weather, having come from Sunny California and all. For a moment, it looked like we might have a bit of sun, but that thought was quickly doused by the heaviest rain I've seen all spring. It went on for hours...

and just as I began to give up hope, the clouds parted and out came the sun. My father jokes that around here it should be called the Stun--it appears suddenly and leaves you half blind with its brightness.

Our apple trees are ancient, planted so many years ago that only the older locals can identify the varieties. Their trunks are hollow in places, and every year one loses a branch, but they seem as much a part of the farm as our house and barn, and we're not quite ready to replace them with tiny saplings.

Besides, they still offer amazingly sweet, delicious apples for eating and baking, as well as Spring food for the bees.

I wandered down to the low field at the house to check out

our early lettuce transplants. They, for one, have appreciated the recent rainy weather. Mike bought a fancy rain gauge with accompanying "weather system" that sits on his desk and tells him the temperature and how much it's rained in the past week. I think, at this point, I would rather not know.