The photo is just a shot of clothes drying on the new clothesline added inside my screened porch. I haven't hung clothes out to dry in about 30 years, and I love the way it looks and how it feels not to turn on the drier when the wind is already blowing so nicely outside. This weekend I planted some sugar snap peas on the back side of the garden, where I have a trellis waiting for twine for the peas to climb. They should pop up in about a week, and that is a sure sign that spring will arrive before too long. I use sugar snap instead of english peas just because you get so much more volume when you can eat the pod along with the fat round peas. Sugar snaps are different from snow peas. With snow peas you eat the pod only, when it is flat and before the peas begin to form; with sugar snaps you let the peas ripen, and then eat them, pod and all.
As for the bees, I found that at least one of my hives (Loretta) had all of its honey crystalize, and that the bees were not willing or able to use that crystalized honey right now. As a result I put a feeder on top of that hive, and I am feeding a solution of 1 part water to 1 part sugar (by volume, not weight). They drank a full gallon in less than 24 hours, so I am pretty sure they were hungry and needed the supplement. Both hives have been flying hard in the warm sunshine of the last few days, so I will have to figure out how best to help that hive make room for new stores and new brood.
