Day #242 Flying High

For those of you who asked – my hands are much better. They're still swollen, but I can form a loose fist now. Dr. Greenberg at the Hope Clinic said that I don’t appear to be allergic to the antihistamine. The stings were just apparently in a really tender area. And I came home with a prescription for an epi pen. Just in case.

Now on to the exciting news. Let’s look at two forms of aerial excellence:

     Honey Bees Fly

"I know that," you say.

But did you know . . .

People fly, too!



Eli Reiman 2011



By day Eli Reiman is a data base manager. Otherwise, he’s a fire-spinner, stilt-walker, juggler, scuba diver, photographer, and now – aerial acrobat. You've seen a lot of his photos (Yelloideas Photography) in this blog.

My bees are upside down half the time, too, but I must admit, I've never seen them in bright red . . .

BEEattitude for Day # 242:

       Blessed are those who enjoy what they do, for they shall carry blessings along with them everywhere they go.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com

my eBooks on Amazon for Kindle

my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats)

Day #147 Beautiful Meals

I had to share this photo with you. My son has been a vegetarian for almost 20 years. He evn managed to eat a vegetarian diet when he was in the Marine Corps. I had wondered if his decision to become a vegetarian in high school was just a fad, but he's carried through with it from a deep conviction that it is the right way to eat. In the last year or two he's been eating only raw foods. Naturally, he hangs out with a lot of other people of like mind.



When he first told me about raw foods, all I could think of was carrots and celery, and a few other choice goodies. But he's convinced me that eating raw whole organic food can be an adventure - a beautiful one.



Yelloideas Photography (c) 2011



On his FaceBook page a couple of days ago, he posted this picture, from a meal that he had shared with a group of his friends. I’m not sure who to credit with the beauty of the place setting and the gorgeous textures of the food—I’m sure it was as yummy as it looks. One of the Facebook comments said thank you to Melissa for opening her lovely home, so I would assume she created the meal. If not her, then SOMEBODY put a great deal of love and effort into this edible creation.

Thank you, Eli, for letting me use so many of your wonderful photos in my blog. They brighten it up considerably.

Now,about this photo:  if only there were a little pot of natural honey in there somewhere . . .

BEEattitude for Day # 147:

       Blessed are those who care about what they eat, for they shall thrive.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My hp printer that is so dependable      

Day #104 Smelly Feet

Queen bees have smelly feet, and that's what keeps their workers happy.

(c) Yelloideas Photography

The tarsal glands on the queen's feet ooze with pheromones (chemical substances) that ebb and flow. The mandibular glands in her mouth do the same thing. Nobody’s figured out precisely how many pheromones are present, but it is known that they are precise indicators of the queen’s health. Changes in the balance of pheromones let the worker bees know what shape their queen is in. If she smells right, she’s okay. If something goes wrong with her, her feet change their smell and the workers know they have to do something.

Public Domain Photo

The attendant worker bees constantly groom the queen, and this spreads the queen smell throughout the hive. The bees are so sensitive to the smell of their queen that when a queen is disabled or is removed from the hive, the workers all know it within minutes and spring into action to correct the problem.

As any bee can tell you, you gotta have those wonderful, informative, smelly feet!

BEEattitude for Day # 104:

       Blessed is she who knows (nose) what’s she’s doing, for she shall, like us bees, be productive.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The New American Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta, where there’s a marvelous production of Twelfth Night during January. 

Day #84 Mystery Photo

The reason I'm using this picture is that it has sort of the same colors as bees, and looks like it has some of the same texture, too.

 Can you guess what it is? It took me a LONG TIME to figure it out . . . First one to identify it correctly wins a  jar of Bee's Knees Honey (although you'll need to wait until I get my bees and they start producing enough for me to -- er -- borrow some!)

photo credit: Yelloideas Photography

BEEattitude for Day # 84:

       Blessed are the whimsical, for they shall always see similarities to fuzzy bees 

What Fran is grateful for right now:

       My children and grandchildren 

Day #76 Lion Fish and Carolina Wrens

I looked out my bay window yesterday when I heard the distinctive trill of a Carolina Wren. She hopped from a bush of indeterminate lineage (which simply means I haven't yet figured out what kind it is) up to the deck railing, and from there to the rim of the bird bath. She (he?) looked up at me in a meaningful way, so I scooted outside and refilled the bird feeders, then came back inside to watch the antics of the chickadees and wrens and woodpeckers and all that assortment who know that a sucker lives in this house.

