None Of Your Bees, Max!

With mere words, how do I convey the fireworks-grand-finale magnitude of the excitement I just felt?

You know I love nature. No pesticides, ever. Bird baths. Nuts for crows. Seeds for cardinals and finches. I’m out and about daily, usually barefoot, hose in hand, pulling weeds and scheming my next big project.

Well, this morning, after feeding, baby-talking to, and letting the chickens out of the coop, I sat on the front porch.

The low hum my ears picked up was new. Different from the vibrating wings of the hummingbirds or the sound of a distant freeway that doesn’t even exist. Switching off the hose nozzle, I stood. In the thick, dew-covered grass, with a smattering of tiny chia-like seeds clinging to my feet, I listened.

Quietly.

Instead of looking up into the distance, I looked down.

At first I saw a couple of bumblebees perched atop the lengthening shoots of grass. But as my eyes adjusted, widening their aperture, my field of vision filled with multitudes. Hundreds. Thousands. Who freaking knows?

But my favorite pollinator of them all—the doofy, bumbling bumblebee—has absolutely exploded here, on my little patch of heaven.

https://videopress.com/v/luwfZt5F?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

While trying to calculate the square footage of the soon-to-be-fenced chicken area, my brain sprang a leak. One side is 50 feet, the next is 75, then 25, and finally 50. It’s a bit misshapen because one side follows the angle of the tree line. The shade and privacy will do the chickens—and whatever random pig, goat, or donkey I someday pick up off the side of the road—a world of good.

Today we dug the first of five post holes. In the 24″ inch hole we sprinkled some gravel, then the 4×4, then backfilled it with a bag of Quikrete, and adjusted it with levels until it was just right.

I’m really excited.

What was once nothing more than old leaves and thorny ground cover will, little by little, transform into a chicken wonderland. I’m all about keeping them happy and stimulated, so who knows what kinds of creative projects, plants, and little additions I’ll dream up next.

Oh, how I adore the never-ending dance I’m in with nature.

Time to go put the chickens to bed.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Love,
Jaclynn