When bees are clustered and confined to their hive, they retain their feces. On days that temperatures reach 57°F, the bees will leave the cluster for “clensing” flights.

During the late fall and winter, honey bees do not “hibernate” but instead form a cluster in the hive when the air temperature drops below 57°F.  The cluster consists of the queen at the center surrounded by a group of bees that will “shiver” by contracting their wing muscles to generate heat.  The remainder of the bees in the hive will form the outer layers of the cluster and will serve as the clusters insulation.  As the air temperatures rise and fall, the cluster will expand and contract in correlation with the temperature.  The amount of heat generated by the cluster will depend upon a number of factors, including whether brood exists.  In general, the bees will maintain a temperature ranging from 57° to 93°F.  This cluster is so effective at generating heat that the bees can survive in air temperate down to -40°F.

During the winter, the bees can consume up to 60 lbs of honey to survive the winter.  The colder the weather and the less active the bees are, the less honey they consume.  Alternately, the warmer the winter, the more honey the bees will consume as they remain active.  Warm winters are the worst scenario for bees and beekeepers. Once the honey stores are consumed, the winter survival of the bees is in jeopardy.  As a beekeeper, our job is to balance the honey we take off the hive vs. what we leave on the hive.  Sufficient honey stores must be left on the hive to make certain the bees can survive the winter.

Hopefully spring and a strong nectar flow are just a few weeks away…

Each and every time Chris tells me he’s going rabbit hunting I decide that it is a necessity for me to drink out of my Elmer Fudd cup for the remainder of the day.  Yes, it’s a way to taunt him and laugh at him at the same time. 

I love, love, love my husband for giving me a reason to pick on him.  It is too much fun, ha!

I am quite glad that though the group of hunters managed to get seven rabbits, Chris was smart enough to not bring any of them home for me to stare at each time I opened the freezer.  I may need to figure out how to cook rabbit one day but in the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day!” For now, I’ll leave the rabbit hunting to Chris and the rabbit cooking to his hunting buddies.

With the discussion of new hives we’ve reverted to a feeling of déjà vu as we’re going through the “construction” steps again…

We’ll continue the process of a few more classes, another box of frames and another coat of paint.  At least I was able to pick out a normal size brush this year, ha!  We should finish both up just in time for the new bees to arrive soon too.

1 lb box pasta (ziti, rotini and medium shells work well)

1 jar pasta sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons Parmesan (best quality, finely grated)

1 onion, diced

1 lb ground burger or venison

Low fat Ricotta cheese

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cook pasta according to manufacturer’s directions, drain and set aside.  Cook onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil until tender.  Add ground burger, cook through.  Drain off grease.  Stir in pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, basil and oregano.  Add cooked pasta, mix to combine.  Spread ½ pasta mixture in greased 9×13 baking dish.  Top with 8 spoonfuls of ricotta cheese.  Sprinkle ½ Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with remaining pasta mixture.  Finish with rest of cheeses.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Tomorrow is our first official beginning beekeeper class.  I am actually excited about the journey we’re starting together.  Up to this point all I have learned about our bees has been word of mouth by Chris or by reading a few pages in a book.  Tomorrow I get to interact with other beginning beekeepers, sharing ideas and fears as we all start our journey with our new hives.

I think Chris is happy about the class….I think.  I’m sure it will be a lot of repetition to him but it will help me take care of hives too.  I’ll be on my own this year as our 10 hives are going to be too much for him to handle and we’re considering establishing some of them away from our home.

I have all the elements of the proper bee suit as well as a full box of earplugs.  I know that sounds like a strange item but I’ll be a lot more comfortable around the bees if I can’t hear them buzzing, ha!!

CC is smiling and saying “Hello to You!”

Killer Cat is wishing you’d hold him and snuggle as he squirms around trying to find the right spot.

¾ cup white water ground cornmeal

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup boiling water

1 ¾ tsp baking powder

Mix corn and salt together, scald with boiling water.  Add melted butter, mix well.  Beat eggs with a rotary or electric beater; add milk, mix well.  Combine mixtures and blend until smooth.  Mix in baking powder.  Pour into greased baking dish.  Bake in 350°oven for 30 – 40 minutes, until golden brown and puffy on top.

Shared with me by Nancy Gwaltney Eason

The strangest thing that Chris purchased is a metal stand type thing that we’re supposed to use to transport hives.  The best description to give you is the picture of a luggage stand in a hotel room.  Now remove the straps where the luggage usually sits so you’re left with the frame only.  Flip the stand upside down and imagine two people using that to move a bee hive full of bees.  More specifically…a hive that when full can contain up to 50,000 bees.

Are any of you making the face the little boy in Different Strokes (I think that was the name of the show) used to make when he looked at his older brother and said “What you talking ‘bout Willis?”  I’m sure that’s the expression I gave Chris when he tried to demonstrate the stand.  I am beginning to think he’s crazy, ha!

