Wacky weather

Monday, we had a high around 80 degrees Fahrenheit with clear blue skies.
Wednesday, we got roughly 8 inches of snow and had a low of 14 degrees.

This is the third year in a row that we have had such a quick shift to extreme temperatures.  I might not have noticed in that tally sort of way if not for beekeeping.  Without a more gradual change to cool weather, honeybees aren't as far along in their usual preparations for winter.  They should have their hive sealed up well with propolis (resinous "bee glue"), and they should be balled together for warmth similar to penguins.

This is my fourth year of beekeeping.  Each winter, I wonder if the colony will survive.  This year, the hive is barely half full with honey and appears low on bees.  It doesn't look hopeful that they are strong enough to be viable by spring, but I am giving them some help none the less.  In anticipation of the cold weather, I placed a plate in the hive of supplemental honey with twigs to prevent drowning.  I covered the top of the hive with a piece of foam insulation and repurposed a folded baby pool cover on top to help keep some of the moisture out.

The view out our bay window Wednesday afternoon:

Temps in the teens also meant it was time to harvest the rest of my veggie garden.  Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Sorrel, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Thyme, Winter Savory, and Sage.

Not bad for "leftovers"!   I scooped up the harvest quickly before heading to a play date with Quinn on Tuesday.  Our playground time was quick as the cool breeze and freezing rain began.

I spent the next two evenings processing it all to dry the herbs and ferment the greens.
Real life photo of the mess in process:

Yay for already green counter tops!
Now it's down to this (lots of greens crammed into those jars):

I also made two large pots of stock with the stems from the greens and some other veggies.

Sometimes I think about growing more of our food, but my current garden is about as much as I can handle.

I'm grateful for the rejuvenating time I spend in the garden and with the bees and for the yummy food they provide. I enjoy watching Quinn go into the garden each day to pick leaves of multiple varieties of basil which she made into special "basil rolls".  I'm grateful that Matthew and Quinn have fun together, so I can spend the occasional chunk of time for big garden tasks.

I'm also grateful for evenings when I don't spend the entire time in the kitchen.  I love spending snow days in pajamas inside with Quinn.  We're both a bit like the bees, not quite ready for winter.  Lucky for us, we had blue skies again today. The snow is practically all melted already, and the forecast calls for 60's by the weekend. The leaves might be all knocked down, but it is still autumn!