Good morning! I am still feeling a little ragged around the edges but working in the office today and have already accomplished some good things so feeling good about that. (Apparently… a lot of good in that sentence).
Yesterday I received an email from AudioFile magazine chatting up their best of the year audio books – NOW WAIT! Before you non audio book listeners click off this post – please note that a good audio book… may also very well be a pretty darn good book. 🙂
For those of us who are audio book listeners – well yay right? I am always looking for suggestions for that next great listen and usually pick my audio through someones raving about it.
So, this morning I wanted to mention this link so people could click on it and see what is considered to be the great listens of 2014.
So go ahead and click on the pic. Do you see any audiobooks (or books!) that you have enjoyed or this year? Are there audio books you would have added to this group?
I really enjoyed the Storied Life Of A.J. Fikrey. I also found Not My Father’s Son to be a rich and engaging non fiction listen by Alan Cummings. I was all in for We Were Liars and impressed with The Young World. I want to listen to to The Impossible Knife Of Letting Go (love Laurie Halse-Anderson’s writing!), Station Eleven, Mr. Mercedes, The Innovators, and Life Drawing.
Today, I am going to make a quick trip into town and then come back to the comforts of my home. I am watching a movie this afternoon for research I am working on and then back to writing. Tomorrow things start to pick up steam as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday but for today – I think I will enjoy one more day of quiet…. this introvert can not seem to get enough and I am re-energizing by staying at home. 🙂
I have been back two full days now and I seriously do not even want to stick a toe out the door. My sleep patterns are off, I am wiped out by 7 pm, but if I go to bed I am awake by 4 am…much my hours of sleep in Florida. If you missed what I was doing in Florida that kept the odd hours, I posted about that yesterday.
Today, as promised I am posting about the book mail that came into my home during the past three weeks:
Yup. It is a crazy pile. However before you panic for me… the left row is all audio. A few of the books in the middle and to the right are purchased by me. Some are for release in 2015.
My Sunday is unfortunately not just hanging at home, warm and cozy with books. After church this morning a group of us are decorating the library for Christmas. It is a potluck event so I am making wild rice meatballs and pickle butts. The pickle butts recipe is going up here later today. It is easy and tasty! 🙂
Good morning! This post was planned for two Saturdays ago but where we were staying in Florida I had terrible internet and I could not get my pictures to load up. Now that I am home they loaded up quickly and for this Saturday Snapshot I thought I would share what I did in Florida.
I was working with my friend Amanda and her husband Tim. They own a bee business here in Brainerd, Buck’s Busy Bee’s. The bees go to Florida every winter as the Minnesota winter months are too hard on them. Amanda needs to go to check on them once a month and asked if I would like to come along and help and I said yes, it sounded like a nice break from the cold and I am fascinated by what the bees do.
This is a bee yard. Each set of stacked boxes represents a hive.
November turned out to be a longer trip than initially planned. We initially were going to be a week, but weather in Minnesota prevented us from completing some things here that had been planned out so we had to do that in Florida instead. Our trip was 16 days of working sun up to sun down – and many days later than that.
One of our main focuses was to split the hives. Splitting the hives makes more hives and when you have a strong healthy hive it is easy to take a few splits off it. To split a hive each new hive must have:
The cocoa colored area in the center of this frame is brood. Babies!
A brood. Brood are babies and what the worker bees work hard on to keep warm and protect.
2. Honey. The frame of honey goes up against the frame of brood so the worker bees can feed the babies. Preferably you would like two frames of honey one on each side of the brood.
3. Drawn out frames. (You can see what a clean frame looks like at the bottom of each pic. They are yellow and that is what the bee works off of). A drawn out frame, as seen above can be dark like this one or could be light like the start of a honey frame.
4. BEES. You want lots and lots of bees to go with each hive to start their own. The hives are actually moved at night as that is when all bees are back in the hives and the forager bees are home. These are the bees that go out and bring the pollen back to the hive.
5. A QUEEN. Each hive needs its own Queen. I wanted to take a picture of a queen on a frame but to do that would have involved me to take my big work gloves off and well… it was a bit risky so instead I have this little video to show you the difference between the Queen and the other bees and how to find the Queen (yes I know I don’t have to capitalize “queen” but it seems like I should…LOL, she is royalty after all!)
What takes the longest in this process is that you must find the Queen before you start creating splits as she needs to remain in the bottom box as an existing hive. The other splits will require a new Queen to be placed in each of their boxes/hives.
So how do you keep the Queen in the bottom box once she is found and you are not ready to move the rest of the hive yet?
This is a Queen Excluder
A Queen Excluder allows the regular worker bees to crawl through the tiny slats, but the Queen herself is too large to fit through. That way, once find the Queen and ensure she is in the bottom box, you put the excluder over the top of that box and then add the rest of the boxes of that hive on top of that.
