Productive So Far...

I've been doing my best to get some spring cleaning done.  I know.  It's not spring, but I'm running on Bee Light Savings Time, and there's no time like the present.  If you have no idea what Bee Light Savings Time is, catch up on the post I wrote previously - Solving The Problems of the World! 

I missed my spring cleaning this past spring due to the endless amount of work my bees required.  I am trying to get caught up and get a jump on the new year.  So far, I have pulled everything down from the attic and gone through the garage.  Not your typical spring chore, but I had to get the Christmas decorations down anyway.  So, I just pulled it all out of there.  I moved the Christmas decorations to the guest room, and hopefully I'll get them up this coming week.  I also went through every box I hauled down.  I packaged a lot of it up and took it to my favorite donation spot.  In the process I called a couple of hooligans over to go shopping as I was hauling it down.  One of them didn't take a single thing, but the other left with a truck load.

Thanks Willie T.!

I always knew you were good for something.

In the process of cleaning out the garage and attic I realized there was something that needed to be moved to my closet. This prompted a quick closet clean out.  I only went through the clothes that were hanging in there, but I managed to part with about six bags of pretty nice stuff.  Those bags also made it to the donation drop off.

The attic and garage may seem like a random place to start, but there is a method to my madness.  For one thing, there is zero insulation in the attic above the garage.  I don't know why, but I'm going to change that.  I have a lot of DIY projects that need to get done before Christmas.  I want to be warm out there if it decides to get cold on us again.  Plus, on the particular day I made my way into the attic, it was in the seventies.  Not a bad day for such a chore.

I'm also trying to be a little proactive on the coming bee season.  Each season starts with the building of additional equipment.  Well, not each season if you quit expanding.  I have not quit expanding.  For the past three years I have been caught in the peak of the season building equipment.  I have yet to be prepared with what I need ahead of time.

Not 2015!

I want to get all of my wooden ware built by February.  Texas weather is always unpredictable except for January and February.  You can pretty much count on the fact that these are going to be our coldest months.  I mentioned buying a heater for the garage, but the Man in Charge said it would be pointless without some insulation up there.  If there's one thing in life I don't want to be - it's pointless!

I've just resolved myself to the fact that it's going to be another crazy week.  Crazy because I will be all over the place.  I've got to finish my closet, insulate the attic, build a honey warmer, bottle honey, put up the Christmas decorations, go to the dentist, go to the doctor, and don't forget all the usual stuff.  I know there are not a lot of things on this list that may interest you, but I am super excited.  Especially about the honey warmer.  I'll try to post some pictures of the process.  I know you're just dying to see what I'm talking about.

Such is the life of a retired SAHM, empty-nester, do-it-your-selfer, beekeeping, crazy person.

Sometimes you reach a point...then have to choose a direction.

Going to let you guys in on a little secret.  

I'm trusting you to keep this just between us.  

We're friends, right?

The name of my farm is CrossRoad Farm.

The little slogan I do my best to tag on everything... 

"Sometimes you reach a point...then have to choose a direction."

It has been with me my whole life.

At first glance, you may think my property is located at a crossroads.  Not hardly.  Or, located in Crossroads, Texas?  Not even close.  When I originally came up with this name, I lived at the end of a long, winding road, on a cul-de-sac.  At present, my property is located on a regular street.  I'm not at the end.  I'm not in the middle.  Just the second house down on the left.  It has never been about location.  It has always been about a state of mind.

Where am I?  
Who am I?
What's happening in my life?  
Where do I want to go?  
How do I want to get there?  
Who do I want to take along for the ride?  
Who am I kicking out of the truck?

It has always been about food to some extent.  I've had a passion for organic gardening since the beginning.  After planting the first seed, and enduring the challenges of nature, organic or natural gardening has been important to me.  My first challenge came when ants took up residence in my garden.  I did what most do.  I went to the store to get some ant killer. Ants can be mean, and I wanted them gone.  The problem came when I started reading the labels.

Ha!  My label reading affliction started long ago!  

I couldn't find anything that I wanted near my food, or the food I wanted to feed my children.  I was also going through a lot of bad stuff in my life.  Bad relationships.  Bad self-image.  Bad decision making.

The name just grew out of the dysfunction.

I wanted to start my own organic farm all the way back in the late 90's.  I was a member of the Texas Organic Grower's Association.  I subscribed to a ton of publications, like Acres, USA.  I even went to an organic gardening convention in Austin Texas.  It was a dream.  Then, life happened.  Jobs changed.  Relationships changed.  A plague of grasshoppers moved in.  I had to make decisions for my family.  My dream was moved to the back burner, and life moved front and center.  I'm not complaining.  I just had to do what I had to do.

Fast-forward to the beginning of this blog.  Completely different life.  Completely different relationships.  Completely different goals.  Completely different location.  Same dream.  Trying not to disrupt everyone's life in my household, I started small.  I had fun.  Crazy things happened.  Then, a drought and a second plague of grasshoppers that tried to rival the first I'd seen.  When out of the chaos, a new love happened.  My bees!  I really do love my bees.  It was unsuspecting.  It was challenging.  It's very rewarding.  Even though it's crazy hard at times, I love it.  I also love honey, and I feel very good about the crop I produce.

Yet, I'm still standing at that same CrossRoad!

A lot of things have changed in my life.  Life does that.  The only constant is change.  Whether you refuse to see it, and the world is changing around you.  Or, you grab on to it, and see where it takes you.  There is, and always will be CHANGE. There is change ahead.  I can feel it.  I can smell it.  I can even taste it a little.  I don't know what it is, and because I am controlling by nature, it frustrates me a little.  I like to have a plan.  I like to have a direction.  I don't like standing in the middle of a CrossRoad waiting to figure it out, but I am.  I'm just hanging out in the middle of the road.  Looking from one direction to the next.  Turning in a circle.  Trying to decide which path is the right one.

The facts are, I don't have enough information at this point to choose.

