Winter

I was able to look in under the top of my beehive yesterday, and the bees were acting calm and busy and in a good mood. This, I am told, might indicate that there is a queen in residence. Even if there is a queen, however, it will remain uncertain until Springtime whether she was able to mate and is fertile, since all males have been dead and gone for almost two months now in the cold autumn weather. I have to hope for the best. These particular bees are pretty amazing and they might just surprise me.

We are having our first snow now. Here is a picture looking out my office window a few minutes ago.
I'm glad I pulled up all the little beets in the garden yesterday, and hoed those patches. Less work for me in the Spring when the ground is wet and heavy. Nice to see the fresh earth all fluffed up, waiting for next year's seeds.

The mailman brought my big order of strings for my dulcimers, banjos, and bowed psaltery. I order strings every few years in one large batch and they last me for several years. I was running low. Now I will have no more excuses not to restring that rusty psaltery which has...32 strings! Hmmm...I had better set aside two or three hours for that little project.

Tonight I am going to a contra dance in town just down the hill.
"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we may as well dance." -Japanese proverb
that about sums up my contra dancing skills. Oh well, good exercise.