Notes from the Beeyard

Tom describes a near-perfect day in the beeyard. Laura asks, “Will there be a Season 2?” “This beeyard has long been one of my favorites under any conditions, but on this particular day, it was absolutely mesmerizing. It's great to be a beekeeper, great to be alive.”CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald remembers his guiding days in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about Lulu, miller moths and "bear" stew. "Among the guests that evening, there were visions of steaming dishes filled with claws and hair and knowing glances shot between the regulars . . . "CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom tells an entertaining story. Tom and Laura chat about Notes from the Beeyard.Like some reptiles, this critter feeds infrequently and Sunday is the day. A favorite of many of my friends, it holds a strange appeal for me as well, and yet I often find it intimidating, threatening, even dangerous. CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald addresses pesticides. Tom and Laura chat about the challenges of keeping bees near agriculture.“Our day is neither ending nor beginning, merely pausing as we enter the warm cafe for breakfast. We have been up since 2:00 A.M., closing in two yards of bees and after a good meal we will stop briefly at home . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald explains why it's important to educate people about agriculture. Tom and Laura chat about the city mouse/country mouse situation in Boulder County, Colorado. “It's easy to talk about the philosophy of farming. It's more difficult to accept the economic restrictions that it brings. Particularly if you live in a county that's adjacent to a metropolitan area . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald extolls an elegant solution. Tom and Laura chat about banking queens."I had a significant financial investment in these queens and I didn't want any of those queens to fail because I didn't get them into the colonies as quickly as I should . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald considers his place in the world. Tom and Laura chat about the Left Hand Grange and being part of a community.  "Beekeeping is more than a profession. It was a profession for me, but it was more than that. It was an expression of my view of the world and my place in it . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom acknowledges the promise of spring and makes a dire prediction."The promises aren't always realized, but that's what we build our lives on. The promise that when we plant things, they're going to come up, and we'll have enough water for them to mature . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald tells a story about a chicken tending dog named Pye. Tom and Laura chat about parental feelings."I wasn't sure what was going to happen when we opened in the incubator. But clearly Pye's interest in these chicks was as a protector . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom and Laura chat about nesting birds, wrens, bluebirds, and native bee boxes."Anyone who is familiar with wrens knows that in the hot afternoons, when the rest of the birds are sulking in the shade, the house wrens are singing their hearts out . . . “CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom speaks from the heart. Laura invites you to share your favorite episodes with your friends. "It's my life. These stories are the essence of my life.“CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom recalls a shimmer of bluebirds in the Flat Tops Wilderness. Tom and Laura chat about a well lived life. "In the distance, through a driving snow, a haze of blue appeared against a snowfield, then faded out of sight. Light sheet lightning in a fog, the ghostly blue cloud dogged my path . . . “CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom and Laura chat about the pain of losing old friends and the beauty of working with bees. "About halfway through the morning I took a break on the tailgate of the old Ford. As I sat there one of the many foragers in the air landed on my hand and proceeded to walk across my bare skin, probing here and there with its tiny tongue . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald hatches an eccentric idea. Tom and Laura chat about the oldest beeyard in Boulder County."I thought back to an ad I had seen for a golf chair. It was a one legged affair, like a giant golf tee, and it strapped to your waist. . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald itches to get his hands dirty. Tom and Laura chat about Front Range soil. "I want soil so rich and friable that I can dip my hand in up to the elbow, soil that crumbles at the touch . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom and Laura chat about pain and bee stings.  “I've had situations where I've had thousands of bees trying to drive me out of the beeyard and took between 750 and 1000 stings in about 15 minutes. I should have been horrified by that, but I found it very interesting . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald observes a shift. Tom and Laura chat about what it feels like watch the seasons turn.  "On the 29th of January I went out to do the morning chores. I looked into the chicken coop for the first time in several days to check the feed, and there, half buried in the winter accumulation of litter lay four eggs, dirty, cracked and frozen, the first of the season. In their ugliness they were as beautiful as any spring flower, a symbol of winter's waning, a simple, elemental, earthy reminder that spring is on the way."