I've been here for a while.  Trying to define myself.  Trying to consolidate who I am.  Trying to wrap it all up in a pretty package.  I think this partly explains why I have been neglecting this blog.  I know I've been busy, but really, I've just been undecided.  I've been trying to define this space.  Trying to understand who I am and what I want to put out there about myself.  I don't have those answers, and I finally understand why.

I don't fit inside a pretty little package! 

I can not be wrapped up in paper with a pretty bow on top.  It doesn't work.  You can't shove me inside a gift bag with tissue paper either.  I'm that annoying present that can't be wrapped in a manner to make a presentable gift.  There is not a box I fit in, and even if you find a box large enough, it will be one larger than the paper is wide.  You're going to have to use two sheets to cover all the sides.  There's not enough ribbon to cover all the seams and hide the truth.

Not going to happen!

Today, of all days, this is finally okay with me.  I can't define, or redefine, this blog.  This blog is about me.  I'm a retired stay-at-home mom.  I'm an empty-nester.  I'm a wife.  I'm a Christian.  I'm a sinner.  I'm a gardener.  I'm a beekeeper.  I'm a do-it-your-selfer.  I'm a horse owner.  I'm a dog lover.  I'm a cat lover.  I'm the egg lady.  I'm the bee lady.  I'm a city girl. I'm a country girl.  I'm a rebel.

I'm all over the place!

If you come here to learn about bees?  Keep coming.  You'll learn a thing or two.  If you really want to learn about bees? Contact me.  I teach beekeeping.  If you want to learn about gardening?  You're going to have to dig in the archives.  We've had terrible weather and it has not been successful for a long time.  If you want to talk about raising kids?  I know a thing or two.  Shoot!  I'll do my best to answer.  If you want to read crazy stories that give you a little insight into who I am?  Check back daily.  You never know what you'll find.  I don't fit into a category, and today, I'm no longer going to try.

Oddly, I'm breathing a little easier.  

Now I feel better.

Totally going to cheat today!

The sun sets on another day.

We survived!

A photo posted by bee wrangler (@bee_wrangler) on Oct 10, 2014 at 5:06pm PDT

Sometimes...

You know how some days are just those days?

Today was one!

It's late.  So, I'm gonna keep this short.

Projecting with the Man in Charge today.  Not my project.  His project.  It has not gone well.  For one, we found our problem to be much larger than we had expected.  For another, we go at things completely differently.  I'm going to leave out a lot of the details here, but we made two separate lists.  We took our lists to Home Depot.  We shopped.

They were playing the song Reunited by Peaches and Herb.

So cracked me up.

We were not united, nor were we reunited.

We came home.  We unloaded the truck.  We started working.  We very quickly found out we were in bigger trouble than we thought.  This led to a lot of discussion.  Some calm.  Some heated.  This led to a break.  A break inside.  In separate rooms.  We then went back outside to have more discussions.  This resulted in a new list.  Only one this time, and a trip back to Home Depot at 9:00 pm.

They were playing the song Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees.

So cracked me up.

We came back home...alive.

My favorite brother is coming over to give us a hand on this project.  Once we made it back in the house, I slipped off my work boots and opted for a pair of running shoes.  I then proceeded to run back and forth in my house vacuuming and what not.  All I had left to do was run to the barn and feed, set the coffee pot, and hit the sack.

I ran to the barn.  The barn, where earlier the Man in Charge had pulled some trim work off the exterior and thrown it in the isle way.  Said trim was in a pile with all the nails still in it.  As I ran through the barn, throwing hay and getting the horses ready for the night, I tripped on said trim.  As I tried to catch myself, I stepped on a piece of trim with precision aim.  I say this because two nails went right through the bottom of my shoe into my left foot.  I went down fast and hard.  Cussing like you can not imagine.  I actually had to use my other foot to kick the board free from my shoe.  Partly because I wasn't in a position to do anything else.  Partly because one nail sunk all the way in.  Also partly because I couldn't look.

Here is where I would like to welcome all new readers out there to my blog.  This was not my plan for our first meeting, but unfortunately, things like this happen all the time.  Things so ridiculous, I could not make them up if I tried!

So, Welcome!  

I'm glad you stopped by.  It's so nice to meet you.

It is well after midnight.  I am now going to take my throbbing foot, and go to bed.

Bed.  

Where I will spend a brief five hours.

Then, get up, drink large amounts of coffee, and go outside and use power tools.

Where to start?

No place like the beginning, I guess?

This year started out pretty normal.  We had six bee hives, and we knew we were going to expand.  I say "We"...I think I am including the little voice in my head.  I had already placed orders for bees, and queens, and I kind of knew what I wanted to do.  My initial plan was to take our six hives up to twelve and see how things went.  As with any other project, the whole thing started with a list.  A list of supplies that we would need to order.

• I made this list based solely on need.  
• I took an inventory of what was on hand.  
• I sat down with my catalog.  
• I made a list.  
• I placed the order.  

You can imagine my surprise when the trucking company called to see if this was a business, and if we had a loading dock.

What?

Apparently, my order was large enough to be shipped via trucking lines, and it was a 600 lb. pallet!

Once I recovered my senses, and picked my jaw up, I called my supplier to get my invoice total.

Once I recovered my senses, and picked myself up off the floor, I started cleaning out the garage.

I had ordered enough supplies to cover fourteen hives.  I only had plans for twelve, but I have learned it is better to have a couple spares.  You never know what will come up and it is no fun to be caught unprepared.

Once we received our delivery, the construction began.  It was about this time that my Part-timer came home for a visit, and she was more than willing to roll up her sleeves and give it a go.  She invited a friend that lives locally to come over and give us a hand.  As I recall, it was cool and rainy outside, but we were comfortable in the garage.  Those girls gave it a solid effort.  Pretty much up to this point, my prerequisite for building equipment has been - Can you swing a hammer?  I learned after this little endeavor to expand my question by one - Do you succumb to random fits of high-pitch screams?

