Some Updates...

I plan on posting lessons learned for those who only want to homestead, but we've had way too many distractions lately so for now here are some updates:

The worm hole to 1880 hasn't closed yet... the dryer missed the old washer so much it also failed (they were Maytags that had only been married for about 5 years).

We now have plenty of milk thank the Lord.  These only eat grass, no supplements.  Some dairymen say this can't be done but it just aint so.  This used to confuse me tremendously until a successful farmer explained to me that it's genetics.  Most of today's cows are predisposed to grain thanks to "subsidies" (which also create the perception that grain is cheap).  Grain allows one to keep more cattle on significantly less land (but it also changes the characteristics of the milk [and meat] and degrades its nutritional value because cows get too many carbohydrates and less vitamins, minerals, carotene etc. - a topic for a different post).  Since cows are ruminants, grains also create acidity in their digestive system which causes various health problems (another topic for a different post).  Getting back to genetics - so after multiple generations of cows eating grain, traits of genetically inferior cows that would not normally survive on grass are passed on (and their health problems are masked with medications).

Caleb is transitioning to Warré hives, this year he's deploying 40.  His bee keeping philosophy is changing to being even less invasive.  Warrés are a design resulting from a method that minimally disturbs a hive.  New boxes are added to the bottom of the hive instead of the top after 80% of comb is built (building from top down is consistent with what a hive naturally does).  Hives are also not separated for maintenance and comb within boxes is never moved so that bees don't have to re-generate pheromones.

Warrés do not have frames as do Langsroths.  Caleb is building foundation for them to build comb on which is laid across the top of their boxes (wax is melted in a pot and used to adhere strips of wax into a grove cut into the bars of wood and the boxes are notched to accommodate the wood just like a Langstroth).

Taking a break from spraying hives with exterior grade polyurethane.

One of Caleb's helpers who is supposed to be gluing the boxes together.

Girl power putting lightweight concrete blocks into the bullet proof Toyota farm tractor for staging around the property.  The Warrés will be placed on these blocks, we're assuming that the bees will operate within a two mile radius so we're placing groups of hives on the perimeter of the property.  I'm sure the radius depends on the availability of food and pasture (pasture and the edges between pasture and forest will have more flowering plants than forests).

Two week old broilers.

You must remove any furry chickens from the hen house.

This one... ahh forget it, I don't have time to explain this.

Caleb & Trins building a bee HOA.

Residents moving in.  We were moving fast trying not to run out of daylight.  It was kind of funny when someone else got stung and of course not funny when it was you.  We were joking around by reminding each other that bee stings offer medicinal benefits or to "just walk it off."  Blaise (in the space suit) eventually got stung once on the hand.  Caleb got stung between the eyes.