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald comments on the special bond between mothers and children."My behavior as a parent is not nearly as ferocious as what I saw in Barbara. I mean, ultimately I might have been just as ferocious, but there's a special bond between mothers and their offspring. It doesn't matter if you're a human, a pig, or a mother cow, there's a very special bond . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom and Laura chat about what you can learn about life from watching roosters. “He was no longer was willing to settle with being second fiddle. He had determined that he was going to be in charge, or he was going to be dead."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald remembers working with chickens as a young boy. “We didn't invite them in for dinner or anything like that, but we learned their individual personalities, saw their social interactions, and discovered their quirks and foibles."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom and Laura chat about wood heat and how to be a good friend.“We developed a friendship that transcended the bees. I was drawn to him because he was a man of character and I could see that. He had strong convictions and strong beliefs. He was about 10 years older than me. But even after the bees faded, one or the other of us would always make an effort to contact the other, maybe once a year, no more often than that, just to get together for a cup of coffee . . . "CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Hello. This is Laura Tyler, producer and host of Notes from the Beeyard. I'm checking in to let you know we're extending our holiday break for one more week and will be back with Episode 20, Memory Wood, on January 14th.It's been an extraordinary week here in Boulder County. A wildfire fueled by gusting wind destroyed over 1000 buildings on December 30th, many of them homes. If you need help, or have resources to give, we recommend checking out the Community Foundation's Boulder County Wildfire Fund at commfound.org.See you next week. Until then, stay safe.

Tom and Laura chat about readers and feeling vulnerable as a writer. "Like beekeeping, writing is a solitary craft, and it is only in the final product that the value of my efforts can be judged. It passes from my hands to places unknown and unseen."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald tracks a bear. Tom and Laura chat about pungent smells, cottonwood trees, and Colorado people. "I grew up on Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers, and The Lone Ranger even though I lived in the midwest until I was 10. I love the West. I love the openness of the West. I love the wildness of the West."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the bear problem that emerged for Boulder County beekeepers in 1989."Bears are cute, and fuzzy, and interesting if they're in a tree in someone's yard. But they're not nearly so cute and fuzzy if they're in your refrigerator, or tearing up your kitchen. It's not fair to the bears what we've allowed them to get into."

Tom Theobald elaborates on beeswax. Tom and Laura chat about the little things in life that feel most important. "While the snow flies outside, the candles remind us of all those small connections which enrich and bind our lives. And I think to myself that perhaps my contribution to the feast is not so insignificant after all."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the nature of bears. Tom relays a story about a particularly skilled bear who raided numerous Boulder County beeyards."Beekeeping lore is filled with stories of marauding bears and the destruction they bring."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Laura Tyler remembers Tom Theobald. Tom and Laura laugh about beeyards and bears."The phone rang early on October 14th, a Sunday morning. It was Chet Anderson and at the sound of his voice, a chill crept up my spine. Now, it isn't that I don't enjoy talking to Chet; I do, but I suspected the reason for his call."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald describes the bittersweet nature of fall. "I find a certain sense of sadness and melancholy on these last rounds. Hives which were tall and stately in July, now sit short and unobtrusive with the honey supers gone. The colonies are still strong and active on the warm afternoons, but there is little for them to work on and we both seem to sense that things are closing down."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about losing a beloved animal friend. "In our relationships with our animals we search for some of the deeper meanings in life, for uncompromising friendship and trust, for permanence and honesty, for love."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about the old fashioned machinery of the honey house. Tom reveals the heart of his business as a beekeeper."Far above two contrails shine, catching the light of a sun now far below the horizon. One points southwest toward Los Angeles, the other northwest toward Seattle. In my mind's eye I see the chattering travelers, sipping cocktails as dinners are delivered, up near the moon it seems, and I am struck by the gulf which separates us. It is more than altitude and distance, both subtle and profound. They pursue their lives on the edge of the future, a high technology world from which I feel so far removed; I follow a life surviving from a distant past: one man, a few machines, plants, insects, and the vagaries of the seasons. In one brief moment of fading light I feel two disparate worlds brush by each other."