We received a call from the post office on Saturday. “Your bees are here!” With a little help from Jonny and Larkspur, Gabe installed our newest hive. The name of this hive was inspired by the name of the paint we used (Montpelier Wedgewood by Valspar), and the fact that we love James Madison’s Montpelier. Montpelier joins Lark Rise and Candleford. Three hives!
Later in the weekend we packed up the family and headed about an hour south because Gabe and Keats had a baseball tournament. Seth brought his metal detector along and spent the day hunting for people’s lost change. In the process he managed to attract a group of three teenage girls who followed him around while he hunted. Despite the fact that he is a teenager himself, he was not pleased. Seth is all business. At the end of the day as he spread his finds on a picnic table, excitedly talking to Jonny and me about how well he had done, the girls headed over to attempt to get him to talk to them again. It didn’t work, so they started talking to me, mother of this strange boy who at this point was covered in dirt literally head to toe. It’s hilarious to me how anti-girls Seth is right now (not that I’m complaining!) and the way that his attitude seems to be working against him. Those girls clearly found him fascinating. Of course most kids his age don’t carry a metal detector around, so that doesn’t help.
Beatrix and Larkspur (wearing dirt covered dresses after a day of playing) joined us and the girls commented on them, calling them cute. Then one of the girls turned to me and said, “Ya’ll look like nature people.” I think what she meant was, “Ya’ll sure are dirty!” I try to make us look normal, but these kids always give us away. 😉
Erin says
Best compliment ever!
Jessi Roullier says
It’s definitely a compliment 😉 How gorgeous…
Lena Zauberflink says
I just love reading your little family tales! How funny … I’m still smiling about your son and the girls and you ‘nature people’! Thanks for sharing 🙂
KC says
That blue is so pretty! What fun! One day, I too will have bees. 🙂
Isabel says
I’d say it was a compliment!
Annie says
Hahaha…enjoy these times…..soon Seth will have a girlfriend. My 18 year old is in love. And I miss those days when he thought girls were an annoyance. I love your life and your family. 🙂 and what I truly admire is that I wish I was as laid back as you as far as actually “allowing” your kids to get dirty. My OCD always prevented my boys from getting muddy. Oh they fished, and played, but I never let it get too far…..it’s a sickness….:) you’re such a good mom….:)
Elizabeth says
too funny! good for him! and for all of you! 🙂 yay for more bees!!!
Norma says
Nature people!…too funny. I love your stories Ginny!
Nancy M says
I like the names of your hives. How fun!!! I also enjoyed the story of Seth and the girls. My 3rd son asked for a metal detector a few years back but we’ve not had much success in using it. We need to remember to take it out more. My 15 year old son is an avid birder and his equipment are scopes and binoculars. It would be funny to see if his interest ever attracts a girl’s attention. We are nature people too and that’s a great thing! In fact your family’s outings are always inspiring. Let them enjoy the dirt while they won’t too. They grow up too fast!!! I miss those days with my youngest being 9 now. Not that they don’t get dirty with hunting and fishing but it’s not as much as it use to be when they were little.
Sarah o says
Love the bee update! Great name & love the color! Can’t wait to hear more :). Maybe u could have a honey give away ☺️
Sarah says
too funny! Our bees are coming April 14th! We have installed an electric fence and a trail camera on my current hive to see if we see a bear! Last year (at our old house) we had a bear get into my hive. We are hoping to keep the bear(s) at bay this year in a new location and with some pre-emptive measure! I make soap, and my soapmaking profits go towards expanding my apiary! 🙂
Maria says
Nothing wrong with being nature people! My son was pretty filthy last night by the time he got done riding his bike in the swamp of mud that our farm has turned into, and rounding up the turkey who suddenly figured out how to fly over the fence!
tara says
That is the cutest mental image ever: Seth trying to get rid of the pesky girls who just want to talk to him! How funny. Your mail sounds way more interesting than mine (bills, credit card offers and more bills).
Nature people are the coolest (though probably the dirtiest) 🙂
eve says
Bwahahaha! Nature people 🙂
Mary says
Ha! Love all of this!!
Suzy says
Looks like fun! I am patiently waiting for my bees to arrive. Any day now. My kids are also just as excited as I am. Looks like your kids are having a wonderful time.
This Little Blue Homestead says
How amazing that we can ship bees through the mail! Can you imagine what the post office must be thinking!
Hope you have a wonderful week with your nature people!
Jennifer says
That’s really sweet. We’ve recently taken on chicken-ownership and we’re enjoying it. The kids like it so much and they’re always out there around the coop. They get dirty and always have straw stuck on their clothes. The other day I had a realization and said to my husband, “They’re like FARM KIDS now.” It was the weirdest moment. Of course, they’re not – we live in a city, we just have three backyard chickens in a coop, but it’s a big change for us.
Leila says
Getting new bees today! We did well with last year’s until we forgot to put the bottom board in and the poor things froze in the terrible winter 🙁
Love that your boy is so anti-girl. A breath of fresh “normal.”
Brooke says
Yep, those boys are in a different place than girls at this tender age! I hope to make it till 17 before mine figure out the girl thing. That new blue is beautiful. A friend of mine in Maine has her kitchen painted that color and she calls it ‘Mother Mary blue’. The light in her kitchen is spectacular. One of the most beautiful places I have ever sat. Does three hives mean you are in the honey business?
Emily T. says
Hooray for more bees! I’m so excited that your third installment have arrived safely. My replacement bees arrive in three weeks and I am so giddy!
Good luck this year!
Brenda from Dwyer's Farmhouse says
You are all beautiful nature people! Love the pics of them in their bee suits doing all that important work….they look like astronauts!
Tracey says
You are so funny Ginny!
meghann says
I went to a beekeeping workshop on Saturday – it is legal to keep bees here since the new Green Code was adopted a few years ago – and I was amazed at how…easy isn’t the right word, but not-as-hard-as-I-expected…it seems. I came home & said to George: “We can totally do this…” We’re going to wait, for now; we may be moving in the next year & it seems silly to start something like that now instead of waiting until we are settled. I will keep bees vicariously through you in the meantime… xo