Last year at this time we were coming off a wonderful holiday with our children and grandchildren. Little did we know...
January and February moved along in typical fashion. Jim and I continued with our personal trainer in an effort to stave off old age as much as possible. We kept various medical and dental appointments, celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary, and began to prepare for the upcoming bee season. In March, just like in the rest of the country, we were directed to remain in place, which we mostly did. Here in the mountains, where nothing is close, we are unable to get delivery of groceries or other staples, so our confinement was less constrained as in other places. Still, we consolidated trips, were cognizant of timing, and practiced common safety in regard to shielding our faces and maintaining social distance. Hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes were staples in the car. I even put together a "Covid bag" with masks, sanitizers, and wipes which I carried everywhere with us. Early on, when it was hard to find masks, Jim made some out of shop towels from the directions on a U-Tube video he found. I'm sure they were not as effective as those found today everywhere, but we didn't get sick, so I guess they were okay.
March also began the ramp-up to bee season. Bees did not stop due to Covid. We managed to bring 12 of our 15 hives out of the winter alive and mostly well. We lost a 4th hive sometime early in the spring, but the others built up rapidly and did all those things bees do. This year, for the first time, we sold bees as well as honey. That did several things: it somewhat mitigated the expense of keeping bees, it reduced the number of bee hives we would have had to manage and maintain, and it gave us experience in managing hives for optimal success. This season, we began the winter with 15 hives. We were able to get into them early last week on a warm day and it looks like we have about 12 that are still viable. Bee keeping is a fabulous hobby, but it is labor intensive and during the season there is no time for anything else. That means no summer vacations, or spring vacations, or fall vacations (at least until after mid-late October). Jim has had some health issues this year, and for a time I had to do the beekeeping. That was hard and there were many things I could not do alone. For us, being "beeks" is not a solitary endeavor. We are 74, with all its ramifications, so I don't know how long we can keep this up, but for now we are planning for the new season. Jim's health issues have not been of a critical nature, but have required health provider visits and some down time for him. Currently, he is doing well and we are optimistic that this will continue.
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| Life as a Beekeeper |
Right before the lock down, I went to Seneca, SC to see my long time friend, Kathy Cochran. We worked together at Winding Springs School in Charlotte. She is from Glenville, a community in close proximity to my current residence. I had not seen her in a long time and it was fabulous to spend some time with her. We had plans to get together this past summer, but... Perhaps that will come to fruition soon when we can both get inoculated. She dared me to post her picture, so I will honor her wishes. She is one of my best friends ever!
Speaking of inoculation, I can't wait to roll up my sleeve! While I would not characterize myself as a social butterfly, I am not a recluse either. I have seen almost nothing of my children and grandchildren this year and I miss them. We have Zoomed and FaceTimed and we have seen our Charlotte grandchildren for a very few minutes from a distance in their garage. Well, there was one time this summer when we actually got to hug them! We have not seen the Texas Riggsbees since last Christmas.
That notwithstanding, we've kept in touch. They are all well. Katie is a junior a UNC, Reni and JJ are in high school at Charlotte Catholic, and Gracen and Avery, 14 and 12 respectively, are remote learning in Austin and/or Pagosa Springs. Adam and his family spent a large part of the initial quarantine time in Pagosa Springs, CO. At that time it was less risky than Austin ( as was Jackson County, NC), but Covid has caught up in rural areas and the level of safety required is just as necessary as in the bigger areas. Katie has had Covid as has Jon. The others have been exposed at school and go back and forth with quarantine. So far, Adam's family has escaped infection.
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| Avery (12) and Gracen (14) |
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| Katie (20), JJ (16), and Reni (17) |
The spring and summer up here were beautiful, as usual. There was a fair amount of rain and my tomatoes got blight, but I got enough to eat and give away. I had wanted to put some up as my stores are almost depleted, but that wasn't in the cards this year. I did manage to put up 30 quarts of beans, and I made 24 pints of pickles. I did not grow the cukes for the pickles, but they are cheap at the farmer's market.
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| Spring on the Ridge |
In June, my friend Wilma came for a visit. we taught school together when we were both second year teachers. We gravitated to each other as we were the same age and shared students in common. That instant friendship has resulted in our being BFFs ever since. I love her like a sister. We did some sightseeing while she was here. She came again in the fall, and as always, is welcome anytime!
