My Cape is at the Cleaners

I've lost all super powers.

I spent 14 hours in the garden on Wednesday - didn't even finish planting.

I have no idea how that happened.

All I do know - is that I got me a good case of the heat exhaustion, and by 8pm, after being up at 3:30 in the am, I was in tears, thinking ticks were in my hair, and wondering why I ever left Chicago.

True.

This little bird is super skittish.  The others come running when they hear my voice, this one runs the other way!  I had to remedy that.  It sat with me on the couch and went through feline tolerance therapy.

Yesterday was a wash.  I could barely move.  I felt like a train hit my face.

I never dressed, I barely ate - I just laid on the couch and wished I weren't so all or nothing.

I got up a few times and my legs almost went out from an under me.

I'm not 32 years old anymore -it's becoming quite obvious.

I'm feeling better today, but I'm still delicate.

The feed store called that my 20 Freedom Ranger chicks are in.

I don't remember ordering them..ha.

They are meat birds.  Ya, I'm doing THAT again.

Tuesday my new laying hen babies will be here.

I have green bean seeds that were supposed to soak for two hours, sitting on the kitchen counter now going on forty-eight hours.

I have on no bra, and it's 10:15 am and I'm in my pajamas.

I want to make lilac jam.

I'm hotflashing and can't understand why it's so hot in this house when it's only 68 degrees outside.

I'm sitting on the enclosed front porch under a fan on full tilt.

Law.

Tomorrow is another day.

What I wish so hard for me, and all of you too, is that you'll love yourself where you are at.

I'm trying to love myself right now - in this new transition of my life - I'm feeling old - Aaron is gone - and I'm mighty perimenopausal.  My ovaries hurt all the time.  I require more rest than I used to.  If I eat junky foods, I feel miserable.  

Let's learn to be OK.  OK?  Let's learn that we are OK no matter what season of life we are in, that we are still worthy, lovable and deserve to be kind to ourselves.

Is it just me I'm talkin' to?

Planting Day

Today's blog will be quick - probably not funny - and no pearls of wisdom.

Hey - it's 5:30am and I've been up for 2 hours!

Today is planting day....I'll be spending my day in the above patch of dirt.

I have bags of hopes and dreams (seeds, onion sets, potatoes, shallots), and flats of happiness (tomato and pepper plants).

Thankfully, I think we'll see a high of just 82.

Here are my helpers...

Boo - the feline matriarch of our little place.

She looks all sweet and innocent...don't let it fool you - if you try to pet her past her neck, she is 'moody'.

Coffee.

Enough said.

And of course - Stubbs.

Today will be Stubbs last day out.  I hope she enjoys it.  I feel guilty locking her up - but even with her little stump feet, she could unearth the seeds, and dustbathe in the mulch - and well - it ain't happenin'.  She has more than enough room in her run - but I will still feel a twinge of guilt every time I look at her beak.

Thanks for all of your awesome comments yesterday!  I wanted to address a few...

Glad to know we've got some Lowe's lovers.  Our hometown Home Depot (I actually worked there over 10 years ago) is a hot mess.  I call it Home Dumpo - and Glenco calls it Home Peehole.

True story.

Beth - thanks for mentioning the D3.  I actually had some blood work done a month or so ago, and found out that my D levels were low - and I've been taking a chewable 2000mg D3 and wow - I did notice a difference.  I think my bone tiredness was from how I push myself...coupled with some seasonal allergies.  I've been Claritin clear for three days now!

Joy - honey will keep forever.  It's true.  It's the only food source that never eva goes bad.

Lisa - my 'loungewear' looks like Glenco's plain pj bottoms (pictured above with the coffee) that are about two sizes too big, and a worn out Life is Good hoodie.  My unkempt humidity frizzed hair completes the outfit.

A few of you mentioned about having my cousin make the beehives.

Law - that would be too much to ask, and he'd say no..: -)...they are a lot of work, the innards of the boxes are very elaborate.  

Pam, you are in the wrong business!  I have visions of making hives, and selling bees and hives.

One day - maybe when I'm 87.

