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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!:  Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 01 2012 : 4:52:58 PM
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Erika Endler, (Apache lady #3628) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a beginner level Woman-at-Arms badge.
"I actually grew up surrounded by firearms. My dad bought me a .22 long rifle when I was about 9 years old. About 15 or more years ago I enrolled in a hunter safety course and got my hunting license.
Well, I now own several firearms which I use for hunting different game and target shooting." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2012 : 4:55:25 PM
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Erika Endler, (Apache lady #3628) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an intermediate level Woman-at-Arms badge.
"I actually worked at an outdoor shooting range supervising the skeet ranges for about 10 years. I also enjoyed shooting skeet myself and I participated in small bore rifle competitions. At the range we used to have an annual "all around" shoot, where we had to compete in small and large bore rifle, pistol, skeet and trap. It was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately our local range was shut down by local politicians after being in it's present location for over 60 years. I still hunt whenever I can during the seasons." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:02:46 PM
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Jo Tompkins, (Blue Berry Girl #3800) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level Carp-hen-try badge.
"My husband needed a dry erase board at work but didn't want a big white thing hanging on his office wall. I had some old windows that someone had given me so I made a board using one of the windows. The window was 39"x55". I cleaned it up, recaulked the glass on the backside, made a cleat so it could hang on the wall and painted it. My husband took it to work and hung it up himself. He uses regular dry erase markers on the glass.
The board turned out great and my husband loves it. The markers work great. Oh...I liked the idea so much I made one for my home office.
I have the Dare to Repair book and used it for a backed up sink in the kitchen. After reading about taking the trap off, I found the problem, cleaned out the trap and replaced the drain. Works great!!!! With my husband gone a lot due to work, I will be using the book for reference again in the future. Handy little book to have around."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:29:58 PM
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Victoria Montoya, (EastTXFarmgirl #549) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Self-sufficiency badge.
"I decided to try my hand in growing herbs last spring. I grew, harvested and dried many different herbs including basil, parsley, fennel, oregano, sage, chives, cilantro, thyme, lemon balm and mint. I grew several varieties of each. After drying, I mixed and matched them into seasoning packs.
I gave many of the seasoning packs to family for Christmas. The favorite was the flavored mint mixes for teas. I also dried the stevia that I had started last year and put with the mint. I had chocolate mint, lemon mint, orange mint, pineapple mint, english mint and spearmint. Some of the teas I kept as that true flavor but many were mingled like orange chocolate or pineapple spearmint. They turned out very good." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:31:41 PM
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Victoria Montoya, (EastTXFarmgirl #549) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an intermediate level Self-sufficiency badge.
"I have been canning for years but had never tried a pie filling. Our family is not real keen on apple pies so I did peach pie instead. It is really good. We had peach pie just a few days ago. We eat more salsa than spaghetti so I went with a new salsa recipe this year. I use salsa a lot for more than just dipping. Great on grilled chicken or steak. I made bread and butter pickles and pickle relish this year.
All of the canning turned out great. My husband said the B&B pickles reminded him of his grandmother. They really are good. Everyone got a jar of relish for Christmas and my mom has called already wanting more." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:32:20 PM
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Victoria Montoya, (EastTXFarmgirl #549) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an expert level Self-sufficiency badge.
"During butchering time for the calf I asked that about 50 lbs of the tender meat be sliced jerky thin. I mixed up some marinates using my own imagination. Some of the jerky was smoked, some of it dried in a dehydrator and some of it in a very low oven. I preferred the oven method. It was still completely dried but still pliable and slightly moist. My husband and son preferred the smoked flavor. The dehydrator was everyone’s least favorite but it was eaten. The dehydrator method seems to make it too dry and hard. I am sure that is the best way for preserving. For my “putting up” party, it was just my older sister and I. She had never canned so I taught her to make bread and butter pickles and grape jelly.