In the Winter 2013 magazine is an article on Katie Farrell and her blog Dashing Dish.  Katie is a beautiful, Godly woman who inspires her followers to walk in the Word of God and live a graceful life of healthy eating, exercise and devotion.  I’ve been a follower of Katie’s blog for a little over a year now.  She has incredible recipes that are filling, delicious, nutritious and made with wholesome ingredients.  Katie provides exercise routines to jumpstart any fitness plan, meal plans to assist those wanting to jumpstart their diet plans.  You’ll love learning more about her story in the magazine.

I’m eager to try the delicious recipes woven into multiple sections of the magazine as well.  My stomach is growling with anticipation of the cast iron skillet pizzas, the apple and pear tart and the delicious sounding pink hot chocolate.  I’m looking forward to the next issue on newsstands the end of March.

My view of these plates changed when she gave me the “Last Supper” plate.  The gift of this plate changed my thinking.  As Granny now has the entire collection, I find that I’m actively searching them out for my own home.

Do any of you have the same collection?

 2 small boxes orange Jello (sugar free works great too)

1 8oz container Coolwhip, thawed

2 cups buttermilk

1 20oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice

Bring can of crushed pineapple and Jello mix to low boil.  Do not add water.  Stir to prevent scalding.  Add buttermilk and whipped topping.  Pour into 9×13 pan.  Place in refrigerator to set up and firm, serve chilled.

**This recipe can be used as the base for many other Jello fruit salads.  Try mixing in cottage cheese, chopped pecans, mini marshmellows….limitless.

Shared with me by Margaret Ann Simms “Granny”, given to her by Frances Pennington

Then there are the nights that I love.  On these nights Chris and I are watching together and suddenly the questions seem easier.  We’re both answering many of them.  These nights are fun and funny!  Chris and I usually don’t feel any more intelligent than on a regular basis.  We simply refer to the episode as “Remedial Jeopardy” instead. Do any of you do that too?  Alex will read a pretty simple question…

“The primary background color of the octagon shaped road sign.” 

“What is Red,” we’ll both shout out. 

Alex will go on to say “Name the third letter in the alphabet after the letter K.”

 “What is N”

and so and so on…

The sad part is that we never give ourselves credit for getting the answers correct.  We truly are our own worst critics and even our own worst enemies from time to time too.  One of my resolutions for this year is to try to like myself more.  I’m trying to see the good instead of constantly analyzing the bad.

4 small chicken breasts, fresh or frozen

1 jar chunky salsa

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 medium onion

1 can fat free refried beans

1 packet flour tortillas

Shredded cheddar or mexi-cheese blend

Place chicken breast in crock-pot.  Add ½ cup water.  Cook on low heat 6 hours until cooked through.  Remove from crock-pot and using 2 forks, shred chicken, and sit aside.  Dice onion in pan over medium heat, sauté in pan drizzled with oil until softened.  Add shredded chicken, salsa, taco seasoning, and beans.  Mix thoroughly.  Soften tortillas in nonstick skillet for 1 minute.  Put warmed tortilla on plate.  Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of chicken filling mixture to one side.  Top with cheese blend.  Roll filled tortilla, tucking sides.  Place in small square tin foil.  Roll to seal.  Place completed tortilla in gallon size baggie.  Complete process of filling and rolling burritos until finished.  Seal filled baggie and place in freezer.

To eat:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Remove burrito from freezer bag.  Place wrapped burritos on rack in oven.  Flip burrito every 5 minutes until heated through and filling feels soft.  Unroll from foil, place on pan.  Top with sour cream, cheese, salsa, hot sauce or any Mexican toppings you prefer.  Enjoy!

He came home one Saturday all excited because he had shot a “banded goose.”  Not being a duck hunter myself, I still don’t understand the importance of that feat.  I do think it’s extremely funny that the goose he shot had traveled a full SIX miles from the pond where it was tagged.  I hope that it had taken many trips south during the prior few winters and springs when it flew back to the pond. Can you imagine only traveling six miles from your home during your lifetime?  I can’t.  I love to travel.

Duck hunting has also brought fresh duck breast to my freezer…now if I could only figure out what to do with them…any suggestions?

  24 vanilla wafers (I didn’t count and used most of the box)

  ½ lb. sweet chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate chips work well)

  4 Tbsp sugar

  4 Tbsp water

  4 eggs, separated

  1 ½ tsp vanilla

  ¼ tsp salt

Line deep dish pie plate with wax paper.  Lay vanilla wafer flat, top side down, in pie plate.  Beat egg whites until firm.  Melt chocolate in a double boiler.  When melted add sugar, water, vanilla and salt.  Beat egg yolks, stir into chocolate mixture until evenly distributed and smooth.  Cool.  Fold in beaten egg whites.  Poor ½ chocolate mixture into dish with wafers, spread.  Top with more wafers and remaining chocolate mixture.  Wrap tightly with wax paper and place in refrigerator for several hours.  When ready to serve, turn out of pan and top with whipped topping (if desired).