Day #173 Whew! The yellow world around Atlanta

Busy day Saturday. I got the cinder blocks set up on the deck so I can put the hives on them. They need to be off the ground so any varroa mites and small hive beetles will fall through the screened bottom onto the wood below (where I can squash them).

I spent a fair amount of time making sure there was enough room around the blocks so I could get my broom in there to sweep off the porcupine eggs. For those of you who don’t live under a sweet-gum tree, those spiny seed-pods drop by the thousands—yes, thousands—year-round, making a barefoot romp through the yard an impossibility.

And of course, this is the time of year when the whole Atlanta area is bombarded with pine pollen. Not just a little bit. A LOT! When I moved here almost 20 years ago, I thought the street was running with urine after the first spring rain, but it was just all that bright yellow pollen swirling along the streets.

The yellow polka dots spots on my car don’t show up as much now. The good news is that my hives won't look pollen-covered at all, since they're yellow to begin with.

The plants I put in a few days ago are doing well. And some bees from the neighborhood stopped by to take a sip. The way I chose the plants at the garden center was simple: I looked for the plants that had bees working on them!

And, the best news of all--my bluebird house has babies in it!

BEEattitude for Day # 173:

       Blessed are the plants that make pollen for us to collect, for we shall spread their bounty.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My garage    

FRANattitude for the day:

         I have used entirely too many exclamation points in this post. My inner editor cringes when I do that. On the other hand, I'm happy! and I'm excited about the bees and the plants and the baby birds (!!!)

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #162 A Pretty Good Life

I heard from H & L Bee Farm, saying that the pick-up date for the bees probably won’t be until April 10^th. Part of me says phooey because I want to get them sooner, but another part of me is relieved. There’s still so much to do before they get here.

We’ve had so much rain I haven’t finished staining the deck yet. I don’t want to be slapping a paintbrush around while my bees are getting used to their new location.

Meanwhile, all those seeds my grandchildren and I started inside are outgrowing their little pots, but it’s still a bit too early to transplant them outside.

I don’t have my boxes branded yet, although my branding iron from Brand New is waiting patiently in what used to be the family room but is steadily being transferred into the Bee Equipment Launching Pad.

On top of work (5 doctoral dissertations and 2 novels to edit, plus my own book to write, a seminar presentation to prepare, and some book clubs to speak to), I agreed last week to serve as the treasurer for the Gwinnett Choral Guild. It’s a community 501(c)(3) choir, and I know I really should do my part, which is why I agreed to take on the position. Everybody’s busy, so the simple fact that I’m busy is not an excuse.

Still, I’m drawing a line here and now:

I’m not volunteering for ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!

I’ll work. I’ll do what’s necessary around the house. I’ll connect with my family and friends. I’ll give blood every other month. I’ll knit and sing. I’ll walk and garden and read. I’ll uphold my volunteer commitments, care for my cats, take care of myself, and play at beekeeping.

Come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good life, doesn’t it?

BEEattitude for Day # 162:

       Blessed are those who know what they want to do in life, for they shall be infinitely satisfied.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My comfy old sweatpants    

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #142 Don't go to a gardening center . . .

Why did I say DON’T GO TO A GARDENING CENTER  in the title to this blog?

Because I just did go to such a place. And I ended up blowing my budget.  But then I had the fun of coming home and planting creeping thymes and hellebores and a gorgeous rosemary bush. The biggest rosemary bush I’ve ever seen was at the last house I owned, and I’ve missed it (the bush, not the house) ever since. I planted the one today right over where Rimski is buried.

Here’s what Rimski looked like when he was a kitten:

(c) Yelloideas Photography

Then he got bigger and lounged around on the computer monitor in my son’s house. When my son had to go overseas, his cats came to live with me. And I didn’t give them back.

 

(c) Yelloideas Photography

But, I've gotten off the track here. I’m so glad I’ve had a compost pile percolating for several years. Now that I’m finally interested in planting again (all because the bees are going to need nectar to gather), the compost is coming in handy. The only problem with using compost is that I spend a lot of time rescuing earthworms before I can plant anything; but then again, what else is a lovely day for if not to encourage us to take time to move deliberately and enjoy every moment?

BEEattitude for Day # 142:

       Blessed are those who start plants early, for we bees shall be grateful to them.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Those earthworms   

http://www.franstewart.com