I enjoyed finding the Queen although it can be frustrating when you go through each frame three or four times and can not find her. Sometimes I felt that I was “Queen blind”. Finding her though brought out the gamer in me, like I had passed that level. She is actually fun to look at and watch. She moves a little slower than the worker bee, but amazingly she is the bee that keeps the whole hive working. Without her the hive will die.
Beetle Trap Oil
Another thing we did in Florida was we went through and put in each box a small tray of this Beetle Trap Oil which I liked to call Beetle Juice. The Beetle Oil (juice!) attracts beetles that can get in the hive and kill the bees. The beetles which are tiny and black fall into the oil and are killed. Nasty business.
Anyone else remember this awful movie from 1988?
We moved bees at night – over night actually. They were loaded on to a semi truck after dark as that is when the bees are in the hive. I did not do, but Amanda and Tim would then haul the new hives 3 1/2 hours away to host home yards, which are people who had agreed to have bees on their property.
It was a lot of work. We usually started our day between 5:30 and 6:00 am and ended around 6 – 8 pm. I pretty much just worked, ate dinner, and slept. My hands hurt from all the lifting of the hives and frames each day as well as the stings on my fingers (even through the work gloves). My hands are still swollen and I can not get my rings on yet.
That’s pretty much the basics of where I have been and what I have been doing. I am in still recovering now that I am home (arrived Thursday evening). Today I am just hanging around the house doing a little reading, a little audio, just chilling out. My body is exhausted.
Oh egads I am home! Kiss the ground even as cold and damp as it is! Do a happy dance! Make a snow angel! Scream MINNESOTA! WOO HOO!!!! (I actually did that). I even slept in until 8:30. That’s right – 8:30! After weeks of getting up at 4:30 am and yesterday I was up at 3:15 am. I drove 3 1/2 hours to Seebring Florida following my friend Amanda in the rental car where she dropped off a truck, then we drove 2 1/2 hours to Orlando to catch our flight home. It was a LONG day and I arrived back at home at 8:30 pm last night. I stuck a load of laundry in the washer, made myself something to eat out of the measly pickings at home, and fell asleep watching Modern Family episodes I missed. I am trying to soak it all in. Getting my normal on.
On my agenda for today is pretty much nothing. At some point I do need to go to the bank, pick up a few groceries, and plan dinner but that is IT. Seriously – I am lying low the entire weekend… or as much as I can anyway.
It is soooooo good to be home.
Have I said that?
Here is what was waiting for me:
Awwww… normalcy. After working the past 16 days of 12 – 16 hour days none stop, normalcy comes as a welcome friend. I am tired, worn out and feel as though I aged… I need to find my youth again 🙂 I am believing my youth is somewhere in this house, and in these packages. I will find it. Trust me on that.
Have a super Friday. You know my plan… what is yours?
Good morning from IHOP. I am back in a booth shaking things up today by not only having coffee and an English muffin… but today I added oatmeal too. Yeah… that’s way I roll… crazy and unpredictable… watch out. 😉
I am tired. Bone tired. I have not had a day of nothingness since October 29th before I left for my Florida trip with my son. I work all day in the bee yard and yesterday I rode along with my friend Amanda 3 1/2 hours to where the bees are going to pick up the rental car and bring it back to the hotel 3 1/2 hours back. I wilted into bed around midnight.
I ache. My hands hurt from lifting bee frames all day and the tiny stings they endure. My back hurts from leaning over the hives. My head hurts from the sun glare.
I dream. I dream of bees. I see them when I close my eyes and not in a creepy Amityville horror way with the flies but they are just there. And Queen bees I see them too… I cant wait to dream of normal stuff like unicorns or space monkeys.
Today I am on my way back to the bee yard. We really have today and tomorrow to finish this part up so I am anticipate another long day. I will be listening to audio today (He’s Gone by Deb Caletti). I am getting a bit of a Gone Girl vibe but we will see where this is going.
Good morning! I am still in Florida working away with long hours and exhausted sleep. We are working hard to get done and get home and I am all about that – even if it freezing and lots of snow in Minnesota. I miss my hubby, my puppies, my bed 🙂
Today is GIVEMN day where you can link up a non profit charity and of course I am promoting our library. I am not sure if this is a thing for all states or not – I suspect it probably is. Anyhoo – here is our Library link and our goal: Brainerd Public Library Give MN
For the HP Readalongers… the link for your first review is up and if you have not found it yet – add your thoughts here. I need to catch up on House Points so please watch for that soon. Remember you earn points by writing posts and also by commenting on posts.
