Well . . .

I was sitting here looking at stuff on Pinterest (which just eats your time up and before you know it, well ....) and I had a thought - I could post something on my blog.  It has been awhile!

Yes, this is my truck!

I try to drive my truck at least once a week but I must have missed a week or two. This was a while ago but you can see the wisteria has taken over my yard and everything in its path. 

I have a Certificate of Occupancy for the house at the farm.  That doesn't mean I'm ready to move - it just means I can.  There's still stuff to be done.  Every day is spent packing up and moving stuff and/or thinking about moving stuff.  And it is so HOT that it's almost impossible to do work outside. 

Enough already!  I'm just glad I'm sitting here having a glass of wine with my old dog - life is good!

FYI - I love Pinterest.

The Runaway Lawnmower

Sometimes things just happen - you can't predict what or when or why - it just happens!  This has been the case with my lawnmower.  I bought a Troy Bilt riding mower for the farm sometime last year from Fred and it's been under the shelter at the farm all this time.  I have kept it chained to a large post but nobody has been around until the Sunday before Memorial Day.  I have a camera (like a deer camera hooked up to my phone) in the barn and a couple of other places just in case some two-legged animal happens to come around.  But I had left the lawnmower unlocked and with the key in it waiting for someone to replace the belt (and that's a story we won't talk about).  But, long story short, a two-legged person came along and took the lawnmower.  The deputy sheriff came and I filed an incident report knowing I would never see that lawnmower again. 

But lo and behold, someone wanted a "get out of jail card" and returned my lawnmower to the Sheriff's Department.  And they say miracles don't happen!  Anyhow Fred and I went yesterday and picked up the lawnmower.  The only thing missing was the key but Fred had a universal key so that was okay. 

We took the lawnmower home and it was running so life was good.  But after Fred left I realized it wasn't cutting so he came back and checked - something was broke underneath so he took it home to repair. 

Well one of my neighbors came by to see the house (everybody wants to see what I've done) and she mentioned there was a Troy Bilt lawnmower in the road and was it mine?  Well, of course not, Fred took my mower earlier so no it couldn't be mine.  Nice visit with her and then I went on home.  About half way home I got a call from the Sheriff's Dept - "ma'am was your Troy Bilt lawnmower recently stolen?"  Well, yes but I picked it up today. "It seems there's a lawnmower at your neighbor's and we're sure it's yours since it still has the id tag on it."  Okay, I'll go back and check but Fred took the lawnmower so I'm sure there's some kind of mistake. 

So sure enough it was my lawnmower - Fred forgot to tie the lawnmower to the trailer and when he turned at the end of the path, the lawnmower just slid right off.  He said he didn't know it was gone till he got to Clayton (about 10 miles away).   In all his years of business, this was a first!

Fred came back, got the lawnmower and tied it down and I finally went home. 

So today he called - he had made the repairs.  I met him at the farm and "The Runaway Lawnmower" is now under the shelter locked and hopefully will be there when I go back. 

And yes, they know who took the lawnmower and a warrant has been issued and hopefully they will find this guy and he will spend a few days/months/years in prison.  But I've been advised or clearly told not to talk about any of this mess so all I can say is I don't know anything!

But I'm sure glad to have my lawnmower back.



Happy Bees

Well, I say "Happy Bees" but in this heat - well, I hope they're happy.  I've been feeding them and have put a super on one hive.  The other hive is not as productive so I'll wait. Don't want to stress the bees out with extra space and then you have to worry about wax moths.  I have left the entrance small and don't plan on making it any bigger.  If they were out in the wild or getting in a building, etc. the hole would be really small and robber bees are still an issue especially in this heat. But so far everything is looking good with the bees.  Mr. Ellis has continued to supply me with frames, etc. and his bees are doing good too. 

I'm sure if you're around here the hot topic is the weather - it really is hot.  All my daylilies are brown and pitiful looking.  I've tried to keep the hydrangeas and the pots I have around the house watered enough to live but you can only water so much.  We complained about the rain and now it would be a good thing if it did rain.

Moving day is getting closer (well, still a couple of months) and I'm just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. 

Bojangles and a Plan

So I have gotten into a routine now - every time I go to the farm I get all my little stuff done at the house (feed and water for all the animals, etc.) and then I stop by Bojangles' for a chicken biscuit (which is the best thing since sliced bread). 