The jerkey is gone. We got a little piggish on it. And my sister gave me grape jelly and B&B pickles for Christmas. We had a good laugh about it." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:47:23 PM
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Angela Coffman, (Quilting Angie #3445) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Gaining Ground badge.
"I started a compost pile back in September and have kept it up for at least three months.
It is going very well." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:48:14 PM
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Angela Coffman, (Quilting Angie #3445) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level What's Your Beef? badge.
"I went to the www.eatwild.com website. We for the last year and half have not bought any meat from stores. We only eat wild meat that we catch ourselves or buy local grown grass-fed beef.
I am so thankful that I now know the difference to real meat and corporately raised meat. SO disgusting.
I feel like I am constantly making strides to better the health of my family." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:51:11 PM
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Angela Coffman, (Quilting Angie #3445) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Shopping Green badge.
"I have researched cleaning my home with nontoxic cleaners.
I am committed to only using non-toxic cleaners in my home and for my laundry." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 3:57:43 PM
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Angela Coffman, (Quilting Angie #3445) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Going Green badge.
"I have gotten rid of all my non-green cleaners in my home.
I pledge to only use green cleaners in the future.
I have posted on Pinterest all my green cleaning uses for everyone else to see and try.
It is working out splendidly." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:18:07 PM
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Stephanie Schaefer, (BoPeep #2920) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Backyard Farmer badge.
"We have had a small flock of laying hens for several years now. This past May we started raising broiler chickens so my son could sell a pair for 4-H and the rest could be for our own freezer. We fed them feed that was made from the corn and oats we grow. They were allowed to free range. We learned how to butcher (and grill!) the birds on our own.
This was a completely different experience. The broilers eat so much so fast because of their breeding that they often became "lazy". The heat really bothers them as I figured it would. Thankfully we kept all but one alive and they are beautiful birds to roast for the table. We will be doing this again, although we will be looking into other breeds that might be a better choice for a broiler bird. Maybe a dual purpose breed that would not have the bone issues and possible health issues these birds did." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:19:23 PM
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Stephanie Schaefer, (BoPeep #2920) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Shopping Green badge.
"I earned this badge a few ways: first, I took a class from our local extension office/extension homemakers group on natural ways to clean. I also read through a book that I was given by another lady. It was a book from the 1950's full of tips for the home using household items. I committed to several products for cleaning. I use baking soda for scouring powder for tubs and sinks and add vinegar to it for clogged drains. I use Borax for laundry booster and add it to a touch of sugar and use as a way to kill ants. Antibacterial lemon and lemon juice make my glassware sparkle when added to water and safely cleans my dishwasher and other kitchen areas. I also use several other products but not as much as these.
This turned out great. I am sensitive to most smells of harsh chemicals and get headaches from them easily. This has improved my quality of life and I feel like my family and pets are all safer for me having done this! I have been working on this for a while because I also clean other people's houses for a living and they love that I can offer them what they consider to be a higher standard of clean and fresh!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:40:32 PM
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Emily Hack, (AlterationsbyEmily #2951) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a beginner level Disconnect to Reconnect badge.
"My family and I did our disconnect to reconnect weekend this past weekend. It was very interesting to see how we would all work with each other. We started out by making a LONG list of things to do, cleaning the basement, burning some branches that have fallen down, making a dress for my daughter.
It turned out wonderfully, we actually connected with our neighbors and spent a lot of time with them on their homestead. We got a lot of the branches burned up, organized and cleaned out the basement a good bit, got a TON of laundry done and made my daughter’s dress." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:41:43 PM
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Emily Hack, (AlterationsbyEmily #2951) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Recipes badge.
"I started by getting myself a plastic recipe box. That way if there was a spill while cooking it would not damage the cards. I then spoke to my grandmother and got her family famous potato salad recipe, my mother and her special punch recipe and my mom’s good friend Mary T. and got her recipe for BBQ Beer Sausage.
