This is my eighth year of growing cigar tobacco from seed. What started out as a curiosity, just to see if I could do it, ended up in a stockpile of cured tobacco, which needs to be rolled. My rolling skills have improved but nowhere near what the pros can do. It’s an art form but must be functional. What I’ve rolled may look good, but they don’t smoke as good simply because I haven’t gotten down the technique, which affects the draw and burn.

This is my third year of keeping bees. I use the Flow Hive, which allows you to turn a key and let honey flow straight to the jar. No placing frames in a honey extractor. While honey collection may be easier with the Flow Hive, you still have to routinely inspect the hives for a variety of pests, including small hive beetles and varroa mites, plus other threats to the hive of which there are many. And they may just up and leave the hive, called absconding, or swarm on you, where about half the hive takes off for a roomier home. It has been a learning experience, that’s for sure!