#Save the Bees

The art of Louis Masai

Bodies of Honey

The art of Blake Little

{{Thanks for the tip Debra!}}

Mor-Bee-d Art

The art of Aganetha Dyck 

{{thanx Debra! for the tip. I used a play on words for the title 'cause these are just a tad mor-beed!}}

3-B Art

The Art of Tomas Libertiny

and a host of Bees

Caffeine improves the memories....

of Bees! 

In laboratory tests, bees were more apt to remember the location of  flowers which had low concentrations of caffeine in their nectar. The caffeine acted as a memory stimulant in the bees. 
This 'drugging of the Bee' is beneficial to the plant - causing it to bear more fruit and seeds. Plants which produce caffeine laced nectar are coffee plants and citrus plants.

To Read More, Click Here!

And Here!

Weird Wednesday ~ Bees Produce Colored Honey

Bees is a northeastern part of France began making honey in shades of blue and green when they began feeding on remnants of colored M&M candy shells. Unfortunately  the honey could not be sold because it did not meet France's honey production standard of color which is nearly colorless to dark brown.

Click here to read more!

Bees, Boxes & a Microbe update

Microbe Update ~ Before I get started, I'd like to give a bit more explanation about the art I featured this past Sunday - The Art of the Microbe . All the pictures featured in that blog post were actually very unique artwork that had been creating by using living bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms. The designs were created in petri dishes by various means.  I encourage everyone to visit the link provided at the beginning of the post to learn more.

And now on to other things..... Settling in is going to take longer than I had anticipated. But I'm not complaining. My days are now filled with "Grandma, come see" or "Grandma, let's play". I have begun babysitting my oldest son's youngest daughter, Miss Fae, on a semi-regular basis.

Miss Fae explores the world with a gentle step and a sense of joy that is quite infectious.  We've learned how to 'paint' on the sidewalk with water and a found feather. We've built a raft from sticks so the bug in the puddle had a place to go. We did our part in repopulating the dandelions in the front yard.

And we've had numerous Tea Parties in the middle of the kitchen floor. And then at least once, if not twice, a week I spend time with our other five grand children. So my time is filled with much Love and Laughter!

The mountain of boxes that have filled the garage are slowly dwindling. Hubby and I try to tackle 2-3 boxes a day. I've already discovered items I had forgotten about - like the children's table & chairs I had bought just before I began packing. And our Kids have been the beneficiaries of numerous boxes of cast-off items. Some day we shall reclaim our garage!

I have a hive of ground dwelling bees in the backyard. Something has to be done about the bees so that we can enjoy the backyard. I emailed Zan Asha of  Vagabond Creations about the bees. Since she is a beekeeper, I felt she could advise me. Zan suggested that I contact a local bee club or even a nature preserve about the Hive's removal. I shall keep you posted....

And I have been enjoying the cooler temperatures!! Especially after enduring the horribly hot summer that Arkansas experienced this year. And yesterday, while at the grocery store, Miss Fae and I made a HUGE discovery!! PUMPKINS have arrived!! Oh JoY!!!! The season will soon be upon us!!

Bee Update

First, I would like to say Thank You to everyone who commented on my post last week about Bees. The input provided was most enlightening. My little friends continue to visit me while I work outside. They have now been joined by the occasional Bumble Bee.

I didn't know what to think when they first started showing up. I ruled out the need for water (in 110+ deg temperatures, a person does have a tendency to sweat a bit!) since I have a small ornamental pond in our courtyard and there is a larger pond about 50 yards from the house. (Bees use water to help cool the Hive in hot weather as well as to thin out honey so it might be fed to larva)
Someone suggested to me that the Bees could be attracted to my pheromones. And this could very well be, though I'm not sure about the chemistry between Bees and a person's pheromones. That is something I must delve into when time allows. And no I haven't been wearing perfume or deodorant (I know, I know.... but when you are by yourself and sweating like Niagara Falls, deodorant is the last thing on a person's mind!)

After reading and pondering, I feel that the Bees are telling me several things....

• That all my efforts - all the painting done on the house, all the boxes packed, all the weeks spent alone while Hubby was attending school and doing homework will pay off. That I will soon be able to enjoy the 'fruits' of my labors.   
• The Bee encounters at the new House are also a sign that those 'frutis' await us - that the hard work that Hubby and our youngest son have done on the new place will pay off in the end. And soon We will all be able to sit back and enjoy each others company!
• The Bees are also encouraging me to continue on the mystickal path ~ I have a lovely Witch and several darling little Witchlings waiting for me.
• And the Bees from the WildWoods are bidding me goodbye. I shall miss them dearly. But many new friends await .....

The Meaning of Bees ~ Input Please!

Bees have become a companion of mine lately. I seem to always have one or more flying around me, landing on me, or just sometimes being a general nuisance (there little feet tickle the back of my neck). These are honey bees that seem to be craving my attention - not Bumble Bees or Sweat Bees but Honey Bees. {Hubby says it's because I'm so sweet! He must be buttering me up for something!}

I have been doing a fair amount of work outside, packing up the garage and other shop buildings, and bees always seem to find me, doesn't matter if it is early morning or late afternoon.  I am wondering if this is an omen, a message perhaps?  Hubby even reported that he thinks there is a ground nest of bees at the new house. Hhhmmmmm....... What are these little guys trying to tell me??

January

January! Where would we Gardeners be without this month? I know, it's cold and dreary outside. The Holidays are over. The company has gone home. And how we long for those funny, sunny days of Spring!


And ALL those Plant and Seed catalogs we've been getting sure don't help the matter any!

They're such a tease! A taunt, if you will. Luring us into the depths of a gardener's would-be paradise! And I am as guilty as the rest. I look at those catalogs and dream about how my gardens would look with all those lovely flowers!

Imagining those luscious strawberries just waiting to be picked....



Smelling the fragrant perfume of the rose bush by the Garden Shed....



Seeing the butterflies and bees busy about their daily business amid the blossoms and blooms....



But we need this time to plan and sketch. And to dream. And then plan some more.

My gardens always start out with a grand design. (Whose wouldn't after looking at all those catalogs!) But they evolve over time. Usually for a much simpler, lower maintenance plan.

But that doesn't stop me from reading about and dreaming about all those wonderful plants that just won't grow here! And maybe thinking about getting just one more exotic plant for the Courtyard 'cause I know I can squeeze it into the greenhouse for the winter!



My plans this year aren't so much to add flowers, but to rearrange the ones I've already got. Shade envelopes more of a flower bed, as trees grow and their canopies enlarge. Some plants have outgrown their corner and are beginning to bully their neighbors. Others just don't like the neighborhood they're in. But I'm sure, I'll probably be able to find room for maybe one or two new acquisitions.

I must go now and look at the latest catalogs that came in today's mail!

I'll keep you posted on my finds ....