The Old Home Place Apiary

Mission: Working together to produce clean, local food. Sharing our skills and experiences, learning from one another, respecting and appreciating our differences, finding our gifts and talents and using them to help the community.
(In a nutshell)

From www.ic.org/directory/the-old-home-place-apiary/:

I've been wanting to do something like this for years..not that I don't enjoy healthy solitude and silent time..on the contrary. And I have amazing friends from all walks of life and fortunate to have family, close. However, living in the country and trying to homestead a little here and there and seeing so many amazing projects in prepping, survival, bushcraft, beekeeping, gardening, etc. I've come to the conclusion I need a villiage. Most are settled in their homes and lives and have no need to travel or seek housing. They are already living their dream or seriously pursuing it. But if you're like me, you're still figuring it out. Last year, my best friend and I started this journey. He was just going to build me a little chicken coop which turned into a chicken house, then two. Together, we acquired guineas, a rooster, chickens, and bees. He loved being the maintenance man, every repair he could make, he did. We worked side by side steadily from March 2016 until October 2016 when he fell ill. March 2017 he was diagnosed with cancer. Though his heart is still in it, he simply cannot continue working, though he probably won't stop. He has this great airliner camper. He's going to hang out here and boss me around lol. I have focused on the bees. It's the best hobby I could have. It's good for the soul, along with gardening and any outside work. I spend a lot of my time reading and learning what I can about bee biology and the art of beekeeping. This is my 2nd year and I have been so fortunate. I hope to expand my bee yard even more, next spring. I've made several splits, sold some, gifted some, kept some. It looks like I will be going into the winter with 7 hives. I harvested more honey than I expected and even rendered my first beeswax from all the wax cappings. We accomplished so much and had plans for so much more, here on the hill. It's nice and quiet here. Except for the guineas and a rooster. There's a creek that runs through the property, a lot of wooded areas, valleys, hills. I've got one of the best views of the sunrise and sunset. Seven miles from town, however, you're within an hour drive from Tulsa, Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Eureka Springs. Many artist and musicians live in the area. I love my hometown and this is my grandfather's land. He was an ole timer who loved the simple country life. It takes years to accomplish all that he did. But together, we had a modest garden, fresh eggs, and what I thought would be the start of a little homestead. There are a lot of wooded areas here on the hill and I love the art of bushcrafting. Not that I'm good at it, but I want to learn many survival skills, along with that. I would love to see someone or group skilled in bushcrafting come and build primitive camping spots, teaching the art. I'm also looking for individuals who love music and art, love to garden, skilled in herbal medicine, experienced in animal husbandry, butchering,carpentry, homemaking, organizing/starting up small communities, retired beekeepers, active beekeepers, creative and kind people who would enjoy working with others to achieve common goals; safe, clean, peaceful and recreational place to live, clean local food to eat, like-minded people to share in the work and the fruits of our labor. I think there are a lot of people like me that have come to the realization, "It takes a village." I am willing to open my home and share my land with those who are willing to share my vision. If this sounds like something you're interested in, this may be the "village" you're looking for. Perhaps you're not experienced or super skilled in these particular areas but you are an amazing person and have something to offer and want to be a part of this kind of community, your gift will make room for you. One of my closest friends and her 2 are coming at the end of September. She is going to school for parks and recreation management (or something like that) and this girl can do amazing things with wood. She's super motivated, organized, and hard-working. I don't know what this "community" will look like in 6 mos - a year but I'm optimistic about the possibilities.

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.