I eat half the biscuit on the way to the farm and save the other half for a snack or lunch.  I always take coffee (which I spilled in the truck today) or orange juice so the price of breakfast is always the same. So I always have to scrounge around for change or end up with change which has to go somewhere and I don't really want more!  So I have come up with a system - this will not make me rich but it does make me happy.  The chicken biscuit is $3.45 including tax so I have put that amount in little snack baggies and I have 5 in an envelope in the truck and 5 in the car - I am ready!

I have several jars of change and I know I could take it to the bank and they will give me real money but I just don't have the energy to do that.  And I have to keep change for the grandkid's birthdays - the # of dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies for each year.  It sounds senseless but they love it and so do I - a whole birthday card full of money! 

Location, Location, Location

Well in my neck of the woods, it's all about location! 

Robins have made a nest on the grapevine wreath at the barn.  And I go in and out of the barn every day - you would think they would have found a better place.  I didn't realize they had babies until today so I will stop going in and out until the little ones fly away.

 

Baby Robins May 2019

Next would be the sparrows or wrens on the front porch.  I thought by putting the screen in the corners they would not be able to build a next but they're much smarter than me.  And even though you know they're there when they fly out it startles you.  Again, I go in and out the door several times a day.

And if you're a traditional kind of bird, you can always have a home premade. I have bluebirds in the front yard and I think sparrows in the garden in the bluebird boxes.

And the other day I was cleaning out the greenhouse and moved a pot and two little eyes looked up at me - I don't know who was more surprised - the little possum or me!  But I moved the pot outside and hopefully it went to another house. 

Carpenter Bees and a Snake

I've been at the farm this afternoon mowing grass and doing a little work in the yard.  My Mom and Dad had a lot of yard (grass) to keep up, not many trees and over the years a haphazard way of planting shrubs.  So what I see is a big mess or I should say "an opportunity".  My Mother had the most wonderful flowers in the yard. I've just got to wait and see where and what everything is and do I keep it, move it or throw it in the compost pile.  And I'm digging from my yard and moving stuff down there too.

Carpenter Bee Trap

The carpenter bees are having a field day with the new wood in the smokehouse/barn.  I bought a carpenter bee trap and it's got about 4-5 bees in it now - they get in and can't get out.  Today was cool so I got to swat a couple.  I did buy one of those battery operated zappers and it will be returned.  I can use a piece of wood and be just as effective.  I keep forgetting to push the button for the zapper to work and by then the bee is gone or buzzing around me and making me crazy.  Nasty little devils!

Then I was in the barn and lo and behold there was a snake looped around the rafters - well, the snake is still there and we will try to get along. I'm not much on trying to kill a snake and not sure what kind this was - it was a snake - what else can I say!

Another fun day at the farm!

I have bees , , ,

Bee in the Barn

I picked up four packages of bees Friday - two for Mr. Ellis and two for me. 

A 3-pound package contains about 12,000 bees. So all total, I had about 48,000 bees in my car - more or less. I did take a sheet and cover them - nothing worse than riding down the road and having a bee buzzing around your head.  The bees come in a box with four wooden sides and screened material in the front and back. It is 8.5″ high, 16″ wide and 5.5″ deep. An inverted can filled with sugar syrup is placed inside the box to provide feed for the bees during transit. The package contains a young marked queen (green for 2019) that had started laying prior to being caged. The queen is kept in a small wooden cage/box with several worker bees.

It had rained off and on all day so it was between downpours that we installed the packages. I am feeding the bees on top of the hive body inside the top two boxes and I have entrance reducers in the front of the hives.  I have closed all the other holes so hopefully "robber bees" will not be able to take over the hives. 

Beehives - April, 2019

I talked to Mr. Ellis and he had installed one hive this morning (Saturday) and hopes to do the other later between showers.  It has rained off and on (mostly on) again today and they're calling for more tomorrow.  But the bees are out and about getting adjusted to their new home.

Burnt Beans and New Bees

Don't go outside and start working in your yard and think you will check the butter beans before they burn - nope, didn't happen - well, it did happen - they were smoking and not in a good way when I remembered to check on them!  But nothing caught on fire and I have potatoes, baked chicken and I'm going to make hush puppies so all is well.  Late afternoon the sun finally came out but it was a good day to work in the yard.  Spring in finally here with a little pollen too.

