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After doing all I could to allow the bees to pull the majority of the syrup they could reach in the five-gallon bucket feeder, I took it, after dark last night, and refilled it with fresh sugar water. There was very little left in the bucket when I rinsed it out to clear away the older syrup and the ants that had gotten into the bucket. It was a sticky mess. I dumped a twenty-five-pound bag of sugar into the empty bucket and added enough water to begin mixing the contents. It took several minutes to get the solution completely mixed and once in solution, I added more water to fill the bucket. I did not want any of the sugar to fall out the mix, so I let the contents settle several times, mixing it thoroughly after each pause. When I was finally satisfied with the mix, I sealed the bucket and carried it to the site where I had retrieved it from and flipped it over to allow the hollows in the bucket ridge to fill with syrup.
I was anxious to see if the bees were interested, even though I knew they would be, so, early this morning I wandered over to check the activity at the feeder. The bees were certainly interested. In fact, they would not allow me to get close to the feeder. When I was within twenty feet, the bees came out to see who I was. I did not venture closer. I do not know how long it will take the bees to empty the contents, but I anticipate I will have to refill the bucket before the week is out. Mama is buying several more large bags of sugar today. I believe we have found a way to keep our bees alive and happy through this dearth. I am pleased with that.
Today is Grandma’s birthday. Several cards, several phone calls, and a visit by Norman have been among the celebration activities. Grandma has reveled in the attention. Since yesterday was payday for Grandma and Grandpa, they are being ferried about by Mama to take care of the monthly financial activities needed to meet their limited obligations. Among the stops will be Sam’s, WinCo, and the bank. Mama and I talked about getting some cupcakes for the three birthday’s this month versus a large cake. I am not sure how that will play out. Norman’s birthday is tomorrow. Grandpa’s is Thursday. From Grandma’s perspective, it will be a three-day celebration of her birthday. Nothing wrong with that.
Oddly enough, each of the birthdays this month required Grandma, Grandpa, and Norman to renew their driver’s license. All three lapsed on this birthday. Norman’s was fairly easy. It took a couple of tries to complete the online application for renewing the license, but we got it done. I was able to renew Grandma’s license as well because the cutoff age at which a person can renew a license online is 79. Grandma turns 78 today. For Grandpa who turns 81, it has proved a challenge to get his renewal done. His requires an appointment to be created through an online portal that is fairly difficult to use. No action can be taken without the appointment – even if you dare to show up in person without the appointment. After two conversations with DPS employees, I was finally able to schedule an appointment at a date less than two months out. It has been frustrating to say the least, but the appointment has been set for Grandpa and the other two licenses have been applied for and accepted by the DPS. This is the last time we will need to do so for Grandma and Grandpa.
Since there was nothing more urgent to do yesterday evening, I installed two of the windows in the container. I had figured out a way to hold the windows in place while I centered them in the frame and put a few screws in each to secure them in place. They look good. I had planned on installing all four windows but was interrupted when Sarah and JD came over to get the feed Mama had picked up at the store for both our families. When they had extracted their portion from the pile in the back of my truck, I had to unload the rest into the shop. All told, I had to unload and stack twenty bags of feed. I had already taken four from the truck to feed the goats earlier in the afternoon. After all that was done, I was too worn out to install the final two windows. Perhaps, that will get installed tomorrow evening. Tonight, is church.
Tomorrow, I have an all-day class to teach and at some point in the next couple evenings, Mama and I have another thirty bales of hay to pick up. All this lifting and stacking is taking a toll on me. I have to balance out these more strenuous activities so that I do not hurt too badly over the following days. So far, I have managed, but I get a sense that my days of being able to continue in this labor are diminishing.
Time will tell, but we are planning to do so for as long as possible.
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