That's the sort of thing I look at on a regular basis, and next Spring I'll be able to add bees to my routine.

My son, on the other hand, looks at things like this:

Lion Fish by Yelloideas Photography

      and this:



Table Coral by Yelloideas Photography



from places like this:



Inside the Boiler of a Wreck by Yelloideas Photography



Can you see why I like to be where I am, enjoying his perpatetic ramblings on my computer and my phone? And watching my birds (and eventually, the bees) from a place of warmth and space?

BEEattitude for Day # 76:

       Blessed are the adventurers - and blessed are those who stay home, for we all shall enjoy our nature encounters. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Hot tea 

Day #68 The solstice lunar eclipse

Bees and the night sky? Bees and the moon? Bees and astronomy? Bees and the Solstice? Bees and photography?

A similar lunar eclipse in Nov 2003
Photo credit: Jim Fakatselis



I can't think of a way to connect this blog-post to the general topic of bees, but I'm going to post it anyway because I think the topic is pretty interesting.

If you read this blog regularly, you know I subscribe to NASA Science News. I'd like to share with you this great article about the total lunar eclipse that will be visible on the night of the Solstice (the night between December 20th and 21st).

The article explains why the moon glows an eerie red during a lunar eclipse and exactly when to see it. The photo above comes from the NASA article.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/17dec_solsticeeclipse/

 If you live anywhere in North America, you'll be able to see the eclipse -- if you're willing to take the time. If the skies over Georgia will cooperate by staying cloud-free, I plan to give a look.

I know it's possible to see a lunar eclipse despite the light pollution of a city area, because the following two photos were taken by my son from a balcony in downtown Atlanta during an eclipse in November 2008.

Yelloideas Photography

Yelloideas Photography

I've seen only a few exlipses, but each one has been memorable indeed.

If you see the one next week, let me know what you think.

BEEattitude for Day # 68:

       Blessed are those who look up, for they shall live in wonder. We bees wish we could see the moon; it sounds marvelous.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Those precious places in this country where light pollution is not a factor. 

Day #65 A little chat

Yelloideas Photography

I was chatting with a friend of mine a while back . . .  She was telling me how much she enjoyed looking at flowers.



No! Not that friend.. It was a different one.



Yelloideas Photography

And not that one either, although I'm sure he enjoys flowers as much as anyone.



Yellowideas Photography



Yes! Finally, here's the one I was talking with.

She was telling me how special flowers are to her, and I said, "Then you have a lot in common with the bees I'll be getting next spring."

"Bees?" she queried. "They're those noisy, fuzzy little critters, aren't they?"

"Well, I don't know about noisy, but they do have fuzz on their bodies."

"Believe me, sweetie, you haven't heard noise until you've really listened to a honeybee." But then she paused and considered. "You're a human, aren't you?" she said. "Humans are even noiser than bees. Maybe you could take a few lessons from them."

"Thank you," I whispered, and tiptoed away.

BEEattitude for Day # 65:

       Blessed are those who are quiet, for they shall hear more. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My son, who takes such interesting photos and let's me use them on my blog. 

Day #19 "BEEcoming a Better Human"

Here in Georgia, it's getting to be Autumn, and the seed pods on my Aesclepias (better known as Butterfly Weed) are just about all blown away. My son photographed this milkweed pod several years ago. The picture expresses the wonder I feel when I look at my yard gradually folding into its winter rest. I hope it's getting ready for the bees that will join us in late March or early April.

Copyright Yelloideas Photography

I know this is a blog about beekeeping, but if you get a chance to read Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin, let me know if you're as impressed with her work as I am. Based on her observations of other animals, I plan to be a lot more careful about the ways in which I look at my bees. I'd like to use the lessons I learn from them to become more fully (good) human myself.

BeeAttitude for Day #19:
          Blessed are they who watch us without judgment, for they shall learn great wisdom.

Something for Which I'm Grateful:
Brown leaves in the bright sunshine against a bright blue sky