Mother nature didn't do me any favors in the last week or so. The storms we had apparently brought some freak winds to my little valley. The young apple trees that I had left, the ones the deer didn't kill, are twisted and broken. They were the biggest and best. I doubt they can be salvaged, even if I can get some new rootstock and [try to] graft the few bits that seem to be still alive.

That puts me several years behind, I'll have to start over again. The semi-standards take 7-10 years...

Checked the bees on Fri. to remove feeders and add a second deep hive body and frames to each one.

Hive #1 looks to be doing well, good population and comb drawn out on the end frames, some frames heavy with stored honey. Didn't check the inner frames.

Hive #2 apparently not doing so well, honey stored in end frame(s) on one side but some frames, particularly on the opposite side don't even have comb drawn out yet. Population seems lower and there seems to be less activity...

Its been fun, having your Mom with us for two weeks Nancy

My Wife and her have been pouring over the photo albums of Brenda and Daves the other night, wondering who this was and discovering who that was and chatting about old times and who did what and who is still ALIVE!!! (Just happened to overhear them when I was passing through, and thought, "WOW! What a wonderful thing to be chatting about, being so lucky that your above ground and you outlived all those who are in the...