2.23.2015

weekending :: around the house









aside from a trip to ballet class and a short playdate with friends, we stayed close to home this weekend.  kept the home fire burning, drank tea, started her pink hat with the yarn she chose all by herself, watched as the first seedlings began to valiantly break the surface of the seed starting mix (hurrah for the onions and tomatoes that are already up!).

it was very icy and cold around here last week, as it was in many parts of the country.  highs in the teens, lows anywhere from -4 to a handful of degrees, windchill well below zero…… we are used to freezing temperatures and snow around here, but wow.  we got used to bringing fresh water out for the chickens every few hours, swapping it for frozen.  we put a heat lamp in their coop.  after the second or third day of brittle intense cold, we decided to give the remaining hive a bit of love and packed some straw around and underneath it.  by the weekend, it was warming up quite a bit, and by Sunday it was in the low 50s.  a hopeful glance at the hive made my heart sink and I knew we hadn't added the extra insulation in time.  Dammit.  Yep- it would seem we lost both hives this winter.  they were just too cold.  there were enough bees, enough honey, no pest infestation….. just a large clump of cold, limp bees.  throw a week of -20 windchill in between a couple weeks of slightly balmy, and our girls just couldn't hang.  I couldn't help but feel like a half-ass steward, wondering if they'd have made it if we'd added the straw sooner….  and who knows.

so that's a big, big bummer.  I felt crabby for the rest of the day and still feel generally crappy about it.  yes, we now have two almost-full supers of honey to extract, so there is that sweet silver lining.  but oh how I'd rather have the healthy bees still hunkered down in there buzzing away to keep each other warm.  funny thing, the man we always get our bees from called me last week to let me know he'd be picking them up soon and did we need any?  he's never done that before.  but, we're not so sure.  we've had bees for four years now, and have lost at least as many hives over those years.  we'll either replace both hives, or take a year off.  and while the thought of not having those two happy white towers in the corner of the yard, not being able to just sit and watch those ladies go about their day, in and out, in and out, makes me kinda sad……. maybe a break is called for.

we'll see.

we are also looking into replacing our wood stove insert with a much more energy efficient (and environmentally friendly) freestanding stove.  we've narrowed it down to a large handful of possibilities based on the dimensions/firebox size/efficiency ratings/etc that we are looking for, but I'd love if any of you have any feedback on stoves you've used and loved (or not loved).  we are debating the merits of catalytic converter vs.  non-catalytic as well, so please chime in if you have opinions there.


weekending with Karen

16 comments:

  1. Those images are so lovely. So sorry to hear about your bees. It seems its been very cold everywhere (except here in CA...). Happy week to you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is a big bummer about the bees Amanda, I'm sorry.
    But hey, hooray for a new woodstove. I have no idea what kind of woodstove we have, I'll have to ask my Mike, I do know that it heats well, thank goodness. We are cold here today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we are so looking forward to our woodpiles lasting way longer than they have been!

      Delete
  3. Hooray for sprouting seeds!
    I'm sorry about the bees too though...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. definitely a bummer to lose the bees, and both hives now. but seeing those seeds sprouting in Spring always makes me so, so happy!

      Delete
  4. I am sorry that you have lost your other hive too. The up and down in the weather at this time of year does make it hard to know what to do. Seedlings already, that is good going do you have them under a heat lamp of some kind? We have a wood stove but we are in the UK so I guess it would not be useful info!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the seeds are in trays on a table, under a couple of long fluorescent bulbs. no heat lamp, but there are a few strands of christmas lights underneath them, providing just a touch of warmth.

      Delete
  5. Sorry about the bees Amanda. xo

    ReplyDelete
  6. So sorry to hear about the bees. I feel your pain. So far our third hive is alive and well, but with this weather (cold, warm, colder, warm...) they're not out of the woods yet, are they? Who's your bee guy? We purchase from Jon Christie at Wild Mountain Bees, and I've got another two nucs on order for April. Hope you guys are enjoying another snow day today. At least this time 'round it's good for snowman building! Enjoy! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. for the past two years we were getting bees from a guy in Marion that we met at the McDowell County Bee School a few years back- Alvin Searcy. The folks at farm school get their bees from Jon, too- I've been out to see his place and think when/if we order more we may go with him.

      Delete
  7. I am so so sorry about the hives. That is a bummer and I know you will make the best decision once the depression and sadness lessen. We have been facing chilly temps and my walks have stopped. It's just too cold out there!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Karen~ I'm leaning towards taking a year off, to be honest. although I don't like the idea of looking into that corner of the yard and seeing no humming hive, so we'll see.

      Delete
  8. i am so sorry about your bees. we have been going through some similar stuff with our chickens. we had massacre after massacre when the raccoons would find a new weak spot in the coop each year. last year they discovered the bad roof and each night came back for more... we finally gave away the last couple chickens and vowed to take a break. we will have more but we have some changes to make first.
    i LOVE your photos. especially that one of claire's little feet. so so sweet. you have me inspired... i want some photos like that of my girls. i want to remember little hands and feet... ballet tutus... oh... just love it.
    i have missed your writing and your photos. it has been so nice visiting you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks, Jenny~ it is always so disappointing, and hard, to lose the animals (and insects, I suppose) that are in our care. we lost a chicken last week- she had been sick for a while and nothing we did seemed to help and so in the end we decided the kind thing to do was to put her out of her misery. sad. hard.

      aw, thanks. I am a sucker for hand and foot pictures, I'll admit. I probably have more photos of her little feet than face shots!

      Delete

thanks for taking the time to read and comment~