Baby It's Cold Outside!

We decided to wait and put the plastic sheeting on the hoophouse next weekend.  They are calling for snow tonight and we didn't not want to have the sheeting halfway done and then something happen to it if it snowed.  I don't want all my hard work to be for nothing if snow messes up the sheeting. 

We cut and cleared more trees around the pond instead.  I can really see a difference now and it looks good.  We have hauled all the trees (thanks to my Polaris ATV) into the field and will rent a chipper probably next month to make mulch for the compost pile.

Speaking of compost, Cris and Alex left this morning to try and get two loads of sheep manure from our friend Susan's farm before the snow hits.  I got to take a day off from the farm but that doesn't mean I am sitting on the sofa eating twinkies and watching the Lifetime channel. (I do not like twinkies or the Lifetime channel....I am more of a SciFi girl)  No, I have to keep up with our city-homestead...laundry, ironing, cleaning. 

Our bees are staying very close to home these days.  They huddle together towards the middle of the hive box and keep the queen warm.  Must be nice to be the queen bee.  A mouse has taken a liking to one of our hives and Nugget (labradoodle) is hell-bent on finding that mouse.  We have had to set up barriers to keep him from chewing the hive box.  He has pulled out the bottom tray of the hive that is used to keep the mites away and the corners of the hive box are chewed up from Nugget.  Cris put up some sheeting around 3 of the 4 hive walls to help keep the bees warm and Nugget pulled those off in less than a minute.  I know he is just doing his job by being rodent control but this is becoming a pain.  Cris is going to set up a mouse trap under the hive box and hopefully we will catch the mouse.   

Our monthly dinner with friends will be next Saturday night.  We meet about once a month with a group of farmers, hobby growers etc to discuss various sustainability options.  We meet at a dairy that raises grass fed dairy cows and sells raw milk.  They recently installed a slow-pasteurization system so they can now sell their milk to restaurants.  One of the members of our little group has been growing vegetables for years and is knowledge on 'moon planting' where you plant during various cycles of the moon.  Many people swear by this way of planting.  I think I will do alittle research on the subject and see what it is all about.