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The beehives are behind the garden. Those are green beans in the foreground.

Homestead Injury and Why More Hands Help

There's plenty of work to do on the homestead, but an annoying injury slows Pete down. The garden continues to thrive.
It's been so dry the honeybees gather on the edge of the chickens' water to drink their fill.

Bee Stings and Mustard Seeds

Our homestead requires hard work, a little pain, and a willingness to kill as well as nurture and grow.
The sunflowers are in full bloom. Behind it, the beehives are barely visible and you can see one of the raised beds in our garden.

Summer Projects on the Homestead

Summer is a great time for outdoor work on the homestead. I have to put up with sweat and dodge raindrops, but its a productive time of year.
This cucumber is too big for pickling, so it will end up in a salad or fed to the chickens.

It’s Been a Busy Summer on the Homestead

We've been super busy on the homestead with both planned and unplanned chores. It's prime time for outdoor activities.
All three hives pictured have double deep hive bodies. The hive on the right has four medium suppers and the hive in the center has three. The smaller hive was split off one of these hives because it was growing too fast. You might think it was split from the center hive, but it is the progeny of the larger hive. This queen is just a superstar when it comes to producing bees and honey.

Bees Thrive as Interesting Weather Patterns Hits the Homestead

We've had unusual weather this year, but it seems to be benefitting both the trees and our honeybees. We expect a record honey harvest.
When covered with a lockable lid or roof, this enclosure will be the bunker where we store our gasoline cans, spare kerosene, and pesticides we don't want in the house.

Bunkers, Bees and Firewood, a Homestead Update

Work on our many homestead projects progresses, despite somewhat whacky weather.
Two truckloads, about 35 tons, of ballast, a large kind of gravel, were spread on our private road. We are delighted to see work starting on the road repair and rebuilding project.

A Month of Wind, Water and Sun on the Homestead

march was a busy month on the homestead with road repairs, solar power, water issues, and wildfire preparation all underway.
This is one load if firewood, 10 feet wide and two rows deep. I had to re-split about a third of them.

Spring and Winter Duke it Out on the Homestead

Spring finally arrives, but winter won't be pushed out so easily. The warm weather lets us do long-awaited chores while the freezing rains drives us indoors.
This is a good looking frame of capped brood for this early in the year. he queen laid a good pattern and if you look closely, you can see just-hatched bees emerging from their cells.

It was a Tough Winter for our Honey Bees

The weeks of bitter cold weather in January took their toll on Pete's bees, but enough hives made it through he can rebuild his apiary.
California forest burns. Photo by Matt Howard on Unsplash

Prepping for a New Threat on the Homestead

Thanks to all the trees Hurricane Helene blew down, a large area of the Appalachian Mountains are now threatened by fire.
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