Baby News & Labor Day Weekend!

Once upon a time....years and years ago, my cousin Vickie and I dressed up a couple of Teddy Bears in her children's clothes.  I'm talking somewhere in the 1980's....

These green bibs belonged to her son Ryan, when he was little.

On Labor Day weekend, I returned the bibs to Ryan and Melissa, so they could put them on Murphy!

Meet Murphy!

Happy Little Family!

After visiting Murphy, we went to my sister and her husband's house for a cookout!

I'm a little late in posting this as it was Labor Day Weekend.

(I told you I don't know where September went!) 

It was gorgeous outside.

We had s'mores...

And we watched a movie, outside!
"Arachnophobia"
The kids in the background are trying to talk Mom (Grandma) into taking them somewhere.
Not gonna happen!
Dad and Vickie must think it's funny.

Goodnight y'all!
Thanks for the fun evening!

Cindy

S'more beekeeping lessons....winter prep!

Yesterday I started preparing my hives for the winter.   Most people think beekeeping is like having someone in assisted living....they think you just tuck them away and forget about them!  Not so.  Someone has to pick up their hearing aid batteries, their Depends, their ace bandages for their legs..you have to move furniture, order hospital beds, hang up their clothes.....

Oh.... 

wait a minute....

bees...

we're talking about bees.....

Sorry...  

So, Vickie came over yesterday to help me prepare the hives for winter.  I think she found it very interesting.

I'll show you best I can what she saw...but first what she didn't see.  Look close at this picture.  There are bees flying all around her.  She's focusing on getting the smokers going and I'm not sure she realized how many bees were buzzing around her.

 

 Ok look closely at this picture.  It's kind of like going to World Wide Wrestling!   See the bee...about the third one from the right, that is bigger than the rest?  We'll call him Hulk Hogan!  That bee is called a drone.  They do very little in a hive.  Their main job is to mate with the queen.  They don't even feed themselves. So Scary Sheri and her pals come up and beat him up and kick him out.  Who needs bigger bees that only think about sex, and don't lift a wing to help themselves in the winter months, right?  It's hard enough to get through the winter on your own!  This particular hive was kicking the drones out yesterday.  We were standing there watching them do this dirty deed.  It's kind of sad.  They fight to the finish and the drone always loses...eventually.  These ladies will chew off the drones wings if they must.  Their ruthless!

 Now look closely at this picture.  See the bee a little right of the center with the yellow on her.  She is carrying pollen into the hive.  When you see honeybees with those little "baskets" on their body colored like that, it's pollen.

To get a hive ready for the winter, you go through it and see if there is enough honey to last them through the winter.  They need honey in the bottom larger boxes, called hive bodies, and here in Indiana, they need honey in a super, which is the smaller box on top.
 I also put entrance reducers on the hives.  If you notice in the 2nd and third picture above, the entrance to the hives are wide open.  I covered their entrance with these little wooden 'frames' that my Shug made for my hives.  So that reduces the size of the entrance from all the way across the bottom, to just a small opening which is covered with wire.  We do this because right now, not only are the bees storing honey and pollen for winter, but they are fighting off yellow jackets, mice, and whatever other critters are trying to get their honey.  We actually saw a yellow jacket eat a honey bee yesterday too.  Vickie asked why they don't fight it off.  Yellow jackets will win over a honey bee every time.  It's a crazy time of year in the insect world peeps.  Anyway, making the entrance so small, makes it easier to protect their hive, and harder for animals and insects to get in their hive that doesn't belong.

 I was pretty impressed with this hive.  There is a lot of capped brood, which means there are a lot of 'babies' getting ready to be born.

 You do not usually find this much capped brood in a hive this time of year. 

 Can you see that bee coming up to my face to say Hi!  Neither did I until I looked at the picture! 

 I got through three of my hives, put all of my entrance reducers on, and plan on going through the rest of my hives this week.  I will pull some of the supers off of the hives because its just too much hive for them to keep warm all winter long.

 It's hard to explain....but in the summer months when you are extracting honey and it's so hot, and you are all suited up, you soak through your clothes with sweat, you're tired and you get burnt out.  Then this time of year, you get in the hives and get them ready for winter, and you know you won't see them again until next Spring...you miss them.  I know.  It's weird.  But it's true.  It's almost a zen kind of feeling when you are working the hives.   And this winter I will worry if they are alive and I will miss them.

