top of page
Read My Blog
Search


Made It Home
“And if there’s tasks for me, darling let it be known.” —Bon Iver, “89” I had a feeling about the two hives at the west end of my apiary....
Patty Ihm
Feb 283 min read


Robbing Behavior
I wrote about baseball, beekeeping, and things that are taken from us.
Patty Ihm
Oct 18, 20243 min read


Mac and Cheese
From my college days, I have loved going to estate sales. There's something about history, life, and the mystery of not really ever being...
Patty Ihm
Jan 16, 20243 min read


Lessons from Queen Catherine
It’s mostly the weather that dictates the end of the season for the beekeeper. Once the daytime temperatures remain below about fifty...
Patty Ihm
Nov 23, 20234 min read


Pee-wee and the Swarm
Maybe they timed their flight from the hive to match my morning round of chores. Maybe they wanted me to see them go, majestic as glitter...
Patty Ihm
Sep 11, 20233 min read


Free Daffodil Bulbs
“What are we doing today?” They wonder, as they wake, what will fill the new day that stretches before them. I had tried to sneak through...
Patty Ihm
Jul 8, 20232 min read


Thirty-Three
I couldn't hear the ticking sound. They ran through my pounding head, over and over. There were goats and sheep and the little clothes...
Patty Ihm
May 23, 20232 min read


A Hundred Sunrises
Only through the photograph of a friend did I see the shades of fireball orange, candy pink, and smoky lavender that painted the sky....
Patty Ihm
Mar 8, 20233 min read


I Wish I Had Taken a Picture
The hill at the back of my dad's childhood home separates a modest expanse of grass--a tiny backyard haven where we picked apples from my...
Patty Ihm
Feb 18, 20234 min read


Twelve Dollars
Steam from the cup And snow on the path The seasons have changed From the present to past I knew even before I saw the white feathers,...
Patty Ihm
Jan 20, 20233 min read


Shortbread Cookies
It stood alone, illuminated by the glow of the moon in the early morning hours. The air was crisp, and I knew that my garden days were...
Patty Ihm
Oct 6, 20223 min read


Waiting to Blow
He stands proudly with stiffened shoulders, cheeks puffed as to nearly usurp his smug stone smile. The sparkle in the eyes of this...
Patty Ihm
Sep 9, 20223 min read


Lost in the Dark Gray
He's joyful as he glides like a stunt plane along the cement hills and ramps at the skate park. He's riding a scooter, the...
Patty Ihm
Jul 31, 20223 min read


Digging Up the Mint
It must have been an imposter: leggy, medium green, and without fanfare, it grew in great bunches where there had been mint last year. I...
Patty Ihm
Jun 20, 20223 min read


Breaking Free
He plotted his escape, because he knew he had to go. Forty years after first reading the beloved story, I am still learning the lessons...
Patty Ihm
May 9, 20223 min read


The Demise of Mr. Happiness
I'm getting better at cracking open the boxes of my hives. I had better be, as beekeeping season is upon us. When I check on my bees, I...
Patty Ihm
Apr 25, 20223 min read


The Color Inside of Me
To be so tied to someone that their hurt, disappointment, and fear mix with what's inside of you and become indiscernible: that must be...
Patty Ihm
Mar 28, 20222 min read


When the Dusky Sky was Most Beautiful
I found them at the hour when the dusky sky was most beautiful. There was a small spot of darkness on the mounded snow, just where the...
Patty Ihm
Mar 12, 20223 min read


Lost, For a Little While
It was easier when I could just carry them. With both the trusted old purple hiking backpack and my Ergo newborn front carrier strapped...
Patty Ihm
Feb 17, 20222 min read
Get in Touch with Patty
bottom of page