Well I guess we just got lucky last year. The word is out in the bear community…the Glazers’ have bee hives…let’s go there for dinner. And come they did..ate the honey and destroyed the hive. Very messy and not in the least bit considerate diners. Two nights in a row the hive was set upon. We got lucky however since the queen was not killed. These little buggers are so smart…the queen was on the ground so the workers formed a mound over her to protect her. Ed was able to retrieve her and put her back in the very mangled hive. After the second night of being invaded our good friend Yuval came and took the queen and her entourage to one of his hives and fostered them.

So Ed had to make the decision of whether or not to continue to be a beekeeper or give it up to the bears. He decided if he gave into the bears then what next. So it was off to New Hampshire to the fencing company to purchase an electric fence with energy enough to zap a bear. We were assured by the fence people that this would work and we should set it up before putting the hive inside the fence. They suggested we hang bacon on the fence to attract the bears so their nose would touch the fence first and get zapped. This would result in the bear being frightened off never to return. So we did indeed set up the fence and put the bacon on the fence and sure enough the bacon hanging there became too much to ignore and so Ernie and Hawkeye (our two Golden Retrievers) learned not to go near the bees. As for the bears…so far we have not seen hide nor hair of them. So the hive is back in its place and seems to be thriving and the bees are doing a fantastic job of pollinating my gardens.

So that should answer the question and we now can dream of eating apples and honey in September. What a sweet thought!!

I am pleased to announce that Annie and Jacob, Sophia and Fin are expecting kids this May.  It looks like I’m going to be a Nanny Granny.  How exciting is that!! 

Now I’ll be dreaming of floppy eared kids rollicking in the pastures…Irene

Last week Annie met and bred with Jacob, my new goat friend Dottie Cross’s buck. He was in every way a real gentleman. Upon meeting Annie he sniffed her rear, caressed and mewed to her and then gently mounted her and in 2 seconds impregnated her (hopefully). He did this twice and it all took about 4 minutes. Wham, Bang, Done!!

This week it was Sophia’s turn. She met Fin (short for Infinity) Dottie’s teenager buck and boy were his hormones raging. Before we could even get Sophia set he jumped right on top of her which freaked her out. She bolted right out from under him and out of the barn. Which meant Dottie & I had to set about catching her…NOT AN EASY TASK since Fin was also in hot pursuit. Much panting ensued and not from Sophia or Fin. Thank G-d Dottie & I are in such good phsyical shape (do I hear you laughing?) and we succeeded in catching Sophia and returning her to the barn where Fin promptly did his thing..3 times. Someone has to teach goats a thing or two about romance and enjoying the minute.

So my Christmas wish (since it’s after Chanukah I’m imposing on Christmas for my wishing) is to become a Nanny Granny this May. I should know in about three weeks if they are indeed with kids.

Happy Holidays to all…I’m dreamin of a White Christmas and Spring Babies…Irene

Yesterday Ed & I went to meet Jacob, the buck who will mate with Annie & Sophia, my does. He is quite the good looking fella and has black & white spots like Annie. They should have great looking “kids”.

Jacob lives with Dottie & Milton Cross on their farm. Dottie has been raising Nubians for over 30 yrs. and is considered the Guru when it comes to taking care of Nubians. She & Milton were so warm, gracious and hospitable. I had such a great time and time did get away from us. We were there for 2 hrs. talking about goats and family. In my opinion that’s a great way to spend my time.

Dottie had me bring a washcloth which she rubbed all over Jacob who right now is quite stinky. Male goats in rutt are in desperate need of a good deodorant, but the ladies love that smell. We put the stinky cloth in a jar with a good fitting lid. I brought it home and when I think my girls are in heat I am to take the stinky cloth and dangle it in front of them. If they strongly react to the cloth as if it is an aphrodisiac then I am to quickly pile one or both in the SUV and quickly drive to Dottie’s farm. Once there, Jacob will meet Annie and/or Sophia and hopefully consummate the union. This should take about 15 mins. and hopefully 5 months later Ed & I will become the proud grandgoatparents of baby kids.

Dreamin of “kids”….Irene

Since Roto the Rooster passed away Ed (my husband & farmhand) has been feeling very much in the minority. After all he is in the male minority on our farm. Only Hawkeye (our neutered male golden retriever) and Uncle Wetherbee (our wethered (castrated) sheep are the only other males left on the farm. Poor Ed was really identifying with Roto and now he’s gone. So Ed has been urgently urging me to get him another rooster. This morning his dream came true- without me lifting a finger. This morning at approximately 8:00 a.m. one of our young “hens” crowed & at 8:02 a.m. crowed again & at 8:03 a.m. crowed again, etc. etc. It seems someone at the hatchery made a mistake…all the day old chicks we bought back in May were supposed to be hens (females) but lucky for us one was not. His name is Patch & he is soooo handsome. His breed is Auracana and he is white with splotches of brown, black, green & rust. His tail has beautiful black, irridescent midnight blue and green feathers.

Maybe now the young hens will start laying their perfectly shaped tiny eggs since there is a handsome new man in the house.

I’m glad Ed’s dream has come true…Irene

It continues to blow my mind that out of nothing comes something so amazing. I planted hundreds of these miniscule and sometimes not so miniscule orbs and after coddling them with warmth, encouraging them with light and nourishing them with black earth and water….Voila, I am rewarded with the giving forth of life! It begins with a peek out of the black earth and then the urge to grow upward takes over and the green stem and leaves push upward and before I know it I have a jungle growing in every nook and cranny of my house. My home now is permeated with the sweet smell of the earth. In another week I will be sending these babies out into the world to fend for themselves in the big garden. At that point Mama Irene will give up most of her control of their growth to Mother Nature. Hopefully she will be kind to them and will nurture them as tenderly as I so they will produce fruit and veggies that will sustain us as I have sustained them.

I dream of wonderfully sweet red tomatoes, crisp cukes for salads as well as pickling, green peppers for garlic peppers and red peppers for salads and cooking, red and green cabbages, eggplant, squash and the list goes on.

So now my dreams have visions of veggies..and I wonder why I feel hungry when I awake….