humboldt homestead

Let Spring Win!

2010-04-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Honey bees are hard at work...on the sunny days. Below, gloom hangs over the Eel River Valley.rOaDie is rocking my wrrld...story here.Crab Apple...Wild Lupin...Below, Chard having survived the winter grows lush and green.
Grape Vines are sending out initial shoots...Below, Gravenstein Apple on a sunny day.
Spring embraces me and these hills. Nights are warmer and in spite of the rain and wind bright blossoms are finally winning out over the void of winter.

winter and spring are slugging it out

2010-04-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

Rainbow Shining...
Tulips and Pear...
It has been a long week of snow, rain and freezing temps. Sunshine has been minimal and rainfall in excess. I hope spring wins, soon!

Feb/Mar 2010

2010-03-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

New PUP comes to the homestead!! Full Story >HERE<>It SNOWED!! A pretty good snow fell in early March...Snoopy and Pepper LOVE the snow.
Snow covered hills and blue skies. Below, almonds are in bloom.
Spring means FLOWERS!!
Chilly snowy morning ...When does it snow in Nor Cal?? When the PLUM TREES ARE IN FULL BLOOM - OF COURSE!!

January 2010

2010-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday sunrise. Makes my day.

SUMMER '09 WRAP UP cont...

2009-12-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Vista shot. LOVE the early morning mists that drift through the valley. Intense late fall sunset...Garden abundance: Tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, pears, nectarines, almonds, grapes - some real bad (wasted) with the powdery mildew after August RAIN - cucumbers, and corn! i love the honeybee working the sweetcorn!

Fall was punctuated by the tragic loss of my dear friend Avi Livingstone (abbie rush) in late September. She arrived with me to Humboldt County in 1982, and was a friend and sister for many years. Details of her death here. She left behind her adult children Eshaih and Shoshona, 12 year old Elon, and 8 year old twins: Hana and Coby. ...Uncertain if there really is fate. Below, circa 1983 with my firstborn daughter....AND we won this beautiful community crafted quilt from Salmon Creek Community School. Confident there is magic. i have close ups of the quilt to share, and more pics of summer '09.

SUMMER '09 WRAP UP

2009-12-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

What can i say? I have been sucking at blogging. Traumatized by my computer crash and loss of entire winter '09 photos, and seriously sucked into FaceBook i have been avoiding my photo journalistic hobby for too many MONTHS!!?!??! OMG! HOW can one document the happenings of an entire summer and autumn? I can't. Oh well. So highlights it must be. Photos are all ready to go...so i will post over the next couple days. Welcome back to my life above the fog.
Grapes, prior to hard freeze in Nov. Below, Verrrryyy interesting face-shaped clouds....seen sometime this fall...

Buck at predawn. My commute sees me greeting the day before sunrise. Plenty of wildlife are up with me!

Smiling Days

2009-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Smiling Faces. Like sunshine - a real day brightener!Oh, and the Queen newly hatched for which I was waiting on a mating flight? Guess again. The hive swarmed 3 days after "piping" was first heard! (just as described in a bee keeping manual!) I came home to an EMPTY (nearly empty) hive !! Luckily they played it beginner-style for me and lighted on a baby fir about 50' from the hive. Swarm was just 4-5ft up in the tree. EZ!! Dana was a HUGE help that day and calmly assisted me in capturing it. Exciting! That was many weeks ago...alas. BLogger grrl had the blahgs. Regardless the hive is today doing well enough. I will state that I am sorry to say I cannot say the same is true for the remaining cluster of the primary swarm (leading to further discussion: had they ALREADY swarmed and these were the after-swarms...?) The anemic cluster of bees that remained I installed into a nuc (literally one frame -at most- of bees) The queen mated and actually began laying a respectable brood nest. But the cluster dwindled... and at last inspection (a few days ago -6 weeks out from swarm) was queen-less - with laying workers! So I dumped it out, and gave it up. :( I have a sneaking suspicion the Italian hives are falling prey to the buckeye poisoning...Bee foraging on California Buckeye below. Bad bee! My carniolians are in SUCH better shape. They have already put away 1/2 super of excess honey and are busy busy busy all day. The Italians have a lack luster energy that does not impress me. Brood nest OK in both remaining hives though. We'll see. Close up of swarm below.. Pretty Massive Swarm...This is 7 WEEKS after being installed on drawn comb as a 3 lb package! Impressive.
Zuchinni... Pumpkins....& Winter Squash.First of the Sunflowers. Roses Galore... Snoopy's Sticker Issues. I swear. Damn wood ticks at our throats 9 months out of the year, and the remaining 3 months are a nearly equally frustrating infestation of STICKERS! Gah~!~ His fluffy border Collie Style coat, with an impossibly thick Kelpy Style undercoat, is SOOOO good at collecting stickers! Deep ones! 40 minutes of brushing daily, and still, I could dig out fox tails that had burrowed their way in. PLUS - with the 100* + weather we have been having, he was becoming a terminal mouth breather and driving us all nuts! So, to the groomer he went. And lovely he looks. It is a short military-style-do and it brings out the buffcake Pitbull (just 1/16th!!) in him. Now, the stickers are easily brushed off and the mouth breathing has abated. Besides he is OH SO FUN to pet now! Furry, like a koala! I love it and will continue to treat his coat this way in the warm months. Pre-shave pics above and below.... And Post Shave. What a nice smooth pup! He is silvery grey, i like it a lot.
Ocean Trip to celebrate End of School. Seals! Kite Flying! And Sunset Supper with good friends. As promised - More Shots From Rainbow Buffet. This is S. She did a modern dance piece. These pictures capture two moments of tension in her piece. Great lighting and angles on these shots if i may say so... Beautiful subject doesn't hurt!
Close Up of S. & T. Intense Nature Love Story. Saw it three times, still not sure i get it...cool image though.
R. and R.! at SAF. It was a brightly lit stage and the backdrop provided additional flash. Great day, awesome performance
Odd Disc Shaped Rainbow that just hung in the sky in Mid June. These have a name...
Poppies. Wow are they EZ to grow! Toss out the seed nearly anywhere late September and they mope around all through the winter quite well actually and provide dramatic swaths of color from May onward that we, and the bees, really enjoy.
Persimmon. This tree has a suicidal amount of fruit set this year. Last year less than 10. This year more than 1000, i swear...doubles everywhere, and like 15 on every damn twig! Trying to thin....Below, Nectarine. The birds are being complete jerks this year and are going after apples and plums before they are even close to ripe! Very discouraging, and annoying. I even say "I hate birds" sometimes...
Day Lillies. Love 'em. Below, oddly enhanced Onion Blooms and a Midnight Black Hollyhock. The hollyhock in that shade is OK ... but kinda boring... especially if you planted them EVERYWHERE!! Sheesh! One argument for buying the mixed packet!
The garden is really jumping in the heat we have had over the last two weeks. Daily temps in excess of 90*. Hot nights. I irrigate and mulch. We watch the sunflowers literally fly skyward! Just 3 weeks until we begin school again for the '09-10 school year. Many changes are abreast for my family and we anticipate them with curiosity. Meanwhile, I am glad to have finally updated this blog and hope to return to my more regular style of posting. Or not. ;)
THE END.

i only facebook now...

2009-07-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Grapes Set and Plumping...Glads R Glad.
Garlic PreHarvest, Mid Shower...curly! Echinacea Skyward.
Baby Cuke. Cute! Cherries...We actually ate some! Old news.
California Buckeye. Toxic to bees. Notice: the bee does not seem to have gotten the news. One more thing to worry about...
I lovelovelove my bees. The bees love Onion Blossoms.Random Shot of S. and T. from Rainbow Buffet. More to come of those...Below, Intimate with Rose.
Plums Set like Mad. Below, Summer Blooming Calla.

SO disorganized. sorry. Back ONline slogging my way through nearly 300 (!!) pics from this summer. Anxiety over computer tantrums have kept me away, and besides. I only facebook now. heh heh. short post with TONS more to come, i promise.

