I had a great visit with QA and her family and Becca and her mom. All The Ladies and other animals look very well. It was wet and muddy, but a good day.
We had snizzle Sunday and Monday. Today we're at mid 40 to mid 50s and sunshine.
Titan is Better!!! We think he might have had the flu, and his symptoms were worse because of his age.
We have been in the 50s but in the 30s at night. The forecast calls for rain/possible ice and snow starting Monday.
We've had robins around for a couple weeks now. But we saw the first redwing blackbirds just this week! That is one of the indicators of spring for us here in NE Ohio. I am really ready for spring this year.
I made some scones for breakfast yesterday and we were hoping to sit out on the porch and eat them, but we had too many errands to run to sit and enjoy the morning. So after we were done with our errands yesterday, TR and I put up the porch swing and had lunch out in the sun.
It was a perfect day..... Titan sat outside for us for a while, but because we aren't fenced, he has to be on a leash, so he wasn't really happy. It appears that Titan's favorite spot to sit in the sun was too far for TR to hold the leash and still sit on the swing.
Titan has been so much better this week (appetite and everything else normal), that it is really obvious that he was really *very* sick earlier this month.
The landlady was over a couple weeks ago and mentioned we should clean out the basement - I guess this was the first she had been down in the basement in a million years. I told her I was still trying to get settled in the house, so wouldn't tackle the basement until I was more unpacked and set up in the living quarters. So the landlord called Paul (our plumber friend) and he is cleaning out the basement. So far this week he has taken 1400#s of metal out of the basement (he got $140). Yesterday he and TR were taking an old boiler and an old wood stove apart. They also took another water heater tank (the 5th one so far) out, and an old Japanese washer/dryer combo appliance out of the basement, plus a bunch more pipes. TR had to leave for work, and after he left, Paul decided he was tired and left as well. Unfortunately, he left all this miscellaneous crap in my back yard. :/ He said he would be back for it next week.
We've gotten confirmation from Brushy Mountain about our hive equipment, and should see it by Friday of next week. We ordered 8-frame medium cypress hive. One of the fellas in our Beek Club said he never painted his and it still looks good and he is very happy with it.
I still haven't heard from the fella we're getting bees from. So I hope there isn't a problem. :/
I heard yesterday that Rosalma in our Beek club lost two more hives this winter. I think she is down to 5 hives now. She has been a beek for 50 years. Last year she was selling nucs, but she probably won't this year.
I placed an order with Baker Creek this week-end. Lots of herbs, some buckwheat, and some flowers for bees on the list. We're also getting some flax, ground cherries and some veggies, as well as some grains and beans....
golden giant amaranth
German foxtail millet
The lilac bush by the back porch seems to be doing well, but I can't tell about the pears, apples or cherries yet. The snowdrops have started to bloom, but it doesn't appear that we have many other flowers here.
Neil will till up some of the yard for us for a very reasonable rate when it is time, so TR isn't too upset about selling his old tiller last year.
TR was supposed to be on modified 2nd shift until the first week of April, but the new schedule shows him working days starting on Monday. I guess we have mixed emotions about the change.
Although TR isn't supposed to work the first week-end of April (3 & 4), he has been told he will have to work Easter Sunday at least until noon. He is bummed out about missing Sunrise service and the breakfast after. I am making baked blintz casserole for Easter Sunrise Breakfast, which is sponsored by our church couples group.
I am still trying to decide where to put the bees..... and we are thinking where we could put a small hen house and run for The Ladies. The landlord still thinks that we should put The Ladies in the alcove next to the house - but that area gets absolutely no sun at all, and it opens to the driveway, so I am not sure how we would be able to have a run set up. The perfect set up, of course , would be to just set The Ladies up in the downstairs bedroom and have a run set up so they could access it through the front window into the front yard (southern exposure). I think my landlord would have a cow!
What, your landlord doesn't approve of house chickens???
I'm glad to hear that Titan is feeling better, I know you guys were worried about him. The warmer weather will probably make him perk up a bit too.... I can't wait to see your hive! You have to take pictures when you get it....I would love to have some bees eventually....
Lori, I don't think my landlord likes chickens. When he was growing up this place was a dairy farm. He grandmother and mother had chickens but he hated them.
We found out from that a friend and one of my sisters both had dogs diagnosed with the flu when Titan was sick and both had the same symptoms. Titan is doing really well. Still showing signs of being older, but at least he doesn't seem on death's door now. We are certainly relieved ... selfishly, we are not ready to let him go.
We are still getting rain.... our temps are supposed to reach 42 today but we've been in the mid 30 at night.
TR was supposed to work the modified 2nd shift (4 pm to 1am) through the end of March. But last week, he was told to start back on 1st shift. So yesterday TR worked 1st shift (7am to 3:30pm).
Just as he was getting ready to leave for the day, his supervisor told him he had to work the modified 2nd shift as well!
Turns out the fella out on medical leave is not ready to come back until the end of April. The supervisor knew it, but has 1 day person that is permanently out due to medical issues and 1 fella just tore some ankle ligaments... so supervisor needed someone for days and scheduled TR even though he *knew* he was going to have TR work modified 2nd as well!!!! I cannot write what I thought about TR's supervisor yesterday.....they were definitely un-Christian thoughts!
TR was so exhausted when he got home this morning!! Poor guy!
So starting today, TR is back on just modified 2nd shift until the end of April. The worst part is that this will cancel the plans we made for evenings during Holy Week. ... Maundy Thursday service, The Walk of the Cross on Good Friday, Prayer Vigil Saturday....
We don't know yet if he will still have to work 1/2 day on Easter Sunday. We are hoping not, as the modified 2nd shift position does not work week-ends.
I mentioned last week that Paul was cleaning stuff out of the basement for our landlord and left a bunch of it lying around in the back yard. Well, on Sunday evening, someone driving by the house saw the stuff and started snooping around the yard! TR went out and asked him what he wanted. The guy said he saw the stuff from the road and thought he'd come look at it and make an offer for it. TR told him to get off the property (it is private property after all), as someone is already scheduled to remove the stuff. TR wrote down his description and car make and license plate number in case he comes back. I am going to mention to the landlord that we need to put up some sort of fence or block so that there is some privacy in the yard. We are on a main road and from the road, you can see everything in the yard (front, sides and back).... I will definitely need to put up some sort of view block for the bees...
I talked to our dear granddaughter yesterday - it was her 12th birthday. She said they went to Applebee's for her birthday lunch and she got to order something from the adult menu! She said what she ordered (something with veggies and rice) was so large that she took half home for another meal! What a grown up she is getting to be!
That amazes me that someone is so bold as to walk well into a yard! It is one thing if it is at the curb but definitely another if they are coming into the yard! I hope he doesn't come back for you.