I love my little box, it is wonderful sitting on my counter. I just need to make a habit of putting the cards away so I don’t lose the recipe." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:42:47 PM
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Emily Hack, (AlterationsbyEmily #2951) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an intermediate level Civic Heritage badge.
"I live near the town of Gettysburg, my family loves the history involved in the battle and our household loves the period. We have been to several museums all over the town, but what inspired me to research was an advertisement for a house for sale, 1010 Russell Tavern Road. It was located at the end of the Scenic Valley Tour in Adams County. Her name was Lydia Hamilton Smith, she was born a free slave of an African American mother and an Irish Father. She married her husband and had two children. After being widowed a decade before the Civil War she stayed on as the housekeeper. She was then employed by the Thaddeous Stevens, a senator from Pennsylvania as his housekeeper in his home in Lancaster County. After the Battle of Gettysburg, she returned to the town and rented a wagon. She went around to all the towns, asking for donations and would deliver them to the various Civil War Hospitals, including Camp Letterman. Lydia also accompanied Stevens to Washington D.C. and became one of the first women to own land in our nation’s capital, running a boarding house. She and Stevens were close friends and after he passed he left her $5,000.
I found this amount of history amazing. I love to see that one person; given not the greatest background can have so much influence. I hope that someday I am able to leave even a minor imprint in the textbooks of the world, or even Wikipedia."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 4:44:26 PM
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Emily Hack, (AlterationsbyEmily #2951) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Water Conservation badge.
"We started by filling up the sink with water to wash the dishes and then a smaller bowl for rinsing dishes. My husband already takes efficient showers, but I cut mine down to a timer for 10 minutes, cutting about 10 minutes off of my usual time. I also use cloth diapers and instead of running the load of soil diapers twice through the washer, taking the lazy way, I pre-rinse any solids, making the second washing unnecessary.
It turned out great. I was unable to measure the amount of water used, but I noticed that my well pump goes on less and less and my water is actually clearer. I believe this is because the aquifer is being stirred around less and less." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 12:38:59 PM
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Ashley Hotter, (AshleyH #3108) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Buttoned Up badge.
"I collected 50 buttons.
Some of the buttons were my grandmothers, some I bought new, and some I got at the thrift store."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 12:40:06 PM
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Ashley Hotter, (AshleyH #3108) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Safe Toys badge.
"For my niece's birthday I had sewn 5 bean bag toys for her. As an extra bonus my husband made a thing she can toss them in.
She didn't know what it was at first but after we showed her she loved it." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 12:41:02 PM
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Ashley Hotter, (AshleyH #3108) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Safe Toys badge.
"I made my own pattern and made my own doll and gave it my daughter.
She loves it."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 12:42:27 PM
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Ashley Hotter, (AshleyH #3108) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Sew Wonderful badge.
"I put together a basic beginner sewing kit. My grandmother had left me her sewing kit, and so I went through it and got rid of stuff that was unusable (broken buttons and so on) then I made the top of the basket a pinkeep.
Its beautiful, definitely upgraded."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 12:43:37 PM
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Ashley Hotter, (AshleyH #3108) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Sew Wonderful badge.
"I learned how to sew a flat seam, a french seam and a felled seam. I also could already sew a straight seam on the machine and by hand.
I am not the greatest at the seams but, I am getting better the more I practice which is not a lot with 2 babies." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 1:11:01 PM
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Kristina Nelson, (FieldsofThyme #800) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Greatest Generation badge.
"My parents are 73 and 80. My husband's parents are both deceased.
We spend many days with my parents, including playing Rock Band (yes, my mother actually participates). My Dad spends many hours with us, either helping around with regular work, visiting at the horse stable and sharing his knowledge of the Bible. He's always playing jokes on us and telling us jokes. One time he threw fire crackers out his window as he pulled out to leave. Both are retired, but live in their own homes." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 1:13:39 PM
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Kristina Nelson, (FieldsofThyme #800) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner, intermediate and expert level Music badge.