June 1st, 2009

2009-06-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Chive in Full Bloom...The chives bloomed early and fast this year. I love the fuchsia center. Below...Flowers Galore.
Blossoms Catching Light...Bright!
Globe Onion in Bloom...Honey Bees LOVE onion blossoms!
Cherry Trees Doing Their BROWN ACT...What is up with these trees? Beautiful blooms result in impressive fruit-set, only to be followed by a bizarre brown-out-shrivel-up-and-drop-off act. What gives? Pears. Now there is a reliable fruit for this micro-climate.
The Bees New Hive Stand. New bees too. I am behind in my bee tales. Both hives from last year were a total loss bee-wise. They simply dwindled. Was it CCD, queens short of sperm or what? Both had abundant stores at the time of their demise and I am still at a loss as to the reason. I am looking at using SOLID BOTTOM BOARDS through the next winter, maybe switching over to russians. What you see here are my three packages ordered and installed mid- april. More Italians and one Carniolian (they are from Russian descent). They were installed on the wonderful drawn comb and honey/pollen stores from my previous hives. Overall they are building up fine and in the case of two of them the brood nest is full of eggs/larvae and capped brood. The middle hive has gone through a supersedure, where they replace their queen. This can happen for many different reasons. Learn more bee facts/fancy here! I inspected Wednesday and found 5 queen cells, two of which were so translucent and ready, I swear, I could see the queen through the cap! Some bee-keepers might do a hive split at his point, putting a frame with queen cells and bees, and a frame or two of foundation, into a small nuc. This is to insure that if the remaining queens fail to breed and start laying, they will have a back up. I am down with a bum knee, and am really trying to simplify things. So I am letting nature take its course. If they fail, I will combine them with one of my other hives. So what is happening in there now you may ask??? A lot. By Saturday, at least one queen had hatched and we got to hear her distinctive PIPING. This is a high pitched "peeping" sound made only by virgin queens, and it is a battle cry of sorts. We heard her loud and shrill. And we also heard a muffled version, a bit less distinctly. It was the unhatched queens communicating THROUGH the cell to their rival! Typically, the first queen to hatch will systematically kill the unhatched queens. If more than one is able to hatch, they normally will fight to the death with the workers urging them on! The virgin queen continues her piping noises and eventually (within a week) decides to take her first mating flight. The queen then flies to a Drone Congregation Area where the males bees tend to hang out, about 30' up a tree. These are not drones from her own neighborhood though. Nature wants diversity I guess, so, providing the day is sunny and warm, and after an orientation flight or two (to get the location of her hive learned) the queen will travel up to a mile and 1/2 away to mate with up to 10 different drones (...the sex organ of the drone is ripped out during the act, ending his life. ) THEN she has to find her way home again! (which way IS north??) She may be gone several hours. She may go out several days in a row. Once mated, providing she safely finds her way home, she will begin laying eggs and do that task entirely for the course of her relatively long life of 3 years, never to leave the hive again, unless they swarm. So we wait. We curse the cool weather and the clouds, and we listen attentively to the piping from inside the hive. We anticipate her departure and pray for her safe return, and we look forward to the sight of those first precious eggs. If she fails to mate within a week, she would become a drone laying queen. We really need some high pressure weather, and soon!
Blackberry, Looking Innocent and Beautiful. Who knew what destruction it can bring to your landscaping!
Almonds. Great year for almonds.
I have been on a bit of a blogger holiday. I am sad to report that we are already WAY behind in terms of pics and videos around here at the Humboldt-Homestead Blogspot. I have way more flora/fauna pics and too much AWESOME video from our spring field trip to the radical Wild Cat Park (just checked their site btw; they have two new baby African Servals!! too cute! That place was OUR FAVORITE of all touristy things to do in Oregon. Great scene.) Anyway, i probably won't be getting around to that until DECEMBER at the rate i am going!! Bum knee is healing so fast, but not fast enough. Why is that? Blessed with a blessing and still whining. hmmmmm. Going back into the garden to listen some more. I think i mighta missed a message.

Nearly Two Weeks ...& Counting...

2009-05-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Lost Kitties Come Home...sometimes they don't. We are hoping for a miracle like last year! Pretty weird couple weeks overall. Lost cat, Dog with Lyme and I crashed bikejoring messing up my knee for real. Sigh. Summer -relentless in coming- has urged the poppies, irises and clover into bloom, grapes are setting like mad and warm temperatures have driven the weeds skyward. Some (of the weeds...) are over 5' tall!! Sadly, computer time is not conducive to my rehab. More later.

Spring Happens Fast at 85*

2009-04-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Apple Blossoms...White and Unblemished; No Rain. Below, Fiji Apple set.
CrabApple Blossoms...Nectarine...and Cherry...Cherry Blossoms Angelic..Grapes Skyward Bound...Notice how FURY the Pinot Noir Grape is...Below many Plums Plumping...The Newly Set Plum Fruit Against the Great Eel River Valley...Plenty-A-Plums.Strawberries, Already!! Below, Trillium... Spring Flowers: Tulips, Lilac, Iris, Daffodil, Clover, and Anemone, all In a Hurry in our Recent Heat Wave...
Cool, Weird, Cave Formations. Oregon Caves: Worth the Visit.This bizarre mineral flowing deposit glowed in the dark...Below, Dripping Ancient History...
Tourist Stop # 1 Trees of Mystery. Very Cool Redwood Chainsaw Carvings. I love the pup! This park also features a Very HIGH Sky Ride. Scary.
Roots...and Gourds. Gourds? Yes, still holding strong ; paying tribute to Fall of 2008 ...so long ago.... I have taken a serious blogger break and am OK with being back. I have lots more great orchard shots, and random photos/impressions from our Oregon Field Trip to share soon. THIS post is for Brian, who I know appreciates what happens here. xxoo Jj

New Mushing Video

2009-04-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

My main love..what can I say. I am of the belief that all dogs love to run and yes, even a little mini pin X dachshund like Tyke, can mush! Albeit a bit slower than the rest, Tyke proves himself to be a trooper to the end. Gotta love his swimming stylee...

Mid March Come and Gone

2009-03-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome Rain comes to the Eel River Valley. Below, first of many Pear Blossoms drenched in blessed rain.
Almond Blossoms. Below, Pond on FULL.
Yellow Shiro PLum. I love this tree. It's mid-season, pest-free and bears fruit like crazy.
The bees got in a few good days of work this week before the appreciated rains of the weekend. Full Bee Report later.
Distant Vistas still covered in snow.
Crocus. Below, LOTS of Busy Bee Shots.
Wow. I've been suffering from a bit of computer PTSD; feeling only an aversion to interacting digitally since the loss of my winter photog efforts, coupled with some putative measures and weird glitches on YouTube that rendered a number of my videos trash. I have a computer love hate relationship right now, but I am trying to jump back in (with a deeper appreciation for the value of backing up - EVERYTHING!!) I have made meager efforts at replenishing my photos. Dry weather this week made for some great bee shots, and with the rain of the weekend there are more moist shots on deck. For now, I must report on my weaker bee hive, that finally met its end this week. At my last inspection I suspected that it had indeed gone queen-less (again) but waited until the weather warmed to again open it, inspect, and act if need be. So this week I opened it up on a warm afternoon and there were barely any bees inside the hive. Cells with numerous eggs in each confirmed my suspicions that there were laying workers. I disassembled the hive and shook what bees there were onto the grass about 10 feet from the other hive. Any non laying workers would seek refuge there (they will be welcomed, as they will come laden with nectar, pollen, or honey from having gorged themselves when I smoked them) The LAYING workers, being unable to fly, would remain in the grass. Really, barely any bees to speak of - no loss. The hive still had at least 30 pounds of honey in two deep boxes, with oodles of beautifully drawn out comb. I sorted it all out, filled 2 nucs and one deep in readiness for packages I have arriving next month. I sealed each one in a giant trash bag. I will check them once a week until I use them. There was only slight evidence of wax moth which I removed, so hopefully they will be fine. My strong hive will benefit from the (few) extra workers and in need be, the honey stores, should they run low during any extended rains this spring. My strong hive had a good cluster of bees, I saw the queen (she was balled -sign of stress during rehab of hives -best to ignore) a small but nicely patterned brood nest, lots of pollen, and a pretty full super of honey above. The lower deep which was FULL of bee bread, had moisture issues - at least 4 frames were moldy the rest yucky and wet. So I removed the whole mess, and reduced the hive to one deep and a super. They should do really well. They have a clean, tight space with lots of open cells for egg laying. Central open cells are surrounded by pollen, and honey - in that order- from the inside out in all directions. I am happy about this hive and not mourning the loss of my other hive. They put in great effort and I will benefit from it. The packages that I install into their wonderfully drawn comb with stores of honey in place, will be poised for an impressive build up. I understand now the need to have (way) more than one or two hives. You need other hives to absorb the stores of any failed hives and you need the stores of stronger hives to help supplement the growth of weaker ones. Onward.

Quickie Early March Post

2009-03-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Nectarine Blooms...Below Early Morning View of Snow Dusted Mt Lassik.Playful Clouds Precede the Rain...Below, Massive Plum Bloom. Alas, all weekend, and all this coming week they will do it in the rain and cold, leaving little hope of any visits from valuable pollinators.
Busy Bee... Trying to beat the recent spring storms...Below, Miniature Narcissus and a Lone Daffodil.

The weather has been blustery, rainy, and cold. I have made small headway on the pruning and am generally tidying up in preparation for spring. The days are noticeably longer and we are looking forward to another beautiful and inspiring spring. The recent rains have lessoned water concerns somewhat and with yet another week of the wet stuff in the forecast we are feeling truly blessed. I am riding with the dogs in the mud and rain, a lot. We are loving it. Updates from our dog sled racing escapades HERE. On a sad note, one of my beehives has gone queen-less in the last month, same one I was forced to re-queen in June. They have NO brood and what appears to be multiple eggs in some cells. This is a clear sign of laying workers, which can only result from lack of a good queen. What just two months ago was a respectable, feisty and normal looking hive, has been reduced to a anemic little cluster of bees that should really just be combined with my good hive and forgotten about. But I am hesitant, and waiting for warmer days. Sigh. Full report to come.