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| Wilma Fulkerson |
In July, Jim had an appointment at the VA facility in Kernersville and we took the opportunity to get together with my siblings. I had not seen any of them since Thanksgiving 2019, so this visit was fabulous! It was really the first time we had gotten together with anyone, but we took the chance and did it. Nobody got sick, so we were emboldened and became less fearful of being around people. It helped that medical science knew more about how the virus spread and we were more cognizant about ways to protect ourselves and an acceptable level of risk.
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| The siblings: Mary Diaz, Judy Tayloe, Lynn, Charlie Nichols July 2020 |
July was also the ocassion of my 74th birthday. I was so tired of bees that I told Jim that on that day I wanted to take a day trip. We chose a driving tour that took us into eastern Tennessee and into counties north of Jackson. It was a great day! Basically it was a sight seeing tour and was socially distant. We have decided to make this an annual event.
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| The Birthday Tour Route |
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| Lynn at 74 |
My brother, Charlie and his family came for a weekend visit in September. His daughter-in-law, Jessie (a precious girl) and his son Jacob came. Jessie wanted to learn a little about beekeeping. I don't think she really wants to keep bees, but she is intellectually inquisitive and just wanted to know more. We had a great time with the four of them, taking them into a couple of hives and showing them what we looked for and what we could tell from an examination. I sent them off with some of the 30 gallons of honey that we had harvested and invited them back to do some bee work! I'm not holding my breath. 😊
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| Frame of Bees with Brood |
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| Charlie, Renee, Jacob, Jessie Nichols |
Thanksgiving was spent with just the two of us. Jim cooked a small turkey and I made the dressing and gravy along with some other dishes. It was quiet and peaceful and we shared our day with the boys and their families with FaceTime (or Zoom, I can't remember which).
Christmas was again just the two of us. This time Jim cooked a standing rib roast that was SO good. I added some other, less notable dishes, and we enjoyed our day. We were lucky to be given a White Christmas, about 3 inches of beautiful snow that didn't last too long! This is the second White Christmas we have had since moving here in 2009. I don't remember ever having a White Christmas while growing up in Greensboro.
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| White Christmas, December 25, 2020 |
I saw this unusual nativity painting on Facebook this season. Paintings do not generally create any emotional reaction for me, but this one did. It shows the Holy Family before all the pageantry that would take place began. It was just the three of them; Mary, exhausted from childbirth; Joseph, overwhelmed with the tasks before him; and the baby that changed everything. This family was just like all of ours, with all the same humanity and it occurred to me that even today when we are overwhelmed and exhausted the baby still changes everything. Most people who know me well would never think of me as being particularly religious (and I'm not really). There are reasons people would think that. I am "salty" in many ways, I don't go to church (and don't really feel like I have missed anything there), and I have pretty unconventional beliefs about being a Christian. I am, however, still a person of faith and believe that Jesus's message to us is to "love one another, serve one another, and do not be afraid." Those things look different to each person, but are the essence of His existence on earth and are our model. Spend some time with this picture. It is beyond poignant.
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| Before the Pageantry |
New Year's brought a visit from our friends, Joe and Karen, who live in Greensboro. Karen and I went to church together and we were BFFs and Joe was in my GHS graduating class. Jim is the odd man out! Despite the fact that we went to bed long before the traditional time for ringing in the New Year, we had a great visit. We took a driving tour down scenic Highway 64 in Jackson and Macon counties and down through Sylva and Dillsboro to Cherokee. Then we ate dinner at this Mexican restaurant in Sylva that was just delicious. Jim and I have been there before and we knew to order and share because the servings are so big! Joe and Karen had to take their leftovers home!
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| Karen and Joe Leonard |
Our dog Jasper continues to make us laugh. We adopted this old hound dog from the Humane Society in July 2017. He had been there quite awhile and the staff had given up on his being adopted. I have no idea why he did not appeal to people, though it could have been that his name was "Rap Star". Really? Also, he has some pitbull in him and maybe that put people off. Anyway, he is the sweetest dog ever, not agressive in any way. He is affectionate, funny, and stubborn. We did have to outfit him with an invisible fence collar (along with the invisible fence) so he wouldn't chase a scent and get lost. He could never find his way back home which was really worrisome to us as we would have to depend on somebody to see him and call us. Now he has about 2-3 acres on which he can roam without us fearing for him. Such a sweet puppy! 💕
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| Jim and Jasper |
We are expecting to have a much better 2021 and we wish the same for you! GET YOUR SHOTS!
P.S. I am not updating my reading list a this time. Maybe later. I read 52 books this year, most of which were not notable except for Where the Crawdads Sing
