The present winter has kicked off quite like the last one. November and December have both had temperatures in the forties and fifties (and occasionally up to 70F). More mid-forties are in store for next week too. After missing six weeks of what can sometimes be much more of a deep freeze, we can already begin to hope that the mild weather will help the bees survive at a high percentage again. It at least reduces the odds of a really bad winter loss. While it's true that bees can survive months of very cold temperatures when they are healthy, it's hard to visually know exactly how healthy they are going into the winter, so mild temperatures are a relief that suggest at least a few new bees are probably being raised too. In preparation for the holiday season, we recently participated in the Old Prague Christmas market at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. While European Christmas markets are usually outdoor affairs that run for a number of days or weeks, it was definitely prudent to put up a tent and provide some heat for the visitors and vendors. We don't normally signup for activities of this sort, but the event was organized by one of our recent Mount Mercy history graduates, so it was great to see a successful event result from her efforts. Here is Alex in his colorful Ebert Honey jacket as he watches over a vast array of honey at the Old Prague affair: The NCSML is also celebrating the reopening of their building after the horrendous floods of 2008 that struck Cedar Rapids. Relocation and rebuilding of their original facility occurred through massive community, federal, and international support. Read about the extent of the flood damage, and read about moving the original building onto a safer location on top of a new basement-level parking garage. An impressive feat indeed.