A.A. Milne really understood

Now We are Six (1927)

• When I was One,
  I had just begun.
  When I was Two,
  I was nearly new.
  When I was Three
  I was hardly me.
  When I was Four,
  I was not much more.
  When I was Five,
  I was just alive.
  But now I am Six,
  I'm as clever as clever,
  So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever. 

I recall my eighth birthday - the party was planned and friends were coming.  Mommy made an snowman shaped cake as I was born late in the year.  I wanted the party.  But I did not want to turn eight.   I wanted to stay seven.  Eight meant third grade and learning cursive and having homework and "times tables" and eight meant growing up.  I think I have a bit of Pooh bear in me - or perhaps Peter Pan.  I get weary of being an adult.  Let's all head to the Hundred Acre Wood for a picnic.  I'll bring the honey.

"Pooh, promise you won't forget  about  me,  ever.  Not
even when I'm a hundred."
        Pooh thought for a little.
        "How old shall I be then?"
        "Ninety-nine."
        Pooh nodded.
        "I promise," he said.
        Still  with his eyes on the world Christopher 
Robin put out a hand and felt for Pooh's paw.
        "Pooh," said Christopher Robin earnestly, "if 
I--if I'm not quite" he stopped  and  tried  again  --".
Pooh,  whatever happens, you will understand, won't you?"
        "Understand what?"
        "Oh, nothing." He laughed and jumped to his feet. 
"Come on!"
        "Where?" said Pooh.
        "Anywhere," said Christopher Robin.


        So  they  went  off together. But wherever they 
go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that 
enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy 
and his Bear will always  be playing.

Buzzing through March

Look carefully and you can see eggs as well as larva.  These are the signs the queen made it through the winter.

Popped the top off the hive yesterday to feed the girls some pollen substitute and check their remaining food stores. What a surprise met my view.  February and March are danger months I have been told - these are the times when the hive might starve. By this time, they have eaten through the honey they had stored up last season.  The warm weather has stimulated the queen to begin laying, so the girls need food to nurture the larvae. I  was expecting to have to start on syrup feeding right away, but when I looked there were six (!) frames still full of honey!  There were some partials as well! Wow! Go girls! 

 

Lots of burr comb, but not a lot of propolis build up.  I think wrapping the hive in tar paper last fall helped them with the drafts.

 

 Gorgeous capped honey

   

Curious bee checking me out.

The bees are drawing out new comb.

Capped honey and some pollen in the combs.

This year I will be taking some honey from this hive.  Will be starting a second hive as well from a purchased nuc.  Last year was package bees - I want to see what the difference in production might be.

Fourteen

      My eldest son turned 14 yesterday.  Birthdays are always a cause for me to look back and wonder at the speed at which time moves.  When I was 14, time never seemed to move swiftly enough.  These days I cannot keep track of where a day, month or year went as time quickly races past.It really doesn't feel that long ago that he was my chubby, happy 10lb baby who loved the Winnie the Pooh theme song, to bounce up and down, and to be outside when it was windy!  Today he listens to Nickelback, jumps off the stairs from four steps up, and loves to outside in any weather. I guess things haven't really changed, just the scale of them has!
     At our house, you get to choose what you want to eat for your birthday dinner.  We had McDonald's food and brownies to celebrate this natal day. I may be feeling the effects for a week to come, but he really liked it. It was another unexpectedly gorgeous day, so we all spent a lot of time outside.  As part of his birthday treat, our new 14 year old went to the bowling alley with daddy and bowled  a few games and played pool.  Pretty cool.