Dreams and Anticipating Bee-Day

Tomorrow is Bee-Day and I just can't wait!!! This is very exciting and has been a long time coming.

I've been out to the bee yard a couple times to get things ready.

On the way out to there I was planning to buy a bright coloured plastic muskoka chair to leave out there. The chair would be fairly inexpensive and would give me an observation point where I could relax and observe the bees. The bright colour would also be so that hunters would see the site and hopefully avoid it.


Would you believe that along the road I found a yellow muskoka chair in someone's garbage? It's true. It's also true that I stopped and grabbed it and threw it in the back of the truck. The back on it is snapped in one section but it's a serviceable chair where I can sit and observe the hives.

It appears hunters have been going into the swamp to hunt deer and turkeys. Because of the need to cull animals when populations get too high I'm not completely against hunting but I admit it makes me very uncomfortable that men with guns come into that area regularly.

At least I'll see their vehicle parked on the road, but some may come into the area after I'm deep back in the swamp. I guess I'll just have to make lots of noise!

When I was out there last weekend I heard voices as I was coming along the trail on my way out. I called out and there were some people on the trail at the road that called back. I said hi and introduced myself. It was three teenagers who lived down the road and they were looking for something to do and were were just checking out the truck and wondering why it was there.

While we were chatting on the road the three of them stood in a semi circle. Then I remembered that I had seen this scene and these boys before. I had seen them in a dream I'd had a couple weeks previously. It was a really short dream but I recognized them. Weird eh? I'd never met them before that day. I wonder what it means?

I told them about keeping bees in the swamp and invited them back to see the platforms. I told them they could go back anytime to have a look and asked them to get in touch with me if they see anyone causing problems with the bees when I'm not there.

There was a bee meeting on Thursday and on advice of another beekeeper I decided to raise my skid platforms up more to try to prevent skunks from being able to pester the bees. That meant more cement blocks needed to be carted in a wheelbarrow back to the area.

My arm isn't recovered enough to do heavy loads with a wheelbarrow so I hired my nephew Codie to come out and help me.

Codie really enjoyed the peace of the area and decided he thought the whole thing was kind of cool. Then he shocked the socks off me when he said he wanted to help with the bees.

Yes, I said he said he wanted to help!!! WOW! Another convert and I haven't even started preaching yet ;) Codie LOVES honeycomb so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

I have to remind myself to buy more bee veils and hats. I have a feeling that this swamp is going to have more visitors in the next while than it's had in a long time.

I practised lighting the smoker, just so that when I go live I'll do a better job. I was taught in the bee class to take greenery to put on the top. It helps to hold back the flame and sparks so that when you smoke the bees you won't pour live coals onto the bees.

I caught myself reaching for the nearest greenery to hand but thankfully my brain shouted STOP! That's a 3 leaf plant. Now I'm not sure if it is poison ivy or not... I'll have to look it up in my plant books.

I do hope to convert everyone to bees. Maybe I can convert the hunters to turn in their guns for bee smokers? You just never know.... maybe I'll dream about that too!