It is an exceptionally chilly day leading into New Year's Eve! The sun rose around -5F, and tonight we're looking at -16F for the low. At least there is not a fierce wind to go with the bone chilling raw temperatures. Several inches of snow began to accumulate on Christmas Eve, and it doesn't appear likely to disappear anytime soon. In the most excellent of news, the bee mailbox is still grinning through it all: I don't believe the diesels will be going anywhere for a couple of days. They are comfortable absorbing whatever kind rays of sunlight land in their direction: I hope the bees are healthy and well-clustered on top of a good food supply. There will not be much lateral movement within the hive to other grocery stocks for a few more days as they sequester every bit of warmth. These temperatures don't spell the end for bees that are in good shape, but any weaker small clusters are prone to having a tougher time. Fingers crossed that they still look strong when I check on their status in several weeks!