Smithville Farm

06/02/2026

Today is (would have been) our 36th wedding anniversary.

It’s hard to put into words what that means when the person you planned to spend a wonderful day with is no longer here.

I’ve known my Dear Hubby since I was 16 years old. We dated for four years before we married, which means we spent over 40 years of our lives together. More than half of my life was spent loving him, laughing with him, raising a family with him, building dreams with him, and sharing adventures with him.

We took road trips, chased new experiences, tried things I never would have tried on my own, and built a life that was anything but ordinary. He made life exciting. He made life an adventure. He made life so fun.

One of the greatest adventures we ever took was building Smithville Farm together. He walked away from a good-paying career to help create this dream because, to us, time together mattered more than money ever could. We worked side by side doing something we loved, and every jar of honey, every market, every long day and late night became part of the story we were writing together.

Today, instead of celebrating 36 years of marriage together, I will be remembering him.

I’ll be remembering his laugh, his smile, his tenderness, his stubbornness, his kindness, and the countless memories we made over four decades. I’ll be remembering a man who loved deeply and lived fully.

My heart is broken in ways I never imagined possible, and I miss him more than words can ever express.

But I am also grateful.

Grateful that I got to love him.
Grateful that he loved me.
Grateful for every adventure, every mile traveled, every dream we built, and every year we were given together.

As I move forward, my daughter and I will continue carrying on Smithville Farm in his honor. This business was part of his dream, part of his legacy, and part of the life we built together. Through it, his story will continue, and so will the love that started it all.

Happy 36th Anniversary, my love.

I would give anything to celebrate with you one more time.

My love forever. Until we meet again. ❤️

06/01/2026

Tomorrow would have been our 36th wedding anniversary. It still is in my heart. I’ve been thinking about a lot of memories today.

05/31/2026

Today's experiment turned out pretty tasty.

Did you know you can make dehydrated fruit without a dehydrator?

Dear Hubby and I always used an Excalibur dehydrator to make stuff like this. But I always hated having to clean the trays.

Everything on this plate was made in my oven at 170°F with the door slightly cracked. About 5 hours later, I had homemade dehydrated pears, mangoes, apples, bananas, and honey-glazed strawberries.

Now for the important question…

Which one would you grab first? 🍐 Pears
🍎 Apples
🍌 Bananas
🍓 Strawberries
🥭 Mangoes

05/29/2026

Bee Fact Friday! 🐝

With all that has happened lately, it has been a while since I’ve done a Bee Fact Friday, so I thought this would be a good one after watching the bees today.

Dear Hubby and I always enjoyed watching the bees when they were doing this. It’s intriguing to see them repeat the same motion over and over for such a long time.

These bees are doing something beekeepers call washboarding. They move back and forth across the hive entrance in a scrubbing motion that looks like they’re cleaning the hive.

The funny thing is that scientists still aren’t completely sure why honey bees do it. Some of the theories include:

🐝 Cleaning, polishing, or spreading wax or propolis on the hive, especially around the entrance.

🐝 Removing microscopic debris that we can’t easily see.

🐝 A social behavior that helps maintain the colony’s environment.

What researchers do know is:

🐝 It’s performed by worker bees.

🐝 It often happens on warm days when there are plenty of workers available.

🐝 You may see dozens or even hundreds of bees doing it at the same time.

As a beekeeper, if you see washboarding on your hives, it’s usually a good sign that the colony is strong enough to have workers dedicated to housekeeping tasks beyond basic survival.

One thing we do know: it’s normal behavior and is often seen in healthy, busy colonies.

Have you ever noticed bees doing this before?

05/29/2026

Almost every night we could hear owls hooting on our farm. I would entertain myself — and make my Dear Hubby smile — by hooting back to them for as long as they would answer. I felt like I had become a master at owl sounds. 🦉

Well, this beauty is the first owl I’ve ever been able to get a really good photo of. I didn’t hear this one call out, so I don’t know if it was one I had my “owl conversations” with, but it was the first barred owl I’ve ever seen this close.

I honestly credit the experience to my Dear Hubby trying to make me smile. I like thinking he’s sending me little happy moments from heaven.

Does anyone else randomly find themselves calling back to birds… or is that just me? 🤷‍♀️

05/28/2026

A little bittersweet moment here at Smithville Farm. ❤️

These are the first two honeys I’ve made completely on my own since my Dear Hubby passed away.

He had always made them before, and I never imagined doing this part without him. But I know he would want me to keep going and continue sharing the things we loved.

Honestly, stepping into this part has been emotional. But I’m trying my best to carry on the wonderful things he created and keep moving forward one small step at a time.

They aren’t labeled yet… but I thought it might be fun to see if anyone can guess the flavors before I reveal them. 🍯🐝

One is sweet and full of taste sensations
One is sweet and compliments everything

Any guesses?

05/27/2026

For anyone that wanted to watch the interview about Steven here is the link to the news station report.

A green country woman is honoring the memory of her husband by raising awareness of the importance having access to an EpiPen in a medical emergency.For the pas

05/26/2026

Yesterday's interview about my Dear Hubby has been confirmed to air on KTUL Channel 8 (ABC) at 10 PM tonight (Tuesday). If you’re watching, I hope you’ll tune in. I haven’t seen it yet myself, so I’m hoping it turned out well.

More than anything, I want people to know how deeply loved he was and what a truly wonderful man he was. I also hope sharing our story encourages others to stay safe and prepared.

For anyone who doesn’t have access to the channel, I’ll share a link to the interview as soon as I receive it.

Thank you all so much for the love, support, and prayers during this time.

05/26/2026

I stepped a little outside my comfort zone today and did an interview with KTUL Channel 8 (ABC) to talk about my husband, the tragedy our family experienced, and the importance of quick access to emergency allergy treatment.

It may air Tuesday night around 10 PM, but I’ll update once I know the exact time.

I never imagined sharing something this personal publicly, but if it encourages someone to take the chances of an unexpected severe reaction seriously or keep lifesaving medication nearby, then maybe something good can come from it.

Please hug your people tight and take the chances of an unexpected severe allergic reaction seriously. ❤️

05/25/2026

I’ve been seeing a pair of Summer Tanagers around the farm lately, and the bright red male has decided the window is apparently his greatest rival. 😂

Every single day he comes back multiple times to fuss at his reflection, puff up, and defend his territory. Meanwhile, I’ve spotted the softer golden female quietly sitting on one of the driveway hives watching everything around her.

What fascinates me most about Summer Tanagers is that they’re known for eating bees and wasps. They’ll catch them, then beat them against a branch or hard surface to remove the stinger before eating them.

Nature never stops amazing me.

A tiny bird somehow knows how to safely handle something that can sting it. Instinct, experience, creation… however you see it, it would be incredible to witness.

And honestly, moments like this make me miss my husband even more. He was the kind of person I would’ve immediately called outside to come look at these birds with me. He would’ve loved learning about them and watching their little personalities around the hives.

Now I catch myself noticing these things alone… but somehow sharing them here still feels a little like sharing them with him too.

I was glad they stayed and posed so nicely for me to get a photo.

Did you know some birds are smart enough to remove stingers before eating bees or wasps?