Day 1564 - Bzzz

Ruth had asked to help me with the next time I needed to re-fill the bees' sugar water, and so today we did!

She was pretty excited to wear her veil, but I finally managed to get her to wait long enough for me to get the smoker going and such.

We went out and opened up the hive, and Ruth looked inside and even touched a couple of the bees.  "They feel like plastic," was how she described it afterwards.  I didn't take out any of the frames this time, as I didn't really have a reason to, and feel like I shouldn't disassemble their home if I don't need to.

We added a third Illinois super to complete the brood chamber, and then refilled their sugar water reservoir and closed the whole thing up.  No stings, no burns, and she's excited to do it again (if you get her to concentrate enough to answer your question)!

Day 1134 - Gardening

From 21st Century Digital Kid

Sasha and our half-feral child playing in the back yard.

Days 797 and 799 - Hanging Around in the Garden

It's hot. As Matthew Broderick would say, it's like, Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot. But nonetheless, Ruth enjoys hanging out in the garden in the mornings before daycare, and I like to oblige. I'm working on reclaiming the non-vegetable parts from the weeds, I am.

From 21st Century Digital Kid

From 21st Century Digital Kid

Ruth with the mother's day hydrangeas she helped me pick out for M this year.

From 21st Century Digital Kid

I know it looks kind of like an undifferentiated mess right now, but the dark green leaves on the ground advancing right toward you are the Futsu squash, then there are rows of tomatoes, a lattice for beans, and the big tall things are sunflowers along the fence.

From 21st Century Digital Kid

From 21st Century Digital Kid

First squash blossom.

From 21st Century Digital Kid

First sunflower bloom.

Day 716 - Garden

We've started prep for our garden. Some seeds are sprouting away indoors - I had to move the Boule d'Or melons out of the little "greenhouse" box because they were pushing against the top already, and our tomatoes are all showing shoots. And don't get me started on the basil. Still no movement from the tomatillos, pink bananas, or strawberry spinach. Oh well.

Yesterday, Ruth helped me. First, we put down the clover seed that finally showed up. I planted too late in the fall and frost killed it all, so our backyard has been looking like a blasted wasteland. Ruth helped spread it.

From 21st Century Digital Kid

Then she helped me give the seeds a nice drink of water. "I hold hose, Daddy! There mud in there. I see mud!"

From 21st Century Digital Kid

We also planted blueberry bushes (not shown). It was the culmination of an anniversary day/Good Friday closed daycare Dad day. It was pretty fun. We went to the wine store ("I like wine. Beer! Is beer, Daddy!"), to Whole Foods ("I need muffin! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeese!"), and to the plant store where Miss Joan showed her a whole bunch of flowers that she smelled while I picked out the blueberry bushes. When I'm not giving myself an ulcer because I'm not writing, she's a fun kid to hang out with.

Garden Update

Pics here.