Project Management

I never knew, when I first got my goats, that I was in fact starting my very own herd of project managers. No matter what we are doing on the farm, there's always someone watching what we do, or getting in the way enough that there's no way to rush getting something done.


I've been feeding a "three way" (wheat, oat, barley) hay this winter, and a good deal of the wheat steams have ended up on the ground of the barnyard. I cannot believe that goats have a reputation for eating any/every thing they can get their mouths on, as they waste literally tons of hay a year on our farm.  They do chew on things, yes, but actually consume them? Hardly!

Anyway, being the type to not want to waste anything, I decided to gather up what looked like mostly straw to toss into the chicken palace as something to catch the next couple nights of chicken manure.  I loaded up a wheel barrow, took it to the chicken house, got one scoop of straw under the chicken perches, turn around and see:

Howdy ma'm, just checking to make sure you're using approved materials for this job

Looks like Project Manager Sarandipity (her friends call her Dipity) was on duty that afternoon. The girls all take turns keeping an eye on us farmers, making sure we don't try anything funny around here.

Your project site looks like it is up to code

They are meticulous, and pay attention to detail

Pitchfork complies with barnyard cleanliness-keeping standards

Only after a thorough inspection do they give their feedback

I approve- you may continue with the next stage of your project.

I let Dipity know that it would be much easier to finish my project if she were to kindly move out of my way. And off of my pitch fork.

You there! Hook yourself up to this contraption so I can drive away in a flourish of glory!

I had to remind her that I actually needed both the wheelbarrow and what was in it to complete my project.

 

Russian Beehives

Make my bee hives look boring.

I saw these little gems in Yaroslavl, Russia, and they supposedly are reproductions of buildings found in the town of Uglich along the Volga River.  They are fully functional bee hives set in a large garden within an old monastery that also served as a fort (or as they call it- kremlin). 

My mom and I went to Russia for about a week in early September, which is just enough time to see the very highlights of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a few towns in between.  We traveled by boat along an extensive canal and lock system, which is very heavily traveled by both tourist boats and small oil tankers. Our first port of call after leaving Moscow was supposed to be Uglich, however, heavy fog kept us in one of the river locks for five hours, putting us far enough behind schedule that we had to skip that stop.

At least this gave us some small taste of what Uglich was like.  And an idea of what beekeepers with a short active season do with some of their downtime.