The Old Folks Home

[Alaskan]

The first two years I overwintered and I got cocky and made the mistake of saying I didnt understand why people were losing hives left and right.

Now I lose 50 to 100% of my hives every winter.

yeah, most people up here reorder too. Very hard with such long winters.

 

[microchick]

@chickadoodles, I agree with everybody else. Not being able to breathe is not conductive to a long and prosperous life. Take care of you, please?

I have three broody hens that are driving me nutz. One is the buff O I mentioned a few days ago. She is walking around all puffed up and softly clucking to herself when she isn't sitting on a pile of eggs. I thought she was going to stick today until I raked the yard, threw a pile of clippings into the run and it was eggs, eggs eggs....OH GRASS! and zoom she was off the nest for the rest of the day and on the roost tonight.

Hen #2 is screeching at everyone. She is walking around all puffed up, screeching at other hens on nests, screeching if you look at her cross ways but if I give her ceramic eggs she stomps around them, screeched and stomps off to screech at the other hen who is....

Hen #3, a first timer, she went on ceramic eggs today and hasn't budged, not even with hen #2 stomping around her screeching her lungs out so I'm hoping she will stay sincere, not that I need any more chicks, I just need them to fish or cut bait so to speak.

Everything is blooming here and the air is thick with pollen, the scent is almost overwhelming.

I was walking down from the coop tonight and inhaled, stopped, inhaled again and couldn't help smiling. It was a long time coming but by golly spring finally dug its claws in and refused to let go. Temps in the 80s, my tomato plants are flourishing along with my warty red squash plants, pumpkins, butternut squash and zucchini plants.

AND! To really make me smile, so far 6 of the countless peach pits I planted late last fall are sprouting! Three are ready to transplant. Considering how hard the winter was, I'm surprised that any have sprouted. These are a small 'wild' type peach. Great for jams and they make a wicked wine I am told, LOL.

Big disappointment for us is our blackberry arbor. The sustained cold weather over the winter froze them to the ground again. There is some growth showing but a lot of dead canes. Think we are mowing them and seeing what pops up. Hopefully enough to make a pie or cobbler.

How's everybody's gardens doing?

@superchemicalgirl, I envy you your bees. With our fruit and wild nut trees I would love to have a hive but with our allergies to wasp stings, we will probably stay healthier if we stick to buying our honey.

 

[pennyJo1960]

the only honey used here is the Son he will when I make corn bread he likes honey on it but does not use it otherwise

 

[CapricornFarm]

@chickadoodles, I agree with everybody else. Not being able to breathe is not conductive to a long and prosperous life. Take care of you, please?

I have three broody hens that are driving me nutz. One is the buff O I mentioned a few days ago. She is walking around all puffed up and softly clucking to herself when she isn't sitting on a pile of eggs. I thought she was going to stick today until I raked the yard, threw a pile of clippings into the run and it was eggs, eggs eggs....OH GRASS! and zoom she was off the nest for the rest of the day and on the roost tonight.

Hen #2 is screeching at everyone. She is walking around all puffed up, screeching at other hens on nests, screeching if you look at her cross ways but if I give her ceramic eggs she stomps around them, screeched and stomps off to screech at the other hen who is....

Hen #3, a first timer, she went on ceramic eggs today and hasn't budged, not even with hen #2 stomping around her screeching her lungs out so I'm hoping she will stay sincere, not that I need any more chicks, I just need them to fish or cut bait so to speak.

Everything is blooming here and the air is thick with pollen, the scent is almost overwhelming.

I was walking down from the coop tonight and inhaled, stopped, inhaled again and couldn't help smiling. It was a long time coming but by golly spring finally dug its claws in and refused to let go. Temps in the 80s, my tomato plants are flourishing along with my warty red squash plants, pumpkins, butternut squash and zucchini plants.

AND! To really make me smile, so far 6 of the countless peach pits I planted late last fall are sprouting! Three are ready to transplant. Considering how hard the winter was, I'm surprised that any have sprouted. These are a small 'wild' type peach. Great for jams and they make a wicked wine I am told, LOL.

Big disappointment for us is our blackberry arbor. The sustained cold weather over the winter froze them to the ground again. There is some growth showing but a lot of dead canes. Think we are mowing them and seeing what pops up. Hopefully enough to make a pie or cobbler.

How's everybody's gardens doing?

@superchemicalgirl, I envy you your bees. With our fruit and wild nut trees I would love to have a hive but with our allergies to wasp stings, we will probably stay healthier if we stick to buying our honey.

My garden is doing pretty well, still planting stuff. Flowers on my tomato plants! I need to replant some of the seeds and give it a good watering, rain has been lacking.

 

[pennyJo1960]

heck any rain we get I will send over

 

[ronott1]

I use a lot of honey!

My last batch o bread was honey spelt

 

[pennyJo1960]

See with BF diabetic we just do not use it but James does have it around just for cornbread

 

[microchick]

I used to eat honey on cornbread all the time. Probably I use honey more in baking honey wheat bread then for anything else. When our cat was struggling with his blood sugar we had to keep it on hand to give to him if he bottomed out. All we h ad to do was rub it on his gums until he was responsive then we would thin it with water and squirt it into his mouth. Amazing how fast it worked for him.

We've had rain a couple of times a week so far after having a lot of rain in April. I have everything mulched which helps immensely, both for the plants and for my back, LOL.

 

[Latestarter]

USS Indianapolis was a cruiser and was returning to Pearl from dropping off components for the first atomic bombs. The mission was so secret that nobody even knew she was missing until she didn't pull in when she was supposed to. Over 800 men went in the water and only 316 survived. It was a huge tragedy. There have been disputes to the number lost specifically to sharks. Of course some were lost that way but it's now believed that the majority actually drowned.

This is a P3 Orion aircraft of the sort I flew on during my Navy career. This particular one is from my sister squadron; VP-11 (See the LE on the tail) stationed in Brunswick Maine. I did a tour with VP-10 (LD) and VP-26 (LK), also in Brunswick. The base is now decommissioned and the squadrons are who knows where. Don't know if they are even existing anymore.

Well, just did a look-see and they both (squadrons) still exist. They moved to NAS Jacksonville, FL and have transitioned to a newer airframe, the Boeing P8 Orion aircraft. A modified 737 aircraft. Hmmmm... Must be nice to fly on that. I doubt it does as well down at 200' off the water yanking and banking trying to keep on top of a submarine... Just sayin

 

[MrsMistyReal]

USS Indianapolis was a cruiser and was returning to Pearl from dropping off components for the first atomic bombs. The mission was so secret that nobody even knew she was missing until she didn't pull in when she was supposed to. Over 800 men went in the water and only 316 survived. It was a huge tragedy. There have been disputes to the number lost specifically to sharks. Of course some were lost that way but it's now believed that the majority actually drowned.

This is a P3 Orion aircraft of the sort I flew on during my Navy career. This particular one is from my sister squadron; VP-11 (See the LE on the tail) stationed in Brunswick Maine. I did a tour with VP-10 (LD) and VP-26 (LK), also in Brunswick. The base is now decommissioned and the squadrons are who knows where. Don't know if they are even existing anymore.

Well, just did a look-see and they both (squadrons) still exist. They moved to NAS Jacksonville, FL and have transitioned to a newer airframe, the Boeing P8 Orion aircraft. A modified 373 aircraft. Hmmmm... Must be nice to fly on that. I doubt it does as well down at 200' off the water yanking and banking trying to keep on top of a submarine... Just sayin
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Thank you for your services & your sacrifices.