WanderingBess...you mentioned that I don't mention Glenco much.  I must remedy that.  I'd be working at the local five and dime without him.  He's pretty much the glue that holds everything together around here, and I'd not be able to do half of what I do without him.  I tease that he's kind of like Dolly Parton's husband. Ya, she's married!  Who knew?

Ok, y'all - It's now 5:42 in the am - there's a nice cool breeze a blowin', and I have a basket of wet laundry waiting for the line.  It's now light enough out to hang it, so I must take my leave of you.

So...we've talked about the birds, the bees...this post was about the flowers...you didn't get that did you?  

: -)

Tomorrow...we'll talk about the trees....

The Latest Buzzzzzzz

Here's a tale about the beehives that involves no nudity.

A family friendly story if you will.

Sorry to disappoint!

Well, here they are - the beehives.  Painted lilac, all lined up in a very unlevel row.

It is what it is.

I was going to put those stones in front of the hives, for really no reason, since I don't stand on them - but I've decided against it, and have removed them - it would be a mowing nightmare.

As soon as we got the beehives moved a couple of weeks ago - the enormous fiasco that it was, I realized that I didn't like them where I'd put them.

Stubbs even called it a Fuster Cluck.

True story.

But what's a girl to do?

She drags her poor husband out on a dusky, rainy night - he endures a hellacious beehive move because his wife is undiagnosed bi-polar - and a week later she wants them moved again?

Law.

She did what any loving, intelligent wife would do - she didn't tell him.

I went to Lowe's - probably my favorite store eva - and picked up this 'Purple Hill' paint.

I'm a sucker for lilac.

I had a couple of empty hives - such as this one on the right - it has no bottom board yet, since it's empty - I just bought a new one, and have to paint it.

I started painting the hives late one morning last week - and as I would get them painted, I would move the empty ones over to the new area - which is almost exactly where they were before - another reason - we aren't telling Glenco.

Ahem.

Now, to appreciate them now - you must look back on how they were before....

Here's when I had two...

They look purplish in the above photo, but they are not...they are brownish, as you can see in this photo below...

My hillbilly bee yard.  Mercy - that was an embarrassment!

It's called - the bees are swarming - quick!  Get them in a box.

So.....here I am, out back, painting beehives a lovely lilac - and Glenco arrives home from work.

I didn't know if we were going to have a confrontation or not - I mean, a man can only take so much.

Move the beehives AGAIN?

You bought paint when we have about 28 gallons down in the basement?

So, he meanders in the back and says - 'oh, that is a really pretty color' - and then he sees where I'm moving them, and says 'oh, ya - that's way better'.

Whew!  Dodged a bullet there.

He willingly helped me move the hives the next day, and it went off without a hitch, since we actually did it the right way.  No flailing, no stinging, no drama.

I now feel like my bees are organized, and that makes a happy CoopKeeper.

I have to interject something here....

Is this what I ULTIMATELY wanted?  No - not really.

I would have loved to make awesome hives like this...

Friends - it's not in the cards for me.

Numero uno - these hives are $400 a pop from Williams and Sonoma.

Second - I have no wood shop, nor the time or money to set one up and start making hives - even as much as I would like to.

I am seriously going to have to live to be 100 if I'm to accomplish half of what I'd like to.

I gotta tell ya - that's beekeeper's porn right there.

I think it's really important to do the best you can, and be happy with it.

If you aren't careful, you'll breed discontent in your heart, and sistas, that's a weed that will take root and be hard to pull out.

So - the beehives are lilac, in a charming little crooked row, and they have been inspected and the gals are happy, healthy and bursting with busyness.  We pulled six gallons of surplus honey off of the hives.

Many beekeepers will pull what I think is too much honey off of the hives in the fall, and then have to supplement feed the bees with sugar, or these fondant patties.  T'aint natural if you ask me.

I leave them more than enough, and take it in the Spring if there is a surplus.

We sold quite a bit by word of mouth - but still had a lot left over, so Glenco made this sign for me....

Isn't it adorable?

I want to plant some flowers around it.

We have sold 10 quarts and a pint in a couple of days since the sign went up!

I just have to remember to be dressed.

The first customer caught me in my 'loungewear'.

