Emma's only ewe lamb (before the one born last Sunday) just had her first baby this afternoon - a little ram lamb. Only one, but that's good for a first-timer.
Mom's name is Dorothy, and her little lamb is almost completely white, except for some black around his nose and mouth. I didn't see him being born, but I went to put some spare honey out for my bees and there he was. I didn't have my glasses on so at first I couldn't tell what the white thing was laying in the grass. He's our least colored sheep yet!
Since I mentioned them - my bees are going nuts over the warm weather we're having. I put a gallon of sugar syrup out for them on Saturday afternoon and my Tuesday afternoon it was all gone. And they're a little aggressive right now - especially if you are consuming or recently consumed something sweet. This afternoon at least a hundred bees were buzzing around the chicken feed. It's mostly ground corn and the bees are after the corn sugar. So I had some old honey hanging around and took it out to them as a bribe to leave the chicken feed alone!
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Welcome to 2011!
Okay - it's resolution time: this year I resolve to embrace change with less fear, and I resolve to resume writing here to keep my friends and family better updated on our farm life.
The second half of 2010 was filled with working on our house. We're down to electricity, insulation and wall board. There's a few other small things, like some finish plumbing and temporary permanent flooring, that will also need to be done around the time we move in. The toilets are in, as well as the wood-burning stove. I am reminded of where we were at New Year's Day 2010 - not knowing that we faced shoveling snow out of our living room three times (once over 7 inches) before winter gave up.
As long as the weather stays nice, early this afternoon I will check on my bees and give each hive a candy board to give them a food boost for the winter. A candy board is exactly what it sounds like and give my hives extra food just in case they run out of honey before spring.
My primary task for today - which is a beautiful day, so far - is fencing for my male animals. A lot of my animals are free-range right now, and I need to get that under a modicum of control. After the boys, I'll finish the sheep fencing I started a couple of weeks ago, then the female goats and finally the chickens. Not all today, but tops on the "To Do List".
The second half of 2010 was filled with working on our house. We're down to electricity, insulation and wall board. There's a few other small things, like some finish plumbing and temporary permanent flooring, that will also need to be done around the time we move in. The toilets are in, as well as the wood-burning stove. I am reminded of where we were at New Year's Day 2010 - not knowing that we faced shoveling snow out of our living room three times (once over 7 inches) before winter gave up.
As long as the weather stays nice, early this afternoon I will check on my bees and give each hive a candy board to give them a food boost for the winter. A candy board is exactly what it sounds like and give my hives extra food just in case they run out of honey before spring.
My primary task for today - which is a beautiful day, so far - is fencing for my male animals. A lot of my animals are free-range right now, and I need to get that under a modicum of control. After the boys, I'll finish the sheep fencing I started a couple of weeks ago, then the female goats and finally the chickens. Not all today, but tops on the "To Do List".
Monday, July 26, 2010
So bloomin' busy!
I'm trying to keep up, myself. We went with Girl Scouts out West this June (troop1156@blogspot.com) and I've been trying to make up those two weeks ever since we got back. There was a lot of rain in June, which is great for the garden, pastures and bees, but July's been pretty dry. Our animals are doing all right, but only because we have plenty of pasture and woods for them to forage around. One farmer said today that if it doesn't rain soon, they will have to start feeding hay to their cattle.
With heat indexes over 100°F just about every day for the past month, doing anything is hot, sweaty work. But we are making slow progress. Charles and Joe Kramer started clearing for new fencing the first week in July and we finally finished it and put animals on the correct side of the fence two weeks ago. So far, four of my eight males are where they're supposed to me (although that could change at any minute). I'm still working on that. Of the four "Good Goats" one of them is a replacement ram. We brought "Lurch" home last Wednesday and he seems quite happy with Belt, Spot and Flint. Lurch is a Jacobs/Dorper cross, and comes to us from the same farm that we got Cousin It from a couple years ago. For those of you who don't remember, Cousin It starred in Christmas Eve dinner, because he couldn't keep his horns to himself.
The house is also moving slowly along. The crawl space is now framed out, and we have to put down a moisture barrier before we can put on the metal siding. I can't wait until my house turns red. Along with the completed siding, we will also install the soffit and woodburning stove chimney, while we have the big manlift on site. My fingers are crossed that the metal will start going up this weekend.
With heat indexes over 100°F just about every day for the past month, doing anything is hot, sweaty work. But we are making slow progress. Charles and Joe Kramer started clearing for new fencing the first week in July and we finally finished it and put animals on the correct side of the fence two weeks ago. So far, four of my eight males are where they're supposed to me (although that could change at any minute). I'm still working on that. Of the four "Good Goats" one of them is a replacement ram. We brought "Lurch" home last Wednesday and he seems quite happy with Belt, Spot and Flint. Lurch is a Jacobs/Dorper cross, and comes to us from the same farm that we got Cousin It from a couple years ago. For those of you who don't remember, Cousin It starred in Christmas Eve dinner, because he couldn't keep his horns to himself.
The house is also moving slowly along. The crawl space is now framed out, and we have to put down a moisture barrier before we can put on the metal siding. I can't wait until my house turns red. Along with the completed siding, we will also install the soffit and woodburning stove chimney, while we have the big manlift on site. My fingers are crossed that the metal will start going up this weekend.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A month gone, just like that!