This poor little girl that came to lend a hand was very excited.  She was eager.  She was ready.  She also screamed at the top of her lungs!  For no apparent reason!  At random intervals!

It was the craziest thing I have ever seen.

It was a little scary.

It was very loud.

I do appreciate the help, and for the most part, they produced solid equipment.  They went through periods of not driving their nails all the way in, but other than that, they knocked out some work.

The year proceeded.  We received our bees and our queens.  We made our splits, and just as I suspected, we ended up with a couple of swarms that we captured and fourteen hives!  The weather this spring was amazing.  It was cool.  We were actually getting regular rainfall, and the flowers started blooming.  The bees were happy.  We were happy.  The honey was in the making.

Going into July, we started planning our harvest.  There's a lady that lives up the road who runs The Blue Dog Bee Ranch.  We cry on each other's shoulder occasionally about our struggles with bees, and we laugh, and we cry, and she sends my silly pictures of her dogs.  Like this one...

We scheduled our extractions at the honey house on the same day.  This allowed us to ride together, and to give each other a hand.  Her extraction started at 11:00 and ran until 1:00.  Mine picked up at 1:00 and ran until 5:00.  We had to be on the road by 9:30 to get over there in time.  This meant my Full-timer and I would be up at the crack of dawn to start pulling supers of honey off our hives.

We pulled out of the driveway at 6:30 in the morning.  We had the truck loaded and iced coffee in hand.  Of course, once we were a mile or so down the road, we realized we forgot something and had to turn around and come back.  Even with this little hiccup, we kept calm and went to work.  Being our third year doing this, we did develop a nice little system and started making good progress.  Somehow, on schedule, we made it back to the house to grab the supers here.  Still making good time, we cleaned up and were ready to go.  The Blue Dog Lady pulled in, we transferred her honey over to the truck and we were out of here.

It was an extremely long day!

We pulled back into the driveway at 7:00 that evening.  We were tired.  We were sticky.  We had empty supers that needed to go back out on hives so the bees could clean them up, but...

We had honey!

Our first honey harvest was pretty much like last year.  It is light, mild, sweet, and a silky texture.

I love you Indian Blanket!

My absolute, new favorite flower!  

The bees make amazing honey from this little beauty!

Crazy

I told you I was still in the thick of it!

I made myself take the entire day off yesterday.  Well, truth-be-told, it wasn't that hard to convince myself.  Any who, I felt good about it.  I relished in the fact that I was responsible for nothing for an entire day.  I took a nap.  A really long nap.  I enjoyed it.  It was refreshing.  Then, I grabbed some coffee this morning and sat down to make a list.  This list.

It all went down hill from there.

Did I mention that it will hit 100 degrees today?  

Did I mention there is a low to the east of us that is driving moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico?

Do you know what a 100 degree, high humidity day feels like?

In a bee suit?

I'm going to take a moment to curl up in the fetal position and cry.  

Then, I'm going to drink ridiculous amounts of water and get to it.

Distractions...

You know how - sometimes - you can have an experience with someone and it is less than pleasant? At best it is awkward.  Possibly forced and fake?  You want to believe that it could be genuine...but you have sincere doubts about that.  In the heat of it, you do your best to survive it.  Then, in the end, when you are all alone, you keep playing the whole stupid thing over in your mind.  Looking at it from every angle.  Trying to explain the things that make no sense.  Then you reach a point where you can't take it any longer!  So, you do whatever you have to do to get it out of your head.

Clean.
Run.
Read.
Sleep.
Go to a meeting.

(I am in no way about to make fun of anyone seeking help for an addiction of any kind.)

Yesterday, this was my mindset.

Frustrated.  
Unsettled.  
Annoyed.  
Confused.  

Things kept running through my brain, and I wanted them to stop.  I tried all of the above, excluding the run. Sorry.  I'm lazy.  I couldn't make myself believe that a run was a viable option.  I just knew that nothing I was doing was working.  That's when it dawned on me!  Yesterday was the second Monday of the month.

Do you know what the second Monday of the month is?

It is the regularly scheduled evening for my bee club.

Yes!

I found my distraction.  

A meeting.  
Yes. 
I will catch a meeting.  
Things will be better after that.  
I can get out of here.  
I can think about something completely different.  
I can be around like minded individuals.  
I can...aah!  (breath)

So, that's exactly what I did! It was awesome!  Exactly what I needed!  Plus, something unexpected happened!

I won an entire flat of Wood Violets in the monthly plant raffle.

These little cuties are a treat for the honey bee in early spring, and I am thrilled to add a few to my yard.  I hope I don't kill them.  Now, I just have to decide where to put them.  I also have to find some time to plant them.  The bigger issue - time!   

In the grand scheme of things, there is always a catch somewhere!

Don't let the kinks in life get you down.  Just learn to roll with the punches.  Maybe learn to throw a few of your own every now and then.  More importantly, get out of your own head and go do something positive. It can even be something as simple as making a few honey bees happy!

Now - where is that darn list?

Gold Star!

I have to pat myself on the back!

I gave myself a gold star!

I really deserve a double star!

I actually made a list last week.  I know, no surprise there!  The kicker...

I crossed everything off the list!

This has not happened in a long, long time.  I couldn't actually believe it.  I had to sit back, and just enjoy the moment for a bit.  I may be getting ahead of myself, but I am shooting for two in a row.  I have made a new list.  Can I do it?

One of the things I promised you little children last week - I would drag my camera around with me on a few of my chores, and I actually kept my word.  On Sunday, as I was working all of my bee hives before the cold moved back in, I captured some moments.

Can I say?

Working hives and shooting pictures - more than a little tough.  

For one thing, when you do anything with bees, you end up with some sticky some where.  It may be honey. It may be wax.  It may be pollen patty.  It may be bee syrup.  It may be a combination of all of these things.

None-of-the-above  should be within ten feet of my camera!

I saw a lot of this when I opened my hives...

