My company recently bought a restaurant in South Charleston, WV which will soon be converted into office space. As a part of the process, all of the restaurant equipment has to be sold so remodeling can begin. This was a fairly large, well known, established restaurant so there is a ton of stuff in the building. Lots of restaurant folks have been through the place buying things they need but I was very fortunate to be among the first round of people to get a shot at a few things. Let me introduce to you my new best friend…
That’s right…in my kitchen, as we speak, I have an industrial strength, commercial grade milkshake making beast! This, my friends, is the Hamilton Beach 94900 which is capable of bringing frozen goodness and delight to men, women and children alike! The price was right and karma was with us so we scored a gem!
But before you get too jealous, let me take you back to its beginnings. Mainly, it was gross. The sanitary status of the machine was questionable. In fact, there was still a chocolate chip and gooey icecream on the impeller when I received “the Beast”. After much Mean Green and elbow grease, the milkshake machine was made whole again.
So, we have made several milkshakes with this thing and it is so much nicer to use than a blender. It’s faster to set up, faster to clean, faster to produce a milkshake and it makes smoother milkshakes hands down. I love the new milkshake machine and I think it is a hit with the family too!
We spent our time at the property on Saturday walking in the woods. Our plan was to walk more of the property line as we still haven’t seen the entire place. We did hike the better part of the boundary and discovered all sorts of excellent things! Except for the constant chatter of kids, the sounds of the woods were magnificent. Actually, the chatter wasn’t so bad either as the kids were having fun.
When I was a kid, hiking in the woods was not high on my list of fun. I played in the woods a lot but plain old hiking wasn’t good for me. I was so surprised that Isaac and Abigail walked the entire 2 miles in the woods with only a small handful of complaints. Incredible!
We did walk the better part of the lower edge of the place and saw all sorts of beautiful flowers and animal tracks of all sorts. There were too many deer tracks to even keep track of but the kids tried to identify every print they came across.
That's Abigail's finger...she's the brave one
We spooked a turkey and saw the biggest centipede the kids had ever seen. We found just a little bit of poison ivy and a lot of slippery moss. Squirrels barked and birds announced our path through the woods. All around us was noise but it felt like silence. It was marvelous walking in our woods and this weekend was the reason we bought the place! I am absolutely positive that my blood pressure is still lowered because of it!
I was in Las Vegas all week last week for a conference related to work. It’s funny – I work in technology and the conference was related to technology. The only thing was, there was no technology available at the conference so I was stuck with email and internet via phone. So, anyhow, I am back and am somewhat comforted by the sweet hum of my computers.
I won’t bore you folks with conference details. Instead I will share my favorite part of the conference…Carlos Santana was in concert at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. We got to see him opening night which was pretty cool. Even cooler was the fact that we were something like 15 rows back and at center stage. We could actually see the band and stuff.
I like Santana’s music and I especially like some of his most recent stuff. Of course, he has been releasing great music for 40 years and it’s hard to say anything bad about most of his music. We got to enjoy a tour through his years as a performer and it was a blast.
(click the image above for a video. If that link doesn’t work on your machine, try the one here)
He’s a free spirit and kind of fun to listen to when he talks. I can’t really explain it but he feels very “spiritual” in his own way. He also has marijuana leaves as one of his backgrounds on stage. Surprisingly, I didn’t smell a single bit of smoke.
for B.H.
The view from my room
So, I am glad to be back from Las Vegas and if you ever get a chance, definitely go and see Santana in concert!
The number of bees in a honeybee colony ranges depending on the season. Sometime in the middle of the honey flow (April-July or so here in WV) a good colony will have somewhere around 60,000-80,000 bees in it. In the middle of winter, the colony will only have 20,000 or so bees. Typically, the more bees there are in a colony, the more honey they can make. So, sometime around the end of January or the beginning of February, the queen starts to ramp up her egg production and the colony starts to grow in number to get ready for Spring.
My helper
Most queens are egg-laying machines, capable of laying up to 2000 eggs per day. When a hive gets too full of bees, spring fever hits and the colony makes preparation to swarm. Swarming is a natural reaction to over-crowding and is the typical way the species propagates. The old queen and a bunch of workers (half give or take) will leave the hive and find a new location. Prior to leaving, the workers make several queen cells (they feed fertilized eggs/larvae the proper amount of royal jelly and the larvae will turn into a queen) so the remaining colony will still have a queen after the swarm leaves.