It's been a busy month, not only with the house, but with farm work, graduations and Girl Scouts. I doubt it will be much quieter for the next month, so I thought I really should stop for a few minutes to update everyone on our progress.
Quote from Charles: "Those people on Extreme Home Makeover really misrepresent how long it takes to build a house. I thought we'd be at this stage by about Day 12."
All the windows have been installed in the house, as well as the roof trim and ridge cap. We bought our windows at a Habitat for Humanity Rehome auction about three years ago, thanks in most part to the auctioneer, my cousin John Potts. Our windows used to be in the hospital in Henderson (KY)and only cost us $130 TOTAL, for about twice as many windows as we need. Each one was taken apart, cleaned and the corners resealed with silicon. And considering they've been in the barn all that time, they look like brand new.
May on the farm means it's time to bring in the hay and put out the garden. My vegetable garden was nearly doubled this year to get ready for ramped up production. The new part will take a couple of years to condition, but it's nice to look at. The weather really heated up this spring, with days already in the 80s and 90sF. Seedlings really struggle to get started, but we're getting there. I still have to put in some tomatoes, peppers, egg plant and basil. And I'd really like to be done by today! We're also receiving three new beehives from some good friends that are moving to Malaysia soon.
We did a deal with a neighbor and he cut and baled hay for us. About 5 acres of hay gives us 185 bales of about 70 pounds each (or nearly 13,000 lbs total). In return, he gets to cut a further 20 acres for his own use. It may sound a little unfair, but considering the time and fuel it takes us to cut those 5 acres, we came out winners! The only problem was his timing was off - he started baling hay at about 3pm on Saturday. So we had about 3 hours to haul in those 185 bales, get cleaned up and at Graduation by 6pm. We made it, but it was hard work!
I attended both Union County Middle and High School graduations last week. Three of my Girl Scouts - Ashley, Gretchen and Katelyn - will move up to the high school next fall, and Ashley's older sister Kristen graduated high school. I don't think I've been to a high school graduation since I graduated, and it was nice to see so many people attending.
Quote from Charles: "Those people on Extreme Home Makeover really misrepresent how long it takes to build a house. I thought we'd be at this stage by about Day 12."
All the windows have been installed in the house, as well as the roof trim and ridge cap. We bought our windows at a Habitat for Humanity Rehome auction about three years ago, thanks in most part to the auctioneer, my cousin John Potts. Our windows used to be in the hospital in Henderson (KY)and only cost us $130 TOTAL, for about twice as many windows as we need. Each one was taken apart, cleaned and the corners resealed with silicon. And considering they've been in the barn all that time, they look like brand new.
May on the farm means it's time to bring in the hay and put out the garden. My vegetable garden was nearly doubled this year to get ready for ramped up production. The new part will take a couple of years to condition, but it's nice to look at. The weather really heated up this spring, with days already in the 80s and 90sF. Seedlings really struggle to get started, but we're getting there. I still have to put in some tomatoes, peppers, egg plant and basil. And I'd really like to be done by today! We're also receiving three new beehives from some good friends that are moving to Malaysia soon.
We did a deal with a neighbor and he cut and baled hay for us. About 5 acres of hay gives us 185 bales of about 70 pounds each (or nearly 13,000 lbs total). In return, he gets to cut a further 20 acres for his own use. It may sound a little unfair, but considering the time and fuel it takes us to cut those 5 acres, we came out winners! The only problem was his timing was off - he started baling hay at about 3pm on Saturday. So we had about 3 hours to haul in those 185 bales, get cleaned up and at Graduation by 6pm. We made it, but it was hard work!
I attended both Union County Middle and High School graduations last week. Three of my Girl Scouts - Ashley, Gretchen and Katelyn - will move up to the high school next fall, and Ashley's older sister Kristen graduated high school. I don't think I've been to a high school graduation since I graduated, and it was nice to see so many people attending.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Oh, honey!
We finally have honey. I went down to the hives to do an inspection and there was capped honey up in the honey super (the layer of box with short frames to "catch" honey). So I stole it!
I don't have a machine to centrifuge the honey out of the comb, so I used the crush and drip method. I cut the comb off the frame, just dripping with honey, then mashed it all together with a potato masher. Then I put it all into a fine wire collander and let the honey drip out of the mash into a pan. It took 24 hours, but I got good, clear honey. Just under 4 pounds of it.
The beeswax went into a homemade solar wax melter, to be melted and filtered. I think I will use the wax to make more beauty products for sale - lip balm and perfume balm.
I have less honey than I would usually expect, but since I had a hive die last winter due to starvation, I decided to leave most of the honey stores in the hive. I didn't take any honey out of my second hive, because it was just started this year. Next year I hope to harvest from both of these hives.
I don't have a machine to centrifuge the honey out of the comb, so I used the crush and drip method. I cut the comb off the frame, just dripping with honey, then mashed it all together with a potato masher. Then I put it all into a fine wire collander and let the honey drip out of the mash into a pan. It took 24 hours, but I got good, clear honey. Just under 4 pounds of it.
The beeswax went into a homemade solar wax melter, to be melted and filtered. I think I will use the wax to make more beauty products for sale - lip balm and perfume balm.
I have less honey than I would usually expect, but since I had a hive die last winter due to starvation, I decided to leave most of the honey stores in the hive. I didn't take any honey out of my second hive, because it was just started this year. Next year I hope to harvest from both of these hives.
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