All of these girls are staying huddled in the center of their hive boxes.  They are doing this for warmth. Leaving the frames on the outside unused for now.

Some of them are being a little wasteful and building comb in places that it should not be.  I don't like it when they do this, and they don't like it when I get rid of it.  It is wasted energy on their part, and if I just left it in there, it would cause problems every time I pulled a frame out of the box.

I did find this old girl.

I don't know if you remember her from last year.  It looks like her paint is worn a little, but she is still going strong.  Here is her debut photo of 2013.

Just as I would expect, I did find evidence of the new generations to come.  Please note the cells in the photo below.  The white dot you see in the bottom of each cell is a freshly laid egg.

I need to take a moment to personally thank my eye doctor.  He was kind enough to help me find contacts that I could actually see out of.  Contacts that eliminate my need for reading glasses.  Contacts that enable me to find these tiny little signs of new life.

Thank you, Dr. Trusty.

You rock!

I also made it over to see a friend's new greenhouse.  Luckily, I still had my camera.  I printed and framed this photo, and will give it to her as a gift.

This is her tree, in her greenhouse, with her bee.

Shh.

Don't tell her.

It's a surprise!

Frenzy!

If I had to pick one word to describe the last few days, it would be f-r-e-n-z-y.

We have been going non-stop.  Unfortunately some of it has been in circles, but still, we are going.  We had a hot streak there for a couple of days, then it all came crashing down.  On Sunday, a stomach virus decided to take up residence in my home.  It has only struck one of us, but can I say?

I am scared.

I don't like these viruses.  I mean, who does?  This led me to a simple plan-of-action.

Work like crazy and try to get ahead!

I am already behind on so many things.  My thoughts being, work hard enough to catch up and possibly get ahead.  Then, if I go down, I can do so in peace.  You know, because it is hard to be sick when you are in charge of taking care of everything and everyone else.  Who can get rest when you don't know if there is enough milk?  Who can take it easy when you don't know if the horses have shavings, or if the chickens have enough feed?  Seriously.  Who can do that?

Monday was a whirlwind of activity.  I knocked out quite a few things.  Tuesday was a whirlwind of activity, but not a lot got accomplished.  My agenda started out with two must-get-done activities.

1. Fix the leak in the chicken barn.
2. Hang a medicine cabinet in my master bathroom (remember - remodeling)

I did fix the leak in the chicken barn.  I even purchased twice the parts I needed, so in the event that this happens again, I am ready.  I then turned the water on, and as I made my way into the horse barn, there was a crack in the water pipe.  It was shooting a nice stream of water straight into the air.

Really.

I ran and turned the water back off.  Of all the extra parts I purchased for the chicken barn, I am missing one fitting to fix the leak in the horse barn.

Really.

So, no water in the barns for one more day.  I was very frustrated, but I can live with that.  I then moved onto my next project for the day.  I unpacked my new medicine cabinet.  I started going through the contents of the package.

No hardware included!

Really.

Now, this made me mad.  I read every inch of the outside of the box.  No where on the box does it state No Hardware Included.  So stupid.  I did manage to tackle a lot of other things on my list.  Just not the ones that I intended.  After running around doing bee things the other day, and not taking my camera along, I decided to shoot a little video to share with you.  I did not edit this video.  I did not have time, so my apologies.

This is video of my bees hard at work.  In a frenzy.  I can so relate to these girls.  When I worked the bees the other day, I had some boxes that needed to be removed.  In these boxes, there were frames of honey.  I did not want to waste this honey, so I set the boxes out to let the bees clean them up.  They went right to work.  They were so busy, they did not even notice me.  I was very close, without any protective gear on.

It was Crazy!

Spring Fever?

Is it too early?
Can I be infected with this affliction now?
In February?
Is it possible?

You bet your boots I can.

I don't care if you wear rain boots, snow boots, dress boots, cowboy boots, whatever your footwear of choice - come on spring!  We are starting the climb out of freezing temperatures today.  They are predicting 49 degrees as the high today.  By Friday, we should see low 70's.  The even more exciting part is that we should maintain those temperatures into next week.  So sorry if you are buried under snow.  I am not trying to rub it in.  Please understand?  These days are our glimpses of spring.  We don't actually have spring in these parts.  We typically shoot straight for summer with 100+ degree days.

This could not come at a more perfect time.  My dog is starting the walking phase of her rehabilitation today, and warmer weather makes this wonderful for both of us.  She has been on a leash 24/7, inside and outside. This will continue for many weeks, but today we start walking ten minutes, twice a day.  We have really been doing this inside due to the weather, but today we are going outside.

Yippee!

This is another day of lists as well.  It seems that my Tuesday ended up being just like my Sunday, and now I need my Wednesday to be like my Monday.

Confused yet?  

There are a lot of projects in the works and this week, I need to make a serious dent in a few of them.  I have been in the process of remodeling my bathroom.  This has to end this week.  I have a mess in my garage and it has to disappear.  I need to start building/painting bee equipment - Now!  Let's face it, if I am going to be in the garage, I might as well start refurbishing one of the pieces of furniture that have been hanging out in my garage.

I really need my garage back.

Moral of the story...I am probably going to have paint on me, one color or another, when you see me.  I will have to decide which clothes are going to become paint clothes, and you will see me wearing them over and over.  I will try to take before and after pictures of all of these projects.  Not that all of them are farm related, but we talk about everything that happens here, like it or not.

Which leads me to something totally not farm related.  Valentine's Day!

Stuck inside, the television has been on non-stop.  I don't usually watch a lot of television.  With Valentine's Day around the corner, the chocolate commercials are everywhere.  I kicked chocolate out of my house after my birthday.  I want to invite it back for a day or two.  Watching television with the Man in Charge the other night, a commercial for Valentine's Day came on. The conversation went like this:

Me  Punkin, you want to be my valentine?

Him  Sure.

Me  What do I have to do for you to be my valentine?

Him  Nothing.

