Spring Bee Hive Inspection

As a beekeeper, I do regular inspections of my hives. I try to minimize the amount that I break into the hive, because I feel that, for the most part, bees do fine without human intervention.

This hive wintered over, and it was a nice warm day, so I decided to briefly check in on them. I kept it short because they don't like their babies getting cold.

They seem to be thriving. They are bringing in lots of pollen, which means the Queen is laying eggs. When I start seeing drones (male bees) I will split the hive into 2 hives. Bees do this naurally by swarming. A swarm happens when the hive gets too crowded. When they swarm, half the bees take the old Queen and fly away to a new location, leaving half the bees in the hive with a new Queen. That is how bees replicate and expand.

If you see swarming bees in the Tacoma and greater Pierce County area, give me a call 253-732-3434. I will come get them and give them a good home.

A look at the Secret Garden (greenhouse)

I was harvesting from our makeshift greenhouse today, and thought that I would post photos. 

We make the greenhouse by bending cattle fence panels over the raised bed and cover with clear plastic. I planted lettuce, chard, tatsoi, and bok choi last August. We have been harvesting and eating these greens all winter. Now that it is warming a little they are growing new leaves. 

When I opened the end to look in today, it was really warm in there. I wanted to climb inside and heat up. The outside temperature here is 45 degrees.

I planted seeds in there 10 days ago, and the new plants are coming up. They will be protected from frost. 

Interestingly, I have not watered all winter until today. Condensation kept it like a rain forest in there.

My honey bees kept landing on the opening and checking it out. They liked the water and the heat.

The Honey Bees are Flying!

Checked on the hives today and the bees were really active. It looked like the activity of a summer day. I love the intense buzzing sound of a busy hive.

Honeybee Swarm removal

Spring is coming! As the weather warms up, the honey bees will swarm. They are very gentle when they swarm and don't want to hurt you. Please call/text me if you see a swarm. I will remove swarms in Pierce County Washington for free! 253-732-3434.

Pierce County Washington

Tacoma, Lakewood, Fircrest,  University Place, Gig Harbor

Escapees

 I went into the chicken yard to collect eggs and dump the kitchen waste into the compost bin. I wasn't paying attention and left the gate open. You can see that the hens all siezed the opportunity to run out into the yard and patio.

 Normally, I don't allow them out because they scratch and make messes and eat everything. I made a few attempts to round them up and put them back, but they were hard to catch and were having such a ball eating weeds and grass that I let them hang out.

They have killed every plant in sight in their. Believe it or not it was a fully greenyardfull of grass when we put them in there. They turned it into a barren moonscape with their scratching and earing every last living thing.

This is Baby, our broody hen. Broodies just want to sit on eggs all day, it is a natural thing chickens do in the wild. This has mostly been bred out of t because they stop producing when they are broody. Baby didn't get that memo. She is broody often, but she is terrible at it. Note in the photo that all the wggs are in the other box. There are no eggs under her, I checked. Broody hens can be mean as they are protective of the eggs and will peck you if you try to gather them from under their bellies.

Just Peachy

The canning season is about to start and I know there must be others out there like me, hovering around fruit stands and farmers markets, waiting for the harvest season glut of fruits and vegetables to start. Waiting for that time in the season when the produce comes fast and furious, is plentiful and sold by the crate. That is when those of us with a preserver's soul start buying the seasons bounty in a frenzy, after months of careful planning and recipe research on the internet.

I have been dreaming of  canning spiced peaches for months. An older gentleman, the husband of a friend, mentioned his plans for putting up some spiced peaches during an evening out back in early July. Ever since then I have have had delicious thoughts of indulging in a peach filled larder all winter. Spiced peaches over vanilla ice cream especially appealed, particularly since the thermometer hovered over 100 degrees, and 54 days has passed with no rain in Seattle, a record breaking year.

That time is not upon us yet for good peaches, despite it being mid-August.  I know this because I have been to several  local farmers markets and some in the hot eastern part of Washington, where most of our fruit is grown. They have peaches, but they are still hard and are not the preferred Freestone variety. These ones are cling peaches, so named because they cling to their pits. The Freestone peaches won't be in for a couple more weeks, so says a farmer at a fruit stand in Cashmere, Fruit Central USA. I bought a box of the cling peaches, just because the craving was so strong, and as  I was in farm country, stopping for a box was mandatory in my book. I will try them and see what torture it is to wrangle out a resistant pit. We shall see how it goes.

Greg doesn't want me to make  the only peaches that I put up the spiced ones. He wants some plain ones, just like he had in his childhood. I am obliged to do this, because like him, I have has a fondness since childhood for canned peaches in delicious sugar syrup. The home version of these being far superior to the mass produced version found on grocery market shelves. My hope is that more people learn the traditions of preserving the harvest so they can enjoy the burst of flavor that follows when you open that jar.

