Gratitude Sunday

We are grateful for so many things.  Here is what comes to mind from this past week:

~ tomatoes!  Finally, now in full force (reds, oranges, green striped, purple, cherries, pear shaped, pinks, yellows)...

~ freshly harvested and absolutely delicious honeycomb shared with us by our beekeeping friend, tasting of spicy summer blossoms (we did not want to waste a single drop of this knowing how much work of bees has gone into this treat) from a top bar hive

~ pollinators ALL over the property - we noticed 6 kinds of different kinds of bees on site just in one afternoon, not to mention the wasps, moths, butterflies and other insects offering pollination support here.  We usually think of bees when we consider pollination, and bees certainly are good at it due to the hairs on their bodies where pollen can stick and be carried to the next flower, but here are some categories of other important pollinators not to be forgotten:

• Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants)
• Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
• Diptera (flies)
• Coleoptera (beetles)

~ new friends we have met through hosting them in our bed & breakfast here at Little City Farm

~ momentum developing on our local chicken bylaw campaign - for those of you locally who want to get involved in working to create a pro-hen bylaw for our city please go to the yahoo group for the Kitchener Hen Association here

~ rain this week!  and extremely grateful that the two large trees that were knocked down on our property due to high winds did not fall on any buildings (those of you who know Maya's climbing tree and the cedar with the swings, will be sad to hear they are no longer standing)

~ however, there is firewood for us, and also a huge sunny area of the yard where we can now plant fruit trees, hopefully from our local Whiffletree Nursery which specializes in cold hardy fruit trees

What are you grateful for this week?

The amazing bees!

I've been watching bees the past weeks, fascinated, captivated, astounded - by their diligent work, their beauty, their diversity.  My almost-6 year old and I spend hours in the garden honing our patience and observation skills, sitting quietly amongst the oregano patch, or the squash plants, waiting for the bees to come.  Mid day to late afternoon, when the sun is warmest, we find them to be the busiest in our garden.  We've seen squash bees, mason bees, carpenter bees, honeybees, bumble bees, sweat bees, and others I'm still not sure of.  Here are some photos, which are now also turned into photo cards that can be found here!  Remember to allow flowering plants, berries, trees and veggies (and wild plants such as goldenrod) a place in your yard to provide forage for the pollinators!   Then take some time to pause and observe...what is pollinating in your yard?

For my upcoming birthday I've asked my partner for a "date" building a top bar hive together, so we can embark on our own beekeeping/bee sanctuary project here.  Here is another site that has great info on natural beekeeping methods.

honey, eggs & earth day

Happy earth day (every day!)

Our daughter told me she felt we spent today in the most earth-loving way possible - spending most of our day with earth-loving friends who inspire us: who also love growing food, caring for animals, keeping bees, getting their hands into the soil, raising their kids to be conscientious and kind, living simply and exemplifying creative, sustainable permaculture principles in so many ways (in approaches to parenting, unschooling, gardening, household routines).

Whenever we are at this friends' house we are served simple nourishing wholesome food that they have grown or wild-harvested, our daughter spends as many hours as she can holding all manner of their birds and animals from bunnies to quail, snuggling with cats and dogs, and we never leave empty handed.  Today we were gifted with a dozen tiny quail eggs wrapped in tissue to keep them safe in our bike trailer; a piece of sweet precious honeycomb from the first honey harvest of their top bar hive; and freshly cut willow for spring decor and to root for ourselves.  An inspiring family that I am so glad to have as members of our community.

For those who want more information on natural beekeeping, check out Gaia Bees site and Gaia Bees videos.  The section on alternative bee nests is quite beautiful (see the straw hive and sun hive).