This spring I have noticed an almost total absence of bees. I've only seen two wasps and they were both sluggish and died soon after with no assistance.
I didn't think much of it until the strawberries bloomed. Usually those are crawling with big fat bumble bees, but this year they are strangely devoid of not just bees but any insects at all. True, we have been able to document a handful of buggers over the last few weeks, but come on! This is Iowa! We usually swarm in the buzzing life by now to the point most people would be begging to bathe in DDT..... (Not us, of course).
So what's the deal?
Monday, 12 May 2008
Or Not To Bee....
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Meme Time!
Ten Years Ago what were you doing, Mama P?
We were buying and moving into our first house. There were tornadoes through May and June. I was a nanny and a freshman in college. Just after we moved in, Dearest proposed to me. The following January we were married. That spring was magical despite the storms.
Five Things on Today’s “To Do” List
Bathe Lil'Bug
Battle tangles in her hair
Make lasagnas for the freezer
Sunday dinner with family
Work on summer syllabus (oops, forgot until just now!)
If I were a Billionaire
I'd no doubt have to get a lawyer, first. Much of my world is litigious. Then I'd pay the balance of my student loans, but then I wouldn't be a billionaire anymore! Just kidding, sort of.
I'd love to have thousands of wilderness acres and that farm life we've dreamed of.
I'd figure out some good things to do. The interest alone would fund several endeavours. In practice though I don't like most non-profit groups. More money goes to paying people to beg for more salary money (fundraising) than to do the actual program. Operating costs are often overblown. Just saying.
Three Bad Habits
Trusting the people to the point of getting taken advantage of, then not trusting enough, and oscillating between the two extremes.
Not saying thank you often enough.
I'm a sentimental packrat.
Five Places I’ve Lived
Greeley, Co
Deertrail, Co
Kankakee, Il
Jennings, La
Des Moines, Ia
Five Jobs I’ve Had
- Nanny
- Bookseller
- Credit Card Customer Service (thing learned: mostly, furniture salespeople in NJ are not to be trusted).
- Museum Curator/ Site Manager (re: underpaid secretary/bookkeeper who had to wear a 1900's costume when people visited the site)
- College Professor
You know, I wouldn't trade any of those jobs for the precious one I am entrusted to now.
Tag - you’re it!
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
Saturday, 10 May 2008
How to Make a Raised Bed Garden.....
....from a spot of yard that used to be a parking lot for an apartment building and before that the foundation for a garage. Oh, and add to that a limited and unwilling budget.
First, construct the boxes. We used scrap wood from other projects, cut them into 4 ft lengths and 1x1 stakes at the corners to screw, (not nail) them together. The above photo shows the box upside down. The stake gets pounded into the ground so the end is cut at an angle to make that a bit easier. Dearest thinks it might be a good idea to use 4x4's instead, but 1x's are what we had on hand.
These are the two new boxes lined up where they will go so we can mark where the sod needs to be cut/dug out. Still upside down.
Now, here's the thing. Our yard used to be a parking lot when our house was cut up into 9 apartments. Before that there was a garage that burned down in this spot. So various parts of the yard have ft deep of gravel, concrete, or this:
Foundation stone, rebar rods, glass, and other debris. Then the clay soil has to be dug through and removed because of the lead in the soil. MUST be done. Our area has the highest rate of juvenile lead poisoning in the entire USA. We also have Lil'Bug tested regularly, just in case.
Anyway, the soil must be removed 12-18 inches. This is beneficial too, because clay soil is not ideal for vegetable gardening. We use the soil to build up around our foundation.
Haul away debris and bad soil. Then set the boxes with the long steak side down. Level them. Do your best anyway. Ours are levelish.
Then fill with compost, top soil, and cow manure. Top with deep cedar mulch. Plant plants.
We still don't do root veggies like carrots or beets or potatoes because of the lead issue. Can't be too careful with developing brains. Lil'Bug helped a lot with almost every step of the process. The handyman who did the heavy work (Dearest) is camera shy when in work mode.
First, construct the boxes. We used scrap wood from other projects, cut them into 4 ft lengths and 1x1 stakes at the corners to screw, (not nail) them together. The above photo shows the box upside down. The stake gets pounded into the ground so the end is cut at an angle to make that a bit easier. Dearest thinks it might be a good idea to use 4x4's instead, but 1x's are what we had on hand.
These are the two new boxes lined up where they will go so we can mark where the sod needs to be cut/dug out. Still upside down.
Now, here's the thing. Our yard used to be a parking lot when our house was cut up into 9 apartments. Before that there was a garage that burned down in this spot. So various parts of the yard have ft deep of gravel, concrete, or this:
Foundation stone, rebar rods, glass, and other debris. Then the clay soil has to be dug through and removed because of the lead in the soil. MUST be done. Our area has the highest rate of juvenile lead poisoning in the entire USA. We also have Lil'Bug tested regularly, just in case.
Anyway, the soil must be removed 12-18 inches. This is beneficial too, because clay soil is not ideal for vegetable gardening. We use the soil to build up around our foundation.
Haul away debris and bad soil. Then set the boxes with the long steak side down. Level them. Do your best anyway. Ours are levelish.
Then fill with compost, top soil, and cow manure. Top with deep cedar mulch. Plant plants.
We still don't do root veggies like carrots or beets or potatoes because of the lead issue. Can't be too careful with developing brains. Lil'Bug helped a lot with almost every step of the process. The handyman who did the heavy work (Dearest) is camera shy when in work mode.
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
What is in a Name?
A Baby by any other name.....
Yes, naming a baby is an enormous task. We still have not settled on a name and have actually been calling her June Bug. We have a month or less to decide and still nada. Dearest Husband thinks he has a good name, Lil'Bug has a different one, and Nana has a third name she's decided on. Great.
With Lil'Bug it was easy, inspiration hit and that was it. This time, not so much and every name I have come up with has been either yucked at, decided that...."it's a good name for a pet fish," or just plain discarded by me a day later.
Yes, naming a baby is an enormous task. We still have not settled on a name and have actually been calling her June Bug. We have a month or less to decide and still nada. Dearest Husband thinks he has a good name, Lil'Bug has a different one, and Nana has a third name she's decided on. Great.
With Lil'Bug it was easy, inspiration hit and that was it. This time, not so much and every name I have come up with has been either yucked at, decided that...."it's a good name for a pet fish," or just plain discarded by me a day later.
Mother, wife, sister, friend. This is our second year on the farm, a dream we've had since we were first married. We unschool, AP parent, and grow our own food (or try to).
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