DISABLED BEEKEEPER

I read The Secret Lives of Bees almost twenty years ago and a seed was planted. Then in 2016 I realized my crush on honey bees had not faded with time and decided to start taking classes through the Puget Sound Bee Keepers Association over at the Arboretum. After two years of classes, internal processing and budgeting I contacted friends who have a farm up in Woodinville - Farmer Frog (https://farmerfrog.org/) and said, “You have land, I have bees.”, and they said, “Let’s do it!” Now we are three years in and our one hive has became four. The farmers are incredibly supportive and helpful and we split the honey 50/50.

The reason I share this with you is because it is part of who I am and what I do with my free time. I find beekeeping to be very grounding…it’s hard to be thinking of other things when working one-on-one with a few thousand dangerous wild animals all at once. Beekeeping is an ancient craft and I feel honored to be a member of the Melissa (Goddess of Beekeeping). Sometimes family/friends will join me, throw on a beekeeping suit and help work the hives. My teen boys help out and I think they may use the experience as an angle when dating.

The image above is the first hive I ever purchased. My youngest son, his friend and my Polish violinist friend painted it and named it Electric Mayhem Hives after the band from The Muppet Show as it looks a bit psychedelic and colorful just like Doctor Tooth and Animal.