Birthday gifts

It was my birthday yesterday. 

Not quite sure how November has arrived so quickly.  We are having crazy unseasonally warm weather here.  We have no snow.  Days are breezy and sunny, with skies blue and polarized to our eyes. The bees are flying most days by late morning when it gets over 10 C. 

It was great to skype with my parents this weekend.  I really need to get home for a visit.

Glenn took Monday and Tuesday off work, as a birthday gift.  Nothing is more precious than time!

We went to Elk River to the 80 acre farm owned by our (Oakley's) coach.  Just like last year, we learned log skidding with horses.  So much fun!! 

This is Big Mike, the 18 hand high Belgian. I don't know how he manages to look so small in these photos, and next to Glenn.  This is one gentle giant beast. 

An afternoon in the woods on my birthday is just what I needed! 

Today we need to get into the bee hives and remove the varroa destructor mite treatment strips. Every week or so I check the bottom boards of the hive and have seen hundreds of dead mites.

G is hard at work trying to finish the new greenhouse off the front of the chook palace.  Oakley has a sole abcess on his left hind foot, so I will have to rebandage him later and check the progression. Hoping he will be sound enough for his lesson on Friday.  We have been working him on the hills in the hay field, and the changes in his body are incredible after each workout. But it hasn't been consistent, whether due to his respiratory disease, the weather, my back injury, and other factors in the last few months.  Hoping we can do better.

Starting to winterize the duck run

Winterizing the new backyard coop run

Apples for all!