Good news. I just pulled the happy pollinators out of Wilson's Orchard near Iowa City, and the bees look surprisingly well-fed. There were a number of cool rainy days during the two-week bloom, so I had steeled myself for unpleasantly light hives at pickup. They must have made the most of their warmer windows of opportunity. The hives weren't light at all. Here is one of the strongest hives laced with apple nectar: In other happy news, I'm pretty much done with the garage project. I've stalled at staining the window and door trim, but we're thoroughly painted, insulated, and electrified. Many winters of woodworking in a warm environment await! A couple of "before" pictures are shown in the spring projects post.