Lots of worker brood in the pupal stage...changing from larvae into bee. The flat cardboard-colored covering gives it awayNote the white larvae. Once the eggs hatch, the resulting larvae eat and eat and grow into pretty large "worms". They eventually are capped over (see above picture) and pupate. This stage is the conversion from "worm" into bee.
An observant beekeeper will watch for the Spring build-up and may consider splitting a colony that grows too big. Swarms are a lot of fun to watch and to catch, but a beekeeper runs the risk of irritating his neighbors or losing the colony to the wilds. I prefer to split a colony before it gets the urge to swarm so I can retain all of my bees. So, last night I split a few of my “booming” colonies. I simply take 3-5 frames with a mixture of bees, brood, eggs, pollen and honey and move them to a different hive box. I make sure to leave the queen in the original location. The original colony will remain strong as the queen finds she has lots of room to lay more eggs (in the empty frames I put in place of the ones I removed) and the colony will make lots of honey.
Notice the different bands...the outer bad has a somewhat wet looking yellow cap over the honeycomb. That is capped honey. Inside of that is a yellow paste down inside the cells. That is stored pollen. Inside of that band is more capped brood. The "nest" always has these bands of honey, pollen and brood.
The new colony will feed royal jelly to a number of eggs (in essence, making their own little swarm condition without actually flying off) and end up with a queen in 3 weeks (if all goes well). The split probably won’t make honey this season as they have to hatch a queen and wait for her to get to full egg-laying capacity, but they should be strong going into the Fall.
Lots of pollen stored by the hive. This is protein for the bees and essential for raising new bees
I was able to find a few queen cells in the original hives so I took them and put them in the splits so I know there is a queen already pretty far along in the development process. These splits have an even better chance of having a good queen and growing rapidly since they won’t suffer the 3 week delay to make a new queen from scratch.
Too bad it is blurry but this is one of the queen cells I found...a new queen in the making!
I make splits every year and have great luck at it. I will probably re-queen these splits later this season or maybe next spring as I want to maintain genetic diversity, but in the short term, I now have more colonies than I did 2 days ago and I will almost assuredly make more honey than I otherwise would have made. Honeybees are so cool!
I have been a bit behind in posting this…Abigail turned 8 this weekend! Holy cow it is hard to believe how time has passed! Abigail is a delight (except first thing in the morning) and she brings a smile to my face just thinking about her!
Abigail - age 4
Since this post is about her, I am going to brag a little. I have said before that we are a bunch of reading fiends. Both kids tend to get in trouble in school a lot for reading too much. Normally one wouldn’t think of squelching a child’s desire to read, but my kids read non-stop, even when they are not supposed to be reading. So, here’s the bragging part – Abigail has more Accelerated Reader points than anyone else in her whole school (not grade) and she is only in 2nd grade. And I mean she has a lot more points!
Just this morning I had to fuss at Abigail to brush her teeth rather than read. You see, she got a new book on the Greek and Roman gods. She is entranced by their stories. Her fascination with this one though, is that it has the gods’ names written in Greek letters. She took it upon herself to learn the letters and sounds and copy every god’s name in Greek. Isn’t that cool?
So, this weekend we had a big party for her at the local rec center. We rented “the party deck” at the pool and invited family and a bunch of her friends. Usually the place is not crowded but this weekend another group was there that illustrated every single bad stereotype of West Virginia. Oh. My. WORD! In spite of their antics, we had a great time and just stuck to our end of the pool. It was so fun to see Abigail and a gaggle of little girls running around having an absolute ball! We ate pizza and drank fizzy drinks and had rainbow colored cupcakes!
My folks and Emily’s people were all in attendance so I suspect we had 30-40 people all together. Abigail, being a socialite, was delighted to make her rounds and it was really great to see her shine. Instead of presents, she asked people to donate money to the Red Cross for Japan. Isn’t she cool!? Honest to goodness, it was totally her idea. She started the trend with asking people to donate pet supplies for the shelter last year. Isn’t she cool?!