 So what does chicken and hot dogs have to do with beekeeping.  Well, I'll tell ya.  Absolutely nothing!

 I had to show you this food my Shug grilled for us yesterday because it looked so perfect. He's our grill master!  Vickie and her husband, Robert, spent the day here.  We sent Robert into town for food while my Shug worked on the house, and Vickie and I worked in hives.  

 When we finished working we came down to a nice dinner, and a perfect campfire for marshmallows,
and I just happened to have everything on hand needed for s'mores.

 So I gotta ask ya...do you make your s'mores the old fashioned way with Hershey bars.....or the new fashioned way with Reese's peanut butter cups?

 Yesterday was the first time I made a s'more with a peanut butter cup and it was yummy.

 And do you burn your marshmallows....

or brown them?

Cindy Bee

Memorial Day Weekend

 I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend.  Mine was a mix of fun and family and friends.
On Saturday, my cousin Vickie and I went to The Vintage Farmhouse's Enchanted Flea Market.  And, as you can see, I took pictures with my phone, and they are distorted as usual.  I will say I am not at all impressed with the I phone 5.  I would rather have my 3 back.  Oh well...

 Back to the flea market.  It had a mix of new and used and vintage and vintage looking.

 And best of all it was fun chatting with people I haven't seen in awhile, Michelle from All Wooled Up, Marilyn from The Gypsy Pearl, Kathy who is in my spinning group and makes the most unusual denim rugs, and of course Nicki From The Vintage Flea Market. 
  I also ran into my brick-moving friend Cheryl there!

  And Mom and Dad were there for about five minutes!  They said, "we grew up with all of this stuff, why do we want it again?"  LOL!

 The flea market was held at Watts Christmas Tree farm.  All these years and I never knew this existed.  They have a building full of fun Christmas stuff from past and present and a lot of items for sale.  The owner told us in the winter they have trees, swags, wreaths for sale.  I bet it's a fun place to go at Christmastime.  hmmm....maybe with my nieces.

After we left the market, we went into the town of Zionsville.  Vickie saw a blanket in the window of a yarn store.  We went in.  (not to worry Groovy Girl!)  I went to the bathroom and when I came out she had this yarn in her hand.  I went to look at it and she frantically said, "NO, DON'T TOUCH IT!"   As it turned out, she ended up not buying it.  Even on sale it was rather pricy.

 

 Nice colors though huh?

 So here are some things I bought at the flea market.  Mushrooms for my fairy garden.

 Some little plastic robin eggs.

 Now this was my first purchase and I wanted them all...but only bought these three.

 I had to think hard about what I would do with them...and I picked these out because I thought they'd be a nice display at Halloween time.

 They are very old and came from an estate.

 This R is old and made out of a metal.  I'm sure it was part of a sign back in the day. 

And who can resist starfish?

 I'm looking for candlesticks this size to put votive cups in.  I found one.

 Underneath the candlestick is a hanky.  I picked up three hankies that I really liked.  This one was $2.00.   ummm, the other two were "worth $25.00 each but she would sell them to me for $10.00."  Like I said, I had to be picky.

 I did buy this bracelet though.  It says to live the life you've imagined.  I know someone important said that...but haven't looked up who it was.  Maybe Goethe or Twain or someone like that.  Anyway, I told someone the other day, or maybe I put it on here, or maybe both.  But I said, "to live the life you want, you sometimes have to give up the life you have."   I didn't make that up either, but I like it.  It's going to be my mantra this year....well...starting now.


On Sunday, we had a very impromptu, unplanned cookout.  My Sister called and said she was coming over to drop something off, and her husband wanted to do some target practice.   So I called my parents and asked if they wanted to stop over for a cookout.  I had some  hamburgers and a few hotdogs, and some boxed mac and cheese and a can of beans! 

 Mom said she had a few hot dogs and she'd bring some chips, buns, and stuff for the hotdogs.

 I had told Vickie the day before if we do anything for the weekend I'd let her know.  So I called her...She brought some strawberry shortcake and potato salad, that she made from scratch! And some cheese for the hamburgers. 

 Like I said, unplanned.  People brought whatever they had in their fridge or cabinets. It worked.  But...

 who buys hot dogs this small?????  Seriously?  Who makes hot dogs this small!

How was your weekend?

Cindy Bee