Oh Honey.

A few firsts for me tonight, which have inspired me to break the proverbial (i'm not sure which proverb, exactly) radio silence around here.

Back in April, you read and, if you're a real glutton for fine entertainment, watched a video, about our first experience with bees.  We're becoming farmers by the try-it-and-see-if-you-live-through-it method, so our experiences are wrought with silliness and partial success.

Which brings me to this evening.  I have imagined myself a potential bee charmer, and in my last couple of visits to the bees, declined to don the hot and sweaty and overprotective bee suit for visiting the bees.  And i've done so with no ill repercussions.  The bees have been wonderfully docile and non-sting-y with me, so i've had very little fear of them.

Tonight i put on the silly bee bonnet and the gloves, but again declined the space suit as we went out to open the lid of our bee hive and check on the state of the honey making.

I am happy to announce that it seems i am not prone to anaphylaxis, as i now have three very special bee stings right around my waist line, which are my new badge of bee-keeping honor and my reminders to wear the space suit.  I got the message immediately, and after escaping the bees, donned said suit, returned to bees, and the beekeeping hubby and i did successfully check on the bees (who really need some more room in there) and snag a small piece of honey comb that was attached to the cover of the hive.

After escaping back to the house, freeing the bees who were all too successfully getting under our bonnets and on their way to our faces, taking somber note of the multitudinous unsuccessful stingers remaining in our space suits, and getting out of those sweaty things, we got to check out our honey comb.

Isn't it beautiful?  Isn't it amazing that God made these little insects to make something so perfectly shaped -- and out of nectar?  Most of the piece of honeycomb that we took was empty, but it had a couple of little pockets of honey, and for the first time ever, we squeezed the little cells, which gushed yummy drops of honey on our fingers, and we got to taste its extra sweet goodness.  We each got about two licks, but it was awesome.

I did a giddy dance in my kitchen (sorry, no video, i'm too spontaneous) and praised the Lord for being so amazing and letting us watch.

I still imagine myself a potential bee charmer, but i'll probably wear my space suit more often while i learn.  I may also learn to use a smoker.