Toddler in the house, hive work, errands

Having a toddler in the house for the past several days had been both reviving and exhausting for Mama. Savanna has spent her days with Mama so Crystal would have more time and attention to devote to the move they are making. Just a couple months ago the owner of the house they are renting got an offer on the house and decided to sell it. They have to be out by the 15^th of this month. Finding an available house to rent that could accommodate a family of six was the first hurdle. Finding such a house in their price range was the second hurdle – especially since Trace has been recently laid off from a very good paying job. Once they found something acceptable, getting everything relocated while Trace continued to work doing whatever he could find was another hurdle. It looks like they are now near meeting all the deadlines imposed on them, but it has been a huge challenge. Mama has taken part of that challenge by keeping Savanna during the days. Not having to avoid a toddler in the mayhem of moving makes the whole process a little faster and safer, but it has been a challenge for Mama to keep up with the little one.

Savanna is exceptionally quiet. She is fairly compliant. She does not fear the dogs and is fascinated by Mocha. Like most toddlers, she does not play long with any one box of toys but flits from one to another without collecting the first ones she has scattered about. But she really prefers playing with thing that are not designated as playthings – dog chew toys, pots and pans, Mama’s nail sets, etc. Basically, everything within reach. That is the constant challenge for Mama as she tries to keep up with her business through the day. Focusing on business demands while steering Savanna away from the things she should not drag out and play with is a bit more wearisome than it used to be for Mama. The fact that she does not have anyone to call on for help makes it a bit more wearisome for her. Mama smiles and playfully scolds as she and Savanna work out the boundaries – and they thoroughly enjoy each other’s company – but it is more of a constant focus than Mama is used to applying to any one thing through the day. Savanna has had fun with Mama and has had no complaints about her mommy and daddy’s absence. She has little to do with me but that’s okay. I help where I can through the evenings.

On the advice of our friend and mentor I ordered additional parts for the hives Mama and I are stewarding. Those arrived yesterday and I built two of the brood boxes and the frames required for each last night. Those brood boxes will double the capacity of the hives so the bees in those hives do not feel the need to swarm. I will not add a brood box to the hive we split from an active hive because the queen, who will hatch this weekend, will not be laying eggs in her hive for a week or so an we want her to fill out the frames available to her before we add more frame. Sometime in May, I will expand that box. When I add the brood boxes, I will set the hives up to add the honey supers to each hive so the bees can begin to fill those frames with honey. Those will be added the first of May. The brood boxes are taller than the honey supers to provide more room for raising brood as the hive grows. I believe the honey boxes are smaller to limit the weight once the frames are full of honey. I am told those honey supers will weigh as much as eighty pounds once the frames are filled. I will build the two additional brood boxes this evening and do the additions to three hives tomorrow – hopefully.

My swarm traps have not caught any bees yet, but we are just now at the time where the swarms will start. When I do catch swarms, I will try to put one in the top bar hive I recently reworked. All other swarms I will have to find homes for versus adding hives to our apiary. I do not know if  rehoming the bees will be difficult, but I am assuming it will not be with two or three of our bee club members raising bees for honey production as their fulltime occupation. It is fun to see some success in raising these bees.

Mama will be doing some running today hoping to get a few odds and ends done so we do not have to do more running tomorrow. Milk from the dairy, posting packages, getting a few grocery items will be on her immediate list with additional side trips made just because she is out and going. I have a short list of activities for this weekend, but they are items that will each take some time to complete. Along with some cleanup and organizing, I will add boxes to the beehives and hopefully spend some time fishing – if the winds die down.

We will see how things play out in case we are tasked in helping with finalizing the move Trace and his family are making.