How did we get all the way to May? Today is the LAST day of April and where am I at? To be honest I'm mostly on the couch reading while my shoulder heals from some mysterious ailment of pain with a heat pad and rest. I am not good at sitting still! However, it seems that is the remedy at the moment. Mornings are for getting as much done as I can with as little effort as possible so that in the afternoon I can rest the mystery under heat and hope for the best. Ahhhh to get older and have your body tire from wear and tear? I MUST learn to be smarter about what and how I lift things while working on my tiny homestead. Well, enough of that! I won't waste any more time whining as I can only type for so long before I'm back under the heat. This truly sucks! However, it too will pass and others deal with much more.
We picked up a nuc of honey bees and put them in our Langstroth hive today. It's a not nice day with rain and cool temperatures but we must persevere so we inserted the bees between bouts of rain and are very impressed with the size of the colony. May they glean much food from the coming vegetables, flowers and such. It feels too quiet in a garden without bees, a noticeable quiet that is quite eerie.
Spring is also the time of dandelions. I know for most that is a pestilence to their lawn and gardens. But, for me, they are a harbinger of spring and a herald of new growth and promise. I collect them, dry them and soak them in oil to be made into a pain-relieving salve and homemade soap. It's all there if you know where to look. The universe provides so willingly. Besides the benefits, the yellow color just makes me smile so much! It's a tenacious little plant that digs in deep roots and refuses to leave without the highest effort. Perhaps there's a lesson there...hmmm? While I was picking, I saw honey bees drinking from the yellow faces and that too made me smile. Everything has its uses.
I was lying on the ground taking photos of my yellow faced friends and was amazed by a huge patch of tiny purple flowers. On close inspection they appeared to be yarrow in bloom. Spectacular! I took photos but they just don't do them justice. Some things have to be experienced in real time or not at all.
The two biggest things in my dual world right now are the farm store which is quickly coming to conclusion (if the weather would just cooperate on the weekends when my husband has time to build) and the commencement of the second book in the comedy series "Living With Chickens." In this book Gladys will be seeking a job, no doubt with the help of Mrs. Google and her close friend Frank (Mr. Johnson). I got a couple of thousand words into the manuscript and bam...this irritating mystery pain.
Life....it dishes out what it will and you have to swallow it and find out later what it was all about.
Meanwhile, I am loved by friends and family, I live in a wonderful home with my incredible husband, I have access to excellent medical care and my greenhouse is full of vegetable starts that make me very happy.
I hope that in all the years of your life when the universe throws things at you that might be a bit disappointing, frustrating, or even devastating that you will find the other side and take a moment to pick a dandelion and let it bring you an unexpected smile. #authorlife #homesteading #dandelions #spring #bees
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