"I am applying for beginner, intermediate and expert badges.
Beginner: I have played the alto saxophone for several years and learned to read music, play different types of music, and identify elements. I actually, at one time, played in a quartet for contest scoring the highest rating.
Intermediate: Along with my own experience with music, I taught homeschool music classes with a few of my children. We listened to several different types of musicians including those similar to Bach. Today, I have a daughter in choir and one playing a recorder. One plays alto saxophone and another plays clarinet. My daughter in choir, also is being taught how to play the piano.
Our family is very musically talented. My older brother plays guitar and electric guitar, my father plays guitar, and my mother used to play alto saxophone. I listen to my dad play his guitar quite often.
My chapter currently contains 5 members, including myself, and I sent e-mails sharing information on each badge I am working on.
Next week our family will be listening to my 12 year-old daughter sing in her first recital, and we have also visited the library for small concerts that included violin, guitar, and a saxophone soloist.
Expert: We support our daughter's singing, and have attended several concerts this year alone, not including her upcoming recital. We have also attended recent concert band concerts and marching band parades. On Sunday's we often listen to jazz. Purchasing a karaoke machine for my 12 year-old is definitely a possibility. She has had one solo." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 1:37:44 PM
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Victoria Montoya, (EastTXFarmgirl #549) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an expert level Get It Together badge.
"This fall I learned the importance of this task. It was butchering day for the roosters. I had been putting it off for weeks but had made up my mind it had to be done. And, I was the one to do it. Nine roosters running amuck was more than I could take. I got up early, with net in hand, and went to the task of culling them out. The meanest went first. The catching went smoothly, the traditional head chopping no problem, a little dip in the boiling water and the feathers practically plucked themselves. That is where everything went downhill. My knife was as dull as a butter knife. I got through that first one but it looked more like the chainsaw massacre. I had to finish the one I had started but when he was done everything came to a halt. I marched into the house, did a quick google tutorial on how to sharpen knives, dug out the knife sharpening kit that had been tucked under the kitchen sink for who knows how long and commenced to sharpening. I sharpened every knife in the rack before venturing out again. The one I picked to complete my day of slaughter was done twice just to be sure.
I got through the butchering in record time. I ran out of steam before the knife went dull. I now do a little sharpening after every use so the knife will be ready for its next task. I am a little aggravated at myself for not doing this sooner. It sure would have saved a lot of hours hacking away at that flank steak or that whole chicken needing to be in smaller pieces." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2012 : 1:59:17 PM
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Victoria Montoya, (EastTXFarmgirl #549) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an expert level The Secret Life of Bees badge.
"I started with one bee hive a couple of springs ago. Last year I added 2 additional hives. I harvested my first batch of honey late last spring. I had purchased a homestead size honey harvester. It holds only 4 frames at one time so it does take a little longer to complete the harvest. It was all we needed and worked great. That was such an exciting day. It was like pouring liquid gold into mason jars. The Texas weather took an unexpected turn for bad and we got hit with a horrible drought. I did not harvest any more honey after that first round. I was hoping the bees could survive on what honey I had left them and some added human help. I got a gallon and half of the best honey I had ever tasted. I gave a few jars away but knowing that we may not get anymore through the year I held onto most.
Despite my extra efforts I lost all of the bees. I had checked them in November. The numbers were down but they were surviving. We had had over 78 days straight of over 100 degrees. I had them in the shade, had left their honey alone, gave them extra feedings and watering. The heat was just too much. I checked the hives again in late December and there was not a bee in sight. They were just gone. I will get the hives going again but A&M climatologists are predicting another year of drought and record highs in East Texas so I am not going to attempt it this year. Unfortunately, many other bee keepers in this area suffered the same fate. I was able to spend some time on the bee farm where I purchased my bees. They have been raising bees for 3 generations and they were fighting hard what seemed like a losing battle."
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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees
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