Blowin' in the Wind-Chores Around the Coop

I love the smell of wood chips. It was sunny out and Greg managed to catch  the rays of sunshine in this photo. He's so arty.

Hauling the chips out to the coop.

This drawer comes all the way out so we can empty it out and clean it. We dump it out in the chicken yard and they love to scratch in it.

The top perch had fallen down, Greg re-hung it and shored it up.

And he fixed the front side of the nesting box that kept falling off. Its all back together and looking good.

They are Chicken to Come Out!

Two hens came outside and took one look at the snow and hightailed it back into the coop!  I snapped this photo of them heading back in after they came down the ladder to check it out.  They looked around, ate a little and headed back in to the warm coop.  Only two out of six hens came out.  The other hens stayed inside and awaited an update on the temperature from the scout hens, I guess.

Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas

Another archive post that I forgot to publish! It was written in August.

My most recent toiling has been spent with needle and thread, as this summer has not really materialized weather-wise. We talked about having a fire in the fireplace last Sunday because it was so cold and drizzly out. It's August , for Pete's sake!
Anyhow, I ran across my new favorite book, Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style while at the bookstore last week.

It is a sewing idea/pattern book by Swedish fabric designer Lotta Jansdotter.  She gives 7 or so basic patterns that you can customize by lengthening or shortening  skirts and pants, or by adding or removing sleeves on tops. There are a few bags, scarves and accessory patterns, also. The patterns are basic and easy, and the designs are cute. Lotta has a bunch of her friends of different shapes and sizes model various versions of the garments, the result is a visual feast for the eyes as the photos are really pretty and highlight Scandinavian style.
It was a tough choice to decide what garment to make first. I chose the Owyn pant because I am at a size that is hard to fit into pre-made manufacturer's sizes, and I like the idea of a custom fit.

Owyn Pants shown in the book.

 I traced and cut out the pattern onto traceable Pellon, and cut it out in unbleached cotton muslin. This would be my test pair to determine fit and make any adustments for my particular shape.

My muslin practice pair of the Owyn Pant

The pants have a stretchy waistband in the back and a flat front. They fit well and are flattering. I have a long waist, so my next pair I will add a couple inches to the top of the waistband so they hit me closer to my natural waist. I sewed these in half a day. I am sure the next pair will go much quicker. Of course, I have already been to the fabric store to pick out fabric for my next pair, which I plan to get started on today.

The finished product.

The fabric for my next pair.

Susan Winget Christmas Quilt

I finished this one in September, but forgot to post it.  I think it turned out well.
It is lap-sized and the back side is dark red flannel.  It is quilted with big X patterns on each block. The white fabric has gold glitter stars, and the dark green binding has a subtle gold glitter to it.  It is just the right weight to snuggle up with in the recliner!

 

Christmas in July

Since it has been a rather cloudy, rainy summer, I decided to get working on my Christmas Quilt. TBH, this is my 2nd or third year on this project. The first year I found the Santa fabric at a yard sale for $2 and cut out the Santa squares. The 2nd year I bought the other two fabrics to match and cut out squares the same size as the Santa squares. I also laid out the pattern and pinned it all together. This year I sewed the squares together. I hope to get a nice fabric, probably in a white tone for the border, and a layer of middle quilt filler plus a flannel backside sewed on. Then I will quilt the top so all the layers stay together, and bind it all around. Vóila, I have a quilt for the couch during the holidays,  to replace the store bought knit blanket I never really liked but used anyway. I love the idea that it is handmade. I look forward to passing this quilt down to future generations.

Here is a close-up of the fabric. I have a Christmas dish set by the same artist. It depicts the poem, The Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas). Its strange to think about Christmas in July!

Christmas in July

Since it has been a rather cloudy, rainy summer, I decided to get working on my Christmas Quilt. TBH, this is my 2nd or third year on this project. The first year I found the Santa fabric at a yard sale for $2 and cut out the Santa squares. The 2nd year I bought the other two fabrics to match and cut out squares the same size as the Santa squares. I also laid out the pattern and pinned it all together. This year I sewed the squares together. I hope to get a nice fabric, probably in a white tone for the border, and a layer of middle quilt filler plus a flannel backside sewed on. Then I will quilt the top so all the layers stay together, and bind it all around. Vóila, I have a quilt for the couch during the holidays,  to replace the store bought knit blanket I never really liked but used anyway. I love the idea that it is handmade. I look forward to passing this quilt down to future generations.

Here is a close-up of the fabric. I have a Christmas dish set by the same artist. It depicts the poem, The Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas). Its strange to think about Christmas in July!

