Busy Bees

Well, I didn't get to checking the bees right at a week, as were busy and then a couple of rainy days, so I did get them checked at about day 12 or 13. The Italian bees seem to be living up to their reputation. They are known for being good comb producers and quick colony growers. When you first hive the bees, you leave one of the ten frames out of the hive to have a space for the queen cage to hang. When you check them that first time you take the cage out and replace that space with the tenth frame. This can be tricky, because bees make comb where ever there is space. Our bees, since we had given them a few extra days, had built a lot of what is called burr, natural, wild or brace comb--comb they made in the space. I got this all off of the frames and we all got to sample the sweet nectar and the pollen that was on some of it, delicious! It is true for us for some reason, the hardest part of bee keeping this far has been lighting the smoker...you use the smoker to calm the bees as you approach and open the hive. They either gorge on honey and don't mind you because the smoke makes them think a forest fire is near and they might have to move, or the smoke masks the pheremones they send to communicate danger.....either way it works, once you get it working! Here is Alex blowing smoke rings:).

I love the fog...

particurally when it is below us:) We get a lot of fog sometimes of year, this was a unique view of some this evening...

Grammie & Papa

Kurt's parents came to visit us for a week at the end of May. We had a fun week. Thank you for your help on the treehouse, you helped Kurt make huge progress, I know he is pleased! The kids made 'battery acid' shakes and 'cat litter' cookies during the visit, yum! We had several fun adventures. One day we went on a 22 mile bike ride down the Greenway off Bailey Cove to Ditto Landing and along the Tennesee River. It was lovely! Emma and I opted out at mile 17 to wait for pickup at the library, as we were tired. I would have never thought.........hmmmm, I'm pregnant, let's go on a 17 mile bike ride, but it was really enjoyable, I just got winded at the end. We also got to go and see the new Saturn V exhibit at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. If you haven't seen that, it is impressive up close, they have done a beautiful job of restoring this bit of history. We also enjoyed one of the first lunch concerts in Big Spring Park that day. Alex and Emma had a fun time sleeping in the motorhome, and Owen is still thinking Grammie and Papa are down the street in the park in the motorhome. He has a hard time grasping that they move around in the motorhome, that they aren't just there waiting still, even though i've shown him! We are glad Grammie and Papa got to see Kurt and Alex at Tae Kwon Do and see the new store while they were here. They also got several lessons on the Wii. We enjoyed celebrating Memorial Day at the pool with yummy potluck food, friends, and music. The pool also opened while they were here, and it's still icy, but the kids didn't mind at all! Thank you for coming to visit us!

Bees are Here!

After our dissapppointment with the chicken eggs earlier in the month, it was a real excitement to get our package of bees to hive in our beehive in the yard. A huge thank you to Tom Ricks for sharing one of his packages with us, thanks! Here is what the bees look like when they come via the mail. We kept them in the basement for about an hour and then I put them into the hive. The queen comes in a special cage that the other bees free her from after you place her in the hive, they do this by eating throught the 'candy' that plugs the cage entrance. We will leave them alone for a week or so and then check to see that she is laying eggs and all is well. We have been waiting for some bees for over a year now, so either it was the adrenaline from handling 3 lbs (11,000) of bees or it was a long awaited event, either way, we were all really joyous! They are really very peaceful and easy to handle. The kids and I built the hive last year from a kit with my sister maggie, but didn't get it started in time for last season, so a year later, hooray, they are here! Originally we were getting some Gray Caucasian bees ( a russian strain) but that farm didn't work out. These are Italian bees from Rossman Apiaries. The first day the ants found the hive, but a sprinkle of cinnamon around the hive and the top solved that problem. We are excited to watch them work.

Go Green!

Kurt and Alex both received their Green Belts in Tae Kwon Do this evening. We are so proud of them, Kurt on his leg's recovery especially. The belts will get harder from here. Alex is really enjoying the sparring class that they have added that he takes on Saturdays with Kurt. Go Green Belts!