Updates and Chores

It's been two weeks since I've written anything (I've been busy posting at my new blog paraguay1994).  I am deeply in my routine of country chores.  So many things to do daily and weekly to keep it all clean and productive.

Mom says, look what I've got here!

She does a great job making sure the chicks eat lots.

The baby chicks are an amazing joy in my life.  At about 4 days old their little wing buds began to shoot out and now they have beautiful little wings.  I don't think they will be feathered like the mom, a silkie.  I think they will have standard feathers.  But they do have feathered legs and feet like their mom.  Yesterday I noticed a little tail pop out on both chickies just like the wings had sprouted.  I've named them Cloudy and Yellow.

This is Yellow. 

This is Cloudy.

Notice the little tail that has sprouted!

The honey bees have a new vertical garden to give them more protection and environment.  I planted them with seeds of morning glory and spinach as well as small strawberry and marigold plants.  The spinach hasn't sprouted, but everything else is growing well in their small pallet spaces.

A vertical garden made with pallets, screening, staple gun, compost and plants

Morning Glory sprouts

Sunrise on the apiary.

The first hive continues to struggle.  I opened it two days ago and I was confused by what I saw, a queen, but no pink marking...what happened to my new queen?  and who is the queen I spotted?  And most importantly, where is the brood cells?  I would characterize this hive as sick and unproductive.

The second hive gave me a good scare two weeks back.  I made several mistakes.  First mistake, I treated the hive influenced by my experience with hive #1 instead of giving the hive the proper respect and assessment that each hive must be given.  I wore some gloves that have been fine working with #1 because I couldn't find the proper leather gloves I have been using.  These gloves have a rubber palm with some stretchy knit material on the backs of the hands.  Second mistake, I didn't have proper fuel for the smoker and I did not use the smoker effectively to calm the bees.  When getting several frames in to my top bar hive inspection, moving and lifting bars of comb and bees, the bees began to sting my knuckles and tops of my hands through the gloves.  It happened very quickly, in just a few seconds.  Maybe 5-10 stings, 4 on one finger!  My hands swelled up like sausages for two days and I moped around, drugged up on antihistamines.  It has definitely given me pause to think about bee tending as a hobby.  I am going to keep with it for now, but my respect has grown.  When I revisited hive #2 this week I wore my wetsuit with my overalls on top, boots, veil, leather gloves, duct tape seams.  I collected dried pine needles and got a good smoke from the smoker.  Everything went well and the hive looks healthy.  I didn't spot the queen, but I did see larvae and have been observing the collection of pollen by foragers which is a sign of the feeding of brood.

Potential...

My vegetable garden is finally showing some success.  I finished a second batch of compost and added that soil to my raised bed and mixed it in with straw.  I planted seeds of lettuce and arugula.  I couldn't keep my chickens out of that wonderland, and had them confined in there coop for a week until we finished a chicken wire fence surrounding the bed to protect it from their scratches and pecks.

Swiss Chard protected from curious chickens.

Land prepped with fresh compost and straw.

Lettuce sprouts...and ficus berries.

Lettuce growing...enough for harvest!