HUMDOG adoption fair tomorrow

2009-02-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

Looking for that perfect farm dog? Humdog adoption fair & show sunday REDWOOD ACRES SUNDAY!

If you are looking for that wonderful working dog for your farm or garden, Come this weekend to Redwood Acres, Both the arts and crafts building AND the main hall will be filled with lovables looking for quality homes and all things dog. SUNDAY 11 TO 4PM AT REDWOOD ACRES!!!!

Are you looking for your best dog? Do you want to tell your story about your new pal? If you want a wonderful working dog or family pet, you MUST check out the Humdog event this Sunday at Redwood Acres! This is not a small event by any means! Two buildings full or wiggling fun! Lots of activities and special animals from every corner of Humboldt County! There will be fun treats, collars, leashes, toys, clothes and food for your pets, tons of rescue groups and dogs wanting a loving home, and much much more! PLEASE come if you can activities will be in the Franchisi Hall and the Arts and Crafts building. 11 to 4PM this Sunday! We who are participating look forward to seeing you there!!!!!

Found on Craigslist and reposted here. See you there?

Dogs Rock

Mid February Post -

2009-02-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Mid Winter Web...and Impressive Pre-Storm Sunrise...

Coastal Beauty...

Plum and Almond Blooming ....

We have been blessed with abundant moisture in the form of rain and snow. I was away for the bulk of this last storm which dumped over 6" of snow and is still lingering here and in higher elevations. After our warm dry January the Almonds and Plums are attempting to bloom in temps of 30* with days of swirling snow, cold and wind. Sigh. Below, Store Bought Springtime.

What's NORMAL anymore?

2009-02-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Plum and Forsythia Normally Signal the Arrival of Spring...

Valley Fog Drifting Over Bear Butte...I love early morning.

On the home front I have been resisting the mundane, and am having for all the world what appears to be a mid-life crisis. Dog sled racing, dog driving in any form, and training the dogs, or myself for said activity, is pretty much all I am willingly to do, willingly. The rest? I raise a cry like you've never heard. Actually, I did manage to prune ALL the grapes, and have started on the smaller trees with only minimal whimpering. I did a giant Santa Rosa Plum tree yesterday, that took over an hour... Looks good, but really - must it have SO many branches? FACTOID: we NEED to prune fruit trees because they have been essentially "domesticated" and are freaks that grow too many branches, so they have to be managed!!! If you don't like to prune much, try planting European Plums ( prune plums) not the Japanese plums (Santa Rosa and sweet freestone varieties.) European plums and virtually all pears require very minimum pruning. They are pruned for shape, and to eliminate crossed and broken branches only. Mulberries and Raspberries are also low maintenance/easy on the pruning. Apples and all Japanese Plums are the worst. Peaches, nectarines and apricots (if you can get them to grow) all fall somewhere in the middle. The weather has been very dry and unseasonably warm for all of January. Finally this weekend we have a semblance of a storm that has dropped just under 2" in my yard. It is raining again now...there were rumors of possible snow tonight. Still, in the back of my mind I am planning the "desert mode" revisions that may need to be made to my orchard. Basically, my plan would be to chain saw anything that has failed to produce and mulch the remaining trees generously. I see cherries, figs and a couple other weak and spindly specimens that should have been removed long ago, all falling. I would like to go with established trees, and only re-plant that which has proven itself up here: Golden Delicious and other late apples, the late plums and for sure pears, and maybe more almonds. All the grapes will be spared as they do pretty well under drought conditions. I am mulching everything in preparation for possibly NO irrigation this summer. Watch, come March, I'll be reporting on a flood...we'll see.

A New Day

2009-02-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Still Riding the Inaugural High....I wish this administration the best of luck in sorting out the chaos within our government. Nuff said... See my MUSHING BLOG for the best of my adventures in this new year.

44 Blueberries...One for each president, with one for Obama right in the middle. More soon.....real soon.

Quickie Mid-January Post

2009-01-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

Bees Gathering Pollen...crucial food for brood rearing which should begin in earnest in February. I inspected the hives last week and both queens have started (continued?) laying. One hive in particular had nearly 2 frames of brood, in all stages. Beautiful! Below, Coyote Brush in Full Bloom.

Low Flowing Creek...Mid January should see these creeks rushing, and even overflowing their banks. Two weeks of temps nearing 85* (!) has the waters running low, and the plum blossoms plumping. More images to share soon.

JULY -DEC '08 YEAR IN REVIEW -no posts in sept!

2009-01-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

JULY Fires, Smoke, Heat, raspberries, mega fruit and way too many flowers...1st honey harvest!

AUGUST Apples, Grapes, Greens and Beans. Tigger comes homes after a 2 week absence~ September - no posts! shame on me.... October Head in the clouds with the vista shots...seemingly endless pears and greens, flowers for days and more bees tales...

NOVEMBER Late fall, Tomatoes, Apples, Bees, Fall Colors and Flowers...

.......pink rose unfolding

............pear tree with leaves of fire

...............green is winter's dawn

DECEMBER ...Seems just a day ago...Snow, Late Cold, Holidays

Year in Review all done. For more on Dec...scroll up. For more on last year in general, check out archives: Click and Marvel. I'm moving forward into 2009 gratefully. Thanks for joining me in this mystery. xxoo Jj

2008 YEAR IN REVIEW * JAN - JUNE

2008-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

JANUARY Lots of Snow, Dramatic Cloud Cover, Vacation and Mushing...

FEBRUARY More Snow, Clouds and what? more Mushing!?!

MARCH Tyke Visits, Rainbows, Daffodils and Fruit Trees Blooming...More Clouds

APRIL Flowers, Bees, Fruit Set, Greens, Bum Knee..
MAY So Many More flowers, Fruit set, Bees, Simba Grows, Diesel Spill...

JUNE Great Bee Pics, Amazing Display of Flowers, Fruit, Fires, More Mushing...

Enjoy! Coming Soon, Aug-Dec 2008.

Holiday Joy to You and Yours

2008-12-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Winter Arrives.
Fir Trees Laden with about 7" of snow. Below, Stump Snow Sculpture and Persimmon.

Rain Gauge and Bee Hive piled high with snow.

Nectarine ...and Snoopy in Motion. Snow Dogs GO!

Bee Hives Hunkered Down...notice wind break constructed of recycled pallets. And atop the hives are pieces of fire wood , to keep the covers from blowing off in severe wind. Below, Visiting Quail.

~~COOKIES~~

The Holidays are upon us and winter is in our midst. We have faired pretty well considering the severe storms and cold weather that has dominated the forecast for more than a week. The garden has been forced into submission. Many worker bees have died and I am finding their bodies covering the floor of and the entrance to the hives. Big strong hives have more bees to lose. So in a sense, it is a good sign. The numbers I am finding are not excessive (less than 100) but it is dramatic none the less. A knock upon the outside of the hive causes an audible "BUZZ" to well up from within. It is a reassuring sound when temperatures are below 30*, and snow is piling up all around. The dogs have been very energized, and we have had some really great runs this month. The lighted parade, and a bit of sledding with the kids, rounded out their week's activities. I hope to blog about it over at the sohummush site...but we'll see how time goes. Busy busy busy. Hurry up and relax~!~

A December to Remember - My 100th Post!!

2008-12-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Vista Magic...First snowfall.

Ballerina Poised for Winter Performance...Below, the Winding Road Home.

Last of Autumn, Hangin' On Flowers Still Blooming and Fruit Hanging on the Vine ...taken just days ago. Below, Figs Flavorless...they resent being planted on an east facing slope, at over 2000' elevation. The summer figs are a small crop, but are much more dependable than the fall figs, which as you can see, even in the best of Octobers miss their mark. Sigh

Last of the Peppers...and the Real Pepper!

Beautiful Evening Sky with Autumn Colors Wearing Winter Gear...

Nativity...

Lights in the Dark of Winter...Below, Spotlight Eden Prairie Mn: View from Home. Sigh - of bliss.

Long Shadows in the Dark of Winter.... I am (so) happy to be back on the blog. A computer glitch has kept me off my main PC for over 3 weeks. So, I taught my back-up PC all about Nikon tonight, and like magic, I am back online. December has been very warm (no hard frost ...yet.) Then, our first snows arrived Sunday, and temps are forecast in the mid-20's for this week! We have over 6" of snow here on the hill. It has been a blast, and very beautiful. More later. xxoo Jj

And Still, The Crickets Sang...

