For A Few Pounds Of Sugar

Here are three of my husband's four bee-hives.The jars in front of each hive are full of sugar water to feed the bees and help get them through the wet, cold days of our spring weather which does not provide enough nectar & pollen for new hives.The close-up shows the feeder jar. You can see how the bottom of the jar slides into the hive allowing the bees access from inside the hive.My husband has been keeping these feeders full, so the bees have no lack, plus, the flowers, trees, grasses and weeds are blooming.

Now, take a look here.In front of the picture window.

We have two HUMMINGBIRD feeders there, but the hummingbirds have to zip through the honeybees to drink the sugar water we put out for them.

The hummingbirds also compete with yellow jackets, hornets, and ants.

 I sure hope we have a bounty of honey this year,  given the honey bee take-over of the hummingbird feeders.I wish I could have captured on my camera the sight of the hummingbirds weaving around the honeybees, and one hummingbird even seemed to be doing a face to face mirror dance with a bee. There are so many little dramas & comedies going on around here all at one time.How could I ever get bored with so much entertainment? This little bit of comedy is to be had for only the price of a few pounds of sugar.

Bee Tea & Quilt ~ Tea Time Tuesday

It is Tea~Time Tuesday again and I have missed joining in the fun lately. I have enjoyed being a part of this blogging party celebrating all things tea, so even though there were so many things I needed to get done today, I set them aside and brewed myself a pot of tea. Doesn't this bee-hive teapot with matching sugar & creamer make you smile? It is so sun-shiny happy during the cold, dark, days of February. Last week I just wanted to brighten things up and spread a cheery quilt made by the sewing & quilting ladies of Lacamas Community Center. ( they are now meeting at Ohop Grange)

I am showing you snippets and squares of the quilt that particularly celebrate bees.

Notice the detail of that tiny strip between the green & black fabric.

Did you think I would forget to show a teacup or two on Tea Time Tuesday? It was hard coming up with a teacup that fit in with the honeybee theme, but I like these not- too- delicate rose chintz patterned cups & saucers. Honeybees need flowers to make honey. A bright yellow teacup would be nice here too,maybe even better, but I still like the chintz for this setting.

Click onto the picture for enlargement.The teacups are Rose Chintz Gracie China, made in China. The two teacups are from a set of 4, and are perfect for tea parties with grandchildren. Real china, affordable, & dishwasher safe too.

Click onto any picture, it will enlarge and you'll be able to see the bees in the quilt squares.

It just makes me happy to see the quilt and teapot on my table, bee happy !

I am linking up with the ladies listed below for Tea Time Tuesday .

• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

The teapot, sugar & creamer were purchased at Fred Meyer's just last week. How could I not buy such a happy trio, especially when my husband is a bee-keeper? "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body." Proverbs 16:24

Spot On My Bee-Keeper

~My Bee-keeper, my honey, my husband! He and our oldest son have kept bees for many years...and after our son left home for the Marines and his own family, my bee-keeper kept the bees. My bee-keeper tends our gardens, orchards, and me! He loves to share the secrets of his bees with any who are interested. He shares the harvest of his bees with family and friends. ~Last weekend the bees showed signs of swarming. When my Bee-keeper checked his hives he discovered the bees had grown in such number that they needed new boxes added to the hive to accommodate them. He added the boxes and so far things have settled down in the hive and they have not swarmed. Any who note the time I publish my blog post will notice I am a night-owl, and my precious Bee-keeper is not...this might very well sum up his view of the hours in a day, "Morning is the best of all times in a garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another.Bees are already at work." William Longwood

The Bee-Keepers' Apprentice

~Our oldest granddaughter was so excited to help my Hubby, her Poppa, work with his bees. I hope she knows we have bees because when her Daddy, our oldest son was a little boy, the age she is here, he wanted to keep bees. He learned a lot about bees and for his 8th birthday we pooled his saved money and ours to buy his first hive and some of the basic equipment needed to keep bees. We have kept bees now for 24 years.

~Here Poppa and #1 granddaughter open the hive and take a peek to see what is going on. She is holding the frame gripper, that is the tool that grips , lifts and holds the frames of bee brood and wax inside the hive. "The bee master must be first of all a bee lover, or he will never succeed." Ticknor Edwards

~The hive box is lifted to check the box under it. These boxes are full of bees, brood, honey...a whole buzzing , hard-working community of yellow-gold and black bees producing honey, most of which we will take for ourselves later in the year. "How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, and gather honey all the day, from every opening flower. How skilfully she builds her cell, How neat she spreads her wax, And labours hard to store it well, With the sweet food she makes." Isaac Watts (Against Idleness and Mischief)

~This is the big smile we got after she was done helping with the bees! I think she is a natural bee-keeper, and Poppa can use an apprentice !~ "He is not worthy of the honeycomb, that shuns the hives because the bees have stings." William Shakespeare

Spring is in the Air, Snow is on the Ground!

~The hummingbirds are back, and boy howdy are they back! I have 3 hummingbird feeders and all three have male hummingbirds buzzing each other in threatening hummingbird manner, claiming feeders as their own personal pantry. One bright red little guy has taken to perching on the feeder when not eating or dive bombing other hummers. Aren't they beautiful little feathered jewels?

~Goth is peeking over the fence, just checking out this year's lamb crop...all are his sons and daughters.

~Aren't they cute? You should see them jumping and leaping and playing with one another.

~I think the mole family has expanded because they now have huge mole mountains and way too many tunnels and holes all over our property. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

~My doves all seem to have paired off and my dove pens are filled with egg filled dove nests in and on every possible surface and crevice they can manage to keep a nest from falling. They are even laying and hatching eggs in their feeders, like the dove above.

~Here is an almost grown dove ( above ), ready to start leaving the nest... and as soon as he is out of the nest it will be claimed by another pair of doves , if he isn't pushed out of the nest by them before he is ready. The doves are pretty aggressive about nesting!.

~But the bees are confused...we are still feeding them sugar water because this weekend we had 3 inches of snow.....and today woke up to snow again! Is nature playing an April Fool's day prank on us?

~Welcome Spring, whenever you come!~ "He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine which makes the heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man's heart.....They all wait for Thee, to give them their food in due season. Thou dost give it to them, they gather it up; Thou dost open Thy hand, they are satisfied with good." Psalm 104 : 14, 15,27, 28

Spot on A Warm Spring Day in the Fall !

~Looky here, a sun shiny day in the middle of November. A month typically known for rain, wind, chilly temperatures, all around gray weather. My front porch was WARM this morning !~Hubby's bees also thought it was spring, maybe even summer ! They were out and about and very busy. It is a good thing we put a feeder in the hive. ( jar on right hive is full of sugar water to feed the bees )The flowers for the most part are very aware of the season and there are not many flowers available to feed the active and busy bees. ~The bees even made themselves their own entrance to the hive, yes- siree, no using the common entrance below. Short cut in the middle works best for them ! ~There was one confused rose. Here she is , blooming beautifully amidst the grapes , the grapes that have shed their leaves in due accordance to the season. ~The 4 new ducks I brought home from Lacamas Bazaar have finally grown up, and after a week of penning near the pond with the rest of the flock, were released today ! Freedom to enter the BIG pond. They were timid at first, but the rest of the duck flock was so enjoying the pond they finally went in for their first real swim ! ~They were very, very enthusiastic about their first swim. Their first chance to fully wet and preen their feathers. Look at them splash with abandon. ~The warm weather was just perfect for a bath and a swim in the pond, and the opportunity to dry in the WARM sunshine on the front lawn. Ahhhhhhhh...Spring ! (in the Autumn)