Surprized myself

I have found a love for Bees. Yep those things I used to run screaming from. Swat at if it came within 5 feet of me or hold my breath until someone else shooed it away. But last week I was able to shock myself and fall in love with them. While out documenting in pictures the growth of the plums and apples a patch of bright yellow dandelions caught my eye. They had grown quite large and tall. Kneeling down to take a few close-up pictures a bee landed on the very one I was photographing. And there it was. I didn't scream, shoo, hold my breath or run away. Instead I took the picture. Then proceeded to follow this little bee from flower to flower. Taking what felt like 100 pictures. 

I sat watching this bee happily work minding his own business and paying no attention to me for what seemed like an hour. He did get close and I did NOT freak. He buzzed, hovered and  landed on flowers that were touching my knees. He slowly and curiously came to my camera a few times never landing just looking or smelling and then would move on to the closest bloom. I realize he doesn't want me, doesn't care about me and wouldn't hurt me. All this time I had them out to be mean stinging machines, forgetting that if he stings me he dies and why would he purposely do that unless I was about to get his prized possession... his queen. So this bee and I are now friends. And the next ones I meet will be treated with respect.

What has a critter...

stinging, biting, soft or cute and fuzzy,

taught you lately?

a bit of a slacker

Well, last week I had high hopes and the weather did also. Sunny warm and perfect outside. So what went wrong what was my reason for not getting the veg garden up to grade and blah blah blah. I think it may have been 1 part laziness combined with two parts over scheduling and 1 part feeling a little down. 

I try really hard to not get caught in a downward spiral of poor me and why can't this be that way. I try. And most of the time I am doing great. But last week was not a "doing great" week. It was a moment of all the moving in the past 2 years catching up with me. Add to that the stress of hearing your husband almost died, losing our Lovey Fur Child... Jeffery Dog *a yr ago and finding out truths about people just caught up to me. So it was a Blah, overwhelmed and needing a good cry week. 

But it did get me thinking about farm animals and if veg was growing out in the yard. If having one of these bad weeks would have happened while I am taking care of "the food" that would go on our tables... I guess I would have been talking to a goat and crying with the chickens. Because no matter how I might be handling the day for the animals it would have been business as usual. Or would they have picked up on my mood. Would the goats let me milk them if they sensed I was off? Would the chickens allow me near their eggs and would the onions be even more tear-filled?

If having an Off day or week isn't allowed on the farm.

How do you cope with HAVING to work?

I guess the same would apply to having a cold or the Flu. The animals still exist and no amount of talking will make them understand you need to cough up a lung.

Garden Update #3

Oops Sunday came and went and an update was forgetting.

Not much to tell, Other then a new snake was discovered and removed. They all live on just not in my garden.

Fruit Trees:
Slow but changing.
Pears again we won't embarrass them
Appples turning more sunkissed with every sunny day
Plums are getting bigger still green, not a fuzzy, a few at the very top have color.

Critters:
Mole. Snakes. Bees.  Check-Check-Check

From Aug 1 - 18 growth in pictures

I did not finish my raised vegetable bed clean out and redirt. My poor excuse...    Work.

I have two Etsy shops 1 & 2 and twitter and facebook and it's all online. Something changed in the air last week and I received a handful or orders that have taken over my studio. Glad for the work but the garden ends up a bit neglected. Really need to work on my time management.