We can always count on our Christmas Cactus plant bringing color to the gray of November and December. It blooms on cue, in time for Thanksgiving, lingering into December. Our second cactus on our porch lags a few weeks behind, with brilliant blossoms to follow.
And now, goodbye.....
For the second time we lost our colony of bees. A few days ago they simply disappeard from their hive. They seemed to be thriving all summer, downing the sugar water we supplied during the flowerless months of October and November. They were many and active, (I have two bites to prove it), but suddenly they are gone from our lives. We know they had an ample supply of honey they worked so diligently to harvest all summer.
Was it colony collapse? Was it the effect of the pesticides that neighbors spray to keep immaculate lawns? We may never know, but we think we may not try our bee endeavor again. It isn't the work involved, but the heartache that follows their absence. It amazes me how much I count on the little buzzers flying around, dancing on our flowers, drinking water from the bird bath, diving into the hive, loaded with yellow or orange pollen, then flying off to forage and fertilize our part of this world.
We intend to harvest the honey they left, a reminder of their energy, devotion to the colony and their part in the continuation of the lives of the plants that surround us with their beauty. They are remarkable creatures.
For now we say goodbye. We may change our minds. There is a hole to fill.
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