2008-11-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

Dreamy Clouds Moving In...Putting an end to our unseasonable warm spell. Temps in the high 70*-80* with nights so warm doors and windows were left open we have been saving firewood. The crickets were singing mid November...when frost should have long ago silenced them. Three days of rain has stifled their song somewhat, but we have yet to receive a frost on the hill. I tore out the tomatoes and they were all still green, and blooming! Below, Green Tomatoes to bag up for December eating.
Salvia in the Afternoon Light...Below, Roses Post Rain Shower.
Honeybee Gleaning the Last of the Pollen...Below California Poppy.
Persimmons After All! I thought the crop was a loss this year, but it turns out there are a half dozen or so ripening in the cover of the foliage. Beautiful. Below, Perssimmon in Changing Hues.
Pear Tree on Fire. Below Strawberry Still Trying...
Hazelnut in Fall Bloom...Below, Fall Gardening: Leeks, Onions and Garlic. I am loving raised bed gardening.
Honeybee Up Close and Personal. I gazed in the eye of a worker bee. Did I see its soul? My last hive inspection of year was performed about 2 weeks ago. It was a wonderfully warm day and my smoker stayed lit..for the most part. My intention was to calculate the honey stores for both hives, look for signs of mites and assess brood and pollen status. It is a thrill to tear into a strong hive. I am very impressed with the fall build up and have a good feeling about their ability to survive the winter. No mites were on collection boards. My strong hive is kicking butt, and I am going a little overboard by allowing the nearly full super of capped honey to remain on the hive. But, there are so many bees in there, they still had nearly 4 frames of brood raising going on, and their bottom box is virtually FULL of pollen and bee bread. So, I figure, they probably need it. Should they go into the spring with such abundant stores, I will have the option of splitting the hive and introducing another queen, or letting them raise their own. My weaker hive, which had been re-queened in June, has built up impressively. I fed it (sugar syrup 2:1-with cream of tartar or lemon) consistently throughout September, and they filled their upper box completely. It is suggested to feed bees in the fall, so they can store that surplus as honey, rather than introduce liquid nutrition (moisture) into the hive in early spring when their stores may typically fall low. Ideally, you feed until they start to make "burr comb." I was elated to find EVERY FRAME of this hive completely affixed to the lower frames, and top cover, with beautiful new comb. There was a couple frames of brood/eggs, and a good supply of pollen as well. I cleaned up the errant comb, moved things around only slightly, and closed up the hive confident that they are on a good path. Below, Check out the Evaporation Stance of the worker bees at the entrance. They will stand side by side, beating their wings rapidly, drawing air through the entrance in an effort to cool the hive and aid in evaporating the nectar, into the honey we know and love.
Pollen Sac Full...Late fall, the bees are enjoying Dandelion, Calendula, Cosmos, Bachelor Buttons, Marigold, Zinnia, Borage, Brassicas like Mustard and Broccoli and the California Poppy.Funny Dwarf Pippin...Late, late apple. Below, buckets of Granny Smith. I neglected to prune this stately tree, there was a late killing frost, and still we've too many apples from this tree!
Haiku...St. Francis...
Cover Cropping ...Clover of two varieties that were planted prior to the rain. It was perfect weather for germination, the warm spell got it growing, and now with the return of cooler, wetter weather, I am confident they are going to be just fine. For me it's all about the bees now. If they like it, I want to plant it.
Red Cabbage...Below Late Broccoli. These were planted in late August, and performed nowhere near as well as those planted the 1st week in Aug. Way Below, Early Broccoli Blooming. More bee forage!
Pink Vista...Below, Pepper - Lives! READY FOR A HORROR STORY? Amitraz Reaction! I have used the Preventic Collars for years, for the control of ticks. I understand the toxic nature of them and am cautious in their use. I enjoy their effectiveness, and assumed they were "safe." I have never witnessed any sort of reaction in my dogs to them. But this time Pepper was found cringing in the wood shed about 3 hours after I put on her collar. I immediately took it off and gave her a bath. She continued to shake and looked very ill. The vet reported that the soap for AMITRAZ removal is LIQUID DAWN, so I put in an order to my partner in town, and continued to monitor her condition. I thought she would be fine. Of course about the time the vet closed for the day, she went down hard, and had a fever of nearly 105*~! It was several phone calls to the preventic poison hot line, the emergency vet, a couple more baths, and 12 hours before her fever went down. She never puked, had no diarrhea and I was certain there was no chance she eaten any collar pieces, so and I took a wait-and-see approach. It was a full day before she would eat anything, or even attempt her usual obsessive Jack Russel tricks and antics. (note: Pepper has been taught many tricks, one of which is "pick it up." So she often spends her spare time collecting pencils, and what-not off the floor bringing them to us in hopes of a goodie!) We were very concerned about her, and needless to say, I removed the collar off Snoopy as well, and am now using some lame organic tick remedy that appears ineffective - but safe. Amitraz is highly toxic to, and can even kill your cat. Most reactions in canines are dog specific. I just don't feel good about having in my home at all. I know more about Amitraz now, than I ever wanted to. Way Below, Snoopy - most likely harboring ticks - plays with Simba. Carrot Soup...We enjoyed a few rows of carrots this summer, and with the last few stragglers I made a delicious autumn soup. They were not the sweetest carrots, so, to the above recipe I added a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. With that, and the sauteed onions, it turned out wonderfully rich and sweet. Spicy too!Have a Blessed Thanksgiving. See you in December for the Year End Wrap Up. Do you have a favorite image from '08? DO tell. xxoo Jj

November Gold

2008-11-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

And Purple..and Red..and Pink..and Green and White...
Many Pics...Few Words...It's autumn, which in many ways is so much like spring here, everywhere.
Figs...So close and yet so far away...
Cosmos ...A carefree EZ Autumn Flower...The bees LOVE them - they are a great pollen source.
Last of the Apples...Simba - All Grown Up! Nothing wordy to share. Enjoy Autumn.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Crow Against a Dark Sky...Graveyard visitor. We were all just passing by... Below, Lady of the Dead. Autumn is in Full Color. A wonderful winter storm is in our midst, and I am so grateful for the cooler temps and soon-to-come, abundant water's flow. More later...

-The End-

Mid October 2008

2008-10-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Early Morning Descending the Ridge...Life is sweeter above the fog.Roses..Note the rose above: A Sprawling Newly Planted Rose with a ready made family, as Borage and Nasturtium have both volunteered everywhere nearby. Below, Still More Flowers.... This is the tail end of the colors of summer. I do love how intense the hues get as the temperatures drop. Calendula, Hollyhock, Mums, Cosmos, Snapdragon, both Perennial and Annual Sunflower, and Asters...all make an appearance for fall.Sun Setting on Honey Bee's Life...Worker Bees live just 40 days. Perched on a perennial sunflower, this honey bee was nearly done for in the cool shadows of a fall evening. Perennial Sunflowers are a very rewarding, low care flower for late autumn color. They need little water, and will grow to over 6' tall. Impressive.

Figs, Cabbage, Raspberries and Tomatoes offering up PURPLES and REDS! The Mustard Greens...They are too good in salad, soups or stir-fry! Below, Late Crop of Peas...coming on...Art...and Poetry. The Mural is Floor Art, sort of a mock rug. Below, interesting Ring Neck Pheasant in the local Community Park..too shy for a close up.

Below, oddly enhanced image of a house plant ...I love the unique contours/contrasts. It has been a beautiful Autumn with warm days, cool nights and not a lot of wind. My beehives have both built up wonderfully, and I am confident that they are heading into the winter well prepared. I still need to do a final inspection and erect a wind break. The apples and raspberries are all coming on strong, and we may even get some figs this year. I am doing a lot of bikejoring with the pups, and I do hope to update my mushing blog too...soon. We are all still very occupied with school. Cool mural above, huh? xxoo, jj

