Dinner, Interrupted

I usually walk in the mornings,

 but occasionally I take an evening hike as well.

 I think I interrupted the mink's meal tonight.

 

Startling Discovery

So I'm walking along the creek,

in an area I haven't been for most of the winter,

and I notice this pink "ball" lying near the water.

I walk closer and I'm unnerved by what I see....

a human head.

I wanted to run back home, but like a moth to a flame,

I had to check it out further.

Thank goodness it was a life size mannequin head

and not the real thing.

I was glad I hadn't discovered a gruesome crime!

Deer Mouse

Mayapples

We continue to have unseasonably warm weather.

It feels like early summer instead of spring.

The mayapples, those little umbrella plants are popping up everywhere.

 

A Day Trip

Today hubby & I went to Ohio for a day trip.

We drove along the shore of the Grand Lake St. Mary's,

Ohio's largest inland lake at 13,500 sq. ft.

When it was built in 1845, it was the world's largest lake
 and was used as a reservoir for the Miami-Erie canal
 connecting the Ohio river to Lake Erie.
Its a pretty lake and averages only 5 to 7 feet deep.

Even though it is an inland lake, it has 3 lighthouses,

including this one, located in the town of Celina.

 We continued on to our original destination,
 the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center, Ohio.

We went on a factory tour and watched as the silver trailers were pieced together with pride.

The average worker has been employed there for 27 years,

so I think its a great place to work.

No photos were allowed in the factory,

but I took several pics of the lobby in the customer service center.

They have the rounded silver theme going on everywhere.

A sleek TV set up.

Glossy end tables

Outside were lots of older models waiting to be serviced

including the very old model in front, scheduled to be restored.

70% of the Airstream RVs produced are still in use today.

And many have gone up in value.

They are cute little time capsules!

Beekeeping 101

Last February, my daughter & I attended bee school

in order to prepare for keeping bees.

The hives have since arrived and we are somewhat anxiously awaiting the bees.

We painted the hives in order to differentiate them and

  to help protect them from the elements.

Mine is mint green.

The first component is the base with a sloped "front porch"

and a mesh screen on the bottom which allows debris to fall out and aids in ventilation.

Next, the brood box.

This is where the bees live, the eggs are laid,

 and larvae are fed, grow & hatch.

The gap between the brood box the the base is the entrance for the bees.

Inside the brood box are 8 frames which hang from a ledge inside the brood box.

The frames are wooden rectangles which hold a wax coated foundation sheet.

The foundation is embossed with the six-sided pattern of beeswax cells,

which gets the bees started with the honeycomb.

The black background helps in spotting the eggs at the bottom of the cells.

On top of the brood box is the queen excluder,

which has a grid small enough for the worker bees

 to pass through, but not for the queen.

This keeps the eggs & developing larvae out of the honey box.

Next comes the "super", the box which holds the honey.

It too, has 8 frames, but is not as deep as the brood box

(honey weighs a lot).

We used white foundation in order to see the golden honey color.

 As the hive grows, I may have to add more brood boxes and supers,

but for now I'll start with these two boxes.

Next, a cover which is the ceiling of your hive.

The cover provides a buffer from the hot hive top and helps regulate airflow.

The oblong hole in the top is also an escape route for the bees.

Finally the roof, to protect from elements and scavenging animals. 

I decided my hive needed some color,

so I painted a few flowers and bugs on the hive just for fun.

I'm not much of an artist, but I don't think the bees will mind.

Sunday Sentiment - Old Friends