Me  Well you're gonna have to do something if you want to be my valentine.

He says I'm mean.

I then pointed out that I want something bad for valentines, like a cookie, and a cupcake, and a box of chocolates.  Yesterday I changed it to just a box of chocolates.  I'm going to make him a cake.  Red Velvet.  If you live nearby, you are getting a piece of cake.  We are having one piece each and I am getting rid of the rest.

Shh - It's a secret.

Well Poo!

I gave it a good try.  I had a list ready before I went to bed and I hit the ground running this morning.  I managed to do so many things that even I am impressed.  I crossed things off the list.  I added new things to the list.  Then I crossed those things off the list.  It was a mad dash right up until 4:00.  You see, 4:00 was when I needed to leave.  I had one stop to make in town, and then I was meeting a friend for an early dinner and off to the bee meeting we would go.

It was very cold today.

We met up.  We made our way to the restaurant.  We chatted.  We ordered.  We chatted.  We ate.  It was fun.  We grabbed our coats and headed out to our meeting at about 5:30.  We made our way through town.  We were on the east side, headed out when we came upon a seven car pile up.  As my friend was counting the cars - five, six, seven - we slid on the ice a little.  About that time, two vehicles came careening around us.

Okay.

So, I'm not sure about you, but I'm good.

She agreed.

We made the block, and back around through town we went.  We went back to her vehicle, I dropped her off and we both headed home.  I only had one problem.  My Full-timer was stuck in class.  Her class was not going to let out until 9:30.  There would be no telling what the roads would be like by then.

I called her and told her what I was seeing.  I told her I would stop at the store and pick up a few things in case we were iced in, and I would let her know what the roads were like when I got home.  This would help her decide the best route to take home.

It was all bad.

The worst ice.

Black ice.

It is awful.

It is thin.

You can't see it.

It will send you into the ditch in no time.

I made it home.  The Man in Charge was already here.  We waited for my Full-timer's class to take their break, then discussed what to do.  She tried to explain to her professor what was going on outside, but he felt his class took precedent over treacherous weather conditions.  She excused herself anyway.  The Man in Charge drove me back into town, ever-so-slowly, and we met up with her.  Then we had the daunting task of driving both vehicles back home.

For the record, I would have left my truck there, but he insisted I could do it.

He was right.  Everyone made it home.  Everyone is fed.  They are all sleeping now.  I am not far behind.  I am a little sad about missing the meeting, but it would have been ridiculous out there.  I am glad I had dinner with my bee-keeping friend.  The conversation was just what I needed.

There's always a next time.

New week ahead.

It's Sunday night.  I have goofed off most of the day.  I have spent time with family.  I have watched television.  I have looked up recipes online.  You know, trying to get some ideas for the days ahead.  I was hoping to have a warmer week, and it looks like it will happen about mid-way.  I saw a glimpse of upper 60's on the way!

Woo Hoo!

I am totally down with that.  I have bees to feed.  I have things in the garage to accomplish.  I need it to at least be bearable out there.  Of course, with the good news, comes the bad.  We have a chance of freezing precipitation first.  It could be a very slick commute for most on Monday.  Then, I saw a chance of some freezing precipitation on Tuesday.  I'm trying not to let it get me down.

I can do this.

It is almost 11:00, and I still have to make one more trip outside.  Part of me wants to grab my notebook and start making a list.

I love lists.

I love crossing things off a list.

Just like this.

Somehow, at some point in my life, crossing things off the list has become my pat on the back.  My way to go.  My job well done.  

Is that weird?

Even if it is, it's the truth.  It works the other way as well.  Faced with a list, and unable to cross a single item off the list, makes me feel like a failure.  An entire day without a single success.  A reason to sit myself down, and have a serious talk with myself.  You know, one of those,

Seriously? 

This is what you have to offer?

You can do better than this.

It reminds me of the talks I used to have with my girls.  We were big on The Family Meeting.

They are rolling their eyes right now.

This is where we would all gather.  We would talk about our goals as a family.  We would talk about our strengths and our weaknesses.  Then, we would get the pep talk of things that could be better, and the final talk regarding Responsibility/Authority.

They are really rolling their eyes now.

You see, Responsibility/Authority simply means that the more responsibility you take over your own life, the more authority you have over your own life.

• For little children, it could be as simple as the more responsibility you take in picking up your toys without being told will give you more authority to play outside a little longer.  
• Older kids, it could be as simple as taking over the responsibility of getting your homework done will give you more authority over how much time you get to spend with your friends.  
• Even older than that, the more responsibility you take over your college career, the more authority you will have over your financial situation.

I was a really mean mom.  They understood that the less responsibility they shouldered, the more responsibility I took over.  If I had to be responsible, the 'No's' were a lot more frequent.

I hope they realize that it is the same even now.  I just have the same discussion with myself and my list.  The more responsibility I take in my own life, the more authority I have to do the things I want to do.  Like go to my Bee meeting tomorrow night.  I am not sure if the weather is going to hold up.  If it does, I want to be there.

I'm going to make that list.  

I am going to hit the ground running tomorrow.  

Hopefully I won't be slipping and sliding on the ice.  

I need some adult conversation...

with an actual person...

not one of my animals.

Here is a shot of some hives.  These boxes are full of some girls making their own lists.  Lists that will include being very active by mid-week.  I need to be ready for them.

Hump Day!

I've never been so glad to see a Wednesday in all my life.  I think I may have a grip on things today.  I am certainly in a better mood.  Not that there have been significant changes in my world.  I am just viewing it a little more realistically.  You know, glass half full or half empty. 

I say - just fill the damn thing up yourself.

As some of you know, I reside in Texas.  Texas is awesome.  You either love it or hate it.  I love it.  The thing about Texas is the weather.  Yesterday - high 70's.  Today - 70's.  Tomorrow - mid 30's with freezing rain.  Then it just goes downhill from there.  Possible ice in the 20's.

Not that I am complaining.

