Rosie arrived at Apifera with her mother, Rosie, in 2004. They were the building matriarchs of our current flock. We lost Rosie much too young in The Spring of Death, and it has meant Daisy as become even more precious to me over the years.
I retired her two seasons ago and she is on to her 10th year. I checked her teeth last night and she is down to only two in front, but has kept her weight on despite some arthritic hips.
Daisy has helped nurture us through her offspring. She has nurtured the land and soil by grazing and spreading her manure - all this without asking. She has earned her place as head of the flock and even though she is not the alpha of the herd, she is respected.
She will spend the rest of her days under Apifera sky, surrounded by generations of her clan. Someday she will return to the under earth to feed the millions of creatures that live their. She'll live on in the worms and insects and soil. Nothing will go to waste.
