Bees and Chickens and Plants...(oh my)!

In Utah, when the snow begins to melt we call it Spring Runoff, and if there is a lot of rain or groundwater combined with the runoff, there is flooding. In 1983, we had a year with snow and water about like this one, where the main state roads were flooded because the creeks and rivers overflowed, filling houses with water, and causing damage and death. We will have to see where the warmer temperatures take us, since the creeks and rivers are already swollen and there is still snow 3/4 of the way down the mountainside.

Despite the mud and snow, flooding, and unpredictable weather, spring is still my favorite time of year.

The bees usually have a big hatch out of baby bees about this time each year. The new workers are inexperienced flyers, and they stop to rest on our shoulders and in the green grass while we work. Within a few weeks, they will be packing loads of pollen so large that they will barely be able to fly. The blossoming fruit trees literally buzz with their activity.

Earlier in the week, Little Q made friends by helping the Orloffs find worms under logs and rocks in the pasture.

And my plants are ready to go in the garden. We are trying our plant sale again on Saturday, if the warm weather holds, to share our surplus starts with our neighbors. There are blossoms starting on the cucumbers and pumpkin plants in the house. I am already dreaming of marinated cucumbers and fresh pumpkin pie.