I am not a fan of ice, but I can live through it.  I am not afraid of the cold.  I am actually looking forward to it and have already relished it a few times this year.  It does, however, create an extra list of things to do.

1. Feed Bees - if needed.  I did this yesterday and they were not very nice.  Apparently they get a little more territorial in the winter months.
2. Extra bedding in the horse stalls.
3. Extra bedding in the chicken barn.
4. Top off all feeds - just in case.
5. Bring extra hay in the barn.
6. Clean and fill all water in chicken barn.
7. Clean and fill the water tank.  I will shut down the water to the barns while it is below freezing.  Then I will use the tank to refill water as needed.
8. Find the ax.  (Sometimes the water tank freezes over and you have to chop through the ice.)
9. Protect all outside faucets.
10. Stock up on extra heat lamp bulbs for the girls.

This is just off the top of my head. 
I am sure I will add a few other things. 
I always do. 
I still have my regular crap to do. 
I  better get busy. 
Good thing I am in a good mood today.

Hi-ho!  Hi-ho!

Challenges...

Yesterday I mentioned the need for better.  I can't help it.  I have always had it.  Sometimes, I bury it really deep and pretend like it doesn't exist.  Then, other times, it consumes me.  Part of needing to be better, requires that I challenge myself. 

I mean, if I don't, who will?

As you have been following along, you can see that I have been challenging myself.  I have accepted butt challenges, blogging challenges, diet challenges, running challenges, etc.  Not one of these challenges have I completed in its entirety.  Does that bother me?  No.

Just by accepting the challenge - I have achieved better.

Would I have knocked it out of the park if I had completed every single one?

You bet.

The facts are...there is that little thing called life.  Sometimes it gets in the way.  Especially if you have others in it.  Things happen.  People need things.  I need things.  I just do my best to figure it out and somehow, at the end of it, if I am better in some small way...I count it as a blessing and an achievement and move on.

So, here we go again.

NaBloPoMo December Blogging Challenge - Theme: More/Less

Will I blog every single day?

Only time will tell.

Will I try do better?

You're getting the picture.

Here We Go!

Can you believe it? 

December! 

Where did the year go?  Looking back I feel like some of this year was super awesome, and some of it, not so hot.  I guess that is just the way things go, but I want to see some improvements.  What is life if you are not always striving to make it better?

I can answer that.

Stagnant!

I have been there, done that, and I don't ever want to go back. 

Life should be something that we are always striving to make better.  The great part about better is that we get to come up with those definitions.  We get to make it what we want it to be.

So.

Don't wait until January 1st to decide on some crazy resolutions.

Start now.

What would you make better about your life?

What qualities would you add or remove from your personality?

What goals would you set?

What crap would you just let go?

I think we better get started now. 

Maybe if we're lucky, we will be ready by January 1!

It's Monday.

I don't feel too terrible about it.  I am actually looking forward to what I might accomplish today.  I have a busy week scheduled, and well, you know how that goes?  Let's just start off with the facts.  I am an idiot and have too many things on the list.  I have also shortened my work week by three days at the end of the week.

Nice.

Still, I somehow have a semi-positive outlook here.  Even though some really bad food tanked my run yesterday, and I am still suffering from the lingering effects of said food.  I know because my run today was not much better.  I am just going to cook some good soup today and rock on.  Instead of looking at my list and thinking,

"Wow."

"You really are stupid."

I am going to look at it realistically knowing that it is not going to all get done.  Instead the challenge is to see just how much can I cross off the damn thing.

My blogging challenge has been a real challenge this month.  I know I have griped out BlogHer for their choice of prompts, but truth be told, I just have a cranky attitude.  It happens.  Today's challenge doesn't leave me with too much to write about.  The question is:

Tell us about a blog post that you didn't publish.

Not really any to speak of.  I pretty much just say what I want and 'click' Publish.  I have had to stop myself from griping at unsuspecting people online, but the facts are, if I really wanted to say it, I would have.

So.

I got nothing.

Just a list.

Some coffee.

A lot of water.  (required)

Some good tunes.

Did I mention the list?

Ugh!

What is the fascination with time?

We are hindered by time.  We only have so much.  When it's gone, there is no getting it back.  If you waste it, forget about it.  It's out of here.  Our days are planned to the minute.  How much time do I have?  When do I have to be where?  How long can I stay?  Most of us work in an environment that is all about time.  Time is money.  The more we can do or make in a certain amount of time, the better.  We have to be productive.  Productivity is measured by time.  Time and money.  Remember, time is money?  It is all about time.  Then, we have crazy people that decide to mess with the time.  Daylight savings time.  Move the clock up.  Move the clock back. 

I say - Throw the damn clock out the window!

What has me all revved up about time today?  I never have enough of it.  I am awful at managing it.  I never accurately predict how much time it will take to complete a specific task.  This always leads to cramming too many chores on the list, and there is never enough time to get everything done.  This is nothing new.  I have written about it before.  Check it out. 

Managing My Thyme

But, really.  My reason for ranting on time?  The question posed today is,

What is your favorite hour of the day?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

WHO THINKS OF THIS STUFF?

I live in the real world people.

The world where there is work to do.  The world where every day is crammed full, and there is no time to sit and gaze out a window thinking to myself,

"This truly is my favorite hour of the day?" 

Maybe some day, when I am old and decrepit and can no longer get out of my chair -  or even better, when one of my girls is nice enough to push my wheel chair over to a window, then I may possibly spend my time reflecting on such things.  As for now, the only time I am sitting still is when I am too sore to be doing something.  When that happens, I usually fall asleep.  You know, because when everything comes to a screeching halt - I go to sleep!

Before someone out there in never-never-land goes postal on me, please understand?  I do realize that every minute should be enjoyed.  I do that.  I enjoy my family.  I enjoy most of the work I do.  I enjoy working alone.  I enjoy working with my girls.  I enjoy spending time with my animals.  All of them.  I think they enjoy it too.  My Full-Timer just took a trip down memory lane the other day.  Although it wasn't warm and fuzzy memories she was recalling.  It was more like,

"Remember when you hurt yourself doing...(fill in the blank)?

