Chapter 48
Scarlett
I’m kicking myself for making an appointment with Ned, the local beekeeper, this afternoon. Jake coming over was a complete surprise of course so I had no idea I would have anything to interfere with my appointment.
I pull up to a house even more on the outskirts of town than my own.
It’s a beautiful and simple two story white farmhouse.
The same classic house you’d see in a movie like Field of Dreams. In the back of the house is a large white barn that matches the aesthetic of the home.
A variety of animal noises come from the barn as the huge sliding door swings open and a man walks out.
When I get out of the truck the man turns in my direction and sticks out his hand to shake mine.
“Hi there, I’m Ned. I assume you’re Scarlett?
” Ned stands a few inches taller than me with long blonde hair tied up in a bun at the back of his head.
He’s in blue coveralls that are ripped in various places.
He pushes his glasses up onto the top of his head after we shake hands and he looks eager to show me around.
“Ready for a crash course in bee keeping?” His energy is contagious and I find myself excitedly nervous.
Or nervously excited, I’m not sure which.
After I nod my head he waves his hand and leads me back towards the barn where he came from.
Inside the barn are the sources of all the noise.
Several pens on each side all hold at least an animal or two with nameplates on the doors that open into them.
The first pen on the left holds Roxie, an incredibly large pot bellied pig with a whole litter of little pigs fighting for space next to their mother.
“Oh my goodness, look how cute they are!” I say, instantly distracted by the chaos.
“Only a few weeks old. This is Roxie’s biggest litter to date.”
In the next pen are a few billy goats that keep ramming each other in the heads, the crack of their horns sounding violent.
“Don’t worry,” Ned says as I jump at the sound. “It sounds more violent than it is.”
Farther down in the barn is a horse that towers over both Ned and I. “This here is Jenny. She’s a draft horse. She’s got some health issues and can’t give rides or pull anything anymore but she’s been with me since she was a foal and I’ll part with her when she tells me she’s ready.”
Jenny lowers her head to examine me. Slowly I reach my hand out to her nose and let her smell me.
When she gets her fill she pushes her nose into my hand, letting me give her pets on her nose and up between her ears and down her neck.
She lays her head on my shoulder while I scratch her neck and lets out a noise that I tell myself is one of satisfaction.
“Wow, she likes you,” Ned says, a surprised expression on his face. “Don’t get me wrong, Jenny is a sweetheart but usually only with me and my wife. She’s got a good judge of character,” he says with a wink.
“She’s precious,” I say and she snuggles, literally snuggles her nose into me.
“She certainly is, it’s time to let her out to graze so how about you grab her lead right here,” he points to where I should grab and opens the gate to Jenny’s pen.
Jenny lets out an appreciative whinny and follows my lead.
Her enormous hooves slap the concrete floor of the barn, echoing off the walls as we walk out.
She’s big and kind of intimidating but at no point does she try to over power me or lead the way.
She simply walks where she’s told. Once we’re outside the barn Ned shows me where the gate is to her pasture.
Once she’s locked inside she trots out into the middle of the pasture and joins the two other horses and donkey already in the field.
“Wow, you have a serious operation going on here,” I say, completely in awe of what Ned has.
“Yeah, it’s a lot of work and it took us years to get here but it’s everything I ever wanted.” Ned looks around and all the life surrounding him with a vast appreciation.
“I want this some day.” And I fully mean it. This life and all its work and chaos and dirt feels more like home than any life I’ve had before.
“Well, let’s get you started with some bees.
Here, put this on.” Ned hands me a white coverall suit that I quickly slip over my clothes.
The Colorado sun feels immensely hotter inside this thing but I know that it will protect me.
The heat intensifies when I put on the huge netted hat to protect my head and face.
I look over at Ned and realize that he doesn’t put any protective gear on. “Don’t you wear it too?” I ask.
“Sometimes I do. For the most part, the bees remain calm and the suit is just an added confidence boost that you’re safe. Newbies should always wear it but once you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, you can usually get away without it.”
“How long have you been doing this?” Ned has the type of look where you can’t properly judge his age. He could be anywhere from twenty-seven to in his early fifties.
“Oh dear, I’ve been dealing with bees since I was a child, the rest has accumulated over the years. Long years.”
Okay, I guess I’ll never really know how old Ned is, but I quit my questioning and prepare my mind to absorb whatever information Ned will bestow upon me.
And bestow he does. Ned walks me through his every day routine with the bees along with every tip and trick he’s learned over the years.
He gave me so much more information than I ever could have learned from Google, which was my only other source.
In fact, he even corrected some things I had already “learned” from Google.
“Wow, Ned, this is amazing. All of this information is invaluable. Thank you.”
Ned, in true unbothered farmer fashion replies, “Oh it’s no trouble at all, dear.”
“This might sound silly but I have a sort of decent following on social media, is there anything I can do to help out. Post about the farm or anything? If not, I totally understand, I just want to help you out as much as you’ve just helped me.”
“Well, that isn’t usually how things work around here.
I offered to help because I wanted to help.
However, you do bring up an idea. Florence, my wife, has always kicked around the idea of opening up the farm as a petting zoo.
Either to kids, disabled individuals, or as a therapy center.
I don’t know anything about that but maybe you could help? ”
I grimace slightly but try to force a smile, “I’d love to but I’m not sure I know anything about the legality of that.”
“Oh no, Flo has all that handled already. In fact, she’s even got an opening date figured out in her mind but what neither she nor I know about is where to get started on social media. I don’t want nothing to do with it but I know that Flo would appreciate the guidance.”
“Now that I can absolutely do.” I smile confidently at him and he leads me inside the beautiful farm house to talk to his equally beautiful wife. Who, of course, insists that I stay for dinner.
Two hours later and the sun is beginning to set behind the mountains.
I’m filled to the brim with a delicious fresh, farm to table dinner and my creative juices are flowing with ideas to help out Ned and Flo.
Thanks to Flo loving to talk, I learn that they’re both almost sixty years old, been married for over forty years and they have lived the most amazing and cozy life.
One I’d love to be able to look back on when I’m their age.
Everything is dark when I arrive back at the cottage.
I feel the need to talk to Jake, put some words to the action we had earlier but I’m also trying not to start a “what are we” conversation just yet.
Remembering that he said Cami was coming over tonight I decide that I’ll just go inside and head to bed and hope that I can see him tomorrow.