Christmas in July

Since it has been a rather cloudy, rainy summer, I decided to get working on my Christmas Quilt. TBH, this is my 2nd or third year on this project. The first year I found the Santa fabric at a yard sale for $2 and cut out the Santa squares. The 2nd year I bought the other two fabrics to match and cut out squares the same size as the Santa squares. I also laid out the pattern and pinned it all together. This year I sewed the squares together. I hope to get a nice fabric, probably in a white tone for the border, and a layer of middle quilt filler plus a flannel backside sewed on. Then I will quilt the top so all the layers stay together, and bind it all around. Vóila, I have a quilt for the couch during the holidays,  to replace the store bought knit blanket I never really liked but used anyway. I love the idea that it is handmade. I look forward to passing this quilt down to future generations.

Here is a close-up of the fabric. I have a Christmas dish set by the same artist. It depicts the poem, The Night Before Christmas. Its strange to think about Christmas in July!

Goodbye Rooster

We had to send him on his way, can't have a rooster in the city. A couple with 5 acres wanted him for their hens. He will be with a bunch of girls. Rooster heaven!

November Raspberries

They are still ripening on the vine! We have been eating them all summer. Not as sweet as summer berries, but they taste pretty good! Note the molting awful-looking hens in the background eying the berries. I like to throw them berries, they love them and beg for more.

The chicks are becoming teenagers!

They were born June 10th. We think we have 3 boys and two girls. They are Delawares.

Every Urban Farm Needs a Couple Good Watchdogs

The signs on our gate say "Beware of Dog".  I want to get the sign that has a picture of a Dobermann Pinscher and says "I can make it to the gate in 1.2 seconds, can you?".

Sadie Lou, our newest addition to the family.  She is a rescue, we were told that she is 1/2 Rottweiler and 1/2 Lab, but she doesn't look like a lab in any way.  I suspect that she is 1/2 Rott and 1/2 Pit Bull or some other stout dog that is brindle colored..   She is a sweetie and really mellow.  That is welcome since out other dog, Greta (see below) is hyperactive and very "on guard".  Sadie is learning to be a good guard dog from Greta, the ultimate guard dog.

Our goofy Greta.  She is the ultimate guard dog.  She is vigilant, always on the lookout.  No squirrel or cat is going to walk on our property without Greta announcing their presence to the world.She finds it hard to relax.  She reminds me of the Dobermann dog leader in the movie "Up".  We are hoping that she and Sadie Lou will start playing a lot and she will get tired out.   I am thinking about getting her a treadmill for more exercise, since walks and playing fetch are not enough.  I can't run with her as she is too hyper and has no sense of her body kinesthetics and no body management skills.  She is all over the place and runs in front of me, stops, pulls, etc. and she is strong!  She has a fun-loving personality and at almost 5 years old she still behaves like a puppy (a 70 lb puppy). She is likely to sit on your foot with a bony buttbone or step on your foot as she walks by.  She smiles a lot and seems to think things are funny, especially if she nudges you in the butt and makes you jump.  She is happiest exercising, running, jumping, etc.

First Harvest Fresh From the Garden

The garden is coming along despite our rainy summer.  Today I made a frittata for dinner with our hens' eggs and cilantro from the herb garden.   We had mashed potatoes with the year's first potatoes, and a salad with our butter lettuce and the first tomatoes of the season.  The tomatoes are the heirloom variety Stupice, and there is a a lot of fruit on the plants and many are ripening already .  I will have to remember that this variety is a  good producer and early ripener for future plantings.
Tomorrow night will be some sort of zucchini dish.  They are ripening fast and furiously.  Soon I will be up to my ears in zucchini and yellow summer squash.  If anyone has any recipes for squash, send them my way.  My plan is to freeze any extra for future use.

New Chicks!

Our chicks finally hatched!  It took 21 days, but the chicks are out and running around.  Only two out of six eggs  hatched, so I got four more chicks from the farm and put them under her.  She has taken to all of them, except the smallest.  That one is named Cookie, and is younger than the rest.  Cookie runs around behind all the other chicks trying to keep up.  The mama will tolerate Cookie to sit under her to keep warm, so we don't need the heat lamp.  They are out foraging in the yard and digging for grubs. The mama digs up dirt and shows them how to get food.  They are really cute and we are having a great time watching them and playing with them.

Goats!

My sister Tanara is living the dream life in an old farmhouse on a 7 acre apple orchard in Winthrop, WA.  She recently got some baby goats, and calls frequently to give updates on the babies.  I haven't met them yet, but the goats seem to have great personalities.  She says that they are like dogs in that they follow you around and want to be near their people.

Since I can't have goats here in the city where I live, I have to live vicariously through her pictures and updates.

 This is her son, Hawke bottle feeding his goat.

Tanara's husband Zach bottle feeding his goat.

More bottle feeding:

Ear nibbles!

A boy and his goat

It all looks like a lot of fun to me.  Also, it looks like a lot of work.  I think that I need to make plans to go visit them this summer while the goats are still babies.