She had a blast.

that time you fell in the creek?

when you hit yourself with the post driver?  (she laughed at this one, but admitted it was scary)

when you hit yourself in the face building nesting boxes?

when you hit your head in the chicken barn and almost knocked yourself out?

See what I'm sayin' about having a blast?

What were we talking about? 

Time.  Crazy questions.  Unrealistic expectations in our lives.  I don't live in a crazy, romantic, idyllic world.  I live in the real world.  A world where things get messy and I have to clean it up.  A world where I know I will have to deal with at least one kind of poop before the day ends.  A world where I know and admit most of my short-comings.  A world where I either get up and get crap done, or...I take a nap.

Sorry if I yelled earlier.  I am better now.  Hope your not throwing all your clocks out the window.

Just keepin' it rural.

And, trying to bring it back down a few notches.

Day #27

T.G.I.F.

Not really.

The day is totally irrelevant to me.

I do the same thing.

Every day.

Except Sunday.

Sunday is Church and a nap.

I love Sunday.

Come on cold front.

Top Ten reasons it would be awesome to be a dog.

 

1. You would know more about your person than anyone else in the world.
2. Loving and Forgiving would be the most natural thing to you.
3. Multiple naps - completely acceptable.
4. Not in charge of food.
5. Begging may not be okay, but you can get away with it occasionally.
6. Playing until you drool and your tongue hangs out is encouraged.
7. No guilt involved in wanting your belly rubbed.
8. You get treats at the Bank and at the Veterinarian's office.
9. Perfectly acceptable to hang your whole head out of the car window.
10. No Stress - If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.

Challenge Day #26

What's happening?

I got nothing.

I have a list.

Surprising?

I know.

I don't want to do anything on it.

Basically, it is so overwhelming, I don't know where to start.

I could just close my eyes and pick something.

That would be better than nothing, right?

Do I want to work inside or outside?

Decisions.

Decisions.

Decisions.

Instead, I think I am going to give you the Top 10 reasons to be a kid again.

1. No alarm clocks and most people will be quiet until you wake on your own.
2. All your meals are prepared for you.
3. You don't have to do dishes.
4. No wardrobe decisions and most kid clothes are cute.
5. People love to see you coming.
6. Mandatory naps.
7. No responsibilities, except possibly your own toys.
8. Entertainment is preplanned for you...movies, play dates, trips to the park, etc.
9. Everyone wants to know how your day went.
10. Not only do you get tucked in, but always an optional bedtime story.

We can dream, right?

The old man is here...

The weather in Texas is weird.  Whatever it is supposed to be doing, chances are, it won't.  Most of the time, I am totally okay with that.  Except for the extreme drought conditions of the last two years, I can handle it.  Whatever it is.

Our winter has been typical of the area.  We get a freeze, then 80 degrees.  I am okay with that.  I like both. I am hoping we have an unusually cold winter, but so far, it hasn't looked like that was going to happen.  Then the weather reports started last week.  A ridiculously cold front was to move in.  Yea!  I was kind of looking forward to it, then it dawned on me all the things that needed to be done for every living animal on this place.  So, I started making a list.  Lists are good.  Then, I took a nap.  I was exhausted just looking at it all.  This was Friday.  I let myself believe that if I was good and rested, then I could knock all this out over the weekend.  The reports at the time were that I had until Sunday evening.

I like a plan.

Saturday came, and I went to work.  I had a few errands to run in the first half of the day, and with those out of the way, I looked at the list once more.  I had heard that there was a slight chance of rain on Sunday morning, so my plan was to do the things requiring me to be outside first.  Even if I had work to do in the barns, I would be dry.  I am still a sucker for the the "slight chance of rain" story.  Saturday I managed to move a ton of compost.  No, I didn't weigh it, but it was several loads, and it felt like a ton.  Actually it was pretty easy, and I was feeling pretty good because lately I have been wanting to work out.

Strange, I know, but I have actually had the urge to do some sit-ups.

I have stopped myself several times from hitting the floor to see if I could do any at all.

I have no explanation for this.

I had some beds to clear and prepare for garlic.  No, I have not planted my garlic yet.  It is a long story, but I really just got busy on other things and forgot about it.  Betting on Texas weather, I am going to plant it after this freeze and see what happens.  With the beds cleaned, the compost moved and spread out, I could move on to the next items on the list.

Sticking with the things that were outside in the elements, I had 9 totes of compost material from a local restaurant that desperately needed to be emptied.  Problem has been, no place to put it.  With my compost moved, I had an empty bin. I decided to take the time to clean the chicken coop and empty the bins at the same time.  Layering this material together cooks up really nicely.  Problem was that it was starting to get dark on me.

I am not a fan of the time change...it is irritating.

My girls had already gone in the coop to go to bed, but that all changed when I threw the lights on.  If any of you have been around chickens on a roost, you know that there is prime real estate when it comes to roosting.  Well, my lights and cleaning started disturbing the order of things.  Before I knew it, they were bickering and being nasty to each other.  On more than one occasion, someone would get knocked off.  This would turn into loud squawking and pretty much, plain cussing, and then the fight for the prime spot would start all over again.

I have lights all around the barns, and there is one that shines on my compost area.  It gives you enough light so that you aren't tripping over things, but it also casts enough shadows that you can't see everything that you are doing.  This actually worked in my favor Saturday night.  Some of those bins from the restaurant had been out there a while.  I was grateful to not be able to see exactly what I was putting my hands in.  This job seems like it would go quickly, but not really.  It is a process, and it is wet, and it doesn't always smell so nice.

I did have company though.  One of the horses was extra curious about what was taking place, and curious to know if anything was edible.  Kid, the cat, can always be counted on for company.  He propped himself up on one end of the compost bins so he could get a good look at my work.  And, to round things out, one of my hens came back there and perched on the bins by the cat.  I guess the arguments in the coop were getting violent, and she decided roosting next to the cat was safer.

