Spring is here, and the hill has officially entered its growth spurt. Wildflowers are exploding, the birds are loud about it, and I’ve managed to collect new orange paint decals on my truck thanks to a tractor attachment that had me calling in reinforcements.

 

I’m also starting an apiary on the hill. Because apparently I like steep learning curves as much as I do steep roads.

 

The Memory Tree has five new keepsakes moving in the branches, which might be my favorite part of this season. 

 

And since the last letter, 361 more tiny lives have come to rest on the hill.

 

Mercury retrograde ends today, which feels like the perfect time to tell you about the day it was in full force. If you’re in to that kind of thing, you’ll understand :).

 

I’d just gotten a new 3-point hitch for the tractor, which was supposed to make attaching my brush hog way easier. I backed in wrong, got the whole thing stuck, and the pin got so wedged that I couldn’t detach it or move the mower. I was out there for hours trying everything I could think of, including an impressive amount of YouTube videos (who knew there were so many?).

 

Eventually, I had to share my “oops” and call in reinforcements. My husband Scott made a trip to Lowe’s for tow ropes and with help from my Ranger pickup truck, we finally got it unstuck. Crisis averted.

 

Or so I thought.

 

I hopped into my truck to drive it out of the way so I could start mowing, and then I drove it right into my box scraper. Oops. Again. 

 

So now my truck has some fresh orange paint decals (and a slightly detached fender) courtesy of the scraper. Not to mention my license plate now reads MYVI instead of MYVINE. Good thing it’s already a beater.

It's almost comically well timed that mercury retrograde ends on the spring equinox, like the universe knew it needed a clean reset. Come to think of it, that’s probably a good thing, because I’m adding bees to the mix…

This spring also marks the beginning of something I’ve been working toward for over a year. I’m starting an apiary on the hill!

 

I’ve been fascinated by bees since 2023, and that fascination turned into me reaching out to commercial beekeepers to see if they’d be interested in putting hives on the property. Two of them came out to take a look, and they both said the same thing. The access road is too steep (about a 22 percent grade) and driving their big trucks up here would be a nightmare.

 

So I decided to take matters into my own hands :).

 

Over the past year I’ve been taking beekeeping courses, attending lectures, and diving into bee medicine. I’ve learned about colony health, hive dynamics, and how bees interact with their environment. The more I learned, the more it felt like the perfect fit for this land. We have oaks, citrus groves, and avocado orchards nearby. The wildflowers are already here doing their thing.

 

Supporting pollinators feels like part of the same circle of care. I’m caring for the land that holds the pets, and now I’m caring for the bees that help keep the whole system alive.

 

On May 15, I’ll drive to Riverside to pick up my first two nucs. That’s two queens and about 10,000 of their friends, give or take. Then I’ll drive them back up a 22 percent grade in my dented white truck with its new orange paint decal.

 

And who knows. Maybe someday I’ll become a bee vet. There’s something about it that keeps calling to me.

While I’ve been getting the hill ready for bees, five new keepsakes have joined Bauer on the Memory Tree this season: JR Ewing, Penny, Cliff, Pippen, and Billy. Each one tells a story, and each pet was deeply loved.

 

Creating these keepsakes has become one of my favorite parts of this work. I get to learn the little details that made each pet who they were, and then translate that into something tangible that hangs on the tree and moves with the wind. It’s a creative outlet that fills my cup in a way I didn’t see coming.

 

If you’d like a keepsake made for your pet, whether they rest here or not, you can create one anytime. I’d be honored to make it. Each keepsake supports the care and long-term protection of this hillside sanctuary.

 

Since the last newsletter, 361 more pets have found their resting place here.

The hill is doing what it’s meant to do. Receiving them into the land, and giving families a place to know their pet is cared for.

 

The wildflowers this season have been unreal. I’ve been walking the property with my phone, capturing photos of each type, and using Google Lens to figure out the names. Spring has a way of making everything feel more alive, and I wanted to share a few of those moments with you.

 

Spring on this hill is a mix of new life and real work. The landscape and wildlife waking up, wildflowers everywhere, tractor mistakes, and soon, bees. And in the middle of all of it, the Memory Tree keeps growing, one story at a time.

 

I’m grateful to be here, and to care for this place. Here’s to what summer brings, and I’ll see you again when the season turns.