To Bee or not to Bee

   To have bees or not to have bees that is the question I have been presenting myself with for the past two years. I am totally in love with the idea of keeping bees for honey and beeswax, pollinating my gardens and fruit trees, and helping to restore the declining honey bee population. What I am not in love with is the extra work and commitment of taking care of the bees, and not to mention the monetary expense of the wooden hives, bee keeping equipment, bee keeper's suit, and yes, even the honey bees themselves. I also have been contemplating putting in a garden of 20 to 30 cold weather hardy lavender plants. The bees just seem like the perfect companion to the lavender plants for pollinating and then reaping the rewards of lavender flavored honey. It seems like the perfect pairing and yet the more I read about beekeeping, and I am reading everything I can get my hands on, it seems to intimidate me more. I think I will plant the lavender plants this year so that they can get established, and put off the decision of beekeeping until possibly next year. I change my mind on this predicament almost daily, so we shall see. I did just find out about a beginner's beekeeping class being held locally in April, so that will be my first step.
   I ordered most of the flower seeds for the cutting gardens, and all of the vegetable seeds for the kitchen vegetable garden this past weekend. I anticipate they will arrive in the middle of a snowstorm they usually do, but that is what makes it more thrilling.
   On Saturday morning my husband and I were on Music Mountain Road in Stockbridge, Vermont when I spotted a large flock of robins. Yes robins on February 1st on a mountain in Vermont! The field was free of snow since it had a southern exposure, and there were the robins. I lost count after 20, but I would say there were close to 30 of them. So, with the local groundhog in Vermont not seeing his shadow due to the cloudy, dismal day we had on Sunday, I would say we may have spring just around the corner. Oh wait, aren't we predicted to have two snowstorms this week?

This week's pictures of winter on the farm:

 

 

 

 

  

Battle of the Moles

   My dilemma in the barn now is how to outsmart the moles. I see little foot prints and paths in the snow leading to my barn, I have holes in between bricks in the barn floor, but alas I cannot catch those little devils in traps. They have dug wonderful little tunnels under the bricks on the floor, even enough to push some of the corners of the bricks up, which was my first clue that they are indeed moles. Usually I catch quite a few moles in traps earlier in the fall, but this year they waited until the really cold weather to set up housekeeping in my barn. While at Tractor Supply picking up provisions for the animals last week I bought brand new traps, thinking they smelled something foreboding on the old traps. Still nothing! I've tried cheese, peanut butter, but still no luck. I fill in the holes in the floor but new ones appear, so I know the moles are having a great time while I am not around. I then decided to bring in my secret weapon, Teddy. Teddy is the garage/shop resident tabby cat who lives in a very warm, heated workshop. Although he catches mice and moles in the garage, he wants no part of an unheated barn. So the battle of the moles continues... Thanks Teddy!

Mole pathways to the barn in the snow

 

Tunnels under bricks on floor

Teddy, the secret weapon, to tired to catch moles

 

 

Here are a couple of pictures of the ice sculptures I took in Stowe last weekend, while visiting my daughter. No chance of them melting anytime soon.

 

Diamond ring ice sculpture

Musical clef ice sculpture



 

The sheep are still enjoying the afternoons outside even in the frigid temperatures. Here they are on a sunny 10 degree afternoon, happy to get out of the barn

 

 

Hopefully the groundhog won't see his shadow on Sunday and he'll stay out! Can we really anticipate spring will be right around the corner then? I hope so.