Bee-ing, taking the plunge

Apiary, Bees, Casper Wyoming, Gardening, Uncategorized 2 Minutes

Just a year ago, my husband Tom and I decided to acquire bees. Although the decision seemed sudden, I realize it had been brewing for some time. The clincher was two-fold. 

First, in 2020 new neighbors moved in across the street. They had some bee hives in their backyard. We immediately noticed now much the bees loved a puddle of water we’d inadvertently created while solarizing (killing by heat) a raised bed gone rogue with weeds. This watering hole had become such a popular spot for them that I decided to drain it even though the bees seemed nice enough and were welcome otherwise. There were just so many of them and I needed to get gardening done in the vicinity.

I began noticing bees often from then on. They loved Russian sage hedges I’d pass walking to and from work. They became part of our yard and neighborhood. The kind owners quickly became good friends and it was admirable how their children were so involved in the care of the bees and harvesting of honey. Whatever fear I may have carried was evaporating. 

Secondly, our artist blacksmith daughter, Betsy, had acquired a bar hive from some bee people in Boulder, Colorado. She’d been forging custom bar hive tools and now had a cute pitch-roofed hive on legs of her own – bees not included. After moving back to Casper she was creating a wonderful garden for pollinators and hoped to get bees someday as her Colorado friends were passionate and encouraging. 

In the spring of 2021 the first of our seventeen fruit trees to bloom (usually a little too early for Casper weather) were the apricots. We rarely get fruit on these two trees but appreciate their beautiful blossoms and lovely fall colors. On a particularly blustery day, Tom was looking out the window at the spring snow and told me there were bees all over an apricot tree. He is good at pulling my leg, considering it was cold and snowy. I bah-hah-ed, his comment and he seriously said, “no – just stare at the tree.” As I did so, there was a buzz of movement all over the tree as hundreds (or thousands?) of bees delighted in the first blossoms of spring. It was an amazing and beautiful encounter. The tree full of ripe apricots in July was even a more beautiful sight and SO delicious. 

Fast forward to the spring of 2022. When our neighbors had moved in, they mentioned that they usually moved every three to four years and we really didn’t want to lose the great pollination efforts of their bees if that should happen – so we started doing our research, interviewing them and other beekeepers, and decided to take the plunge!! We ordered all that we needed with the guidance of our sweet (pun intended) bee mentor, Debby Reddy! All was in place for the arrival of bees on Saturday April 30th! A local bee keeper had driven 100 packages up from Cheyenne! Debby helped Betsy hive her bees and then came to our house to hive ours. 

Psalms 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof …

Published by Cindy Bower

Hi, I’m Cindy, or better known by a boss as Chatty Cathy with the extra-long cord. (Chatty Cathy was the first talking doll back in the 1960’s.) I love conversation, though my dental patients may say its rather one-sided and my husband is known to fall asleep to my chatter. Blogging is a natural outgrowth of my love of connecting with others beyond my newspaper columns (found at trib.com). I’m a native fourth generation Wyomingite, which not many can claim. My ancestors arrived from England, Germany, Canada, Croatia, Ireland, and other European countries. I love this great state! By most standards, our small population (600,000 for the whole state) might mislead one to assume opportunities are limited here. On the contrary. In Wyoming we value our roots in family values, love of the land, and opportunities to fly from the nest, armed with what we need to succeed. Growing up in a small town of 2,500, I enjoyed close relationships with many families as we spent time on local ranches, attended Saturday night square dances, and enjoyed exploring the out of doors in the mountains and outskirts of town. I learned (and loved) homemaking skills of cooking, canning, sewing, knitting, and decorating from Mom and my 4-H leaders. I was blessed to take piano and organ lessons as well as to sing in church, Job’s Daughters, and with friends in a group we called The Oddballs. Best of all, I had an upbringing of faith with caring teachers and youth leaders who built on the goodness of my own family. Those small town roots were strong as I left for college, marriage, and a career in dental hygiene. I still enjoy the same hobbies, with added roles of mom to six children, gardener (recruited to dirt-touching by my husband), piano teacher, harpist, and most recently as a writer. Even with bumps, detours, and occasional dark clouds in life, my faith continues to grow with daily study and reaching out to serve others. This blog was born with a desire to share enjoyment and meaning in life.

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