The bees are alive, and beating the cold back with a stick.

I know that the cold (we are below freezing for a while now: 3F (-17C) this morning) might try and make us feel bleak.  Pulling at the loose threads of our cardi’s trying to unravel us.  Butting heads with our warm outlooks. But look what we can do in the cold.

Pasture-raised chicken on the wood stove to be made later into chicken chili.

Beer bubbling in a bucket. This is a new venture, making our own beer.  We are going to try and grow hops this coming summer.

The bubbling bucket is closely watched by the Watch Dog. Evidently  there is a monster burping in that bucket.

The winter means Coleslaw before every meal. Either I need to lose ten pounds or buy new jeans and I LOVE my old jeans! The coleslaw works. I make it with nuts and seeds and even dried apples and pears from the summer. And kale and celery and oh everything! If I feel like a snack I eat coleslaw. Even breakfast. Lunch.  At 4 O’clock when I am always at my hungriest – coleslaw. And with dinner.  I love the coleslaw celi diet. You have to beat back those winter bulges with a celery stick!

In the winter there are live bees clutched in a hot ball in the hive. The hive wrapped up in insulation and old feed bags. But the bees are alive.

I took a peek when I was putting honey (in a zip lock bag with a couple of holes in the plastic so the bees can stand and sip, and some loose sugar so they can choose)  into the attic arrangement they have for extra food. I looked the other day when it was warm and forgot to tell you. I was very swift, but the supers are getting light, they are eating through their honey stores very fast. But they buzzed angrily at me, as I peeked.  Such a relief.

Old Chooks fluff their feathers and Boo for some unknown reason digs in the snow. Ton we seldom see on camera as he has taken to sleeping in the barn all day with the animals.  I have to call him in at night. He misses Sheila. And is very sadly waiting in her pen for her to come home. Either that or he is thrilled to bits to get the whole bed to himself so he can stretch out. Who knows what is in the mind of a dog. Probably wondering where the houekeeper is, that bed has not been made in days.

I have visited Sheila and she is deeply in love with her piglet friends. I told her if she wants some piglets of her own she has to meet with the boar.  Though there is always adoption if the boar does not work out. Our Kunekune gets born in a few weeks!  

Winter has the most glorious  sunsets.

I had to go cross country to get to the Old Codgers house yesterday, his drive was blocked with snow and our snow plow truck was under the weather. So unable to drive my little cooking oil car because of the ice  and cold John took me on the rounds yesterday in another old but slightly more reliable truck and dropped me at the bottom of Dales long drive. Ton and I scouted around and  across the field to get to our friend, carrying the washing basket of clean clothes. Laughing at ourselves. It was blowing and cold, but a little bit of an adventure. I should have packed my snow shoes!

Yesterday it was too cold to be outside much which gave me a little extra time to mooch about the inter-webs checking out your lovely blogs.

If you have children who would like a treat you might like to pop over and see how to make spring rolls for kids.And me!  A brand new blog written in New Zealand by a very clever young woman. Tell her celi sent you.

I hope you have a lovely wintry day today too. (or a lovely summery day as the case may be!)

Your friend on the farmy

celi