Father's Day weekend

I asked Mike multiple times what he wanted to do for Father's Day weekend, and multiple times he said "stay home and get some work done." So stay home and get some work done is exactly what we did!

Saturday I spray painted the bathroom curtain rod so it would match the newly spray painted light fixture (which is still off center and still drives me crazy). 

We also spent some time helping Scuffles the hamster acclimate to his new home!

Finally, I revived my old sourdough starter (it had been sitting in the fridge, unfed, for WAY too long) so I could do some baking on Sunday.

Sunday morning I woke bright and early to get my baking done so I could then help Mike with his major project of the day...

The airbnb's solar panel for the well had blown over in a recent storm, so we needed to pour some more concrete. Since we had just poured concrete for our new solar post last weekend, we were hopeful that the two of us could tackle the project ourselves.

You certainly couldn't ask for a more scenic setting to work in!

After discovering the FALSE ADVERTISING, we quickly fell into a groove where Mike lifted the bags and poured them in the mixer, I ran the hose, then he wheelbarrowed the wet concrete 100 steps away (yes, I counted) and I helped smooth it into the hole.

NOT actually "easy to handle" IMHO

We were supervised throughout by Bart. 

We repeated the process about 12 times until we ran out of concrete. Good thing the hole was basically filled by the end!

After the work was all done, Rose came bounding out of her bedroom (where she had been playing legos) in order to decorate the new concrete.

Our lovely artist in residence!

After resting for a bit, the afternoon project was to inspect our hives. It had seemed like 2 of the 3 had made it through the winter, but it had been about 3-4 weeks since we had seen any bee activity whatsoever. So we suited up (just in case) and inspected. Sadly the bees had all died (we have no idea why) so we're going to do lots of reading for the next ~8 months and then regroup next spring :(

There were PILES of dead bees at the bottom,

but at least the honeycomb still looked good

(to my inexpert eyes). 

It was around dinnertime that we realized we hadn't seen the kits ALL DAY. Mike and Rose kept talking about all the different predators that probably ate them, and I just lost it. Too much death in one day!!!!! I didn't realize how strongly attached I had become to little Ivy and Jay.

After crying for about 2 hours straight (and totally ruining Mike's Father's Day dinner in the process, I'm sure), I was trying to read in bed and then I heard Mike yell "they're back!!!!"

We have no idea where they were, but they seem safe and sound.

What an emotional rollercoaster!

Today (Monday) I've been home on PTO. Originally we were supposed to have guests this weekend, but they had to cancel their trip because of the coronavirus. So I kept the day off anyway, just to get a little extra relaxing in. Little did I know that Mike wanted help working on his irrigation line to the gardens! This morning we dug a trench to run the fancy hose under the road.

closely supervised by Doug

Mike did all the really hard labor with the pickax, then I cleaned out the rubble with my little mini pickax.

 

Uffdah that was hard work! Hopefully it works and it makes it easier for him to water the gardens every day.

Happy Father's Day weekend, everyone!!