Sunday, May 31, 2009

Bees!

Sy is holding an empty box that a few minutes ago contained 3 pounds, or 25,000, honey bees. He put them into their new hive with no gloves and no stings. Today the bees have started exploring their new home and surroundings. Bubba Lou knows that you "leave the bees alone." Zeep has also learned that you don't eat the bees, the only way he could (fortunately he wasn't stung, just surprised.) We have a perimeter around the hive roped off so BL and Zeep can't accidentally bump into the hive or otherwise harrass the bees. I know my child and doggie too well.In a few more weeks we'll be adding one or two of these to the homestead:French/English mix angora rabbits. We're definitely getting one of the buff colored (Bubba Lou's pick), and if it's a girl, we're hoping to get a light gray girl, too. Their mama is about 8 pounds with wonderful fur, she was due to be plucked so I had the perfect opportunity to see the fiber. They're about 4 weeks old now, little bundles of fluff. The woman that has them is up the street from my Mom and has alpacas, cows, geese, sheep, goats, llamas, horse, mini donkey and a camel. Yes, a bonafide two-hump camel in NH. I truly had no idea they are so huge, she said she got about 80 pounds of fiber off the camel when he(?) shed this spring. Can you imagine shedding 80 pounds of hair?! Or picking it all up for that matter?!