Five on Friday - My week in review!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK's DAY!

Are you celebrating?

hmmmm.....I'm having a few friends/neighbors over tonight,

and I just thought I should probably turn some wine or something green!

I'll think on it...

In the meantime I'm joining Amy at Love Made my Home for Five on Friday!  It's the last time Amy is hosting Five on Friday, but not to worry, Tricky Wolf from F.A.S.T. blog is taking over for her.  I think it's great that she had someone else take it over, rather than just dropping it.  Very responsible person!  Thank you Amy and thank you Tricky Wolf!

On with the five!

ONE

NATURE & WEATHER

The weather here is not going to be good for St. Patrick's day parades, or any other outdoor activities.  I believe you are supposed to be planting potatoes and snap peas in your gardens today, in these parts of America.  I don't think much of that is going to be happening either.  Back in February we had a lot of warm weather days.  In the 70's.  My bees were thriving.  Problem is, it's been in the 20's and 30's again and snowy, today freezing rain is predicted, so it's hard to tell if the bees will make it.  A fellow beekeeper sent me a picture

and he was "very worried' and wanted my advice.  He felt like this was a lot of bees dead in front of his hive and feared the worst.  I told him that is NOT a lot of bees for a hive.  That's just a sign of bees cleaning out the hive on a nice day.

However, I wanted to show you something with this picture that he sent me.  Look closely at the top of the wire entrance.  You will see "white" bees. 

Those bees are larvae (babies - sad face) that were almost ready to hatch out.  They probably froze to death.  So here is what happens with honeybees when the weather fluctuates so greatly.  

During the winter, the queen will only lay enough eggs that the bees can cover the brood (eggs/larvae) with their bodies and keep it warm.  Just enough to keep the hive alive through the winter.  When it warms up, the queen starts laying eggs like it's summer, 1200-1500 a day.  So, back in February when it was in the 60's and 70's for almost two weeks, that queen started laying like it was summer.  Then, it got cold again and the bees can't keep that many eggs/larvae warm.  So the bees either spread out and freeze to death trying to keep the brood warm, or the brood freezes to death because there aren't enough bees to cover the brood, or both.  I had four hives die last year when this happened.  They were alive one weekend, and the next weekend they froze to death.  So, if you look at this picture it's a good example of larvae freezing to death.  Then, there are times that the hive just doesn't have the energy to raise another generation of brood, so the hive dies off. 

A honey bee only lives around 45 days (in the summer).

The workers are female and they work themselves to death. 

True story.

Yesterday I kept trying to get a good picture of this eagle, flying across the road above our pond.  I took several before it landed in a tree.  I watched through a monocular until my arm got tired of holding it up!  Plus, I had somewhere to go, so I left and sure enough it flew.  This was the best picture I got of it. Not great, but the good news is it's back!  I haven't seen it in months.

TWO

CHAIRS

My Shug sent me a message from work and said on his way in he saw three chairs that he thought were in someone's trash!   They live around the corner from us so he stopped and asked the lady if they were throwing them out.  She said, "yes, and she knew if she put them on the curb someone would get them." 

Look at these chairs...

 

Look at our chairs!

Can you find the difference? 

He got three.  The fourth one was broken.  We are always scrambling around when family is over, trying to find enough chairs for everyone.  So I was very happy about this!  One man's trash is another man's treasure. 

THREE

CURTAINS

Remember the curtains I was making last week?  They were drapes I bought at a rummage sale somewhere over the years.  Stashed away and forgotten about.  They were long and pleated, and needed those hook type things to hang.  I cut off the pleats and measured, more than once!

 I made one panel first to see how they were going to look.  I'm making these for the basement room that we lived in while we were building.  I think they are going to look great!

So I made the rest of them.  I washed them but was afraid to put them in the drier.  I'll iron them and hang them this weekend.  Hopefully! 

FOUR

CROCHET GROUP

So last week when I posted a picture of my blanket squares, Tricky Wolf commented that I had a snazzy crochet hook!  WHAT!

And it hit me....like a brick.

 After I finished the square (above-with the snazzy hook) I noticed it was a tiny bit bigger than the other squares I made.  I even told the girls I think the white yarn is a bit thicker.

After I read that comment about the snazzy hook,  I started digging through older photos on my phone.

Do you see it?

I was using a 4.5 hook and the "snazzy hook" is a 5!

AUURRRGGHHHH!  (I think that AUGH in Irish!  In honor of St. Patrick.  Or maybe it's pirate speak.  Either way, the mystery is solved!

My advise is to take ONE picture of your project when you first start it, with the crochet hook you are using IN THE PICTURE!  Then, you'll know. 

I have no idea how the snazzy crochet hook got in the bag, but it did.  I have some ripping out to do.

So, I decided to work on my beach bag this week.  Do you know how many bags I have that need lined?  I don't even know!

Debbie is a crocheting machine!!!

K is making the same blanket as Debbie.

I told Cheryl to smile and she assured me she is!

FIVE

OUR HOUSE

We are working on the house again!  Click here to check it out.

Also don't forget to Check out other bloggers who joined Five on Friday and

see what they're up to!  Click here to pay them a visit!

Cindy

PS.  I've been wanting to share a couple of things with you.  First of all, apparently I'm a 'NO REPLY' blogger to some of you.  But, I have gone into my settings and it shows that I am NOT a no reply blogger.  I even unchecked and rechecked the box that I'm supposed to check or uncheck.  Also, I am not able to leave comments on some of your blogs, and I've heard of other bloggers not able to leave comments as well.  I think it has something to do with blogger and google plus.  Not sure how to fix this stuff but I've tried.  Just wanted you to know.