Just a quick update.  The frost we had at the end of May did a little more damage than we had thought.  Oh well, thats the way it is.  2 years in a row.  The apples right now are about the size of a quarter and seem to be doing fine.  Although we could use  some rain and not just a drizzle but a couple of inches would be great!  The first 2 pictures I've included are of Zestar and Haralson.  Both varieties are doing fine at the moment.  The third picture is of an osprey nest I put up a few years ago.  This guy was watching me in the bee yard and didnt seem to mind me being so close to him.  They started a nest a couple years ago but never finished it.  now they just stop by and eat the fish they catch.  I dont know where they go but they are catching some monster crappies!  The bees are also doing fine and all the wild flowers are blooming about this time so life is good if your a bee.  I'll keep you posted!

The fruit set is now underway!  Things have started out better than last year for sure.  We did have a frost in late May and that took apples off a few trees, but its nothing last what we had last year.  The majority of the trees have set a pretty decent crop except for the McIntosh and the Sweet Sixteen.  This is what they call farming!  I cant imagine how farms with 10-20 thousand trees ever get through the springtime in one piece.  Anyway, at this point, things are looking good, the apples are about the size of a nickel and the bees are bringing in lots of honey.  The last picture is of one of my stronger hives.  The top 5 boxes are honey, which when full, will be about 125#.  Lets hope the rest catch up!