April Update

Honey Harvest, Spring Blooms, & Medieval Murder Mysteries

What’s up around here?

It’s been over a month since the last post, so you get a photo barrage today!

Honey harvested from the hive that died this past winter

Scraping comb off the frames from the old hive

Comb drawn out by our bees, true artists

Pair of bees apparently frozen in place by the big freeze after a long thaw

Top L to R: Boiling jars, setup for honey collection, scraping comb; Middle L to R: poor dead bee, bowl of comb, poor dead bee w/ booty sticking up; Bottom: more comb, honey in collection bucket, jarred honey

Seedling trays mid-March

So much purple dead nettle! Harvested some for medicinal use.

Peach blossoms in April

Those posts with wire strung between are for trellising the grapevines away from the vegetable garden. Last year they grew up the fence & into the garden, making me rather cross.

This post is “too long for email,” so you may need to click below to read the rest on the website.

Top L to R: Rhubarb, Nettles, Lovage; Mid L to R: Daffodills, Magnolia, Daffys; Bottom L to R: Periwinkle, Tulips, Periwinkle again

In other news…

Spring has arrived in force here. The local celebrity meteorologist tells us that winter weather is finished for the season, due to early dissipation of the polar vortex. March appears to have fulfilled its barter agreement for the warm April days it took early on, as we had cold March winds and rain for Easter week. More importantly, 3 days after Easter we took 2 of our household to the airport, where they departed for Japan for the next 4 months. We’ll see how many of our garden plans can be implemented with a reduced labor force here. I do plan to pick up new bees in early May, so wish me luck as rookie head beekeeper! Some photos from their first week in Japan:

Top L: Neighborhood of large homes but they use the lawn to grow food! Top R: Water bottles as cat deterrent? Bottom L: Cherry blossoms Bottom R: Bonsai?

Brother Cadfael had approached that April in a mood of slightly restless hopefulness, as was usual with him when the birds were nesting, and the meadow flowers just beginning to thrust their buds up through the new grass, and the sun to rise a little higher in the sky every noon. True, there were troubles in the world, as there always had been.

-Ellis Peters, “The Summer of the Danes”

Early crocus, mid-March

Brother Cadfael is my favorite fictional character of the past few years. For those unfamiliar with The Brother Cadfael Chronicles, he is a Welsh soldier of fortune-turned-Benedictine monk and herbalist, living in the 12th century, who uses his knowledge of plants and his comfort with bending monastery rules to solve murder mysteries. Many of the books were adapted, with variable levels of faithfulness to the story lines, into a T.V. series, which is available free on YouTube now (they’re fine, but the books are better).

The stories take place mainly in and around Shrewsbury Abbey, which is a real place you can visit, frequently involve disputed lands at the Welsh border, and (conveniently for murders) prominently feature the River Severn. If you find yourself missing the great sea shanty trend of 2020, I’d advise listening to this rousing song of a farmer-turned-pirate who rules the waters of the Severn, if only during harvest season:

How are your gardening endeavors coming along? What are your plans for the season, either around home or further abroad? Who is your favorite fictional character? Fave sea shanty?

Happy April and happy growing!

—Erin, in Michigan