A Beekeeper's First Blog Post

Hey friends,

I've told you a little about how we came to bee, but here's a bit of a deeper dive into the hive of who I am. Raised most of my childhood and into adulthood in a tiny community, lovingly known as Judice, adjacent to the city known as the Heart of Acadiana, Lafayette, Louisiana. About 20 miles from the coast, it really is the soggy bottom of Louisiana. Cajun culture, sugarcane fields, & rice/crawfish fields enriched my upbringing and shaped my connection between heart and home. Environmental conservation, however, was a personality gift straight from the stardust that made me.

From the time I could speak, I was trying to teach the adults around me about the dangers of smoking and detriment of styrofoam plates. I wanted to be an opera star, then a scientist, then a teacher. When it was finally time to go off to university, my heart was set on Vocal Music Education. The math and patterns in music theory became my favorite educational focus. And then, with one semester of classes and a semester of student teaching to go, I fell head-over-heals in love with Geology. A hard turn, & nearly zero transferrable credits, I dove in without hesitation. Mineralogy, yum. Until... Year 6. Feeling like the world was calling and I needed freedom, I saved every penny and then went traveling through Europe for 8 months. Hitchhiking, CouchSurfing, guitar learning, language navigating, & sights I dream to see again one day, until homesickness and my college advisor were calling me home to finally finish my last 17 credit hours to graduate.

Fast forward a few years & the start of my first career, I finally got the courage to look my long-time friend in the eye & come clean about a long-time felt crush. We've been adventuring together ever since! Yay! Clay (Michael) & I began beekeeping the summer of 2016 just before our 4-year Houston move. Drastic change came in 2020 with uncertain times & we quickly moved back home, settling in his hometown, Acadia Parish.

Since then I've been working to expand our apiaries and educate our community on the importance of bees (not just honeybees), homesteading, & strengthening our bonds as a community through those things. All while raising 4 absolutely feral children who love to fight, forage, & play in the mud.

In addition to the many tales in beekeeping, I hope to tell stories of my many life adventures, such as the time I sang in Carnegie Hall, got a free house on Craigslist, hitchhike raced in France, wept at the sight of the Canyonlands in Utah, drove an elderly cat across the country for adoption, got married in an opera house where Huey P. Long once spoke, almost died of swine flu, cried on a drillship for 4 days after Pete Seeger passed away, & so many more.

A lesson I learned from the bees & life: Never underestimate how fast we all grow when we share.

-Rachael J. Clayton "Sunshine"