Hoping...

It's snowing again. The temperatures have been hovering between single numbers and the low 20s for days. It's been a fiercely cold and windy week.

I've never been at my best during the Winter. Oh, I appreciate the beauty of the season. But life can be challenging for all creatures who remain here during these months.

When I woke this morning I looked from my window to the hive in the back garden. As a beekeeper in New England I do little more than hope at this time of year...Hope there's enough honey to sustain the hives until I can open them briefly to check food stores...Hope we've properly ventilated the hives to keep condensation from building up...Hope the workers are healthy enough to keep the hive's temperatures in the low 90s for their queen's well-being...Hope that each of our queens has survived...Hope that the organic practices we've put into place haven't left the bees weakened by parasites or diseases...Hope a January thaw will bring a 45º day soon so we can briefly check the hives...Hope the hives in Foster, where it's been considerably colder and there's been more snow, won't be dead or weakened when we are finally able to give them a fleeting inspection...Hope we can keep all the hives alive until the end of March or early April when they will begin to really strengthen again...hope...

For the moment I can only hope...and plan for Spring.