Mega Blog - Autumn Abundance and Blessings

2008-10-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Return from The Dead of our Christmas Tree... with prayer flags in the distance, fluttering an affirmation of the beauty, bounty, the hope of the season...Below, Got Tomatoes? I only planted 6....seems like it was enough. Already I have 30 quarts of quartered tomatoes and about a dozen pints of salsa put up. Reminds me of my old homesteading days. History does repeat itself...
Last Sunny Sunflower Days...
PEARS... Want dependable? Plant a peartree. Pear Tea: 4-6 ripe pears, 2+ quarts of water and 1/4 cup honey. Simmer pears in water for 20-30 minutes, strain, sweeten to taste. This tea is a great way to deal with excess pears and to utilize your canned pears as well. Supposedly it is a lung strengthening brew. It is a delicious tonic.
Endless Raspberries...
Above, Butterfly atop the Sedum, which is very popular among all the flying insects. Below, Irony. As the One Persimmon we did get this year, dropped early (was knocked off by a blue jay?) and laid atop the ground ...reminding me of all that is given up, lost and ruined... in nature... and in our lives...sigh.
LEAF SHOW 2008...Some of them appear to change overnight...
The Hunted, and The Hunter...Pretty interesting natural moment, as a small garden snake stalked the honey bees that were visiting the statice. He was not successful in my observations. Below, Black Mission Figs...I am on a "spoil the figs" routine and it seems to be paying off. Maybe they do like regular water after all!
Wolf River, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious Apples are all in abundance...
Fall Greens: Cilantro and Spinach above, on September 1st... Below, on September 21st! Go green! Way below, Lettuce and Basil. I love fresh salads so much. Basil, especially, is so awesome fresh; I add it to everything! It has been a great year for greens as it wasn't too hot. Cover Crop of Buckwheat which was planted in late August...It is blooming already and indeed, even setting grain. Buckwheat is a short season crop, obviously. The bees (and butterflies) also LOVE the blossoms....
Beautiful and Abundant Blooms of Snapdragon, Hollyhock, Cosmos, Marigold, Zinnia and the ever present Borage, grace the garden right now...Below, Thirsty Bees. Bees use water to cool the inside of the hive and it is crucial for the success of the young brood. Brood raising will cease or fail for lack of water~!~
Bees Bearding on a hot day last month...Screened bottom boards and opening the top lid some, both help to improve ventilation and encourage the bees to reenter the hive...Below, I have cracked the code to growing successful brassicas: Plant out primo starts the first week in August...keep very moist and covered most days with a layer or two or remay.... Wallah! They are the biggest blooms in the garden come late September. YUM! Home grown broccolli!
Wow...Over one month since my last post. Virtually I am failing, yet literally life is full. The grapes, and nectarines of last month were ours to enjoy. Yea! victory! The past 4 weeks have been a flow of goodness from the garden. Dead camera battery for a while...sorry. We had our first significant rain, about 3". It really helps the spring flow, and what a relief to be off irrigation chores! Life otherwise is full with school primarily. We are homeschooling the girls for the 6th year. Truly one of the best decisions we have made as a family was to chose homeschooling over any other educational choice. We have returned to Calvert and couldn't be happier. We've taken on Spanish, which is a bit of a tear jerker and I have started both girls with piano lessons. The investment my parents made in lessons for me, is paying off big time now. I am impressed with what they are capable of learning in a short time. I am so happy to be able to be home with them. We are blessed.

Bee Count!

2008-08-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

It is a sweet obsession, my daily (hourly) sojurns into the yard to see how many bees are around, and what they are feeding on. It is such a joy and mystery to watch them gather nectar, pollen and, at the leaky spots, valuable water to cool the hive. They are my buddies, and I count them every day.
MENU: Blackberries, Green Beans...Apples and Greens....
Grapes Coming On...and Fall Nectarines. Will they be for the yellow jackets, ants, and song birds, or me? Cover Crop of Buckwheat...Flowering Succulent...

Big Max Pumpkin...Color of Sunset...
The Evening Skies have been Notable...Far Out Sunrises...
Simba, Welcoming Tigger Home. (see previous post) What a gift, we are so happy she is home. She's a pretty good cat. She has done nothing but sleep since arriving back home. I am pretty amazed at her return; I had long ago given her up for gone. Ya just never know....

The weather has been pretty ideal, and thankfully the water continues to flow. The grapes and early apples (Wealthy and Gravenstien) are good eating now. Fall raspberries and the last of the blackberries are also a great focal point. Exactly what sort of dessert are we preparing next? :) We have been eating an impressive amount of green beans and fresh herbs. The basil and mint make such great additions to nearly everything! Tonight, it was in our sushi...sort of a rice/nori/spring roll thingy...I swear, nothing beats the flavor of fresh, and especially freshly picked, herbs! I planted the basil in morning sun, with pretty serious shade in the PM from a wall of sunflowers to the west side. It has been perfect. It is growing slowly and is staying so succulent. It's had wonderful lush growth. I'm loving it~!~...THE END...

Entered the Food Chain or on a Summer Holiday? - Aug 26, A MIRACLE!

2008-08-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Silly Tigger. So sad since Nala left, never appreciated the dogs, other cats, or any humans besides her one person. She has been MIA since early this week. Did she come by your house? Please call.

August 26th, 2008: ADDENDUM: A miracle , after being gone 14 days, this cat, believe it or not, returned this morning !!! !!! We were stunned. She meowed in the middle of the night, outside, like a dream... Only in the morning, she was real! She does not look any worse for wear, and she had an awful lot to meow about when she first came in. What was her story?....summer holiday after all? .....or trapped somewhere?.....injured (rattle snake etc) and now recovered?....We might never know.We are so overjoyed and inspired that she is back. Welcome home Tigger.

Onward Towards Fall

2008-08-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

FLOWER SHOW CONTINUED: Cacti above, Echinacea, with Bumble Bee Browsing, below.
Honey Bee in Sunflower Bliss. I was a little insulted at first, when the sunflowers started blooming and the bees appeared to ignore them completely! Within about a week they soon discovered their sweetness. Now I'm happy. Below, the Skin Gets Tight as a Rose "bursts" into bloom...
Zinnia...Below, Intimate Snapdragon...
Sunflowers by the Bunch...I planted so many sunflowers. We are all enjoying them.
Honey Bee Loving the Spearmint Blossoms....The mint has been a HUGE hit with the bees. It is a carefree, though often invasive, perennial herb for the garden. I am appreciating it more. Below, Green Bean Blossom.Swirling Pumpkin Tendrils....Curly! Below, the extremely popular (with the bees at least) Pumpkin Blossom. Hey! Move over!
Glads....sigh.
Golden Shiro Plum and below, the Gravenstien.
The flowers and veggies are kicking butt around here, but the fruit has been a fiasco. Damn birds. What more need I say? Though we did get to enjoy all the golden plums and most of the red ones, they reduced the nectarines, of which there were quite a few, to pits and skins in a matter of one day! Frankly, I spaced. I knew they were getting close, and then WHAM! ...they caught me off guard. I was shocked! Every blessed one was a hollow shell of its former juiciness. Nectarines are best picked just before they are ripe, and are then allowed to ripen off the tree. We got to eat just 3 :( The Red Summer Pears were a similar story, in that the window of ripeness is a narrow one. One day they were fine eaten off right off the tree, and just a couple days later there was a great many that had been molested, were laying on the ground and the cores had begun to soften and brown. These are a red pear, that have a similar texture to an apple. We did get to consume far more of those, but still...annoying. I am watering, feeding, and weeding - why? Oh right, to feed the birds! Physically I have been having a difficult time logging much time at the computer. Hip trips. So it's Granny Speed, full throttle ahead, onward to fall. Can you even believe it??

Summer Half Done

2008-07-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Wild Summer Colors ...and Raspberries...
FLOWER SHOW ~ Part I:

Pears...and Nectarine...
Tomato...and Apples, some with bird damage already!The First Honey...This is from the stronger hive, of the two I started in April. I inspected today, and saw both eggs, and brood. My stronger hive has nearly 5 full frames of POLLEN! Is that too much? I took about two frames of honey off the large brood box, which was jam packed with honey when I worked it two weeks ago. Side note: they had, in the mean time, consumed or moved a portion of it. And had begun laying eggs in that box! This, even after I put a nearly empty super between the lower box, and the honey bound box. Go figure. Anyway, I had it in my head I was going to harvest some honey to open up that box, so I did. They are good little buzzers, and I hope they appreciate the extra room, and open honey cells. Yum!
I am using plastic foundation. There is many options in bee keeping and I am learning to regret some of those I ended up with. Regardless, for these frames, I used a crush and strain technique. I scraped the capped honey off the foundation (leaving a 1/2 " or so all around the edge, though I did shave this down to frame level) and I am straining it now. The color is light, and the flavor has a lemon edge to it. It is tasty and energizing. There was nearly 1/2 a frame (photo below) where they had packed in pollen below the honey. These girls love to get the pollen! I bottled all that, to consume as comb honey. It is a complete food compliments of the bees. It looks like we'll get about 10 pounds. The weaker hive is doing very well, and had a lot of brood and eggs. They'd drawn out both lower boxes about 80%, so I gave them a super...don't really expect them to do much with it, but I want them to have the room if they want it. Not much else to report...Smoke has cleared (yea!) Summer is half done, and that is something to consider. xxoo Jj

My Favorite Kind of Weather: Hot and Smoky

2008-07-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

85* at Dawn...Smoky skies and oppressive heat were the theme of the week.
Bear Butte...Obscured by the haze. Below, my new hobby: Killing Yellow Jackets... Pretty Cool Snake...He was just hanging around the Butterfly Bush. Below, Blooms of Statice, Yucca and Rose.
Climbing Rose on a Clear Day...Below, Simba ala Photoshop. Find edges, then fade find edges/multiply. It makes it appear like a water color or acrylic painting. The Gladiola blossom at the end of this post received similar treatment
Close up of the Sunflower...Hairy! Below, Echinacea.
Glads...and Day Lilies...
This week saw record heat in our neck of the woods. I worked the bees and had a very interesting time of it. My strong hive is absolutely jammed with honey in the upper brood box but they have barely started working the top super. They are backing off on the syrup (finally! little lickers..) and I am set to receive some spare deep frames in a couple days to open up the brood box with. We can harvest a couple frames of honey in the process. The deep hive bodies are a bit of a problem for me. Full, they weigh in excess of 80 lbs! I nearly had a hernia trying to lift the top one off! There is a flow on. Clover, I think. Weak hive has brood and eggs. It appears to be building up again. Both hives have mega pollen stores as well. Yea! I water and mulch.

