May Bee

 Nine two pound packages of bees ready to install.

 A package with the queen.

Bee bus

 Worker

 Drones

 Bee fore

 TSI day at Marts tree farm

Picnic on one of Jimmy Wong's early tables.

After

SELDOM SEEN

 The sun came out and temps crept into the mid-40's.  So, I ventured up the valley to "seldom seen".  As it's known by the locals.  A stretch of  stream which I've caught trout, chubs. smallies and rock bass. 

 Beautiful pools surrounded by towering limestone bluffs 

No fish today but I was rewarded with a shed find in the middle of a beautiful green valley along a stream in the driftless region

ADVENTURE AWAITS

 As I hike the ridges and reviens of the driftless area I never know what adventure awaits.

 I explore rock outcrops and look for fossils, bones and artifacts.

This rugged territory provides us with the opportunity to get out and explore while we get a little   exercise.  It's always a good workout getting up and down some of these deep hollows.

 Yesterday afternoon we were alerted to the presents of  bizzare looking migrant which goes by several names;  the timber doodle, bog sucker and night partridge to name a few.  Conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote of the "sky dancer" in his book of essays A Sand County Almanac.

Susie rests a top a large shelf bracket fungus.

No Shed antlers on this hike but I did manage to clean up the road ditch a bit on my way home .  

Earth Day is right around the corner.

Old Bucks.

 Big old bucks get to be that way by using rougher terrine when traveling and bedding down away from younger bucks in thickets.  So, even though the weather was on the verge of changing over from rain to snow, I got out with the dogs for an evening walk. 

As I walked the dogs this evening I thought about a story  my buddy told me about, while he was bow hunting  he watched an old buck bed down in among the the branches of a fallen oak.  Totally out of sight. 

 

 They say that old bucks makes scrapes both early and late in the year.

 but not really what I was looking for.

 and these bones don't go with that scull.

Good puppy.

photo opt. 

Among the brush at the base of this old oak is where he took his final rest.

My heart raced when I found this one I'll have to hike back and look for an old broad head among the bones

April

 Easter Sunday we did brunch at the Convivium.  An urban farmstead on Jackson street.

 With these pepes.

 Then it was back to the country for an afternoon hike with the dogs.

 A little off balance 

 Monday I caught several of these little brown trout.

 So, today it was back to school for some professional development meetings.

But, lunch time is my time.   So, I went to the dam to gather some drift wood for one of Susie's art projects.  Of course I took my pole and threw just enough casts to catch this little northern pike.