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald remembers a road trip. Tom and Laura chat about the Meeker Classic and Australian Shepherds."We had picked up a bridge spike somewhere and were sinking ever so slowly as air bled from the right rear tire. Not wanting to change the tire unless I absolutely had to, I elected to try for Buford, thirty miles away. Sheep are being moved out of the high country now, and as luck would have it, we came upon a band of about 300 moving down the road. We crept through slowly as they parted like a school of wooly fish, hoping the air in the tire would outlast the sheep."The Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald describes the overwhelming aroma of honey. Tom and Laura chat about honey extracting tools."I always have a sense, when I use tools that belong to other people, that those tools have a spirit. Those tools have a story. They're not just tools. They pass through the hands of the people who perhaps I once knew, who are now gone, and I feel a kinship."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald takes stock of his annual honey harvest. Tom and Laura chat about a polite but tough question people ask about bees."I am frequently asked through the summer how the bees are doing and how the season looks. I always hesitate to make any predictions ..."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald paints a picture of small town life gleaned from The Niwot Tribune. Tom and Laura chat about pace and the perspective shift that happens when you work with bees."Another entry appeared for June 22, 1939.  All it said was, "Sam Harvey and A.L. Newell motored to Sterling last Saturday." My first thought was, what a quaint way to describe a trip. When was the last time you motored anywhere? But then I realized that it was really more than quaint, it reflected a way of life, a pace from the past, a view of things that I have always found attractive and seductive."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about honey production. Tom describes two-queen beekeeping. Laura asks if two-queen beekeeping is practical with today's bees. "The beeyards look like city skyscrapers viewed from afar, like downtown Denver coming in form the north on I-25. Hardly noticeable in March as they sat nestled on the prairie, or tucked in beside a stream, each colony is now as high as my head, and the beeyards stand out clearly in the distance. The booming two-queen colonies require ample super room to prevent swarming and contain their large population, and a two-queen yard supered up for summer is a dramatic sight. When the flows begin even more supers will go on, until I can just reach the top with outstretched arms . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about Western Kingbirds and the beauty of beekeeping. Tom explains “air conditioning at a price I can afford.”"Through the binoculars I looked back from the river bluffs at the beeyard tucked in peacefully between the river and a small hayfield. The whole scene was wrapped protectively by the bluffs on one side, the trees along the stream on the other, and the foothills to the west. Through the air the fielders zipped, glinting like golden droplets in the last slanting rays of the sun . . ." CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler chat about swarm season. Tom remembers the first swarm he ever saw as a boy in Arvada, Colorado."I came out one late spring morning to find them hanging form the picket fence near the gate. I knew little about bees but it was quickly apparent that they meant me no harm and I spent a good part of that day and the following morning watching them coming and going. I recall my disappointment on the second afternoon when I found that they had left without a trace . . . "CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald talks about maximizing honey production in Boulder County, Colorado. Tom and Laura chat about how beekeeping has changed since “Working Toward the Honey Flow” was first published in 1990."It's a chess game that you play with the bees. Only after you've played the game, after you've had the chess match, can you determine whether you've been successful or not . . .”CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald outlines the basics of spring survival for honeybees. Tom and Laura chat about dandelions, and about "what beekeeping does to you.""As I go out to do the chores at dawn, the frozen grass shatters underfoot like shards of glass. These spring storms are brief, though, and soon the sun returns. And well it does, for some of the greatest challenges and finest pleasures in beekeeping lie just ahead."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani

Tom Theobald and Laura Tyler introduce themselves and welcome you to Notes from the Beeyard."I am a beekeeper. One of a few hundred commercial operators and thousands of hobbyists, I ply my craft along the Front Range of the Rockies in Boulder County, Colorado. I never anticipated becoming a beekeeper. In fact, like many others, I put beekeepers in that same cubbyhole I reserved for lion tamers, snake charmers, and sword swallowers. But here I am, and here I've been, immersed in a craft which captivated me from the first moment I came in contact with it . . ."CREDITSProducer: Laura TylerAuthor: Tom TheobaldEditor: Andy SchwarzMusic: "Americana" and "Sonorus" by Mr Smith are licensed under CC by 4.0Logo Design: Janet Cerretani