MEGA POST- Blooms,Bugs,Fruits,Greens and Pits

2008-07-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Photo Shop for Gardeners ... These are very hardy, drought tolerant ranch blooms, whose name I cannot recall. They are perennial and self sowing. Below, Golden Plums. This tree, in spite of the weird spring freezes, seems to be performing as well as last year. It is a Stark Bros SHIRO, and I swear it looks just like the catolog!
Poppies... and the Bugs That Love Them...

Sweet Raspberry Eatin' ...Reds, Golds and the Famed Thimble Berry are all going off like crazy. Big bowls of berries mark the mornings with stains of sweetness...Below, Nasturtium..
Nectarine above...Pear Below. Pears Rock.
Tiger Lilies with Broccoli blossoms...Below, Close up Grape In Bloom...
Hydrangea ...and Bug Friend, above...Cilantro and Mint below. The fresh herbs are heaven. i love them.Wow..A Moth Posing as a Butterfly. All the good butterflies are down at Kim's i guess...This is an Echinacea of some variety. It's wimpy on the leaves, but has a rather interesting spiral of a bloom.... circle of creation....
Ornamental Berry Bush... still in bloom yet its leaves are changing and telling stories of winter...Below, Geum. It is a super cool homestead flower. They are perennial, and drought tolerant.
Reliving the Horrors of a Cherry Crop Gone to the Birds ...as they say. At least they are happy. Below, Close up of Collard Edges..Collards are an under-appreciated garden green. Plant some, and you will have stir fry greens for the whole season long. Frilly.
Spinach...Yum. Below, Clematis... that finally decided to bloom. It's a Costco Straggler that hung around in a tall pot for a couple years now. Seems it was worth the wait.
Columbine above...Below, King Apple. The birds are already starting in on the helpless apples. I wish I could net in the entire 2 acre yard, like the blueberry patch in Honeydew. If you haven't tried some of Donovan's Pick-Yer-Own blueberries out in Honeydew yet, you must make a day to go out there this fall. They are too good. And they are in an expansive, moist, and bird-free (because it is entirely netted from above) garden.
Bumblebee ..Working the Broccoli..Below, Butterfly Bush. Big whoop.
Summer and all her fullness are upon us. Long hot days and warm sultry nights can be enjoyed now, while it is here. Too soon it seems, leaves are already changing and falling. The descent towards winter is apparent. Blooms are eager to burst and lay in seed before the approaching Autumn. It all makes me aware of the passage of time and the impending darkness of winter. Sigh, apples cannot plump unless the days grow short and cool. Grapes await the crisp mornings of the fall to release their intense sweetness, and the springs and creeks sigh as well. They must surely grow impatient in their long wait for rain. I celebrated my 26th year in SoHum today. The grrl I was that day, she was lucky to land in this paradise. A big hug and appreciation to Celeste G. for opening her home, her life and this community to me. I am blessed to call these hills home.

BLAH-G

2008-06-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

Smoky Horizons....The wild fires of '08 may go down as some of the worst. Certainly the earliest. We had lightning storms about a week ago, they triggered over 100 fires just in Humboldt county. There are fires all over the north part of California and today the smoke is the worst yet. Blech. Below, Weird Cloud Formations ...that preceded the dry lightning.
Eating Good in the Neighborhood..Spinach beet salad for days. Mustard and broccoli are mostly all done and a second sweet crop of collards and broccoli are coming on. We are eating peas, strawberries and just in the last few days, raspberries. I love the small fruits. The cherries? The ones I did enjoy were eaten before they were ripe, just like the birds...who cleaned up on all the rest. They literally left me with just pits hanging in the clump! Picture was too sad. Whatever, it was a pretty minimal crop and I was just too lazy and gimpy to climb up the ladder and net them. Sigh. Oh well, there is always next year. Golden Delicious Apple...Red in its youth. Peach...Planted as part of our home school studies into James and the Giant Peach. Its first year in the ground and already bearing fruit! No curl either, could be a keeper. Above Lilies...This is a very dependable day lily from Ruby Valley. Old school rules. Below, Nasturtium Volunteer...These are cheery flowers. The leaves and blooms are edible.
BEE LESSON: These two images clearly show little baby bee BROOD; Notice the C shaped object in the bottom of the cell. This brood is about 3-4 days old.
Bee EGGS...You can clearly see the small rice shaped object in the bottom of the cell. These are freshly deposited. Below, CAPPED BROOD. Notice the color is darker than the capped honey below it.
Worker Bees vs Drone Bees...Clearly illustrated above and below. My weaker hive has about a million drone so it is easy to find them when picture day comes around. More on the antics of this hive below...
Notice the drone has a much larger body. The worker bee is smaller and its eyes are much less prominent. The worker bees are sterile females, and the drones are the males. Drone bees gather no pollen or nectar and are just basically loafers who wait around for a virgin queen to fly by, which is not very often! At the close of the season the bees kick all the drones out of the hive, for they can't afford to feed them all winter. The queen will lay new drones in the spring. Drones are very loud buzzers when they do fly (bees leave the hive to relieve themselves.)
ADDENDUM: My YouTube BEE VIDEO of the hive entrance: Blah-g is right. The smoke has me choking; these hips are not happy to blog; and my knee is tweaked but good. Still I blah-g on. In my healing I have ventured back onto the bike. (yea!) We rode in the G.ville parade and I hope to offer a complete report of all our recent escapades on my mushing blog.Team HumDog...waiting for their turn in the G.ville parade. Below, Pepper on the DL with a bee sting! She would sometimes put her nose right into the hive! Bet she might not do that anymore! Her nose got all puffed up. Dog On Ice...On the homestead it's the bees that have taken a good deal of my attention and focus. I worry about them all the time! I'm not sure if it will help, but I can't seem to forget about them. My queen-less hive is now officially queen-right. I inspected on Wednesday, and found she had been released and there were newly lain eggs! yeah! The mood of that hive has improved a lot, and I am looking forward to them building up normally in these long hot days of summer. I planted about a hundred sunflowers to boost the summer nectar flow. Now that the blackberries are done, I don't know where they go, or what exactly they are feeding on. But they are coming home heavy, and still bringing in lots of pollen. I hope the smoke doesn't get them too upset. Bee keepers use smoke to calm the bees while we work them. There are several theories on why it works: One, is that is causes them to think their home is in danger, so they gorge themselves on nectar and honey in preparation to leave. The influx of sugar leaves them in a stupor. Some also believe, the smoke may interfere with their complex communication system. Whatever the case, there is too much smoke today.P.S. ADDENDUM II: Here is a silly Simba video on YouTube. Need a kitty fix?

Follow Up

2008-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Bearded Iris Show Part II...and below, Snap Peas in the Morning Light...
Above, the very unusual Painter's Palette...It is a shade loving multi colored shrub that bears tall, spiky, bright red blooms, in the autumn. Below, Roses on Parade.
California Poppies are in Abundance...The bees enjoy them a lot. Below, the Lush New Growth of the Plum. They seem very happy with the dry conditions... Below that, Strawberries of some Gigantic Breed...they were freebies with a catolog order. They have spread everywhere and now look like they are going to bear as well...Will they be hollow and flavorless?
Sweet William...A very dependable Homestead Flower. Freely reseeds and is fairly drought tolerant. Good for the lazy gardener! Below, Simba...Resting up for Summer.
This is a follow up to my last post. I have so many more great shots in the can ( I guess that should be on the card) and some amazing videos of the bees. ...BUT - Speaking of busy...I've little time to blog, and my hips say no blogging! So I am staying active and enjoying the summer sun.

BUT, I am following the bees progress closely and was able to inspect again today. The weaker hive is queen-less so I have ordered another. It will not be shipped until Tuesday! We will re-queen by next Friday, and the new queen should be laying by the beginning of the following week. Which will put this hive about a month behind the other. They are still consuming the syrup, and have collected a good amount of pollen and nectar. They are slow to draw out the comb, but do have some capped honey, a good amount of capped brood, but no open brood or eggs. I will be nervous until I can install a new queen...and what even happened to our first? Was it a Swarm? Injury/Death? From what? Skunk? Bee Keeper? Stress of travel? And why, did she lay so well at the first, and then this dearth of birth??? And why are there so many drones in this hive? Like too many i think....Anyway, I am in wait and see, and trust the process mode with this one. Hive two is kicking butt. I decided to remove the queen excluder, and the second super. They just haven't got the hang of going through it, and had drawn no comb in either box. But they are so crammed into the brood chamber they are hanging out the front door at night! So I will let them build up some comb on the first super and then replace the excluder (or not... maybe I'll let them have the first super too.... )Today I again saw the queen. There was also TONS of eggs, brood, good pollen, nectar and some capped honey too. Yea!

Way Later...

2008-06-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Cool June...Clouds rolling through on the wind...Calendula...ever blooming...Veggie Hits...and Hollyhock Sprouts....

