I thought the day's weather would improve...

I'm trying to talk myself into going out to set up two new bee hives back behind the big garden. We are picking up two new 5-frame nucs (small honey bee colonies) with Italian marked queen bees tomorrow morning in Clarkson, Ky. Maggie is in L.A. working and so isn't available to guide us in how to install the bees into their Farm Dover hives. Fortunately, she sent us a YouTube video that shows in detail how to complete the transfer. Wish us luck.

In the meantime, I'm sitting in my study, sipping hot tea, watching the cold drizzling rain ping against the window and hoping it will quit before dark comes. I should have set up the new hives while I had the chance this morning, but SNOW was spitting from the grey sky and I thought the day would improve. Wrong.

I did take a walk around the farm this morning, mostly to pick the drooping daffodils before the temperature drops tonight to 27 degrees and freezes the tender blooms. While crossing the farm to get to the daffodils near the sink hole, I couldn't help but stop and snap a couple of pictures of the young maples unfurling their tiny red leaves and showcasing their helicopter seeds.

I'm trusting that the fruit trees will make it through the cold night. May drape a beach towel over the barrel of radishes – just to be on the safe side. You can find me sitting by the fire tonight, happy to be in for the evening.