Hanging Around

Dirty

Collecting maple sap

The temperature is climbing and the maple sap is running, so it's time to start collecting for  syrup. I had the chance to tag along with the neighbor's-- not only did I get to carry buckets of sap, I got to do it with some great people. Plus there were horses involved, which is never a bad thing.

Birds AND Bees?

Last Friday Kevin and I attended the Michigan Beekeepers Conference sponsored by the Michigan Beekeepers' Association. We are planning to buy two hives this year to put at Four Green Fields Farm to help pollinate the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Next year, (provided we don't completely fail as beekeepers), we'll add two hives on our property. Kevin's more interested in the bees for his crops, but I'm interested in the bees for the honey. With his farm's marketing, we'll be able to sell any of the surplus sweet stuff (but, according to my books it may take a year or two before any honey is produced).

So, in addition to 30+ chickens, we'll eventually be adding thousands of tiny fuzzy buzzing insects to our list of farm critters.

Climbing

Our barn cat, Sassy, may not be the best mouser, but even at 11 1/2 lbs., the girl's got climbing skills. Here she is keeping an eye on things from atop the tack room.

Photos from the past week