Bug Brigade

The Bug Brigade

To avoid last year's bug invasion, which basically halted veggie growing over the Summer (after a great Spring start) we have brought in a secret weapon - the "Bug Brigade".  A heavy duty, highly active (as can be seen from the photo above) dedicated group of bug destroyers - The Guineas!  This year we are not messing with the little critturs who demolish our carefully landscaped vegetable garden.  It's total war!  Non-chemical and wholly organic, our little friends will be sent out to off anything alien that dares to set foot on our pristine leaves.  There is nothing as frightening as a Guinea with a mission.  That is, provided we can persuade them that our garden is a better home than our neighbors, or the farm down the road!  Ah well, every solution has a drawback, and we are always optimistic.

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.

Spring Around the Corner!?

We are waiting with bated breath for what we hope is Winter's last flourish tonight. Although remembering the kick in the butt that March gave us last year, maybe she has one further trick up her sleeve! However, it has been nice to see the sun, and also see the days extend minute by minute daily. The maple buds are visible and we look forward to that wonderful haze that comes over what look like lifeless trees and bushes, indicating that leaves and blossom are on their way. If we could do away with the chilly winds I would be a happy man.

With Spring, of course, comes the hectic cleaning up and planting season, and Jorg has already got her starter plants seeded and sitting in our sun trap guest bedroom. We learn a little more each year on what to plant, what works and what doesn't. Our bee man Ken Woodard has been to the farm to work out the siting for his beehives, and Jorg is geared up for this new venture. We have a mini-orchard with heritage apples, pears, crab apple and peach trees, and with the clover that Ken wants to try out, we should have some happy bees and lovely fruit.

Mona Lisa and Trisket

Some time back, a rather bedraggled black and white cat turned up on our doorstep one wild and rainy night. Sporting half a tail, and a rather "in your face" affection Trisket, as he became named was litter trained and had obviously been a house cat. Once neutered (sorry old boy, it's the rule!) he was relegated to the barn with the other two cats, as our dog population were a little too much for him to handle! We have been trying to rehome him, as he is totally out of his element in the barn area. Utterly fearless, he wanders into horse stalls (when occupied) and hides under the tractor, and was an accident waiting to happen. Unusually, Mona Lisa thought he was cute and he liked her, as the photo shows. Well, Ken the bee man is a cat person with just one cat at home, and Trisket played the "love me" card, with the result he now is back to being a house cat. We wish all three happy times.

"Where are the snows of yesteryear?"

The "Ballade des dames du temps jadis" ("Ballad of the Ladies of Times Past") is a poem by the fifteenth-century French poet François Villon which celebrates famous women in history and mythology, and from which came the line "Mais ou sont les neiges d'antan". In French they have the expression "triste" which is a wistful sadness rather than outright depression, and Villon is commenting that, like the snow, life fades away almost without us noticing.

Well that was a long segue into the fact that snow, in depth, finally came to Triskelion Farm last night - all quarter of an inch of it! But worth sharing, as it was real springlike snow, pretty without being a nuisance (or worse) and it too will fade quickly. In the meantime the ravages of rain and cold are hidden for a few brief hours and we can believe that spring is around the corner (even if Punxsutawney Phil says otherwise, and the weather forecast is for 16 degrees tomorrow night!)

Most of the menagerie were tucked up in stalls, just the youngsters braving the flurries. When dawn broke they were happily munching the hay I had put out, and take the snow along with most weather conditions with equal equanimity. They too have comfy stalls when it gets cold and when ice storms are likely; but their preference is for wide open spaces, as evidenced by the rodeo that went on last evening that caused my neighbor to phone and ask if everything was OK. The thunder of hooves across the paddock could be heard half a mile away, but it was all play. The call was appreciated, however, as accidents do happen. Another neighbor, a few miles away, just earlier in the week, had gone through the floorboards of a barn and broken his thigh bone. Unfortunately, he had left his cell phone in his truck and it took him over an hour to get out and call for help. I guess we have all heard of similar stories in rural communities so a watchful neighbor is always welcome.

Well, I for one won't be sorry to see winter bow out, and perhaps the longer days and brighter weather will cheer us all up, and instill some optimistic thoughts. Let's dwell on the good things ahead rather than feeling sad about the past. In that spirit , White Bird is holding its first volunteer orientation of the year on Sunday, having put out "come and volunteer" notices on line and locally. We have had a great response so far and it will be a fun day with the promise of warm weather, as well as refreshments. See the notice on the sidebar.