So, what's new?

Books, music, movies, your love life...anything goes.
Fixxxer
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:45 pm

So, what's new?

Post by Fixxxer »

Nothing much is happening in our various online games since the forum migration. And we're still busy reformatting and moving content from the old site to the new. But in the interests of keeping in contact and sharing, what's going on in your life? What's new and interesting?

For my own part, I'm migrating to a new (potentially better) area of responsibility in my work. I'm also going back to school (online) as of this Monday. Gonna get that History degree and lord it over e'rybody!

What about you?
Talanall
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:13 pm
Location: Northern Louisiana, USA

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Talanall »

I became a beekeeper a little more than a year ago, starting with one colony of package bees. That colony survived the winter in excellent condition, so I split it to make a second colony. One of those swarmed several times, and I caught one of the swarms. So I have three colonies of bees at present. All three are healthy and growing as expected.

Swarming and splitting both have deleterious effects on honey production, so (probably) no honey for me this year. The nectar flow in my area will be winding down in another 2-3 weeks. There's another nectar flow in early fall when the goldenrod blooms, so I might get something then, but I'm not going to count on it.

It'll be okay if I don't get a honey crop; I learned a ton this spring, and with three colonies I'm almost certain to be better off next spring.
Board Rider
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:26 pm

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Board Rider »

Not anything of note for me that is new. I pretty much spend my days working from home, watering the plants, watching a bit of TV, and going to bed.

I essentially live that routine daily but that's okay with me. As I have grown older I have become a homebody. With the cost of living here in California off roading in my Jeep has even become an expensive hobby.

I am glad everyone is doing well.
Darker
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2022 8:11 pm

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Darker »

Most just working, but I did start a biweekly game with my old gaming group. By old, I mean we've been gaming together for almost 30 years. Damn, I'm getting old.

Really cool about the bees. I'm jealous, I've been wanting to get into that.
Talanall
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:13 pm
Location: Northern Louisiana, USA

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Talanall »

It's been fun. The conventional wisdom is that it's best to start with at least two colonies, and that's really true; if you have more than one, it's easier to tell when something's wrong with one of them, and you have more options regarding how you deal with the problem. I started with package bees that I ordered for delivery via USPS, but it's way easier to get started if you just buy a couple of nucleus colonies from a local breeder. Better outcomes on average. It's not reasonable to expect a honey harvest in your first year unless you buy a full-size colony, but that's at least twice as expensive as a nuc or package.

You will get stung; this year I think I'm just past a dozen. If you're diligent about making sure you get stung enough, then you'll develop tolerance to apivenom, and also be less likely to develop allergies to bee stings in the future. Stings still hurt for a couple of minutes, but if I scrape the stinger out in a timely fashion, I have minimal swelling. Just a little itching at the sting site over the next day. And it helps clear up some joint pain that I occasionally suffer.

I studied up for several years before I got going with this, but that may have been overkill. In hindsight, the most important things to know in your first year are 1) the lifecycle of a colony (especially as it pertains to swarming), 2) the specific timeline on which workers, queens, and drones go from egg to adult, 3) what nectar sources exist locally and when they bloom, and 4) the correct way to check and treat for mites.

Lots of people get started knowing less, but they usually have a hard time and buy a lot of extra bees.
catalyst
Posts: 19
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:50 am

Re: So, what's new?

Post by catalyst »

I recently returned from a vacation in France, which was amazing. My daughter and I visited as many historical sites as we could, including Omaha Beach, Mont St. Michel, several of the royal chateaus, and the Louvre. It was a fantastic trip for a history buff, and I highly recommend it! Check out my FB or Instagram (@paulicentric) for pictures!
Talanall
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:13 pm
Location: Northern Louisiana, USA

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Talanall »

Hah. Speaking of Mont St. Michel, check this out: https://www.milbysmaps.com/montsaintmichel/
Fixxxer
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:45 pm

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Fixxxer »

The wife and I are beginning to plan for a Europe trip with my best friend, probably late next year. The historian in me is very excited. The foodie in me is very, VERY excited. Our current thought is to start in Normandy and move through Belgium, into Germany, then the Czech Republic, and finally Poland.
Talanall
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:13 pm
Location: Northern Louisiana, USA

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Talanall »

I'm excited for all of you. I hope you get some good cider in Normandy.
Darker
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2022 8:11 pm

Re: So, what's new?

Post by Darker »

I love that map! I've always wanted to use Mont Saint Michel in a game. The blog goes into all the details too. Here's one of my favorites:
I feel like things are starting to get kind of real now. This is most of the town finished, including the local church (Saint-Pierre’s) at the top with the cemetery below it. There’s also a gambling hall, some gardens, a bunch of houses and, at the top left, a building known as the House of the Spinning Pig (“Truie-qui-File”).

The story behind this is that, apparently, some guy taught his pig to spin thread and he used to take it out in the streets where people would watch it perform. Eventually some religious authorities caught wind of it and told everyone what a delightful miracle this pig was. The man and his pig became famous and lived happily ever after.

I’m kidding, of course. They accused the guy of having demonic powers and lit him on fire. The pig, too. The middle ages weren’t a great time to be different.
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