It is not to late to sign up to join this readalong that started in November and will go to March 2015. Check out all things about this here.
I am off to work for the day. We are still splitting hives. Hope to finish this part in the next few days here so we can get all the bees delivered, queened, and fed.
Good Morning. Since Donna from Writer’s Side Up likes hat I am in IHOP every morning… thought I would take a picture. 🙂 Here are my discoveries about 4 am IHOP:
1. A lady that works the early shift at IHOP, also works at the hotel I am staying at. She is very nice.
2. Some people… should not dress themselves.
3. When a man walked in this morning wearing all camo from head to toe (and no not a hunter)…. I wanted to say, “Oh! I almost didn’t see you there!” But refrained as I thought he may not get it. 😉
4. 50’s music. I did not know that was an IHOP thing. I like it. Wish I had packed my poodle skirt.
5. I wish I had an IHOP attached to my house at home. I would go there every morning… coffee and an English muffin. Life would be so simple…
Getting ready for work this morning… or more honestly… I am ready for work just caffeinating myself for another 11 hour + day. I am tired. I have not had a day to myself since October 19th, before vacation with my son. That is a lot of days of being “ON”. As an introvert that takes its tole. I am spent. 🙂
Good morning! Live from Florida day 6 on my Bee Keeping trip. Splitting hives has been interesting. I planned on writing a whole post about it yesterday but the internet is so spotty here and I could not get my pics to load. I will try to post the whole process next Saturday.
In the meantime I can give you one picture:
Yeah that’s me. Behind me are some of the hives we are working on. I have to run – work starts in 4 minutes and I am still sitting in IHOP. Have a super Sunday!!!
Good morning! Currently living out of a hotel room in Wildwood Florida helping my friend with the bees! It is early – EARLY. I got up at 4:30 am after hitting the snooze 3 times from my 4 am setting. We are meeting up at 5:30 to get started as the sun comes up but I need a little “wake up” time so I am at the IHOP attached to our hotel.
IHOP at 4:30 am is very pleasant. The music is 50’s style. The coffee is hot. My English muffin with a little strawberry jelly makes me happy. It is me and one trucker in here. I own the IHOP at 4:30 am. Throughout my time here we will probably become very close.
Today we will be splitting bee hives. We have been here since Monday running around getting everything lined up. Tim (Amanda’s husband) arrived yesterday with the semi of our boxes and pallets and everything we need to get going. By the time we prepped everything it was 5 pm so we called it a day to get back before the sun went down. We will work sun up to sun down today – breaking for lunch. I am taking audio with me in case I feel like popping in the ear buds and getting into a book while I plug away.
I should have some pictures up tomorrow.
Have a super awesome day. In Harry Potter updates I made a prize page yesterday morning. Lots of fun things being given away for this readalong. Check it out. I finished book 1 last night as I drifted to sleep. Never gets old…
Good morning from Wildwood Florida! Yesterday was a record travel day… I was up at 2 am, met my friend at 3 am and we drove 2 1/2 hours to the Minneapolis airport. We landed in Florida by 11:30 am, were on the road (after a long car rental situation), and drove 2 hours to pick up the equipment we will need for the job while we are here. Then we drove 2 1/2 hours to where we will be staying (here). We unpacked our car, then went to Walmart for supplies for the time we are here – food for our lunch and dinner mainly as we will be working sun up to sun down for quite a few days here.
So what am I doing?
I am working with my friend with the bees she has brought to Florida for the winter. They need to be split (that sounds harsh but it it not) to make more hives for their future trip in February to California. Really the whole thing is fascinating! I have not split hives before but I will learn today. We are starting a little later today as we are waiting for my friends husband to arrive, he is driving semi here and he has items we need on the truck including all my bee-gear.
I am currently in an IHOP having coffee and planning out my blog posts for the day as well as hopefully (internet willing), updating the Harry Potter Re-Read individual participants page. I am almost finished with my re-read of book one which has been my plane read. I have much to say about our first book! It is not too late to join in… there will be lots of fun things happening the next 5 months as we go through this game changing series. 🙂
I am reading – listening to audio and prepping my book club reading so I can participate in next Tuesdays conversation even though I will not be there 😦 (HATE missing book club!
I will be popping in as I can and keeping up and there is a review coming up yet today on the movie Nightcrawler! (Have you seen it? OOH it is another twisted tale!)
I really enjoyed the Storied Life Of A.J. Fikrey. I also found Not My Father’s Son to be a rich and engaging non fiction listen by Alan Cummings. I was all in for We Were Liars and impressed with The Young World. I want to listen to to The Impossible Knife Of Letting Go (love Laurie Halse-Anderson’s writing!), Station Eleven, Mr. Mercedes, The Innovators, and Life Drawing.
Book Journey 