Good Evening Post

[riverbee]

" I think my wife has taken it to mean I need MORE to do...   She left for NJ on business Saturday, will be back the end of the week. I told her to pick TWO more projects from her ever growing list, and to make them good ones, because they are the last of over a dozen already completed that will BE completed this summer..   THEN, I get to start on my own project.. Rebuilding River Rat.. My modified pontoon, and spending MULTIPLE nights listening the the Old river tell me stories.   I am SO excited to stuff that list into the trash barrel!   "

...........
scott, when you get to the 'short list'....... ............ enjoy rebuilding that pontoon and listening to the 'old river'........with a pirate drink or two.......
and also........tell us an old story or two........

ps i really enjoyed the pix of your hives!

[Jen]

Ditto on the story or two Scott, we are all up for another chapter of your youth and bees, I know I am 

[rcannon]

Riverbee-it was a beautiful day here today, 70's, zero humidity, that always makes me happy

That would make me happy, too. It was 81 at 5 o'clock this morning when I left for work. It's been hot lately and I apparently am not getting any younger. I sure suffer in the heat more than I used to.

[riverbee]

good evening~

it's 50 degrees here, and temps dropping.... the polar vortex hit yesterday, and it's just crazy!  rain, and i mean cold rain and at times driving sheets of rain since late this afternoon! wearing a sweatshirt all day and a fleece jacket this evening!
where did summer go?!  i know many of you need the rain, so i am not complaining but it sure doesn't make for good honey crops, or garden veggies...... just as drought doesn't......normal temps here this time of year are 80's and 90's and more humidity than i care for!

rc, what kicks my butt is the humidity, i can tolerate the heat, but combined with humidity......sheesh!!!

[Jen]

It's a very dry 90 degrees here, 8:30pm, people are starting to come out and walk their dogs nsuch. We've been over 100 for 2-3 weeks now  ~ I'm not complaining tho, my bones sure like the dry hot air ~ Bring It! 

[LazyBkpr]

Yep, hit here too!  Got a bit of rain as the weather turned, but was sunny after that and cool! Got a LOT of work done..   Supposed to be 50 here tonight and only in the 70's for the next few days..   Perfect timing!!   I am hoping to get the worst of the projects completed while it is still cool...    Set up ten nucs this morning, dealt with two queenless hives, bees should be in order until the two week check up to see how the new queens are doing.

[Jen]

70-80's is perfect weather for me to feel like getting stuff done. That's perfect weather for sleeping as well, there is a stagant pool a couple of doors down, and we can here the frogs at night. Talk about a lullaby 

[rcannon]

The humidity is what makes it so miserable here. It was 86 degrees and 76% humidity in my garage a little bit ago. I was gonna bottle some honey but not in that humidity. I'll remind the wife to turn the air conditioner in there tomorrow afternoon, it'll be nice and dry by the time I get home.

[Jen]

Hey Randy    it's 101 here today, and says 19% humidity but I think intellicast is lying, it's so dry I'm putting olive oil in my nose.
Although I like the dry better than the humid ~

[rcannon]

I kinda got tickled today. The company I work for hired a new VP from Pennsylvania. I ran into him and my boss today, outside in the sun. It was clouding up and trying to rain. The air was so thick you could chew it. As we stood there and chatted, he took off his coat. A few minutes later he took off his tie. He was sweating like crazy and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Me and the boss were standing there like nothing was going on. I think if he'd stood there a few more minutes, he would have cut his pant legs off to make shorts or had a stroke or something. That poor guy was having a rough time. I'll bet he's questioning his decision to move down here.
It sure amused me, though. 

[riverbee]

good evenin'~

day 3 of the polar vortex, i almost fixed chili for dinner last night..........  
it was clear and no rain, so i put some big juicy pork ribs and sweet corn on the grill....mmmm, mmmm!

you all can have the humidity, i do not like it, i can take heat, but combined with humidity, just takes it's toll on me.  it topped out at 65degrees here today,(oooh a heat wave..... )  maybe 68 for about an hour when the sun came out. 

i went for my usual 3 mile walk today, saw a lady mowing her front yard from about a block away. as i was traveling towards her, i saw her mow underneath a tree, i saw her head brush the bottom branch and she started dancing........then some flailing......more dancing, more flailing.... yep, there was a wasp's/hornet's nest in a lower branch of the tree and her head brushed the bottom of it as she mowed past......
flailing and dancing around screaming at me BEES.....BEES.....BEES!!!!  more flailing and dancing around, running back and forth trying to shut the mower off. 
i saw the cloud of the disturbed nest and she ran heck for bent for the front door of her house and then for the garage (the door was open) and in the house she went through a side door still screaming BEES!
mower was still running......   wasps/hornets all over the front door and all over the mower that was still running......
i waited a little, not wanting to get too close, but was concerned, i knew she had been stung multiple times.
i spotted a garden hose on the side of her house,  i didn't want to go near the front door, didn't know if i should just bolt in through the door in the garage to make sure she was alright? 
i hit the front door with the garden hose.....dropped the hose, ran into the garage and she had left the door ajar so i banged on the door and let myself in promptly, just hollering, "hey are you alright?"
she had been stung multiple times, head, face, arms, hands, and she was frantic.
i immediately called 911,  made her take some liquid benadryl, (mine), and took out my epi pen (i carry it with me).  i did my best to calm her down, and watched and waited before i would use the eppy, longest 5-10 minutes i swear....she had welts developing, but no breathing difficulties and no rash or hives developing.
the paramedics arrived, as did the fire department, and took her off to er.
not sure, but i think the fire department sprayed the nest and shut the mower off.....
i learned later today, she is alright, they kept her for observation.
SHEESH!!!
total stranger, i don't even know her or her husband.....
the husband called me and was very gracious.
dunno, i can say this, i didn't tell him how scared i was myself.

how was your day........?...........

