The Cold and the Clock

-Posted by Isaac

Most of you know that I'm not a fan of the cold. Or Christmas. Or, to be more general, Ohio winters-- the hard nasty wet/cold that chills your bones. The stiff wind. The sleet, the ice. The short, dark days. For me, it all rolls into one big ball of pessimism. Jayne says I've changed, that I'm not the man she married. But this isn't true, I'm the same person I've always been. The difference is, we lived out west. Where winters are different. The cold is different. Out there, it's not something to complain about, it's something to relish. (Powder day! Again!)

But then there is the occasional Ohio surprise. One day this week we awoke to this:

Our first snow! And sun! And the bee work done! 

A beautiful thing.

The day before with the snow just starting, I finished winterizing the last yard...

...and then went for a trail run. Magnificent huge flakes poured silently through the trees.

On Thursday, on the clock again, it was another beautiful winter trail run.

Ok, I'm sorry about this... one unabashed selfie.

(Taken the very instant I had a bright idea.)

Under these conditions, it's impossible to be a pessimist. Even for a grinch like me. When winter sets in, sometimes you just clock out and have some fun. Deserving or not, it's quite a perk to this job. You can simply drop everything and take a run. Or take a nap.

Or grab a sled.

Or build a snowman.

You can quit early to see the lights...

Christmas through the eyes of a two year old. (Did I lose something along the way?)

...or just hang out awhile. But be careful. Don't turn your back!

In the winter, you can work so hard at having fun, it just turns into stupid.

Stupid... on the clock!

It's ok, we've got time for stupid.

But then, I'm talking about my side of things. The bee side.

Jayne and Katie are as busy as ever. The crush of Christmas has yet to let up. Orders are flying out the door. Sometimes I think I should help. Sometimes I actually try. But it's to no avail. I'm mostly just in the way. And to add to this joyous stress, they wanted to throw not one, but two open houses this year. 

The second is actually tomorrow. Come on out if you have the chance! The ladies will help you find some stocking stuffers. Or if you want to talk bees and extractors, I promised I'd hang around.

But that is yet to be seen. You may find me, and you may not. Hey, I'm a busy man!

I may just be busy with a beverage and a hot stove.

Playing with toys.

Or reading a book.

Or taking a nap.

Because it's cold outside!

And I'm on the clock.