Okra blossom (June 30, 2024)

This isn't my grandparents' okra. Theirs towered above my child height. This is a dwarf okra plant. It's supposed to reach 5 feet tall, but so far, about 18 inches.

Only one of about a dozen okra seeds came up. The blossoms are so delicate and pretty!
 

The honey processing process with Fox (June 30, 2024)

Fox and I decided that scraping honeycomb from the frames is therapeutic.

The view from below. The big wads of wax won't drain through the sieve, but the honey and smaller flakes of wax will.

Using centrifugal force to spin the last of the honey off the frames.

Filtering out the wax.

An estimated 3 gallons of honey. We have some for everyone who'd like a jar. Yes, those are quart jars in the back. We'll be saving about 3 pounds of honey to make our first gallon of mead.
 

Our first honey harvest since 2020 (June 29, 2024)

We now have eight hives, as compared to two back in 2020. We've let the bees keep their honey in the intervening years, to help them survive our long, hot summers. But this year, we decided six of the hives could spare one or two frames of their 16-24 frames per hive. Why are the frames inside tightly tied trash bags? Because they are covered with bees that were determined to save their honey from us.

Papa opened the trash bags inside the closed greenhouse. No way could we open them in the house!

 Papa showed me one of the frames, covered in hundreds of bees. He shook them off before taking the frame inside.

TC aka Big Boy at home on the front porch (June 29, 2024)

So trusting that he doesn't need to be on the lookout for a loose dog or competitive cat.
 

Our first fig harvest (June 24, 2024)

Our fig tree froze to the ground during the 2021 snowpocolypse. It's come back strong!

Ripening figs start out horizontal, then go vertical when they're ready to pick.

Papa's gathering figs.

What did you just disturb my presence with?  Meow!

 Colette is interested in our first harvest.  The figs were just right! Firm and sweet.