The first official day of fall... finds us in the pumpkin patch and enjoying the sights, sounds and colors of the season. Reagan didn't seem so sure being "stuck" on this pile of hay with big orange things all around....
Maybe he is thinking... " I wish those feet of mine would work properly.. then I could get out of here".....
But, being the good sport that he usually is... we got that wonderful smile from him...eventually.....
Course, it was also a good field trip for Deb as well... and photo opts too...
They're probably both wondering "how long must we sit here, and doesn't she have enough photos"....
"this is boring!!!!"
The day was beautiful, fall is my favorite time of year....
We broke in to see what the "girls" have been up to these past few days. It won't be long before we will need to button things up for the winter, and I can tell they feel the same way, because the hive is alive with activity. I went over to the bee shop to a little seminar in "wrapping up for the winter" so I feel like I know what I need to do.
On our last couple of checks, we haven't taken the whole hive apart, but we did today, going all the way down to the bottom box. This is the brood chamber, and it looks good. The bees will stop having brood when the winter comes, but for now, we saw "babies" in the works, so they are still producing. (the white things you see in the comb are baby bees -- the yellow is stored pollen)...
The second box, which is also brood chamber had a good number of workers, we also found more brood, and honey..... these are all excellent signs of a good strong hive.
This frame was a complete honey frame, with some capped (which is the honey that is ready to eat) and some not..... I love how the bees continue to work even when we are "messing" around.
And more of the same... in fact the second box held so much honey, and we decided if the third box was as full, we were going to steal just a little for ourselves. I can't wait to try it....
And, happily, as we checked on the third box, in was - indeed - full of honey frames.... you can only use capped honey, so this isn't the frame we are looking for....
But this one certainly is.... we took two frames... and left all the rest to the girls. I will also put a 'candy board" in when we do close up for the winter.. that, along with the honey stores, should keep them good for the cold winter months....
They're still find pollen somewhere, if you look closely, you can see the yellow in the pollen sacks. I'm guessing it's from the sunflowers, though they look like they're starting to go by. One thing though, the warm days we have been having has been a huge help....
And this is what we took...... we'll need to borrow an extractor (Deb and Dave have one) to process the honey into what we want to use.... but this is the first of many....
Fresh eggs from the hens... honey from the bees... and tomatoes from the local farmer's market.... quite the treat!!!!
Kass and Reagan came for a visit the other day. It is just so much fun to have a baby in the house again.. I really miss it!!!! He is growing so quickly, and I truly understand the idea of trying to hang onto to time and not let it rush by so quickly.....
He's very close to crawling and I think that once he's on the move... my dear Kass won't have a minute to sit!!!!
The dogs were (are) so good with him.... even Tazzy. She can be a bit of a "spook" so of any of our dogs, she's the one I watch the closest... but she was wonderful....
Trevor pretty much laid right where he is the whole time. It's funny, because the dogs I had when I was raising babies ( Diggie, Frosty, Holly and Randi)... were never allowed on the quilts spread on the floor. They could lay at the very edge and watch the babies, but they couldn't go on them. And they never did... Frosty, though, would lay at the very edge and if that baby got close enough, she would give the biggest kiss she could muster!!!!
Kas and I had lunch together, then we went threw my many cross stitch books and picked out a stocking pattern for Reagan. After that, it was so pretty out, we went down to the local orchard to poke around and Kas wanted to get some apples.....
This is such a nice farm.. and they are all dressed up and ready for apple season. Reagan was "in love" with this scare crow.....
They'll be busy the next few weekends.... the fall season is almost here. It's going to be a good apple year... and I have no doubt that my bees certainly enjoyed the orchards last spring....
I have to say, my sunflowers this year are amazing. My veggie garden did nothing -- I'm not much of a gardener anyways... but despite my horrible efforts... the sunflowers did it....
They are huge... more than a few are over seven feet tall.... the bees love them.. and then ones that have gone by are being enjoyed by many of the birds.... I will certainly put sunflowers in every year....
What I don't dry and keep for seed, the rest I think I will throw to the turkeys and leave for the wild birds....
