This cold keeps me from working outside also. The boys and I have to go out to cut & split wood, but I can’t really go out and use a saw, measuring tape or hammer with gloves on, and that makes for longer hours in the cold if I try to work on the barn or the porch.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, hopefully there will be some warmer days in early February.
I need to have the barn up before the end of March, when the does start kidding!

–Pat

Along with shoveling, feeding, milking, etc., there is still a considerable amount of weeding, fence building or mending, barn additions, winter chicken housing, greenhouse mending (thanks to Ike, our friendly hurricane-in-passing last month), wood stacking, wood splitting, watering, planting (winter crops to be grown in the basement with the pellet stove and lights), house maintenance, yard cleanup and other assorted duties that even urban dwellers must contend with every day.

Add to that, auto repairs and craft shows – This is a very busy season for us, since all of the high schools in the Greater Cincinnati area run craft shows in the fall, holiday season. We have a lot of “value-added” products we make, like soap and lotion with our dairy goat’s milk, candles, lip balms, lotion bars, etc., with the beeswax from our bee hives, honey – bottled and labeled for sale – you get the picture.

We figure we could spend a few dollars for “advertising” at craft shows – with the cost of our booth – and actually make some money out of the deal. We wind up getting paid for “advertising” in a certain neighborhood, so we select our “targeted markets” (craft shows) so that we get personal exposure in the entire 275 beltway, which encompasses the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati areas.

Anyway, we have at least 1 craft show per weekend, and in some cases, 2 – starting around the first weekend of October and running into early December. Whenever we have more than 1 craft show per weekend, Marilyn and I split up, and I take the lesser show.

This week, it has caused a bit of stress… You see, we have a craft show in Northern KY that we have to stock, but they provide the people to run the show, and run the cash registers – so we aren’t necessarily obligated to attend, just setup, tear down, and volunteer for a certain number of hours. As a result, we now have 2 additional craft shows this weekend – both on Saturday, in different locations, and, to top it all off, my front brakes are shot and I need to replace them.

I was going over my schedule for the week, to see where I could fit in my front brake job, as I got into my F250 3/4 ton 4wd truck to head to work. I turned the key and “click” it said -”Huh?’ I said. “CLICK” it said again, as I turned off, and back on the ignition key.

Well, that was a good indication that the truck was NOT going to start for me. Probably corroded wires, since the Starter Relay responded. But, I have to take time to investigate – and it’s Tuesday already!

So, in order to do this show on Saturday, which is in Ohio, I now have to fix the starter system on the truck so it’ll “get up and go”, and I have to replace the front brake pads, so it’ll stop. Plus, I have to do all of the day-to-day things aforementioned – all in 1 hour of daylight.

Looks like I need to buy halogen work lights and a lot of coffee…

Today, Dec. 11th, it was partly sunny and in the 60′s…. And Marilyn called to say that the bees were flying. – A perfect opportunity to feed them once more before winter in the hopes that they will stash most of it for the winter ahead…

Of course, I’m stuck in the office. So, I called and asked Nathan to feed the bees for me. Sure, he can suit up and be safe from bee stings – and he can carry a 1 gallon container full of sugar and water. And he knows how to open the hive up and put the containers in – and he’s pretty responsible. So, why am I anxious about him doing it?

Because he’s my boy and I worry about him dealing with the bees. And because they are my bees and I worry about them being dealt with by a 10 year old boy!

Sure, everything will be fine – but I should be there taking care of my bees!

I’m very grateful to have such a responsible son, (and relatively calm bees) and I have come to rely on him heavily since we have increased the number of animals and things that require some oversight. He is truly an asset to the family ( and the farm). But …

I just found out he’s swatting at the bees! That’s the part I was referring to above (being dealt with by a 10 year old boy). Yes, I have told him to “stay calm and they won’t bother you”. And “open the hive slowly and they won’t be frightened”. But he’s a 10 year old boy – and yet I trust him with my bees and I trust God to protect him from the bees…