Hovel Happenings

Tiny Egg!
Originally uploaded by Beaver w/ a Toothbrush

The chickens have been laying and the bees have been buzzing. Too bad the bees buzzed out.

As best we can tell, the bees we caught didn't have a queen. Or they did and she died and they weren't successful at raising another one. So they stayed until they had sucked all the honey out of the combs and then they left. We're still looking for swarms but we'll probably have to wait until next spring to get some more bees.

The chickens have been good though. We doubled their fenced yard and they like the extra space. A couple of the lighter ones fly over the fence now and then. We have to chase them and grab them because they can never figure out how to get back in even though it's clear they want to.

The spring/summer garden is almost done. The pumpkins and luffas are still spreading. We learned some good lessons. We're going to put the fall vegetable garden right by the house so we see it and weed it conveniently. We are also spreading out a bunch of stray bales to help keep the weeds down.

In other news, I got a job writing for the local newspapers. That might be why I've waited so long to post again. New things are in the works at the Hovel though, so I'll make sure to report them!