Mr. Ellis and I are picking up four bee packages on Friday. Two for him and two for me.  I will set mine up at the house rather than the farm.  I'll be feeding them for awhile and I can't drive to the farm every day.  When I move (and who knows the answer to that), Mr. Ellis and I will move the bees to the farm.  We are both rather anxious about getting bees again and have decided if these don't make it, we'll both stop keeping bees.   

Lecture at Logan's and Saturday Shopping

If you've never been to Logan's Garden Shop in Raleigh, it should be on your "to do" list.  They have been in Raleigh for many, many years and have great bedding plants, shrubs, trees, pots, outside furniture, garden art and a wonderful café for eating inside or out weather permitting.  Just a great place with knowledgeable staff and so much eye candy in the plant world.  

Bryce Lane

On Saturday they had a lecture on Houseplants and Succulents given by Bryce Lane, NCSU professor emeritus.  If you're into lectures, classes, etc. or anything to do with plants and get the opportunity, take one of his classes or check him out on YouTube and PBS "In the Garden with Bryce Lane".  He is an excellent speaker.  I was a little concerned about where the class would take place but they had set up one of those white plastic tents with plastic chairs.  The tent was full of young, old and in between gardeners.  The one thing I learned (well, there were several) was not to put gravel or anything in the bottom of the pot for houseplants.  And you can leave plants in the same pot for years - just take it out, give the roots a haircut (2/3 off) then back in the same pot with new potting soil.  Who knew!

So it was a fun morning and then on to errands with the rest of the world.  My main reason for being in town on a Saturday besides the class was to check on my granite for the kitchen countertops at the farm.  Believe it or not I didn't write the name of the granite anywhere and the sales person never sent paperwork and she is no longer working there and even though they found the granite order, I wanted to make sure it was what I had ordered.  Yes, it was and I'm still happy with what I chose.  Then on to Costco (for a return and impulse buying) and cheap pizza for lunch, Joann's for a couple of red fabrics (more impulse buying), Homegoods where I saw one of my cousins, TJ Maxx and then home to walk Lily since we're both out of shape. 

Shopping is exhausting!

Wine and Wallyworld

So today the sun was shining which has been very rare in our part of Eastern North Carolina lately and I was completely out of wine (yikes) so off to Total Wine.  I usually go to Costco but it's Saturday and it's insane there.  I got "several" bottles - I don't like to give out and just in case of hard times - well, you never know!  Saw an old friend in the parking lot so that was a nice surprise (you know you can never go anywhere).

So off to Wallyworld for a couple of things but everybody else had the same idea.  Lots and lots of folks.  Did my shopping, checked out and out to the parking lot where lo and behold I couldn't find my car!  Yes, that's true.  I won't call it a Senior Moment but it was pretty damn close.  I could not remember where I had parked and my key thing does not work so I couldn't beep it - ahhh!  So I walked around this humongous parking lot looking for my car.  This nice young man asked me if I couldn't find my car and I said yep, can't find it.  So he helped me look around and told me he couldn't find his car one time but that's because someone had actually stolen it.  But I did find my car, thank goodness, and I'm home now having a glass of wine. 

Lily is here with me, the kitty is outside probably trying to kill something and the chickens are in their house safe and sound.  So all's well that ends well!

Ah, Mother Nature . . .



Daffodils at the Farm
January 27, 2019

Yes it will . . . . no, it won't!

Well, that's the weather forecast for the past couple of days.  The possibility of snow and/or any type of freezing precipitation around here makes all the weather people crazy! 

But all that being said, we're getting a pass again.  Thank goodness.  It has been so dreary, cold and has rained more than you can even think about for the past couple of months. 

Now on to what's happening in my little corner of the world!  Mr. Ellis and I got together this past week.  It's been a busy time for him but he still has three hives of bees. We're already making plans to order packages in the spring.  I would like to have two hives again - they'll be down at the farm so a new experience all around. 

The little chickens are laying now - three eggs a day - well, really only two because Tiny's chicken lays in the coop and Lily goes in every morning and gets her egg before I can.  I've got to fix that situation - you know Lily is not hungry!

