Monday, May 17

Post date: May 17, 2010 2:29:23 PM

Things are picking up speed here every day. Really it's kind of like careening down a mountaiin without brakes. A week ago Saturday we took our annual excursion to Houston to pick up our beehives. Since it was a cold rainy day we left early and stopped at Pork and Plants in Altura. My relatives own this fantastic greenhouse. All the beautiful flowers are just a feast for the eyes. If you ever in the Altura area, it's a must see. Check it out at www.porkandplants.com. We did get all the cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, Indian corn, sweet corn planted on Monday before the rain came. Not sure how they will all emerge as the weather and ground were so cold for the next four days. This morning I need to get to the elevator to pick up chick feed as our first batch of chicks are arriving tomorrow. My 2 1/2 year old grandson "Bug" (our nickname for him) and I will have an adventure and pick them up at the hatchery.

The basset puppies have been leaving steadily and all to such wonderful homes. It makes the heart feel good to know they will be loved. Oh yes, Flo (basset) had her nine puppies last Tuesday, 7 girls and 2 boys. So far they are all doing fine although one is quite small.

Ada's, one of the huskies, due date is Saturday, May 22. Doug will bring her into the barn tonight and get her settled. We really aren't sure that she is pregnant as she doesn't really look like it. It's difficult to tell with huskies so we will err on the side of caution and be prepared. He also has to get the barn ready for the chicks tonight as well.

I checked my two hives that came through the winter and they are both really powerful hives and need to be divided. I put the excluder between the two boxes on each hive last Thursday so today I need to see if I can identify which box has the queen so I can determine which one gets the new queen. Truth be told, I have never done this before so it could be interesting or frustrating or both. The queens will be mailed today so should be at the post office tomorrow a.m. Hope this little project goes well.

I'm lining up help for pumpkin planting next weekend. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can get the seeds in the ground.