What does a beekeeper do in the deep depths of winter when it’s too cold and snowy for bees and beekeeping? I know you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to, lol. My season at the orchard is over, my vacation was wonderful but that is now over; and on January 4th I started back…
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Winterfest at Runamuk!
Announcing Winterfest! A celebration of the winter season and the joys that can be found even in the depths of winter. I’m excited to host what I hope is the first of many annual winter festivals here at Runamuk. On Saturday, February 20th from 11am to 2pm Runamuk Acres Farm & Apiary in Starks will be…
Honeybee nutrition in pollens & nectar
Megan Leech is a masters’ student studying native bees under Frank Drummond at the University of Maine. She’s looking to see if bees are foraging for flowers that offer good nutrition and pointed out that different flower species provide varying levels of nutrients. The Honeybee Food Pyramid With a graphic that resembles a food pyramid,…
When beekeepers converge
You may or may not recall that back in November I made my annual pilgrimage to the 2015 meeting of the Maine State Beekeepers’ Association. I didn’t have time to write about it then, but I’m here now to tell you what a fabulous time I had that day. And also to announce the start…
Keeping Honeybees in Frozen North America
According to Mike Palmer of French Hill Apiaries in St. Albans Vermont, success in the apiary is dependent upon two things: colonies that can grow large populations, and then─intelligent management of those populations. Mike took the stage at the 2015 annual meeting of the Maine State Beekeepers’ Association and proceeded to tell the audience about…
Saying farewell to North Star Orchards
I never did get around to writing much about my work at the orchard. It’s been a hectic fall season for me; working 5 days a week at the orchard made farming very difficult, especially once I found myself living here alone. It was incredibly challenging to me to find time for everything─for Runamuk or…
Helping hands
I’m feeling so loved and it is a wonderful thing! Not only did some special person go and pay off the balance on my layaway so that I could have my boots, but someone out there sent these one-hundred dollar gift certificates for heating fuel at Bob’s Cash Fuel. There are 2 of them! What…
Open and honest
Loyal readers who have been following my blog over the years may have noticed that recently my posts have become more open and honest. Always before I tried to keep to the lighter side of things; I’ve struggled with how much of my personal story to share online for the whole wide world to read….
One random act of kindness
Some people may not have much faith left in society and their fellow man-kind, but I certainly do. I’ve seen it demonstrated to me personally time and time again, and every act of kindness fills me with warmth and love and gratitude, and lends me the strength to go another day. I’ve had help along…
Meet Murphy!
Sometimes the Universe puts opportunities in front of us and it’s up to us to─first realize that the opportunity exists, and second─actually seize the moment and take advantage of what’s being offered. This is something I managed to learn fairly early on, and it’s what I attribute my small amount of─success?─to. I still grieve for…







