Swarming

In the days past from our busy bee activities there have been episodes of swarming. Katrina's hive split not once but twice and swarmed. So did Marie's. Then today a call from a friend who had a neighbor who had a swarm in their Crepe Myrtle tree. So who did I call ? My bee mentors of course. Katrina was otherwise occupied but Marie came to the rescue.

 The swarm above in the tree. It had been there about one week according to the Olsen's.                                                                                                                                                                      

The Olsen's and Marie while she explains her plan of action. When bee's swarm they gorge themselves on the honey stores, which often leaves the swarm lazy and full. Therefore an easy target to take command of.

Our swarm was eager to jump into the box after Marie gave them a gentle brushing. But not for long. They entered and swarmed again at least twice while we were there.

Finally Marie decided that the best plan of action was to let the swarm and box sit tight until sunset. The light and the mild breeze was not helping our cause.

This all took place at about 4 PM today. At 7 ish I got a call from Marie advising me that she had gone back to the Olsen residence and the bees had swarmed again onto a branch on a nearby Redwood tree. Mr. Olsen gave Marie the go ahead to clip away the branch therefore securing the swarm and she proceeded to take them back with her to the Frey ranch where Marie resides.
The bees will need feeding through the winter since they don't have the needed amount of honey at the ready to survive a winter. The Olsen's gracefully offered to help with the cost of keeping them in feed and Geoffrey and I will help where needed.

Considering the plight of honey bees around the globe I am going to bed feeling very good about this !

Bee Move In Progress

I have been checking on the bee's daily. By Thursday at night fall they had calmed down and appeared to be accessing the hive and settling in. On Friday morning at day break there was no activity yet and this didn't cause me worry as the temperature was only 42 degrees. On checking back mid morning the hive was a buzz and the bees were making "pollen gathering missions" on a regular basis.

This morning before heading to work I checked the hive again a bit after sunrise. We have had warmer temperatures the last two days and the activity was increased. I began to quietly gather up some of the older frames and took them up the hill to the barn.

At work I spoke with Marie, both she and Katrina were busy Friday and through this weekend with the local   Sol Fest   
So they won't be able to return until next week with the self feeder and some input as to if the space we have chosen is the best for the bees. Geoffrey has already planned a bee lean to so to speak and is wanting to get it started. There is much to do at the farm in the Fall and we also need to get a brooder going for the chicks that will arrive sometime next month.

Thanks to Ramil and Treasure Evermore for their visits and comments. Now it is time for bed as it has been a long day. More bee business to come!

First Full Day of Fall and Things Are Buzzing!

When we moved here in 2006 we discovered that there was a beehive on our property. In the last four years with dreams of honey dancing in our heads I have uncovered a "bee trail" as it were. Evidently the original owners nephew began to keep bees in the mid to late 1960's. Time marches on and the hive that is left ( the only one of the original 10) is somewhere between 50 and / or less years old. I have no documentation on if anyone intervened after the initial undertaking.

So today was moving day for my hive. My friends Katrina and Marie, experienced bee keepers, came to the rescue at Walnetto Farm. The goal will be to finally move the hive to an area better situated for "happy bees". It will need to be slow going as bees need be moved no more than 3 feet (if that) in a day. I will keep you all posted on how it goes. I am just so very happy that the bees have new digs. As the older ones were , ah, made me feel like a Bee Slum Lord!

Thoughtful Thursday

Second day of September. Yesterday was Geoffrey's 62 birthday. Opps, how is this possible? Wasn't just yesterday that young, dashing fellow of 21 that stole my heart with the help of this horse?

Time does fly most surely. But on yesterday with his birthday dinner, homemade cheese cake and lovely graphite drawing of Walnetto (who our farm is named after) he was again 21. I promise photos of the lovely drawing good friends in Madera did as his gift at my request. They have three very talented daughters and I am always in awe when I request a gift in the form of artwork by them. Some women marry for $$ some for power and some for looks. Not this girl I married because of a 3/4 Quarter/1/4 Morgan trained for cutting/roping and pleasure. O.k. the guy who owned him wasn't half bad either!

So the new cable should show up soon and I can download allot of photos. And many of you may ask if Ari will be held financially responsible for it? Not this time but next time I may sell all her kibble for cost of what she chews.      

Today was hodgepodge day. Errands, trip up the hill to visit a goat friend Karen Smith of Wingwood Farm http://www.wingwoodfarm.com/   for a bit and check out how the pig I am purchasing from her is coming along. I also found a suitor for Razamataz my 6 month old Nubian doe. Will breed her after our trip in October to Fresno Fair. The granddaughters have been begging for a goat show so this is the best option. 

After visiting with Karen, who is always fun to be with, I headed to the Dr. for an adjustment. Hip was out and causing a good deal of discomfort. Now all is well again and should remain that way until I unload the next load of alfalfa. Someday I may realize I am getting too old to do that. But until then I have my great Dr. to put stuff back where it belongs!  

Have a wonderful evening and may Fall come soon to your part of the woods!       

