Gena asked -- don't know if she was serious or not...... but yes, I will post pictures of our Christmas turkeys!  For the squeamish homesteaders, I'll leave them for last and talk about bees first.

Checked our bees today and they were all fine.  One hive (we have three) lost quite a few bees during the 17below zero cold snap but still has plenty of bees to make it through the winter just fine.  I probably just won't get quite as much honey from them this summer though -- we'll see.  It was cool - about 55 degrees and quite cloudy - bad bee weather really - bees don't like cool cloudy days and it makes them pretty crabby but I didn't know if it would be warm enough to open the hives again before spring so I went ahead and checked on them anyways.  I'm glad I had a jacket, veil, and gloves because they were *very* grumpy and half a dozen stung the gloves and were buzzing around my face angrily.  I worked as quickly as possible so the hive wouldn't get chilled and so I had less chance of getting stung.  I'm glad none of them took a disliking to my legs or ankles since I don't wear a full bee suit.  No stings, thank God!  All the hives have plenty of winter food stores and were lively and well populated so I won't be messing with them again till the spring warm up.  Whoohoo!

Santa Claus and Old Blue, the turkeys, are now all dressed up for Christmas dinner:

This is Santa Claus.  I didn't weigh him but he is pretty good sized.  Not huge since we don't dose our poultry with growth hormones like commercial producers, but plenty big.  Oldest daughter got to help me get him prepared for slaughter.

Dead turkey.  The kids go in the house while mom takes care of this part.

 Dead nekkid turkey.  He sure looks smaller without his britches, doesn't he???  My daughters help with this part.  Turkeys take forever to pluck, even with two people!  He is now ready to be dressed.

I don't have a picture of the dressed out carcass yet.  I was too tired and losing daylight too fast.  I'll take two more pics:  dressed turkey and then the finished product.

Why did I go through all this trouble when I could have gone to the grocery and bought a turkey already dead, nekkid, and ready to bake?  One reason is we don't like to eat all the growth hormones and possible antibiotic residues.  Another reason is I don't like the way commercial poultry is treated.  It is truly destestable the conditions the birds are kept in and they way they are treated.  I'm not an animal rights acvitist or anything, but if you read about how these places are run, I think you'd be totally grossed out.  Our birds are given plenty of room, natural foodstuffs, treated decently throughout their lifespans, and humanely slaughtered.  Then, unlike at the commercial processers, the carcasses are processed in a sanitary manner.

The third reason is that homegrown poultry, turkey *and* chicken, taste sooooo much better!!!

I am totally wiped out!  When the kids go to bed we get to wrap presents and get them under the tree.  Tomorrow will be spent and Grandma's place, then we'll spend Christmas Day here for dinner.  So I'm signing off for Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

JennMarie