Our First Weekend in March!

 Louis Dean seldom knows what day it is when he wakes up nor does he remember if we have plans. No problem!

I knew when I got up and he had his overalls on and hadn't turned on gospel music that he forgot it was Sunday.

He just switched gears and changed clothes - and put on Jessy Dixon and the Bill Gaither group and turned the music up loud enough for me to hear it as I got dressed.

We arrive late on purpose as the music is too loud for him so he says we get our 'church' music before we get to church!

We love that the Bells are part of the Fellowship Church family along with us.

I had sent her a text but she didn't know we were waiting for them - and they were already seated - with seats saved for two!

I love going to church. I always have. 

Well, I guess not always. I wasn't a big fan of the adult Sunday School classes during the 70's, 80's and 90's - so I taught children's classes instead and dearly loved doing that!

Such good memories.

I love everything about a Sunday!

It's an extra blessing to visit with Amber and Mike and the grands after the service!

Everyone is taller than I except for my Trystan!

She will most likely catch up in the next couple of years.

Louis Dean has to squat down to hug me.

He calls it some kind of Karate stance.

I am so proud of Amber and Mike and the way they love their children - and US!!

Saturday I spent several hours cleaning and decorating the sewing room for spring.

I decided to gather all my honey and honeybee things in here - I just love looking at them!

See the Sweet like Honey metal signs?

They arrived in the mail last year with no card or information so I had no way of thanking the giver.

Sherry invited a couple of NewBEES (new beekeepers or beekeeper wanna bees) over to inspect our apiary and check the hives yesterday afternoon. I was on pins and needles waiting for her to call me with the bee news!

Of the four hives we have - three were thriving and one will need a little help.

That one has two brood boxes on it so she's going to condense it down to one.

Another hive has two brood boxes and they are doing so well that we will most likely split that one soon thus giving us FIVE hives to harvest honey from this summer!

I am SO excited!!!!!

After NO honey in 2022 - a bumper crop would be wonderful!

One lady that was there with Sherry is a Veteran and that was the first time she'd actually been in an apiary. It's a wonderful gift to share the joys of beekeeping!

I'm looking forward to the hum when we open up a hive.

I love all my pretty bee things!

I want to fill the glass honey jar up after harvest and keep it in the display.

I never even dreamed about becoming a beekeeper -

until Louis Dean got stung by bees who had taken over a section of wall in Son Dean's workshop next to our camper.

That's what started our adventure and a year later we had our own bees.

It's funny that there are still bees in that shop - just in a different wall now.

I watch them going in and out from the girl bunk when I'm down at the ranch.

We've talked about putting them in a hive but we just haven't done that yet.

For the last several years they have stayed right there with no treatment or protection.

Bees are hardy things sometimes but I'm sure they have benefitted from Sherry's feeding station.

I'll close tonight's journal entry early as I am about to put the finishing touches on the baby quilt for Buster's new granddaughter. I'd like to get that in the mail on Tuesday.

The next quilt I'm making is a birthday quilt for my brother-in-law Charlie.

He is a retired master plumber and owned Wilson Classic Plumbing.

He gave me all his blue and white striped work shirts with red appliques and I thought a quilt would be a perfect birthday gift for him. As with so many of my ideas - this one took a couple of years to cut up all the shirts and I am finally getting around to sewing it!! His birthday is in August and I hope I'm gifting it long before that!

One last thought......

I'm looking for this year's Santa painting and found this pic on Pinterest.

I am for sure painting this but I haven't decided on the size or if it will be my Christmas card one yet.

What do YOU think?