Bee Inspection - Keeping Track

I need to keep track of what we're doing with the bees so this will be my "notebook" entry so to speak.

We came out of the winter with one strong hive. To give us insurance for the season we bought a nuc and installed it in the bee yard on Monday, March 25th. The same day we split our big hive but couldn't find the queen so we didn't know which double box she was in, the original box which I'll call Alpha, or the split which I'll call Beta. We fed everybody and started waiting. 

On the 29th we gave Beta another feeding because they were so inactive. On April 7th we added boxes to the nuc and to Alpha because they both had so many bees outside. In fact, we were afraid the nuc was getting ready to swarm.

Today, April 18th we did a check of all three hives. Beta had two queen cells at the bottom and brood so it's clear we moved the queen there when we did the split. She may be going to swarm anyway. We left the queen cells alone because if they swarm they'll need those queen cells to raise a new queen. We added some spearmint to our swarm box to hopefully catch a swarm, perhaps one from our own hives. 

We added a box to the nuc because they have almost filled the top box with nectar. That makes three boxes on the nuc. There were lots of drone cells which we removed and fed to the chickens. There's plenty of brood and we took a frame with egg cells and gave it to Alpha. If they have a queen it won't hurt and if they don't, they can use the eggs to raise a new queen. We're asking the patrons of beekeepers for help.

I got my first sting of the season on the middle finger of my right hand. I never saw the bee. She must have been on my glove and stung me as I was taking it off. I hope it helps my arthritis!

We're off to a good start for the bee season. They've been all over our apple tree and this weather is great for pollen and nectar collecting. 

Cooking Day at Camp Kreitzer

I love spending time with my grandkids. Two of the local grandsons decided awhile back that they want to do "cooking day" with Grandma every week. So for the past month or so we meet weekly to learn cooking skills and enjoy the results. One of the big benefits is that it gets them away from the computer games. They bring their Ipads to do math tutoring with their grandfather (They're home schooled), but that's it. Bike riding, board and card games, and cooking are the fun for the day. They are becoming quite the little chefs.

A Snow Day at Camp Kreitzer with Max and Jude!

Believe it or not I have a real life besides my virtual life on the blog and Facebook, and that's the life I cherish. It usually starts with morning prayer time invoking the Lord's blessings on Larry and me and all our loved ones. I have a little prayer box in my home chapel overflowing with funeral cards, ordination cards, prayer requests, etc. that I cycle through. I've grouped our parish friends, the folks at the nursing home I used to visit, priest friends who have gone to the Lord, etc. It takes me about a month to make it through the entire box.

A Tiny Camp Kreitzer Christmas

Our oldest daughter gave us a delightful little book for Christmas titled Tiny Ridge with almost no words, just photos.  The brief introduction reads:

Deep in the mountains of North Carolina, my daughter Josephine and I imagined a tiny world coexisting just under our feet. All of these images were created in-camera (with lots of balancing and not Photoshop alterations.) The series is designed to reflect how our organic farm and the residents of Tiny Ridge wake up over the seasons.

Do yourself a favor and visit the author/photographer's page to see the incredibly delightful and creative photos. Then let your imagination run rampant! 

Beautiful Fall Weather Calls for a Walk in the Park!

Goodness! It's been ages since I posted here. But today I was so thrilled with the beauty of God's world, I decided it was time for a Camp Kreitzer update from Seven Bends State Park. It's only five minutes from home and is becoming our go to place to take a walk. A prime advantage for two oldies is that so many of the paths are flat! So here goes. Near the parking lot is a little history of the park parcel. Much of the acreage used to be used by Massanutten Military Academy as a camp. There are markers all over the park that tell about its history.

The People in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light! Tour a Lit Up Camp Kreitzer!

I don't like the winter. I don't like the cold; I don't like the dark. Thank God for the holy days of winter! 
How I love the holidays. I love to fill the house with light when it's dark outside. 

I love coming home and seeing our Nativity scene out front with the wayward donkey straying off on his own and the star of Bethlehem over our front porch. I love setting up the crib, the tree, and my Christmas village that all shimmer with light. And I will leave them all up until the winter is on the wane -- until at least Candlemas Day on February 2nd. 

One year I didn't take the decorations down until Ash Wednesday. It was early that year, but I just couldn't bring myself to turn off all the lights and go back to Ordinary Time. So I skipped it that year and continued celebrating Christmas until Lent. 

Every room gets its little bit of Christmas. 

Here's the tour.

As you come in the front door, the living room/home chapel is on the right. I put my village there with all the trappings of an old fashioned Christmas. It begins with the little stable I fashioned out of an old shoebox and the Precious Moments nativity.

The Pumpkin Party!

One of my favorite October events is dinner in a pumpkin. Last Sunday we had a family party and invited everybody to bring a pumpkin to decorate or carve. Nobody took us up on that, even our daughter who suggested it. I had to laugh when she and her children arrived with no pumpkins. Our son's family had a late sports event with their second grader and arrived shortly before dinner, so they anticipated no time for pumpkin carving. And our other daughter's family had already decorated their pumpkins. So other activities, mostly catching up on everyone's news, took precedence.

The dinner was a success: chili in the pumpkin with rice, muffins, coleslaw, and broccoli salad. Dessert was pumpkin cheese cake, rice krispy treats colored and shaped as orange pumpkins, and a big box of European chocolate coated cookies from Costco. A good time was had by all! And hopefully this is one more memory from Camp Kreitzer to treasure in the future and maybe repeat in the next generation and others to come. It's still not too late to host a pumpkin party at your house. And if you want extra fun, watch the hilarious Steven Spielberg short, The Mummy.