Spring is Sprung

As the White Rabbit said "I'm late. I'm late..........." So much to do and so little time to do it.

One minute it's winter and everything is cold, grey and lifeless; the next we are in the 80's, and green, pink and white are bursting out all over. No half measures in Virginia! "Spring is sprung and the grass is grizz" as we used to say. Add your own variation to "I wonder where the.......is?" Lawn mower, veggies, gardener, chainsaw?















The bees, or at least the first hive, have arrived, just in time for the apple and pear blossom. Ken, the Keeper of the Bees, set up our first hive, a small colony to start us off - about 10,000 bees! They were a little tetchy at first, having been kept inside when they expected to be out and about, then vibrated for an hour's drive, and finally dumped in a totally new environment.















However, sanity prevailed and the Lewis's and Clarke's of the hive flew off to scout the farm, and I had the privilege of actually seeing the "waggle" dance on their return. A communication involving body movements and wings, that imparts distance from the hive and declension of the sun, and probably includes acreage, number of trees and likelihood of bee-eating varmints!

On a serious note, maintaining a good honey bee population has become a serious problem. Without them the pollination of fruit in particular becomes seriously impaired. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a phenomena where a hive's bees (which can contain anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 bees) up and leave, with very few dead bees apparent. Other problems include mites and fungal infections that have also reduced honey bee populations throughout the world. Beekeeping is being encouraged to combat this decline, and if you don't feel up to doing the job yourself many beekeepers (like our own Ken Woodard) are looking for suitable places to put hives, and will maintain them, providing honey in exchange. Still not convinced, then try some of his honey. What's not to like!

The orchard is now complete, with apples, crab apples, pears and peaches, and while the younger trees will not fruit until next year the amount of blossom on the older ones promises some fruit this year (deer permitting).

Meanwhile, Jorg is furiously planting veggies while maintaining good crop rotation and we hope for some great produce to pack out the larder.

O Frabjous Day!

"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy."

Yesterday a strange thing happened. A large yellow disc was seen in a cloudless sky, and the temperature reached a level no longer requiring the wearing of 6 layers of clothes! Cleaning the water troughs suddenly became a pleasurable experience, and hoses miraculously became conduits of water again. Was this the end of winter as we know it? Has March remembered the "going out like a lamb" part of the rhyme? It may be too early to tell, but the sun and 60F are fine by me.

Of course with the warmer weather comes the work! Veggie plots to be pooped and turned over; clover to be seeded for the bees (meaning a fence to be erected to keep out the deer (clover AND young apple tree shoots - mmmm!); muzzles to be inspected and mended ready for the spring grass; grassy areas and paddocks to be chain harrowed to get rid of the ruts and hoof marks; and so on and so forth! However, better that than the eternal gloom and cold we have had this winter. My worst since coming to Virginia in 1999. But then Jorg kept telling me I hadn't seen a real VA winter. Well now I have, and survived it, and intend to thoroughly enjoy the sun.

The Rain it Raineth Every Day

Flooding in Norfolk, Virginia (courtesy Richmond Times Dispatch)

OK, so climate change is inevitable. Been going on for millions of years. May be humankind is helping speed things up a bit, but we won't go there! But does it have to rain quite so much in November? I know we have had a drought the last few years, but this is ridiculous. Our farm is slowly sliding down the hill towards the railway line, and I shall probably be able to step out of our back door straight into the barns by Christmas! I exaggerate, but the continuous leaching of the driveway down the hill is a concern, especially the ability of large rocks to rise up out of the ground. We do feel for our folks in the UK and Ireland who must feel as if they are on sinking islands at the moment - we feel your pain.

The blessed event has yet to occur, but all the signs point to Thanksgiving Dinnertime! At this rate it will be a water birth, with Jorg and I assisting Rosebud and Bessie in scuba gear.

Our small gesture toward helping the bee population (and, incidentally improving our fruit crop) is underway, with negotiations going on to bring in some beehives. Jorg is already immersed in bee-keeping information and her next summer hat will definitely have a veil! We will also be extending our rather meagre orchard to become much more self-sufficient in fruit, with an emphasis on apples. More reading up on cider making, both "hard" and "soft" versions. Come next November the rain can raineth as much as it likes, we'll be knee deep in mulled cider!