On January 11, Fred and Caleb dug holes in one of our hops fields in order to place the utility poles in.  Hops grow very tall and get very heavy.  They need to have plenty of good  support.  Later, the guys will add strong cables.  This was amazing, to actually dig our ground in January, but Fred figured anything he can get done now  is that much less this Spring when he will be even busier.  Even in the dead of Winter, we are thinking ahead to what needs doing this Spring.  The bees are going to love the hops and the hops, in turn, will enjoy the benefit of our bees. 

Lucky for Caleb, Clayton stopped in after a full day of shearing sheep to drop off wool.  He cheerfully volunteered his help and even got a home-cooked meal for his efforts!!  (He moved to his own farm last Fall:)   They still have to straighten these poles and have another field to do on the hill but, it’s pretty darn cold for that kind of activity. I wonder if those who like beer know how much effort goes into a good bottle of beer:)  Same for the honey, effort from both the bees and the bee keepers!

Until Spring, we will be dreaming of hops, honey and home-brewed beer!  Delicious:)