Bumblebees A-plenty ...
Drone Bee...Outside the hive...WHY? (notice, its right wing is deformed...did he attempt to chase a queen and fail...?) Pictures below illustrate the antics of one of my hives. Numbers in this hive are few, there is very little uncapped brood, and on my last inspection I didn't find the queen but may have seen queen cells....! One afternoon they put on quite a display - Swarming? Nuptial flight of a new queen? I have many questions and few answers. Side note: This is a very active BEEFORUM. It is for Top Bar Hive enthusiasts, but many of the same principals apply; plus TBH's are very interesting! Top Bar Hives are simple bee hives, with about 30 slats across the top. The bees build all the foundation themselves and the hive can be built from simple materials. The claim is that TBH's do away with a lot of the hassle and extra gear of traditional bee keeping.... For now, we are in wait and see mode on this hive. I may need to re-queen it. My other hive is building up splendidly; their numbers are at least 4x's the weaker hive. They have already received two supers in addition to the brood chamber, which is 2 hive bodies deep. The queen there is laying like wildfire, beautiful even abundant brood and eggs. Crab Apples...and below, Backside of Ballerina - at Summer Arts Fair 2008- Middle Daughter sharing her gift...Thank you R.

I am having a hard time logging much time on line. I have chores in excess, and an uncooperative body. Nuff said. I have lots more images ready for the web, and will try to post again tomorrow. xxoo Jj

Who Knows Where the Time Goes

2008-05-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

New Kitten...Simba, sitting pretty in pink. Below, Red Pansy...
Above Green Peas and Sweet Peas...Below, Pear and Apple...
BEARDED IRIS SHOW...Mulberry ...and Below, Nectarine. I love the shadow of the spent flower on the pint sized fruit...
Grape blossom clusters on a Cloudy day...Below, Lilies in Bud...
Red Pear...Below my Friendly Bees...I am literally parking my nose on the landing board to get these shots...Notice how they are hanging down in a great cluster. Mellow, furry and verrrry interesting to observe.

Simba Vies for Equal Blog Time...Little feral dude rescued from the cat farm in town. He is getting well socialized and spoiled. When he isn't slurping up Fancy Feast or scampering about on the prowl, he spends most of his time just snoozing on his hot water bottle! He is a replacement kitten (..slow in coming i know..) for Nala, who was snatched up into the food chain - already 2 years ago! Welcome home Simby.
I have been swamped in catch up chores. My leg is still on the mend so I am at granny speed. The weather was very hot for a while, and the last week or so has been real cool, cloudy, and windy (my least favorite kind of weather.) We collected maybe 1/10 of an inch of moisture this weekend. That was the total for May. Of course the plums all love it and are thinking they now live in the Sacramento River Valley! Every one is putting on beautiful lush growth; unlike last year which was wet, and they were plagued with aphids or some damn wet spring viral thing, that made them weaken, curl up and barely grow. All the fruit trees are looking very good. Well, that is, except for the usual sickies in the bunch...The Pink Pearl Apple and one Satsuma Plum are both doing the shrivel act again. I suspect some root damage, or a strange virus in the case of the apple. All the other apple trees are rocking, and I am looking at a lot of fruit thinning in my future...

Flowers are all going off like crazy and I am way behind photo wise. Just no time. More later.

Mid May

2008-05-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Inner Beauty of the Iris- Bearded and Not...Baby Nectarine and Pear..
MID MAY FLOWER SHOW : Above - Close Encounter with Columbine...Below, Chives.. Calendula...and Rose...
More Fruit...Queen Anne Cherry above and First Grape Blossoms below...
Chard...It is so weird looking when it flowers, very curvy and thick.... Chard is a.. biannual; ADDENDUM: Make that Bienniel. (Thanks Kris!) It does not flower or bear seed until the second year it has been in the ground. (Not twice a year as a biannual would be!!) Once established (barring extremely cold weather) chard will freely acclimatize to the Humboldt Homestead.
Way above...Broccoli Coming on...These were set out in a raised bed as starts about 7 weeks ago. Above, new starts of greens and flowers that within weeks could look like the lushness below; Salad for days! Thank you Dr. Earth.
1ST Tomato Blossom...and Below, the Grim Reality of Life in Humboldt County...Somewhere around 1000 gallons of Red Dye Diesel was lost to the sweet waters that flow in this place...WHY?...

Winged Beauties...
Of course that includes the BEES! They are so cute right now. I worked them today and took a couple shots while the hives were open. Impressive build up. I gave them both an additional hive body. In the main brood chambers there was evidence of hatched bees, and lots of capped brood, open brood, eggs, pollen, honey and nectar in both hives. One hive, which I had sensed was not as strong, and was actually not intending to add to today - had built up a great abundance of capped honey cells, (burr comb) atop the frames! This was scraped off, as I inspected, and it was returned to the feeding area in the empty super on top where they will reclaim it.... NOT, I must admit, until I first tasted a generous mouthful! I have been rushing on the flavor and experience all afternoon. There is nothing that compares to fresh honey; it bites the back of the throat with pure sun and flower essence. The energy and uplift is immediate. I love my little bees and really hope they continue to do well.
Looking in the entrance...Can you see them hanging down in great numbers? I can't either...bad light. I am feeling pretty good. I had radical 18 guage needle therapy on my knee supplemented by a generous dose of steroids. There is hope. Plus my New Scooter came, so I am already warming up for my next big and (fun!) activity. My Mushing Blog will most likely carry on at length about this new (and probably dangerous) hobby. Dreaming of the road...

May Flowers

2008-05-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Baby Almond..just one of the few that set this year. Above that, Low Growing Thyme with a passing oak leaf superimposed on its lush new growth. Irony. Below, 2nd Kiwi Sprouts...the 1st sprouts were killed by frost.
The Flowers of Tomorrow...present in the Raspberry Buds above. Red Pear Set below.
The hills are in full color with so many wild flowers and already the grass is fading in some spots. Without a generous May or June rain, we may be in for a very dry summer.

I am irrigating ...and that's about all. I am still pretty much in-valid with my knee injury. Find me on my mushingblog for the full ruminations.

Here, the flowers about the yard are starting to burst with great energy, but for the most part the fruit bloom is over. A few apples are bringing up the rear and the persimmon will bloom much later...Hope my knee is well by then.... We have been grounded for a month and it has been a real drag.

I did manage to work the bees yesterday and found them to be in good shape.Each hive has 5-6 frames of foundation fully drawn out, and they are full of eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen nectar and even some capped honey. I found the queen in one hive, but not in the other. It had abundant eggs and brood - so I will assume for the time being, she is there. They both came marked with a red spot painted on there thorax and one was still easily visible, perhaps the other has rubbed hers off...?

My understanding of the hive, is that at this point about a month out from installation, it is just past its lowest population - as some workers have passed on- and new eggs take about 3 weeks to hatch, after which time they wander around on the hive doing menial chores until they are about 2-3 weeks old when they follow the other foraging bees out of the hive. They will begin by taking training flights first where they "boil" in front of the hive. Each time they fly out further and further out, always turning back to face the hive, return and fly out yet further from home until they have learned their way. I have seen some of this behavior.The bees are working with great enthusiasm the borage, and the fire poker plants. Both are easy to grow and will basically self maintain around here, so they would be a good Bee Food to include in your landscape plans for 2008. Below - A good argument against buying a living Christmas Tree. Real bright plan: Spend $40 for a lush beauty that we then subject to a slow tedious death, by offering heat and lights in December, and neglect (read: small pot/no water) in the spring....sigh. Next year maybe we'll just kill one at the get go.

