bees, Ili, ferns and dinner

Finally got out to tempt the weather and the bees.  
Bad idea.
Got all my under-hive beetle traps checked and emptied, then got to doing a dusting in the brood box of one hive, checking frames for eggs and larvae and the general state of things.  Just barely got 3 frames removed and replaced by 2 top bars with starter strips when the rain came down in droves and so did the girls.  Man they were pissed at me.  Can't blame them one bit.  I got the super back on and got out of their hair so they would get out of mine as fast and carefully as I could.  Not before several stingers made their way through the suit.  So I'm a little puffy, and learned my lesson about staying the hell out of the hives when it's even thinking about raining.  


Got done counting dead beetles just in time to run home for a scrumptious pig casserole Arthur made for lunch.  Yum.  Then rode over to Dragonfly to pick up Ili for our play date.  We rode our bikes back to the house where we played a version of hide and seek she likes to call "Spy", started making beaded mermaids, went to harvest lilikois, walked up to the top of the farm, visited with one of the cats, checked out the top bar hives being built in the barn and came back home for a few more rounds of "Spy".  We were about to make some killer oatmeal cookies when I realized our flour was pau. Oh well.  Then we rode back to her house to say hi to Kaika and Maiog, who sent me off with some pig for compensation for cement work from last week, the back meat, at that!  Then went to watch Waiele teach an aerial fabrics lesson.  She's been doing aerial fabrics since she was 6!  Amazing.  I'm seriously considering having Waiele teach me how.  It looks like climbing trees/monkeybars/yoga and flying all rolled into one, but better!  Then Ili showed us some of her skills on the fabrics.  Wow, talent, talent everywhere.  Oh, and while we watched the lesson, Diga serenaded us with his beautiful marimba-ing.  You gotta love the neighbors.


Came home and managed not to let yet another day of drizzle inter-spliced with downpour ruin my motivation.   I finally planted all the Hapu'u ferns we gathered in the forest last week!  I planted them all up and down the trail to our cabin and around the cabin.  But I need more!  They're so beautiful, I would love to have them all around our place and then some.  


Now I'm baking 

Ulu - "Breadfruit"

Tahitian squash & ulu in hazelnut milk and cream with a scoop of nutritional yeast and some salt
and...
Pig that's been dry rubbed, seared, drizzled with honey and is baking in pineapple vinegar and coconut oil


Now I'm going to read a few more chapters in my new book and probably watch a movie.  


A day I feel good about.