My neighbor George has always been known in the neighborhood for his gorgeous gardens in his backyard.
He has won local awards for roses, petunias, and daffodils. I am lucky that I can see a good portion of George’s yard living right next door to hime. He’s also very generous and friendly, so much so that George regularly invites his neighbors over for cookouts and small parties. George is a veteran and endured three separate tours of duty in the middle east over the past two decades and he is finally settling down into his retirement. Although he doesn’t have a wife or children, he gets all of his fulfilment from his hobbies. Aside from tending to his garden, George is also an amateaur beekeeper and has been getting progressively better with harvesting honey over the past few years that he has kept a beehive. He said that he got a lot of information early on from a local beekeeping residential service. They put him in touch with resources and stores where he now buys all of his beekeeping equipment. The wooden hives are handbuilt by artisans in the United States and are coated inside and out with beeswax. He has an amazing bee suit as well that he had tailored to fit his body perfectly. The quality of George’s honey is off the charts, especially since his lucky neighbors like me often get jars of it for free during holidays and special events. The advantages to living next to an amateur beekeeper never seem to end! Now that I am addicted to his honey, I can’t imagine buying it from the grocery store ever again.