Mid May

The Inner Beauty of the Iris- Bearded and Not...Baby Nectarine and Pear..
MID MAY FLOWER SHOW : Above - Close Encounter with Columbine...Below, Chives.. Calendula...and Rose...
More Fruit...Queen Anne Cherry above and First Grape Blossoms below...
Chard...It is so weird looking when it flowers, very curvy and thick.... Chard is a.. biannual; ADDENDUM: Make that Bienniel. (Thanks Kris!) It does not flower or bear seed until the second year it has been in the ground. (Not twice a year as a biannual would be!!) Once established (barring extremely cold weather) chard will freely acclimatize to the Humboldt Homestead.
Way above...Broccoli Coming on...These were set out in a raised bed as starts about 7 weeks ago. Above, new starts of greens and flowers that within weeks could look like the lushness below; Salad for days! Thank you Dr. Earth.
1ST Tomato Blossom...and Below, the Grim Reality of Life in Humboldt County...Somewhere around 1000 gallons of Red Dye Diesel was lost to the sweet waters that flow in this place...WHY?...

Winged Beauties...
Of course that includes the BEES! They are so cute right now. I worked them today and took a couple shots while the hives were open. Impressive build up. I gave them both an additional hive body. In the main brood chambers there was evidence of hatched bees, and lots of capped brood, open brood, eggs, pollen, honey and nectar in both hives. One hive, which I had sensed was not as strong, and was actually not intending to add to today - had built up a great abundance of capped honey cells, (burr comb) atop the frames! This was scraped off, as I inspected, and it was returned to the feeding area in the empty super on top where they will reclaim it.... NOT, I must admit, until I first tasted a generous mouthful! I have been rushing on the flavor and experience all afternoon. There is nothing that compares to fresh honey; it bites the back of the throat with pure sun and flower essence. The energy and uplift is immediate. I love my little bees and really hope they continue to do well.
Looking in the entrance...Can you see them hanging down in great numbers? I can't either...bad light. I am feeling pretty good. I had radical 18 guage needle therapy on my knee supplemented by a generous dose of steroids. There is hope. Plus my New Scooter came, so I am already warming up for my next big and (fun!) activity. My Mushing Blog will most likely carry on at length about this new (and probably dangerous) hobby. Dreaming of the road...