[LazyBkpr]

The continuing adventures of Mrs. River...   Looking forward to the book!!!

   Walked around the hives this morning., watched bees orienting to the new nuc's..  Lots of bees orienting to the hives...   Didnt peek in ANY of them...    Forced myself to walk away..   Got a lot done.. DUg up the foundation on the north side of the house, installed insulation and filled it in, used the tractor/bucket to haul dirt up and built up the dirt on the north side of the house..  Maybe our shower head on the north side wont freeze again...   Froze up three times last winter when the winds were blowing 40+ mph and it was -20..   Didnt have any problems the year before, but it was a normal winter..  hit -20, but only lasted about a week and we didnt have 40 mph winds coming out of the north..    Hauled the burn barrel and dumped it, moved the dirt pile at the south end of the pond and used the wheeler to drag a harrow section across it several times to smooth it out, so looks good there now, will look better with grass growing on it..   Hooked the mower to the tractor..  made 2.5 passes and the bar broke clean off.. didnt hit anything, just looked back and saw the bar laying in the grass..        SO now I get to start scrounging or another bar and blade for it....
   Unfortunately.. I do not recall what the "other" item on the list was... so it will have to wait until SHE returns and reminds me..   
   Sort of pleasant...   No one nagging, Been sitting here watching vids, finding stuff I have not seen, drinking my rum and coke..  Window open, I can hear the bullfrogs in the pond trying to out do one another...  hmmm...  about time for frog legs!!!

[Slowmodem]

I kinda got tickled today. The company I work for hired a new VP from Pennsylvania. I ran into him and my boss today, outside in the sun. It was clouding up and trying to rain. The air was so thick you could chew it. As we stood there and chatted, he took off his coat. A few minutes later he took off his tie. He was sweating like crazy and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Me and the boss were standing there like nothing was going on. I think if he'd stood there a few more minutes, he would have cut his pant legs off to make shorts or had a stroke or something. That poor guy was having a rough time. I'll bet he's questioning his decision to move down here.
It sure amused me, though. 

Reminds me of something I heard the other day about people coming to The South:  They're kind of like hemorrhoids - if they come down but go back up, they're not so bad.  But if they come down and stay, they're a real pain.

[Jen]

Slow- "Reminds me of something I heard the other day about people coming to The South:  They're kind of like hemorrhoids - if they come down but go back up, they're not so bad.  But if they come down and stay, they're a real pain.

    OMG! That is too funny! thanks for the evening laugh Greg! 

[Jen]

Geeez Riv! Just another day in your life Right? By the way, I sure would like for you to be my neighbor ~ kisshug patpatpat

   My Day?! Well, I took a country ride out to my friend Phill's house to check on the cut out hive, it's been 8 days. I was soo hopeful and somehow we had snagged the queen during the cut out...

    I'm reviewing pics now to make a post of what we found, it's not good. :(

    But I did learn something about myself today. When I jumped into my truck to check out the hive, I was so giddy with anticipation. When I hit the highway I had to mentally hold my foot back to not go past the speed limit. I soo enjoy the bees, and everyone else's bees too   

[Slowmodem]

i learned later today, she is alright, they kept her for observation.
SHEESH!!!
total stranger, i don't even know her or her husband.....

You're a good egg!  I'm sure they're both very grateful for your actions and quick thinking.   

Therefore, by the powers vested in me, I hereby present you with the coveted Johnny On The Spot award!  Congratulations!

[LazyBkpr]

!!!  HAHAHAHA!!!!!     I love it!!  too funny, but WTG Mrs. River!

[riverbee]

........

yeah slow, johnny on the spot.....err wait, JANE on the spot.....

[LazyBkpr]

  wow.. polar vortex is GONE!!
   80 to 90% humidity..  heat index was 105 today.. I think I lost ten pounds.. unfortunately not from areas I needed to lose it from...
   Worked on the pontoon deck until I just got too hot, then went in and assembled the extractor.. Cleaned up the extracting area in preparation...   Don't have a lot to extract, but will have some..  good test run for next year..
   Lots of bearding today, and looks like the nectar flow is slowing up. Saw fighting at one of the nucs so Revamped it a bit.  Sitting outside enjoying the gnats as I type...  time to go in before they carry me off...

[Jen]

Had a nice phone visit with my friend, Phill today. He was in a pretty good mood when I told him that his hive has to low of numbers to support a requeening, and explained about the severe drought and how is has left the flowers without nectar. And by observing my hives there is no pollen coming in either. He was very gentlemanly about it and said that he would keep stinging until the bees die out, that it would be a good time to take a break from the stinging. Then he and I can clean up his hive and put it away until next spring.

It all worked out just fine