I am so looking forward to '13. I am 20 months into beekeeping, and I have three mature hives and three nucs that were all living as of December 29. Due to knee replacement about 30 days back, I have not been able to tend my bees, but my youngest son went around and tapped the hives to see if there would be a resulting buzz on Dec. 29. All of the colonies buzzed, and they had large stored going into the winter, so I am hopeful.
Last summer, my second summer with bees, I was reluctant to make changes in the hives. The engineer side of me cautioned that "if one does not know what they are doing, it is best to do nothing." My knowledge has now grown to the point that I am willing to do some simple things like: splits, brood interruption, drone frames and such. I look forward to interacting with more with my bees. Still, I will make changes only when I think they are necessary.
With more confidence, I am looking forward to a Happy New Year.