Brenda, so nice to have you back, and that you are feeling well, I wish you well, even more, what a glorious day it must be for you to be feeling so well that you feel like you can carry on with a dream of keeping bees.
I read your prior posts made in November and December of 2006. You told us about yourself there. Very nice. You have 9 acres that you want to grow bees on (and other stuff too eh? he, hee). You will restock that acreage with bees, we need bees, the honeybees and every new person that begins to keep bees is increasing the power of the pollination of the world, yeah!!!
Brenda, welcome back, again, I am so grateful for your healthy recovery, keep on keepin' on. The bees will help you to keep your stress levels down, they will increase serotonin levels incredibly, especially when you sit by your colonies, breathing in the pureness and beauty of the scents of the hives, the flowers, and the possibilities are endless.
If you can afford to get two packages, Brenda, you should. There are many advantages to two packages (1 is OK too, but I would go for 2). If you have a colony that for some reason becomes queenless, you can combine the queenless colony with the queenright colony, you can take brood from the stronger colony if one is weaker, there have been many posts on the value of two hives, versus one. Something to think about, but do. Have a wonderful and beautifully great day on this great planet we share. Cindi