Goodbye Mr. Winter

We've had more winter this year than I can remember for some time. But I finally believe it is over because the bees know. And one of our bee hives swarmed.



In the Spring before the "honey flow," bees sometimes get it into their little heads to swarm. A strong colony will divide itself into two smaller colonies and the Queen and a bunch of bees will leave their hive in search of a new home. Some bees will remain in the old hive and will raise up a new Queen, who must then mate and begin growing up the hive again.

The swarming bees will all of a sudden pour out of the hive entrance in a massive swirl, filling the air with a tornado of bees. They will find a branch or something similar and will congregate into a mass that looks like it hangs down from the branch.



The bees will "hang out" for a limited period of time while they determine where to move the colony. As beekeepers, we have our own ideas about where they should live. In fact, Kurt had a new beehive just about ready. Unfortunately, the bees settled on a fairly high branch and we weren't prepared to recover a swarm that high in the air. Kurt called a beekeeper friend and then raced to collect a swarm grabbing tool - a bucket on a stick. He had to get back before the bees left once and for all.



Our friends came with the bucket. James went after the swarm.



After cutting down some lower branches, James eased the bucket under the swarm. Then he smacked the branch.



The vibration dislodged the cluster of bees. They dropped into the bucket and James closed the lid with the attached string. Kurt and James dropped the bees into a new hive box and if all goes well, we will have five hives of bees instead of the four we had a couple of days ago.

Granted, the bee swarm rearranged our priorities yesterday but we are very excited about the new hive. Gregory quickly reminded everyone he was promised the first swarm of bees so the new bee hive will be Gregory's. He wants to raise honey and sell it to earn money. I hope he prospers with it. Especially since he will have to reimburse us for the equipment first.

I finally finished Asa's sweater and it fits perfectly.



He loved it and I am glad. I loved the lack of fabric bunching in his arm pits. Little people just don't have clothes stores to shop. Everyone should have at least a few clothes that absolutely fit. I am so blessed I was able to give Asa his first custom piece of clothing.



I'm so grateful the Lord gave me that nudge a few months ago, even if the sweater did not get finished until Winter finished too.

Early Harvest and New Bees

Since I have been taking pictures periodically, I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted to my blog until I started looking at the pictures on my camera. Apparently it has been awhile.

We've been very busy in the garden over the last few weeks. With all of the rain falling in the area, I've worked long and hard on the dry days. Fortunately, we had a multi-week dry spell in April and I planted most of the garden during that time.



The lettuce has been growing well despite hail and flooding rains. We even managed to get some nice salads from thinning the lettuces a couple weeks ago.



We are now starting to enjoy salad more regularly from full grown salad greens and have even had enough to share.



There is something about eating fresh out of the garden that just can't be beat.



I think the only thing better is perusing the garden for fresh vegetables and salad and then serving it with home raised chicken or turkey.



I really like the homesteading lifestyle.



Some of the warm weather vegetables have started growing. The corn is up.



And the sugar cane looks great.

I love looking out over the garden.



Our pool deck rises above the garden and provides views of the woods and our neighbor's pasture.



Our neighbor runs sheep and miniature horses in the pasture.



The horses are just beautiful.



And this year a baby plays around the pasture to the delight of us all.



He really is the cutest little thing.



And so curious.



We've added some new livestock to our homestead this Spring.



These are organically raised, small cell bees.



We ran into trouble with our last bees when hive beetles and wax moths attacked and we didn't want to use chemicals. The bees came from a standard commercial apiary where chemicals had been used and the bees couldn't make it without them. This time we are starting with bees raised in line with our own anti-chemical beliefs.



Everyone has been excited about our new Russian residents. They are not supposed to be as gentle as the Italians we formerly owned, but so far Kurt has been working the bees without his bee suit.



And the kids enjoyed helping to set up the hives. All the frames needed wax foundation before they could be installed. Gabrielle got the hang of the work quickly and Michael decided pushing pins into the box was help enough.



The kids are growing up so fast and I'm glad we've been able to raise them in the country.



Of course Gabrielle told me today she hasn't yet decided if she is a country girl or a city girl. So far she thinks she'd like to live in the country, but close to a city.



Michael has really grown.



And he tries to micro-manage everything in the house, driving us all batty. He's a bit too smart for his own good and already thinks he knows everything.

We took the kids to a barn party a couple of weeks ago. The party was a work thing for Kurt. We all had fun.



Michael spotted the jumping thing immediately and couldn't wait to play, unlike in times past. In fact, he wanted to stay when I returned to the barn. Normally Michael glues himself to my side.



Of course he wasn't alone since I had Gregory and Gabrielle keeping an eye on him. Still, it was a big step for Michael.

My favorite part of the evening involved catching up with friends I hadn't seen in awhile.



Since leaving Gulf Breeze, there are people I just don't get to see very often. Barbara is one of them. She is a dear friend and I miss her a great deal. I loved getting a chance to see her for awhile at the barn party.