Today was one of those really lovely autumn days that make up for Maryland summers. It's cold enough in the morning to make you reluctant to crawl out of bed, but you're glad to be up once you are, and by afternoon it's warmed up to shirtsleeve weather and the sunlight is painfully beautiful.

A perfect day for messing about with the bees for the first time. My group's hive is a fairly poor one- no supers, and in the top brood box there was less than half a frame of honey, so we're going to be feeding them honey instead of harvesting it. But the bees were demoralized enough to be wonderfully good-tempered and we pulled the hive apart and explored it. There are few things as beautiful as a frame covered with honeybees, old-gold and black, huddled together in filigree. We didn't find the queen but we got to see a new worker just as it was emerging. However, I hate bee gauntlets with the venom of a thousand stings, and will be going bare-handed as soon as I think I can get away with it.

There's a white pine tree outside the chemistry building, so I stole some plastic bags from the dairy and spent my free fifteen minutes gathering shats to use in the smokers. The pine smoke smells wonderful; like forest and family. Also, It turns out that starfishumd is in my chemistry lecture, so we maybe we can help each other endure the slings and arrows of an unkind lecture. The first quiz of the year was today, and I've embarked on a project of paraphrasing the student honor pledge into all the common short verse forms in English.

The afternoon was just too nice to crawl into my bed and nap after class, so instead I pulled out my hammock and had a nice rest under the fruit trees on the Mall, eating homemade oatmeal chocolate cookies and reading a Victorian travelogue. Four different people expressed desire for a hammock of their own, and that was just while I was awake!

When it began to get chilly in the shade I trudged back home. I have quite a bit of homework, writing, and 'net stuff to do, but if it stays this nice tomorrow I think I'll try an all-day bike ride.

And life goes on, always.