2011 - Day One Hundred Fifty Two; Wednesday...

I keep forgetting I did not start the week until Tuesday, so I am short a day. This will be compounded by the fact that I am not going into the office on Friday, so I have no idea what day I will think it is on Friday. Does anybody really care...

This is a picture of the broody girl, she is not really the most contented lady in the coop, and if I did not know better, I would swear she was retaining water. She is really becoming 'full-figured' but she is not unfriendly; she just wants to be in the coop and in her nesting box. When I evict her from the coop, she immediately goes and gets water from the bee fountain, and then she is just fine. About 8 o'clock, I have to go out and open the door to the coop, just in case any of the other girls want to go in for a more legitimate reason, and she is always first in line. Weird. Four eggs today, and I do not think there is anything from her in several days. If she is not careful, she may end up in a stew pot. No, SERIOUSLY!

This is a photo of the hive that is really producing honey. The phenomenon depicted here is called 'bearding' and I think it is caused by heat inside the hive. Not sure. We will get a good bit of honey from this hive this year, and I am hoping we will get honey from the other two hives as well. AND, in the next couple of weeks, I need to get the other two hives cleaned up and ready, just in case one of the three surviving hives decides to swarm. That would be fun. Salvaging swarming bees is really not that complicated. Just gather them all up in a card board box, and dump them in a waiting hive. If you have any bees you want to get rid of, give me a call...

I also have a new bee house for Mason Bees, so far there is no activity, but I will keep a watch on the house. Mason Bees don't sting, don't make honey; all they do is pollinate. Good engouh!

The willow tree that is out close to the road (in a seep) is pretty with the setting sun behind it. I am really not fond of willows, because they need too much water, but this one was here when we moved, so I see no reason to mess with it. We keep it trimmed up a little bit, and it is one of those trees that loses a lot of limbs in the winds. Always a lot of debris around it after a good wind.

Jody reports that we have been having white morning glories for the last couple days. Of course when I leave in the mornings it is still relatively dark, and when I return in the afternoons the blooms have faded. It really reminds me of one of the Seinfeld episodes, remember the 'shrinkage' episode. That is pretty much what a spent morning glory makes me think of. Probably too much information.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHRINKAGE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!