I have bought flower seeds already - cleomes (a dark pink), cosmos (pinks/whites and orange/yellows, Love Lies Bleeding, and some sunflowers

Okay - got to go.  That damn cat brought another mouse in the house and she and Lily are trying to catch it.  It's always something!

A New Beginning

Well, it's the end of 2018 and another year has flown by . . . I can't say I've done anything extraordinary - well I did go to England.

So on to 2019 and this is the plan - I'm moving to my Mother's home place.  After many, many years in this house, I will move back to the place where I grew up.  I am not a mover - I have lived within 50 miles of where I was born my entire life and have no plans to go further in my old age. 

With that said, I have a lot of work to do before I can move and even more after I move.

Another "blog" which I should have started months ago is in the works showing the change to the house and farm.  Yes, it's a small farm so I can have goats, a donkey, more chickens, bees and who knows what else. 

So the best to you and yours in 2019 and on to another chapter in my life.

Not my best day . . . .

So late this afternoon, I noticed a strange wasp entering the 2017 Hive and I thought it was a little out of kilter for that to happen. 

Well, let me back up for a minute - on the 16th of October the bees were flying around like lunatics.  There was a cold front coming through and I thought the weather was the reason.  When I checked late Thursday, dead bees were in front of three of the hives.  It was late and I wasn't sure what was happening so I put sugar syrup on all the hives again thinking mosquito spraying might be the culprit.  I talked to Mr. Ellis and later he called back and said it was probably robber bees.  I just didn't add two and two together at the time. 

Well, it was robber bees and then wax moths got in the hives and three of my hives were destroyed.  They were not strong enough to defend themselves and there was not a doggone thing I could have done to save those hives.   But the 2017 Hive was strong enough to ward off the robbers and they seemed to be doing okay and no sign of wax moths in the hive.  I closed the entrance to about 1" and checked the top super - there were lots of bees in the hive.

Until I looked today after seeing the wasp.  They're gone and what were left were dead on the bottom of the hive.  

Robbing is more common in the fall when the bees, wasps, etc. are looking for that last source of food before cold weather. Worker honey bees are normally law-abiding, industrious creatures, but sometimes they can turn to a life of crime – and it may pay handsome dividends.  Robbing begins when a few bees are able to enter a hive and return home with food.  This excites the other foragers to join the raid.  Before long a frenzy of robbing bees will be present at the front of the target hive.  Robbing will continue until the colony is killed and all the honey inside is gone.

I have made many mistakes in keeping bees but never have I lost all my hives.  To say I'm disappointed and upset about this would be an understatement. 

They have been such an important part of my life - I will wait till spring and then decide if I'm up to trying this again. 

 

Hurricanes Florence and Michael

Enough already!
It seems we're having a spell and not a good one!  Hurricane Florence has come and gone but left so much damage behind.  A_+{[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[e34  (the cat just walked on the computer)  I was going to type the damage was terrible in so many places and now Hurricane Michael is wrecking havoc.  I just heard a transformer blow but I still have power - I'm on an "old grid" so we seldom lose power (that said, we'll see what happens).  I live in what they call "Old Town" meaning there are so many new subdivisions and every clod of dirt that can be built on - well, I'm getting off the subject and going on a rant. 
So I'm safe, dry and all my animals are okay.  Not much more you can ask for in the scheme of things.  I just hope the tops don't blow off the beehives.  And yes, they are fine or were today when I checked.  Still feeding but they're not taking much sugar syrup but it's there if they want it.
I remember Hurricane Floyd or one of those F named hurricanes.  I told the girls to do their homework - they'd be going to school - get it done.  A huge oak tree fell during the night but didn't hit the house.  I slept thru the whole thing.  There was no school the next day and for several days after the hurricane.  So that just shows what I know! 
So be safe and hope you didn't have much or any damage. 


Downtown New Bern NC
Hurricane Florence

Downtown New Bern NC
Hurricane Florence

I can tell you there were sailboats in the Trent River stuck in mud in low lying areas, all kinds of debris in the fields of corn, piers gone and water in places nobody had ever seen before. 

Magic Lily

Lycoris Squamigera

Common Names: Spider Lily, Resurrection Lily, Surprise Lily, Magic Lily, Naked Ladies

I have just dug a bunch of bulbs and put in pots (in case I should ever decide to move and to share with folks that don't have any).  They are to me an old fashioned plant but they originated in Japan or China and are a member of the Amaryllis family.

