Thanks for the seeds Stefani!

Today was a day of concentration, labor and love. The day started at 6AM making mole poblano with my last turkey, Nash. I viewed the many steps of roasting, grinding and simmering as a ceremonial tribute to his life and sacrifice. One large pot of mole, refried beans, rice, and homemade corn tortillas later, my first guests arrived. We ate, we enjoyed and we headed outside to build a duck house. Conan and I cleared thorny blackberry cane from out spot while Lori fed her infant in the warm sun. Dipak and Conan finished off a good frame for the house, Lori, Conan, and Rinji parted and the next wave of guests arrived. I was in the midst of an enjoyable conversation with my sister when I noticed a cloud of bees just outside my window. Doh! My hive was swarming! This was not so bad except they selected the eaves of my neighbor’s house, directly above the front door, to park for the night. They were less than pleased to witness a cloud of bees migrating to their house. I explained that this was common at this time of year. The bees were engorged with honey and the most docile when they swarm. Then I suited up, left my guests and spent the next hour or so in a futile attempt to coax them into a new hive box I had prepared. They retreated further into the house by dusk. I will have to go back in the morning to figure out what to do.

By night fall I was off to another gathering where I shared more mole (Nash was a big guy). On a tired night like this I ask myself why I do what I do? So many projects, so many details to keep up with. I sat quietly to feel the answer. The pleasant ringing in my body of a day well spent in the sun, working, learning and sharing great food with others was my answer.