                                                                                                                                  

False Promises, sigh

Remember how in the last post I promised pictures? Pictures of my families visit? And I have photos of my deck and yard by the light of the lovely most recent full moon. And photos of a lovely Cinderella pumpkin a friend gave me that I will can. And more photos of today's canning adventure.

Now remember this puppy?  I know this sweet puppy face, those 
innocent eyes, that vacant stare.


Move forward 6 months to this juvenile delinquent, er young dog, spawn of Satan. How could I say such horrible things about this dear, sweet young thing? Jaws of steel, industrial strength chewer she is. Sofas, leather chairs and an occasional cat quake in her presence.And the "dear, sweet, young thing" has added another victim to her list. What you may ask?

The UCB cable for my digital camera. I guess one night when I was typing away and the JD (see above) was or appeared to be sleeping blissfully at my feet under the desk with the computer cables, the little wench was actually gnawing away. No doubt in payback for some imagined sin on my part!

So it will be awhile before you see those photos. And I will spend my time searching Ebay for the best bargain on the needed part.

Zip went July and now here's August!

My humble apologies for lagging so far behind. I can give reasons, not excuses, but that is besides the point. For two and one half weeks of July we had a lively house. The first week our son Geoff and his family came with daughter Annie's oldest Emily in tow. We took the sailboat to Lake Mendocino for a day, went to the coast for a day and just sort of hung out the remainder of the time.

I drove to Fresno after the first crew left and picked up Claire, Annie's 8 y.o. making her first solo trip to visit. We pretty much repeated the activities from the first visit but Claire and I added a day in San Fransisco. We spent about 4 hours the museum and aquarium in Golden Gate Park http://www.calacademy.org/. We then took a drive down Lombard St. http://www.sftravel.com/lomabardcrookedstreet.html  and Claire wasn't too impressed with that as she "thought it would go on and on and on." Lastly Gammie bit the bullet and we did the major tourist scene at Pier 39 http://www.pier39.com/index.cfm having a nice dinner at restaurant there with a view of the famous sea lions http://www.pier39.com/Attractions/index.htm .

Annie came up on the Amtrak the last Sunday and was able to stay over two nights. So we all went to Lake Mendocino with the boat again for a day. Everyone had a blast including Ari who is so hardwired for swimming it is amazing. Before anyone post about the lead - it is quite long and we are very careful with her. Until she is a bit older we keep her on lead at all times.

So what you may ask what am I doing now that everyone is gone? I work 2-3 days a week at the Vet. clinic still. At home there is much to do this time of the year. So far I have put up two batches of Bread and Butter pickles and one batch of carrots. I have tomatoes to tackle next. Our weather was cool and wet so late into the year the tomatoes are just beginning to get ripe. I anticipate that they will all ripen at the same time and I will find myself in the kitchen putting up allot of those.

Sorry about the lack of photos but when the kids and grandbebes were here I got very few photos. I just wanted to take the time to enjoy them. The few I got are still on the camera and I will take them off soon.

Trust your summer is going well and life is wonderful for you and yours!

It' showtime and other stuff

Last weekend (6-4 to 6-6) I spent in the lovely village of Ferndale. Um , wait, let us correct that - last weekend I spent the weekend on the fairgrounds of the lovely village of Ferndale www.victorianferndale.com/ and the only time I saw Ferndale was hauling in and out. But it is lovely!

My dear friend Donna and I went to the Humboldt Co. Dairy Goat Club show there. I must say the grounds were nice, the showers came clean and with unlimited hot water (every goat persons dream) and the host club was friendly, efficient and hard working.

It was a kick back show for us. We each brought 2 dry yearlings and Donna brought her 2 y.o. buck DRD Adhamh Patrick. Red is the sire of my crop of Nubian kids this year and a fine crop they are. We opted to clean up the livestock trailer and sleep in it. Donna has this incredible bed that inflates with the help of a truck battery and converter to a queen size 2 foot off the ground real live bed. Now add to that a portable DVD player with CD's and you can say Best Western eat your heart out!

Chef Donna cooked both mornings  my home grown (or is that laid) eggs with fried potatoes, onions and toast. I got the hang of camp coffee (it has been awhile) and we had a blast. Thank God for the Boy Scout troop running the concession stand as we forgot the catsup and I made a nice donation for some at the window.

Did I fail to mention the wine that was sipped while propped up against the Circle J head board while enjoying Thelma and Louise and the Bucket List. Of course I need to fess up to being grateful that we had both seen these movies before. Between a 12 hours show day on Saturday and traveling and settling in on Friday we both nodded off not far into either flick.

But it was worth it. Donna's dry does and mine got some lessons in show etiquette and Red got 2 legs towards the 3 he needs to be a permanent champion like Dad Patrick was. This line is from the Hidden Meadows herd and Donna has built over the last 10 years a lovely herd. I feel lucky to have quads from Red  even though I only got 1 doe in the 4.  

We both entered the cheese competition and I was lucky enough to get 1st place soft cheese and Best in Show. I have been making cheese for 20 years and my dream is still to become legal and do artisan goat cheese on a small scale. So this was a real treat for me. The judges were a commercial cheese producer and a chef.

My doeling Raz-ma-taz by Red.

To the right home sweet home for the weekend and Chef Donna doing her thing.