The leaves sprout and grow in the spring and look a lot like daffodil foliage, a little wider and thicker, but the foliage dies back during June. Then in late fall the lilies pop up again, this time producing between six and eight flowers on thin, leafless stems that grow up to three feet tall.  It only takes four or five days from first emerging to full bloom and the flowers last for two to three weeks.

The suddenness of the bloom is why they are called Magic Lily, Surprise Lily and Resurrection Lily.  The flowers in my yard are a dark pink.  It is a surprise and almost magic for them to just appear out of no where because I can never remember where they are in the yard.  One of my favorites.

The Neighborhood

I got three little chicks back in July - a Bielefelder for Vivian, a Silver Laced Orpington for Knox, and a Salmon Favorelle for Tiny.  They live in the big house now with the twins but still working on the pecking order.  They're now teenagers and have decided to broaden their horizons and have started sitting on the deck.  Little Kitty, bless her heart, has to put up with the new kids on the block and also the two older (not laying) hens and Lily.  They're cute and funny little things and hopefully I'll be getting some eggs in the near future.

Well, it's been a day or two . . .

Yep, it's been awhile and I have no excuse except this is time consuming and I've been piddling around a lot lately.  So, that said, here's some of what I've been doing - went across the pond - yep, a trip to England - 11 (yes, eleven) days away from home.  I went with a group on a garden tour with the J.C. Raulston Arboretum and it was wonderful.  Every day was another garden that was better than the one before - big, little, in between sizes, public and private gardens.  But I was glad to get back to the flat land of eastern North Carolina.  That's the longest I've ever been gone from home. And yes I took lots of photos but who wants to look at somebody else's trip photos - not me!
But I did see bees and beehives and there were bees in the walls of this chapel which is still used for services.  It was lovely.



1700's Chapel

Bees in the wall of the Chapel

Trip to Bald Head Island with the grandkids which is always great.  I love that place - even with bad weather it's a great place to visit.  Lots of trips to the river.

Trying to keep ahead of grass and weeds and I just gave up in the garden.

Beeyard - September 23, 2018

So today I checked the bees.  I didn't take any honey this summer.  Just not enough and I wanted to be sure the bees would have enough for the winter.  I have started feeding again - front feeders on two hives and inside feeders on two.  They don't have enough honey to last the winter and I'll just keep feeding.  Hurricane Florence dropped a lot of rain here and this has been a weird weather year. The Farmer's Almanac is calling for a mild winter but that is neither a good or bad situation.  If they don't have enough honey stored in the hive, they'll starve cold weather or not.
 

New Bees

Bees May 2018

This photo was taken around the first of May when I was checking the hives.  Lots of new bees - a  beautiful sight.
I checked all the hives on May 5th and saw the queen in three of the hives.  Did not see the queen in 2017 Hive but there was brood.  I quickly checked the hives yesterday and added a super to Hive #2 less two empty frames that I put in 0318 Hive. I took part of the entrance reducers off so the bees could come and go easier. Did not change entrance reducer on 2017 Hive - they are not as strong the other hives but there is brood in the hive.  I'm continuing to feed all the hives even though they are bringing in pollen and we're finally having rain.
I've already had requests for honey and truthfully I don't know if I'll have any to share.  Since three of the hives are new, I have to be sure they have plenty of food to last thru the winter and I don't want to give folks sugar syrup which is what is in the hive now.


Funerals and Manners

Well, it has come to my attention that with the Internet, social media and cell phones attached to your ear that manners and common sense have fallen by the wayside.  Yes, I'm talking about all those folks out there (and there are many) that feel they can't live without their cell phone in their hand. 

I have been to three funerals in the past month - my aunt, a neighbor from home, and a cousin's husband.  At the last funeral during the service a cell phone rang - not once but twice (I do think they were different phones cause you know how everybody has those crazy songs for their ringer).  It was beyond inappropriate!  Now the preacher just kept right on and he didn't stop and ask that person to leave but he should have.  What is wrong with folks? 

My Great, Great Grandfather

Now you know when they had his funeral everybody minded their manners.
So when I go to the great beyond and if you happen to be at my service - leave your cellphone OFF.  If you're so important that you can't turn it off, you surely do not need to be at my funeral.  And for goodness sakes, close that casket!