Return to winter

No time to get photos up.  I had to get a new phone and suddenly I have no idea how to download anything. Google has a solution for me to try, but I just haven't had the time to sit and focus on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time.

We had snow today.  Slushy nasty hand-freezing snow falling fast like a meteor shower. G already has tomato transplants out in the greenhouse, so I hope they will be ok until it's planting out time.

The paddock is a mucky mess and the horses are soaked.  I cancelled our shearing date last week because of the cold.  No word on a new date. It's so strange when we have fantastic grass growing out there but then we have heavy snow and rain and the sheep would rather seek shelter and eat year old hay.

We are taking in some hens soon that our neighbour was going to cull.  They are production layers, and only two years old.  But for most farmers that's the extent of their usefulness.  I was very sad that we couldn't take all of them.

Shepherd's Harvest Festival is coming up in a few weeks.  Glenn's parents were supposed to come and visit for a week but some health complications (insurance) have prevented it again.  We were looking forward to showing them the whole fiber community and experience of midwest farming.  But historically that festival weekend is cold and wet and they probably would enjoy a visit at another time of year.  It's always hard to tell in May.

 I wore snow pants today for farm chores, and a few weeks ago was dying of heat in jeans and a t-shirt. The ticks are bad this year already.  The apple trees are budding and this is the nervous time where we wait to see if they will be ok with occasional frosts.  G ordered several two year old pear, peach, apple and plum trees.  Nice to get a jump on things.  They look great and he planted them this weekend.  Definitely worth the investment I think.

Our bees may experience some brood death due to the cold.  The cluster (of adults) will contract to keep warm and that may leave some brood uncovered which will lead to death.  Most hives can recover from this ok.  I will watch for the response from the hives. Bees are very fastidious.  They haul out their dead so they don't rot inside the hive, and they carry on as usual.

But now as it's warming up, our overwintered hive is at risk for swarming.  So I have to open it up and check for swarm cells, or as my bee mentor says, our bees will be hanging from the trees. And he meant today. Like NOW.  Hopefully I'm not too late.