I wrapped up those events late that night and headed for the house.  I was a little more than dirty, and tired.  I soaked in a hot tub, and called it a day.  I was really feeling pretty good about things until I rolled over Sunday morning, "Ouch!"  Pretty much, everything was hurting.  I tried to stay on the positive side of things.  Once my feet hit the floor, and I was able to actually straighten up...no urge for sit-ups!  I felt like I might have licked that obsession.

It was about 11:00 before I got started on Sunday.  No rain.  No need to worry about getting wet, but it was a little breezy.  I layered on several shirts and went back to my list.  I knew I needed to put up a wind block for the bees, and since I was going back there, I wanted to feed them a little pollen substitute to give them something to do the next few days.  After finding some plywood to give them a break from the north wind, I grabbed my gear and headed their way.

I am happy to report that this was an incident free event.  No mad bees.  I put up the wind block.  Filled their water supply.  Then lit my smoker and put my gear on.  I opened those boxes, and noticed a huge difference in winter bees, than in summer bees.  Not a single one flew up off the hive.  They were moving rather slowly, and I felt certain that if they could speak, they would have been saying, "Hey!  Could you close the damn door!"  I put the pollen substitute in, and closed them back up.

Moving a little slower than the day before, I thought this would be a good time to take a break.  I managed to watch the last half of the Cowboy game, and wondered why the Man in Charge puts himself through that. He was quite mad right up until the end.  By no means of their own, they won.  Funnier part was the Man in Charge was worn out by the emotional roller coaster they had put him on.  I refuse to ride that coaster any longer.  I do not like Tony Romo, and have publicly announced that if the Cowboy's sign him to a deal that will leave him here for the remainder of his career...I will be a Giant's fan.

Well, guess what game came on next?  It was the Giant's and the Saint's.  After stating that I should have waited to take my break, the Man in Charge just looked and me and then plainly stated that he was not going to watch the Giant's game.  I didn't move, and he didn't change the channel.  After about four minutes of the first quarter, he looked over at me and said, 

"Okay.  Time for you to go back outside and get to work!"

How rude.

And funny...but mostly rude!

I drug myself out of my chair, and headed back to the garage to load up on the tools I would need for my next project.  I had a couple of repairs to make to the chicken barn.  We had a piece of siding that had come loose.  Since it was on the north end of the barn, I felt like I should get this fixed before the front really got here.  Plus it was big enough that something of the four-legged variety could squeeze into my hay area.  By this time, the wind was pretty brisk.  Luckily I had added a coat to my layers before I went back outside.  I also had to put a board across the entrance of the barn because there was a nice gap under the door.  Big enough to let the wind blow through, and big enough that something looking for  a warm place to live for the winter could fit under the door.  At all costs - I do not want anything living in the hay or with my chickens, and the warmer I can keep them, the better for everyone.

The siding should have been easy, but no.  The thing had been loose long enough that it had started bowing out.  I was hoping to just nail it down, but the nails just went through the siding.  I headed to the garage to grab some washers and some screws, hoping something with a bigger surface area would pull it back down flat.

When I got back, I had help waiting on me.  Kid, the cat was back.  He started purring, and rubbing on my leg.  I was wearing gloves, because I am accident prone, and the Man in Charge says I have to, but working in gloves is a real pain at times.  I had washers in one pocket, and I had screws in the other pocket.  It is ridiculously hard to get a washer out of one pocket, a screw out of the other, and then put them together with gloves on.  You guys will know what I am talking about.  For you ladies out there, it equates to putting heavy winter mittens on, and then trying to get your lipstick out of your purse.  All the while, the cat is purring  and rubbing on my leg.  Then he starts doing figure eights between my feet.  When all else failed, he jumped up and sunk his claws into my coat and was swinging back and forth.  All the while, meowing as loud as he could.

If nothing else, he is persistent.

When he realized he wasn't going to get anything but a laugh out of me, he left.  This was fine with me because he really was not helping at all.  Once this was done, I moved on to the door.  Again, it was dark.

Who thought the time change thing was a good idea?  

I really would like to talk to that guy!

This task was not that hard, but as usual, it did not go as planned.  Nothing ever does.  That is the only constant I can find in doing projects like this.  You can be certain that it will not go as planned.  I did manage to get the door blocked up, and the girls were happy that the draft was gone, and I wasn't staying in there with the lights on again.

There were a number of other things on this list.  Put up the hoses.  Put the faucet covers on.  Bring in hay.  Turn the water off to the barn and drain the lines.  Blah, blah, blah.  Of all the things I started with, I added six things, and managed to get all but four done.  Does that make any sense?  Needless to say, I came in, ate, and crashed in my chair.  This was a mistake because I still had to go to the barn to put blankets on the horses and feed.  I voiced that concern out loud, and the Man in Charge just looked at me.

 I said, "Unless you want to go do that?" 

He said, "No."

I said, "Brat!"

He then proceeded to the kitchen to do, I don't know what, and I hear him open the door and step outside.  He quickly jumps back in, slams the door and says,

"Damn, it's cold.  I'm not going out there."

I said, "What?"

He didn't say anything, but I could hear him thinking, "Uh, Oh."

Like, "Did I really just say that out loud?"

He stepped back around the corner and grinned at me.  At which point I informed him that when I got back in from going outside once more, I was going to take a muscle relaxer and a hot bath.  Do not bother me in the morning.  I will not be up when you leave.  That seemed to be okay with him, and he was off to bed.

As bad as I felt Sunday morning, when the alarm went off this morning, I couldn't decide what part of my body hurt the least so that I could use it to make that sound stop.  I had a pretty aggressive list for today, but I successfully managed to reassign most of it.  I have stuck with laundry, and the bare minimum that I needed to do for the animals.

Still no urge for sit-ups, so I must be cured.