Well, we are back to the daily drudge of being an 8 year old. It’s a grind you know? Still, I see her and I could not be more proud of that beautiful little girl. Eight is indeed great!
On Monday we signed the closing papers for the piece of property we bought (yeehaw! Past tense!) We have bought a few houses and been involved in a few other real-estate related things. This is the first time we have done a transaction with absolutely no realtor involved. And you know what…the process is not scary at all!
The previous owner put out a post on a message board I read, saying that she had some land for sale. I saw it and emailed her (it’s cool that I already knew her from blogland…just didn’t know she was selling property). We went up to visit and walked around the property with her husband. My kids hung with her as she made apple butter. They got to stir the big kettle she had over the fire and play in her yard where the turkeys gobbled to offer their greetings (or were they asking us to rescue them? Not sure on that one…) We took home some apple cider and a few days later discussed the deal we wanted to make.
After some time, we got back together when it was time to finish the deal. I wrote up a sales contract all by myself. Since I wrote it, I was able to have a little fun. For instance, when you write a contract on a house, you usually say that you want the blinds, lights and toilet seat to remain. There wasn’t anything like that on the property but I did lay claim to any indian arrowheads that are currently on the property. No one cared…it was legit!
We worked with a banker and a closing attorney and they handled their details without any hassle at all. So, on Monday, we decided to meet the sellers at a mom-and-pop restaurant in the nearby town and have breakfast. Have you ever done a real-estate deal where you get to hang out with the other party? I don’t know why the transaction of real-estate always seems to be built up as a contentious mess where the buyer and seller have to be kept apart. I know it isn’t always that way, and I know that some deals are ugly, but being pals and eating breakfast before the deal was just plain awesome!
Anyhow, after we signed the papers, the sellers gave us 2 dozen eggs, fresh from their chickens and we headed to the property (in a downpour) to walk around. I grew up in the country and had forgotten what rural sounds like. In the rain, as I walked into the woods, all I could hear was water running in a stream. I could not hear a single car or radio or another single person…only the woods. I found deer trails and thickets and some awesome places for a zip-line. I think I found a spring and a few places for a treehouse.
Even in the rain, I could not have been happier. This whole deal was so simple and pleasant and I already love the place. The deal is closed and I can once again lay claim to being a (part) country boy…
I think all kids probably write letters to Santa at some time or another. My brother and I always used to sit at my Mom’s typewriter with the JC Penny, Sears and Montgomery Ward Christmas/toy catalogs. We’d pour over them for hours if not days. I don’t know whether we were greedy or anything but I do know that the letters we typed were pretty much to the point…something like , “Dear Santa, here’s the stuff we want…”
Isaac and Abigail have been pretty varied in what they want for Christmas and how they ask for it. One year when Isaac was much younger, he asked for batteries and a peach. I guess we hadn’t replaced the batteries in his noisy baby toys soon enough to suit him. That explains the batteries but I don’t know where he got the idea for the peach. Anyhow, I still smile when I think about how simple his wants were back then. Gosh, one year he asked for bottled water. His tastes have gotten a little more sophisticated but he really only wants one thing this year…a pellet gun. Now, he doesn’t want a Red Rider or anything like that. In fact tonight, he quoted to me, “Dad, I think that pellet gun we saw at Gander Mountain (an awesome outdoor-sports store) shot pellets at 1600 feet per second.” That’s no toy really at that point but still, he only wanted that one thing. Isaac has never been much on writing stuff down so I think he had to hope that his Christmas wish-list made it through the ether to the North Pole.
Abigail's letter to Santa
Abigail, on the other hand, is very expressive in her writing, and, well, everything really. So a couple of years ago she wanted an art easel which she loves to use. Recently she has taken to writing notes to Emily and me on the dry-erase part so it is pretty common for us to see a very detailed message or a clever note in her hand-writing on the board. A few weeks ago we noticed an updated message and I have to tell you, I laughed out loud and still get huge smile on my face when I look at the picture. You see, Seph, our little orange kitten is a full sized cat now but he still likes to bite a little and can be quite the terror. I don’t think Seph was actually chewing on Abigail when she wrote the note to Santa, but I absolutely love her creativity. The best part is, after all of the details of the note, at the bottom she adds all that she really wants for Christmas – a chess set of her own. We probably have 5 others laying around but she wants a nice one that is just hers. I suspect Santa will help her out on her wish. And besides my pride in her excellent writing, I am so glad that she, like her brother, has such simple Christmas wishes. Merry Christmas kids and my blog friends. I hope your Christmas is a simple one heaped full of awesome and love.
