We haven’t had rain in a long time. The temperatures are in the mid-30’s, so it’s the kind of weather that makes those of us who survived a fire nervous. You’ll recall we were evacuated in 2003 and that kind of thing stays with you. Camp fires are banned, which is appropriate, yet some numbskulls continue to throw cigarette butts out of car windows!

California, Oregon and now Washington are all in a state of drought, so it appears we’re next, doesn’t it? I notice more of my neighbours are letting their lawns go brown over the summer, and perhaps more people will get rid of them entirely.

I went to get my bees, which was fantastic, and they’re now sitting amidst alfalfa. When I went to pick them up Chris the beekeeper told me I have a very strong queen, and to hurry and get a second box and frames.

He also said make a jar of half and half sugar and water, and tip it upside down on the top to help them get started. Chris thought Buckerfields would have frames, and he said if I didn’t get them right away the hive was in danger of swarming!

So I drove home with a hive of bees in my trunk, and then set them in the vegetable garden area. Buckerfields had the plastic frames, and Chris sold me a second box, so I had to suit up and open the hive. I lifted out a full frame of bees and set them aside, and put one of the new plastic frames in its place.

I then put the new box on top, and added the three new plastic frames and the one frame full of bees from the bottom box. The jar of syrup went on top.

And can you believe, these blighters are drinking jar after jar of syrup. Maybe bees don’t really need flowers at all, and can just make honey from loads of sugar syrup. Who knew?

I’m kind of excited because I bought myself a new freezer. The one I had was about 30 years old, so I thought oh what the heck, I’ll splurge. And it also only kept things kind of frozen, not solidly frozen, so I felt it was time.

Then mom and I had visited Freddie and Twig the past weekend, and she showed me her fantastic Black and Decker battery-powered weed whacker and said she just loved it. I raced right out and got one today and plan to try it as soon as the battery’s charged.

I thought I could leave Louie with Nicky over the weekend, but it turned out he was driving Haruka to Alberta for her summer job there, so mom and I had to take him to Maple Ridge with us.

He hates travelling because he always gets sick. This time the minute I took him out of the car somewhere on the Coquihalla, he had a fit of diarhea, much of which stuck to the feathery long fur on his haunches and tail.

All I had was a roll of paper towels and a small can of Diet Coke which I had to waste by dumping sideways as best I could onto his ass area. Another scene, thanks to the dog, and another reminder that many times in life, only precious water will do.