Hesitating in pushing up the lid, I blink, and then look back over my shoulder with a soft chuckle. "That escalated quickly. Most people say family business and mean the corner store."

The light's not great back here, but if I angle the lid the right way, I can easily enough see that there's the beginning of a hive attached to the bottom, and I smile. Unpredictable weather aside, I have a feeling it's going to get cold quickly, and this is one less thing we have to worry about on the other side of it.

"Can you see this?" I ask, and step carefully out of the way to try and let Bruce see the little colony. "It'll grow downward from here, through the hollow stump. We should have honey next spring."

I gently replace the lid and head back, brushing off my hands. "So you were CEO?"