Edit: It turns out that Santa just passed through and he left this note:
Today is Isaac’s birthday. I know all parents say this, but holy cow, wasn’t he just born yesterday?! He is growing into a wonderful young man and I am so very proud of how he is learning to carry himself, how he treats others (well, everyone but his sister) and how he sees the joy in life.
I can’t be happier to call Isaac my son! His start was terribly rough and I never dreamed how he could go from that beginning to the wonderful kid he is today. Happy birthday Isaac. I love you!
Ah, the old black and white got me again. It rained just under 2 inches in the last 24 hours. Sometime last night, the weather further delighted us with a dusting of snow…it’s the first sticking snow we’ve had this year around the house. I hate snow…have I ever said that before? Well, I do.
Did I ever mention I hate snow? Well, I do.
Of course, since we got Ginny, she likes to be outside as much as she can. Two inches of rain plus bare ground = muddy dog so we have been trying to keep her inside as much as possible. Until I can potty train her though, I will have to keep on going out when nature calls. Well, nature or the clatter of stray cats that congregate on our patio called a lot last night. She had to go out last night several times as Mother Nature delighted us. Did I ever tell you I hate snow? Well, I do.
Early in the evening, I took Ginny out with fully intact feet. Isaac and I went to taekwondo last night and did our thing, however. We practice kicks and forms and the usual stuff at TKD. At the end though, we get to “free fight”. As I have said before, it feels like a special sort of crazy to enjoy fighting and watching my kid fight, but it really is thrilling. Anyhow, we were free fighting and having a good time doing it. I usually have to fight black belts as they are mostly adults and despite my beginner status, by size alone it would not be fair to pair me with anyone under 16 or so. I think most of the black belts like it though, because I am able to really fight with them which gives them some semblance of a challenge.
Some friends of mine have mentioned that they could never do TKD because they felt like they would just get mad and go to town. I am certain that if one got out of control during TKD, the black belts would end it very quickly. They are good folks and are very skilled. All that is to say, they like to spar and get a workout and they like control.
Ignore the hairy man-feet
So, I was fighting my favorite guy to fight last night and he told me to feel free to really go for it…so I did. I did a series of kicks, the last of which was aimed at his head. For that one, I had no intent of making contact (as that would probably end my evening), but he had to throw the block as if I were. TKD is done barefoot so his block + my bare foot swinging (at near light speed) ended in my having a black toe this morning. Have I mentioned I hate snow? Well, I do. I also hate black toes. Black and white are kicking my butt today!
So it’s been 24 days since I started to make the change…from handsome clean-shaven upstanding citizen Warren to bearded, Jacob the werewolf-like (def Team Jacob in our house), Adonis Warren. I can’t say that I really like the beard in most ways. It itches and tickles my nose (if I were actually ticklish, but that’s soft) and catches food that I’d rather see fall to the floor. It’s also 7 hairs grayer than it was last year. I guess I do enjoy the fact that my morning preparation time has gone from 9 minutes to 7 though. I am pretty sure that Emily brushes her teeth longer than it takes me to go from bed to out the door.
Some people just look better with a beard and some look better without. I can’t decide which way I look more awesome. I do know that when I am wrestling the kids, the beard is a great advantage though. If the kids have me pinned down, I can always drag this beard across their skin and they leap back as if a big hairy rat brushed against them. It’s a great weapon. Seph is drawn to the beard too. You may remember that Seph is the little orange kitten I found moments after being born. I hand-nursed him back to health and now he is a regular (though not normal) cat. But, you see, he never had a proper mom experience. He was never properly weaned or any of that. He still has issues with wanting to nurse on things…my beard included! Yeah, I am not too much into that. I’ll tell you though, it’s a sure way to make sure I wake up and get straight out of bed!
Well, regardless of how the Warrenizing of the beard goes, the most fun part comes when it is time to shave it all off…in sections. Of course, I’ll have pictures of the event proving I have no dignity whatsoever! Happy Thanksgiving!