And with the thoughts of the cooler weather, it's also wood season. This year, however, with the wood shed, it's going to be much easier to deal with.... certainly better than the tarps we had to use the first winter we were here..... we figure we burn 10-12 cord... we have a bit left over from last year, and here's the first two cord pile...
Which - in about four hours - I was able to get all inside...
It's a good start... but I'll feel better when it's full.......
Do you like the title of this story?? I thought it was appropriate, because when I talk about my bees... most people say "you would find me running!!" Actually, this is two separate stories!!!! On Saturday, the shop where we buy all our "bee stuff" offers a time that they call "open hive".. and what it is, are mini classes in beekeeping, and then we head out to their bee yard and take a peek into the hives. With winter on the way, I wanted to be sure that we know how to button our bees up and help them get threw the cold months, so I popped over for the open hive.
After talking about winter care and treating for mites (which are horrid things to bees - like fleas to dogs...) we headed out to the bee yard and Brian walked us threw a hive inspection. (notice he doesn't wear gloves when handling his bees....)
This is a nice strong hive, but I was pleased because our hive looks like this one. It was good to make comparisons with another hive and get an idea of how ours are compared to others....
This time of year, though, the bees are getting protective of the hive. So, it's good if two people can work them together - Ed and I always do. The bees are really working, getting in every last bit before the frost takes everything away from them. Our bees have been pretty easy going, but we need to check them next weekend, so we'll see if there is a difference with them. We need to check and see if they have mites, and we need to do a careful check on the honey stores and then the hive has to be protected against mice and the sort. There's a bit to getting them ready, but I feel better about knowing just how to do it.
On Sunday, we were up bright and early.. meeting up with Kas and Nate - and Reagan. It was the Run for the Fallen and they wanted to do the road course. I said that we could keep an eye on Reagan while they ran. Lauren and John were running too... it was a 12 mile run... and here they are rested and ready to go....
I brought Debbie along,knowing that there would be a lot of people and different things for her to check out. She seems up for the adventure....
There was a big crowd. Some people were running in memory of their loved ones, other - like Kas and Nate - ran just to show their support. There were a lot of "walkers" too... A ceremony and time of remembrance began the run.....being by the ocean on this beautiful fall morning... it was a very touching time.
And they're off... all smiles now, but 12 miles... that's a long way. This is a very nice event and it's well planned. One thing they did was have several trolleys driving the route, so that if anyone couldn't finish, they had a ride back.... at the end, they collect all the "runners" and bring them back to the start, so that they can all end together....
This young ROTC group was doing the run in their packs!!!!!
While Ed, Reagan, Debbie and I waited for them to return, it gave us the chance to look about the park. We visited the memorial site that had been set up.....
Deb was a very good girl...
We walked the trail, practiced with the stroller (moving threw a tight spot) talked with alot of people about their lost loved ones, service dogs... and babies.....
Reagan was a very good boy. He rode around in the stroller, and then I let him play for a while in the back of the jeep. The day was just so pretty, that not to be outside and enjoying it, would have been a crime.
As it became time for the run to end, there was going to be music, a luncheon and all sorts of different events. I was excited to see the bagpipers come... I LOVE bagpipe music. These two men were very good...
Though once they began to play... I don't think Reagan (who had been sleeping) was quite as impressed... but once he really woke up, he seemed fine with the music...
And here come the runners.... I like that they have everyone finish together... some came in carring small flags....
And placed the additional flags at the pictures of their loved ones. It was certainly a time that brought you to tears....
Debbie did her part in comforting hurting hearts.. reminded me of how Rylie did the same thing when we were in Washington last December....
Kas and Nate were married here where the run had started from. None of us have been back here since the wedding (almost 8 years ago).. so it was a great time for a family photo.. and a great memory.
Debbie was given this pin for her vest and "service of the day".....
Next year,, I would like to participate in this run. I have a year to "train".... but one thing for sure, we won't forget our fallen... for they and their families, truly gave all....
After the run, we went to Kas and Nate's to retrieve the beetle. It's been there since the firemen's parade... I thought Debbie might enjoy a topless ride home....
Which she did... and it just was such a nice way to end the day... end a beautiful weekend ..
of bees and running!!!!!