I really do enjoy beekeeping - even though I've been stung more times than I can count this Spring.  I think it was some rite of passage the bees were putting me through.  Truth be told - 99% of the stings were really my fault - just not being careful, or being in too much of a rush.

One bit of advice, if a bee ever gets tangled in your hair - do not, in any circumstance, bend over at the waist - and flail your head wildly while running your hands through your hair...

well, unless you like the feeling of a flaming hammer coming down on your head.

The bees continue to fascinate me, teach me, scare me, entertain me and keep me busy.

I'd say they're keepers.

Let Me Tell Ya 'bout the Birds and the Bees.....

It's about 45 degrees here in Crown Point, Indiana, and I've decided to give m'self the day off.

You see - I'm exhausted.

Really I am.

Menopause?

Working day and night?

51 years old?

Allergies?

Probably a combo of them all.

I'm not sure - but all I know is I is tired.  I mean - bone tired.  I mean - I got nothing left to give tired - I mean - it hurts to type tired.

I awoke at 5:30 this am wishing I could be catheterized so I wouldn't have to get up and go to the bathroom.

I envisioned a breakfast tray coming into the bedroom, piled high with thick French toast, dripping with fresh maple syrup, piles of crisp bacon, a latte and a bouquet of lilacs.

Anna from Downton Abbey would tell me - 'M'Lady, you have nothing to do today, you have to stay in bed - you have a massage later and a pedicure - lunch will be served to you here as well'.

A girl can dream.

So - I'm off today.  No digging, no cleaning, no nothin'.  I'm gonna blog, answer emails, nap around, leisurely bathe, drink tea, read - or - start to feel guilty and do the laundry.

We'll see.

So - I need to tell you 'bout the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees...and a thing called lo-o-ve.

We've lots to catch up on around here.

Empty your bladders and fill your coffee cups...

First.

The birds....

Stubbs is the only chicken I have left.

Shocked?

I'm sure you are. 

I haven't talked about this - but when I left for Missouri, I had three...two were 'taken' by something.
Glenco was most delighted that he came home and found nothing but a few feathers left of the rooster.

True story.

You see, he loathed that bird.

I can't sugar coat this - that bird was mean, cocky - evil - you couldn't turn your back on him.

Glenco still smirks when he tells the story of finding his tail feathers in the driveway one afternoon.

I'm sorry to burst your Glenco bubble.

Last fall I was faced with the decision of culling the flock.

The hens were getting old, not laying very much.  I would love to have things set up to where I could have just kept them all winter and not cared about the cost of feeding them - and I sort of planned on it - but then with the realization that I wanted another dozen or so fresh hens this year, well - where would I put them all?  The coop isn't big enough.  I don't have the funds to build another area to house the elderly birds - so unfortunately, they had to go. 

 I gave them to a gentleman who swore he was going to keep them as pets and entertainment for his grand kids.  I have to believe it to be so.

I couldn't part with Stubbs though - as you all know - she's a special needs bird, and such a story of strength and survival, I just had to keep her.  I felt it was ok with the other two birds, as she had some company - but now for the last month or so - she is solo - and I feel bad.

She's taken to her art again.

She follows me everywhere around the yard, and I stuff her craw full of worms and treats.  She practically sits on my fork when I'm digging in dirt, and has to know what I'm doing at all times.

Note to self - do not try prying paint lids off with the ends of paintbrushes.

She's taken to sitting at the back door waiting for me to come out now.

Jax and Slinx are intrigued.

Now, I have all my baby chicks coming from McMurray Hatchery a week from today - well, I think they'll be shipped a week from today.  I couldn't wait that long, and I realized that I hadn't ordered any Americauna hens, sooooo....

Jax and Slinx are intrigued.

: -)

I'm getting my chick fix with these three baby Americaunas.  They've all had their bra time, one at a time - I have one named Momo - no names for the others yet.

So there ya have it - the update on the birds....

Next up....update on 

the

bees...

We moved them....again.

Shenanigans

Just popping in to say howdy - I'm alive - and I'll be blogging again soon.

Many things to show you!  I've been a painting fool - the bees no longer live in the projects, and I have a plethora of shenanigans to report.

Life is glorious - don't forget it.