Buzz

The other day I spotted this hanging colony of bees took it upon myself to seek out a beekeeper who could come and safely, humanely relocate the bees to a new permanent home.

In the spring, it is common for a hive to split, a young queen and a mass of workers will depart the original hive and form a new colony. Often, these colonies will amass on a branch, like what we see here. Honey bees will eventually move to a new home in 1-3 days, but until they locate a suitable location, they remain exposed and at some degree of risk. Without intervention, the bees might have soon moved on to a new home on their own, but if they set up that home in an attic or a crack in a home, they'd become a nuisance and liable to be killed, same as if I'd left them hanging, they ran the risk of being disturbed or killed by a frightened passerby with access to Raid.

I looked up humane bee relocation services and found the following site which listed several local beekeepers.

http://beeremovalsource.com/bee-removal-list/georgia/

This is Mike, who came out with his son to retrieve this hanging colony. He has a location in Stone Mountain, GA where he will place this colony into a box beehive and they can produce honey for him.
 

Mike Schaaphok, Atlanta, GA
Phone: 770-265-7662 
Email:  mbschaaphok@usa.net

I was hesitant to stand this close to these bees, but Mike assured me that they are rather docile when they gather like this because they are running on reserve energy until they find a new home.

We could see bees coming and going from this colony, they'd land on the mass and do their waggle dance, sharing the information they'd gathered on their scouting expeditions.

It was a pretty neat experience. I am glad I was able to help to give these essential pollinators a new home and a new start at a hive of their own. 

Telling Tales

Good day, friends.

Thought I’d bring your attention to a wonderful local storyteller, a feller who resides right here in Atlanta, Georgia. EM Lockaby just completed his second novel and I must say I found it to be a fantastic read.



The Infinite Lawman is a science-fiction, LitRPG, western novel set in a dystopian future where people wind up with their minds uploaded to simulations, thus, the western aspect of this is a simulated wild west where a Speedrunner encounters this retired Lawman of sorts and in a roundabout way enlists his help in achieving her aim.

This novel is full of action, wit, and surprises and is a well-written, thought-provoking work that comes with all of the grit and dirt you’d expect of a western and the mud you’d hope to find in a simulated western world as well as giving a fascinating glimpse into a future with all its splendors and pitfalls.

The narrative style is as easy-going as if you were listening to the tale being told while you’ve got your feet kicked up on the rocks of a fire pit in the middle of nowhere, flames slowly warming the soles of your boots, stars twinkling overhead, crickets chirping, the story drawled out casually and punctuated by intermittent spitting and frequent swigs of whiskey.

I highly recommend you give this novel a shot. Thanks for listening. Peace.

Baby Carrier and Morels

Check out this cool baby carrier. I've been using this Infantino Breathe Vented Carrier since my daughter was barely able to see over the top edge and it's been the perfect option to allow us to go on walks and hikes together. She loves it, still squeals with delightful anticipation when I get it out and put it on. She is comfortable in it, legs and arms can swing free, no poorly-placed buckles or straps that might pinch or bruise her, it's safe, convenient, light-weight and you can often find them on sale. This one right now is only $16.11, that's 27% off list price! My daughter and I even went out this spring and hunted for morels, this carrier was perfect, it allowed her to swing along with me as I traipsed through the brambles and the bushes and sought out those wonderful little mushrooms in the great Georgia outdoors.

Return to Earth

Rejoining the world of the wild blog post after a helluva hiatus, I certainly have some explaining to do. Shortly after my last post, back in March of 2013, my father passed away. Shortly thereafter I was wed to a beautiful and wonderful lady. We've since brought an amazing little girl into this world and I've spent a great many hours hiking and adventuring with her, first strapped onto my chest in a Baby Carrier, and recently with her by my side striding precariously over sticks and twigs as she learns to walk and to hike along the many amazing trails that dot Midtown, Atlanta, and the surrounding suburbs. I've got a lot I want to share with you all and I hope you my readership is keen on coming along for the journey.

Peace.

-Brad

Hiking Plus 22 Pounds

Been a good solid while since last we blogged. I now carry a beautiful 22 pound weight everywhere I hike. Her name is Lexi Sage, she's honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, let alone carried along on my expeditions into this world. We frequently hike and journey and explore the world together, and in that spirit, I aim to reignite the midtown mudblog and talk fervently about the journeys on which my little lady and I embark upon together. I hope to continue to explore and report my expeditions into Midtown Atlanta with my readership, I hope

my readership appreciates the addition of the fresh young perspective that Lexi will surely bring to this journey. Thanks for reading, thanks for joining us on our journey through the midtown mud. Peace.

Pictured is little Lexi looking perplexed by the wild Persimmons and bouquet of Thistles that she helped me find as we journeyed around our neighborhood.

Introduction

Hey everyone! Starting a new blog for the purpose of sharing some of my experiences and posting reviews for products that I personally use. Focus will revolve around the camping world. I'll talk about hiking, backpacking, hunting, fishing, campfires, and may get into some stories of finding wild edible mushrooms, edible plants, gardening, tree identification and so on.

I am 30 years old, originally from a tiny rural Wisconsin town, now living in Midtown, Atlanta. I'm finding that there is an abundance of parks and random green spaces sprinkled in and around metro Atlanta; nestled between the highrise hustle, concrete bustle, there is so much natural beauty to explore!

As a youth, my dad would take us hunting, fishing, foraging in the woods of Wisconsin, my mom would put us to work gardening, growing vegetables. My childhood held a lot of outdoor fun and excitement and I hope to share some of my tales with you! Although my day job is in the telecommunications field, I truly enjoy spending time outdoors and I find nature very beautiful; there is peace in plant life, and learning about nature puts you closer to it and can sharpen the appreciation of all that the natural world has to offer.

I hope you find this information entertaining and/or useful! Thanks for reading!