Eve of May

2008-04-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Lilac in Full Bloom...Below My Pet BEES put on a pollen and nectar gathering show...
These are just the cutest little buggers...Golden and busy. I have been maintaining the feeders in the hives. They consume about a quart of sugar syrup every 2+ days. Each day that has been warm enough, we have seen them out in great numbers. They come back to the hive heavy with nectar and pollen. Just notice how much pollen they load onto the pollen sacs on their legs. Interesting Bee Trivia: Bees practice Flower Fidelity! That is, they will individually choose one type of blossom to work; thus, the superior pollination afforded by visiting bees is facilitated. We had several unseasonably cold nights last week, and suffered a good deal of frost damage to the grapes, which will severely impact the output of the vines this year. Below, frost burned tender grape shoots. They will send out new shoots. The crop just tends to be much smaller - if at all. Below, The persimmon suffered an equal fate.... Luckily the persimmon sends out their fruit shoots after the leaves, so there shouldn't be too much impact...We'll see. I am enjoying the anticipation of the fruit that has done it, in spite of the unseasonable cold. Below, Plums...And of course PEARS...Below, Danjou..."Plant pears you feed your heirs"...Even the nectarines seem to have dodged the icy bullets of the previous week...not escaping a good case of the Peach Leaf Curl though, as illustrated by the image above...Below, Wildflowers Explode...
Above the last of the Daffodils...Nectar Loving Moth below...
Loving the Greens...Below, see the Baby Broccoli Bud?
Itty Bitty Baby Snap Dragons above...Below, Lone Poppy...
Cherry Blossoms Catching Light above...Below, King Apple with the most unique coloring ....
Pansies above...and below, the tender shoots of the Douglas Fir...
It has been a long time since I last posted. There is no lack of happenings on the homestead front, I've just been unable to log much progress of the great outdoors, with my sorry butt in bed and my knee on ice. I attempted Stay Active Mode today, and I did enjoy (suffered through) a good bit of hiking up and around my hill. The frost damage is significant, but we are not alone in our crisis. The Sacramento River Valley, and the grape regions to our south, were all hit; the total damages to cherries, grapes, plums and peaches are yet to be known. My apple blossoms were a little singed, but for the most part appear unaffected. For the time being all the grapes are toast, as is the persimmon. About half of the plums either never set, or dropped what did set in the cold. Some plums do tend to bear just every other year.... We have no fruit set on the Greengage, Prune Plums, or the Original Santa Rosa. The New Improved Santa Rosa, Shiro, Golden, Elephant Heart, and the Satsuma, all seem to have set a pretty good crop ! yea! The pears, of course, are in their glory. Their bloom went off without a hitch, and virtually every tree is loaded with infant pears. If you were to plant just one fruit tree in the hills of Humboldt County, and wanted assured success, PLEASE make it a pear! They are non fussy, and reliably productive. They are easy to prune too, as you just basically maintain shape, and have no insane 2 day prune job, cutting back the endless new growth, like that of the apple or plum. More Later...enjoy. Jj

What a Week !

2008-04-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Golden Beauties...
Green Galore...Sweetest Spring Greens...Compliments of a well built raised bed. We planted an assorted mixture of favorite EZ grow veggies; Broccoli from starts; Cilantro, Spinach, and both Green and Red Mustard started in six packs; Late Broccoli and a few Collards started from seed and placed between the early broccoli; And both mini Carrots and heirloom Beets were planted directly. The bed is about 2 feet high, and it is filled with a basic mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 soil and 1/3 peat moss. I supplemented with a small bag of Dr Earth 4-4-4, and of course, some chicken shit in the form of Stutzman's - in pellet form. Note: If you haven't tried the chicken shit in pellet form you must give it a go. In appearance it is like rabbit or horse food, the bags are quite heavy, and they cost about $10/ea - but go a long way. The pellets break down wonderfully integrated into the soil, or if used as a top dressing. Major appeal? NO SMELL!! This bed has remained covered for the most part since planting with a couple layers of floating row cover...actually I have a good source for that - will link. Below, check out the Flock of Ravens that came for a visit on my birthday.
Spring brings renewed hope and inspiration for most. For me, it has delivered 2 boxes of honey bees and one bum knee - very bad combo. My bikejoring escapades brought yet another (not so minor) injury, this time to my right leg/knee. We are all just really glad its not broken! For the full story you'll have to check out my mushing blog where I intend to whine about it in full...In the meantime...The rest of the story; The bees arrived in splendid shape on Friday, thanks to Ernie and the good folks at the Branscomb Center. It was a hot day and they were running over the screen quite a lot. I misted them with water, to cool them down some on the way home. I was instructed to wait ONE WHOLE DAY prior to installing, to allow the package time to bond with the queen. The queens are raised for this purpose, and prior to shipping, the worker bees are literally shoveled into the boxes with the queen in her own cage. They don't know the queen, and must acclimate to her scent. In retrospect, I wish I'd have gone with my first inclination to install them immediately - while I still had two good legs! As it was, they were placed in a cool well ventilated area, and I started to mist them with sugar water with a ratio 1-1. Then I took my fateful ride, and damn! Things got a lot harder after that. Living on the beautifully steep homestead that I do, even though the area where hives are has been leveled, access to that area is only for the sound of body. Still, late Friday evening I hobbled up there on crutches with the help of the hubby and kids, and with little fanfare we installed the first package. I did wear a veil, but was literally clad in short shorts, and long sleeved shirt. I received NO stings. Check out the videos (not mine) below for the process. The bees are quite docile in the package, because they have nothing to defend. In this instance they were indeed docile, like little lambs. Into the hive with you. In spite of the fact that I had to crawl back to the house, we considered it a success, and because light was fading (read DARK) we were forced to put off the installation of the second box, one more day. I'm truly gimpy at this point (oooh! the day after the wreck. Everywhere - ouch!) I fed them just twice on Saturday, it was also pretty warm. So when we went to install this second box we were greeted with quite a few dead bees at the bottom. Maybe 3x's as many as the first box. We say, don't worry, this is cool...just hobble your broken butt up there and "git er done. " When I injured myself initially, I called an old bee keeping companion for assistance, and he said to me "The girls can do it!" Hmmmmm... I'm glad I did not listen to him in this instance, because what followed was not the smoothest of installations, and is indeed part of our steep, steep learning curve in this new venture. So, I got myself up there (somehow) and right away things started going poorly.... The feeder can, which plugs the hole was completely jammed. (Stuck up with sugar? Bad fit? I will never know...) We (the hubby is there - no veil) are wiggling and jostling that fricking can for about 5 minutes! Finally, I used the hive tool to literally break it out. By now the bees are all pissed. One immediately flies up and stings my helper on the lip -very bad. The primary reason for using a veil at all times, is to protect the highly sensitive face area from stings, which can cause quite a reaction there - as you will see. I got the queen cage uncorked, with still far more hassle than the night before, plugged it with a marshmallow, and tacked her in place. I then dumped the whole feisty load out into the hive. These were some pissed off bees - not docile. I managed to hobble my body back down the hill, stripping bare naked in the path to free myself from those that had somehow found a way up into my LONG PANTS, and evenually dunking my head under running water to dislodge the 10 or so that had burrowed into the hair that was hanging out of the veil (another lesson learned the hard way)...by now the hubby's lip is already pendulous...and his eyebrow area looks a little suspect as well. Pretty stressful compared to the night b-4. The entrance reducer got all half cocked in the process, and someone still needs to go up and move that around...they do have access, and most of the bees made it into the hive although there were still a good cluster outside; not so good considering the first box was completely empty in the morning after. Below, the morning after- box 2. So bee it. Now we feed for the next 5 weeks while the hives build up. I will be refilling feeders, and checking to see that the queens are out and laying, in few days. Click photo below to learn more about the fascinating world of honey bees. Below that, The LIP...
Nebees Package Bees Installation - 5 min.

Bee Master Package Bees Installation - 9 minutes

.Snow is melting and flowers bloom....The photos that follow, and the header photo, were all taken by my Middle Daughter, R - she has two good legs and went on a photo venture to brighten this post. So much color in the world...Almond, below...Followed by Pansies...Lilac...and Cherry...
Pink Pearl Apple...And Snoopy, looking towards the future. It'll be bright!

Random Shots - Eve of Another Year -

2008-04-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

Dark and Light Study in Spring...
Red-Tailed Hawk ...Orange Belly Cat...
Daffodil Bows...I like this shot because it is quite true in its suggestion that the flowers are looking downward. Below, Wild Lupine...
Borage Against a Bright Sky...Below Best Green Award goes to CHARD...Chard is soooo easy to grow. It reseeds itself, and is a dependable highly nutritious green for the homestead. Plant some anytime.
It is nearly the eve of another year for this homesteader. So many seasons I have enjoyed, I'll be blessed to enjoy so many more... Catching light all the way...

The days have been cool, and at last, we had a little, barely measurable amount of rain. I got the last of the bare root trees in the ground; a hazelnut/filbert which I learned I need a pollinator for; another Illinois Mulberry; and two peach trees, planted in a giant hole, side by side. This is a new space saving technique I'm trying out, which will conserve water and time as well. The trees are placed about 2-4 feet apart in a giant 6-8 foot hole. They are pruned apart from one another to create a open center. Also, with peaches you gotta remember, they can be sickly little buggers, but so worth the struggle and hassle when they do it ! So if one dies, or gets terribly weak, I'll have a back up. I've learned to be absolutely not attached to any fruit trees I plant. It really is a crap shoot and any number of calamities could befall them. I just figure the ones that make it, and do well, are the ones that belong here. And if a tree dies, or is severely weakened for some reason, I see the value in the planting space, and boot it out in favor of a young live tree. In chosing your trees, remember, a 1 year old whip will outperform the 2-3 year old stock. In light of how awesome a new tree can do, it makes little sense to nurse the poor performers. But I will confess to harboring a few of them...I have a couple of plum trees that are not looking good, since last year - w/poor new growth and spindly overall appearance. The vole/mole/rodent freaks that dwell beneath the earth here seem to love the plum, fig and rose roots. A lot. Luckily, they seem to be leaving the cherry, apple and pear trees pretty much alone. I have to mention that I have also seen trees severely damaged in various ways, come back with amazing vigor, and go on to perform as well as any. So, I guess we'll just have to see...more later, when i'm 40...;} Candles compliments of a0k1 at flickr.ADDENDUM: Team HumDog has a new Video! Check it out HERE!