My telephone rang at 5:15 this morning. Incredulous and startled, I ignored it, although I acknowledged the identify of the apiarist who sells honey at my farmers market. I hadn’t spoken with him since final fall once we agreed that he would set up two hives in my backyard this yr.

Then, at 6:00, there was a knock on my door (fortunately, I used to be now up however nonetheless in my PJs). I used to be greeted with a hearty “Stand up! It’s the Honey Man!”

I’m coping with an completely unapologetic farmer.

And by 6:25am we turned beekeepers — however solely within the sense of ‘now we have bees on our property’ and never within the sense of  ‘I understand how to care for bees’. So for now, I feel possibly I ought to simply name myself a ‘hive hostess’.

It’s now 7:39am EST– how has your Monday morning been thus far?

Initially dated: Could ninth, 2011