Fascinating Bees

I’m not much of a bee enthusiast, but I do love the delicious nectar, “honey”. My experience with this tiny buzzing insect is usually to duck and move away as it flies by my head. But these small winged creatures are fascinating.

My father use to tell me stories about my grandfather who had beehives under his cherry trees. Climbing these soft-wooded trees was not allowed, but like any other boy his age, dad would sneak out and hide among the branches. Sometimes a switch was used to bring home the point that cherry tree climbing was outlawed, no matter how my poor young father felt about his adventure.

In researching about bees, I came across a blog describing a habitat made specifically for bees. A border over 100 feet long, planted with plants to attract the bees. Go to Frey Vineyards and read abut the lovely border.

I’ve been told that the best honey for consumers is produced by local beekeepers. Check out Tom Ogren’s theory about allergies and local honey at Pioneer Thinking. Also visit Carolyn Niethammer's blog on bees. Very interesting regarding beekeeping.

While you are reading, grab a good book, a cup of tea or coffee, and settle back for an adventure. Nothing like a story to sweep you off on a solitary voyage of adventure.

Umbrella Day

Today, February 10, is umbrella day. Bet you didn’t know there was such a day. Well, neither did I but after looking into it, the thought is quite interesting.

The word umbrella per the dictionary states: a small portable usually cloth canopy that is fastened to a frame with hinged ribs radiating from a center pole, has a circular convex shape when open, can be opened or closed by means of a sliding catch, and provides protection against the weather. The word comes from the Latin word umbra.

We all depend on the plain or even colorful umbrellas we buy in department stores or online. Those are adequate and serviceable. However, I have found a few umbrellas I want to share with you that are different and quite unusual. They are available from musical, to glowing to tandem.

The first one is a CLOUD UMBRELLA: I’m not sure if this umbrella actually keeps the rain off the user, but as you can see from the picture, it is unique and will definitely attract attention.

To checkout more about this website, go to Unusual and Interesting Design .

Next is the WATER GUN UMBRELLA: The grip is a gun at the bottom and water is funneled down the handle. I'm sure not everyone will want a gun umbrella, but it is different.

For more unusual umbrellas, checkout this website.
Unusual and Creative Umbrellas

Of course, umbrellas are only needed on a rainy day. So if you are not in need of one, take time out, sit back, and read a good book.

If you are looking for an interesting historical to read, go to the buy button at the right. The Anderson Chronicles will definitely hold your in attention as the family travels across our great country.

Until we get together again, be safe and enjoy life.

Things from the Sky

Here it is Saturday and the blog goes on.

I read the other day in Uncle John’s Reader about some strange items that fell from the sky. How many times do we look up expecting a deluge of things other than rain, snow, or hail to fall out of the heavenly blue? Not many that I can recall. But after reading the Bathroom Reader, I wonder.

The first one was hay. That’s right, plain old hay. Seems that a cloud of hay drifted over a town in England back in 1977. Fistful of the stuff dropped onto the town in clumps. What kind of a day was it….nothing spectacular. The sky was clear, cloudless and the temp was 79 degrees. Anybody have a goat? (pg 213)

In Brazil, a rancher reported in 1971 that beans rained down on his land. The local authorities surmised that a storm had swept a pile of the beans from West Africa and dropped them in northeastern Brazil. The farmer cooked up some but said they were too tough to eat. (pps 215-216)

Last but not least, silver coins. Now this one is worth watching the skies, but carry some kind of protection. In 1940 several thousand rubles’ of coins fell in the USSR. The explanation was that a landslide had uncovered a hidden treasure that was picked up by a tornado and dropped on the town. Pennies from heaven. I could collect a few. (pg 216)

That‘s all for now. Until next week, stay safe, kick back and read a good book.

Uncle John’s Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader. Bathroom Readers’ Press, Ashland, OR, 2001.

Hello Out There

Yes, you guessed it. I'm back after a horrific health year and I'll be posting every Friday. So stay with me.

My fourth book, Trails of Destiny (working title), is in the processes of being submitted to my publisher within the next few weeks. I know you are all waiting for the next installment in the Anderson Chronicles. So in the meantime, let's have some fun.

Stay tuned, same time, same channel (seems I've heard this before).

Grab a good book, kick back and enjoy the read.

To Worm or Not to Worm

What a question, one I'd rather not become familiar with. Since my marriage to a great guy, his hobby is fishing, much to my dismay. For handling a fishing rod is fine with me, but the baiting part----Auughhhhhh.

Worms. They wiggle, are slimy, and just plain ugly. I'm not much for baiting my own hook for when I'm through with a worm ---well, you don't want to know what it looks like. Where I'm originally from (Missouri), fishing in the Mississippi or the Missouri Rivers is a weekend thing. One enjoyed by many fishermen and women. But in some states, it's all together different. In one particular city, you need a permit to dig for Worms. That's right, a permit.

In Smithtown, NY, there is a law from the Depression era that requires people who are digging for worms to obtain a permit. This law was originally to keep out-of-towners from tearing up the area looking for bloodworms. In addition to the permit, fishermen were required to disclose exactly where they were going to dig. The permit cost---fifty cents.

Today, much to the chagrin of the town clerk, this permit is outdated and has become a nuisance with only a few people who request the permit for old time sake. The officials in Smithtown hope to scrap this law in the next few months.

As I stated in the beginning, fishing is not my cup of tea. I would rather sit on the bank, read a good book with a cold glass of water, and kick back to enjoy the scenery. When hubby catches something whether it is a fish or an old shoe, I applaud his efforts and then relax in the shade. Ahhh, a good book, a comfortable chair, and the smell of the old outdoors, what else could you ask for on a fishing trip. Can you say, “fry them up.”

Writing by the Seat of the Pants

This subject sounds risqué and/or painful. Actually this is the way I write. I put my behind in the chair, my fingers on the keyboard and type as my characters talk to me. Some nights it’s all quiet on the home front, no words come mind, paragraphs are difficult, and it becomes a discouraging situation.

In this case scenario, I find myself standing in front of the refrigerator, door open, checking out something to give me comfort. Lindt chocolate, ice cream, peanut butter, cheese stick, pecans, etc., anything quick and easy. Unfortunately, none of the above items make the words come any faster or easier.

The other night I couldn’t type fast enough. Words sprung to life as my fingers danced across the keys. The story took on a whole different direction and I was loving it. What a different a day/night can make. I felt like Nora Roberts, Clive Cussler, Ernest Hemingway. The novel was brilliant. But of course I had to come back to reality. Editing was involved.

Words can formulate in my mind at the strangest times. Like two weeks ago. I stood in line at Wally World waiting patiently for a little old lady around 90 to extract the exact change from her small snapable coin purse. She was having trouble getting the change out with her arthritic fingers to finish paying the 98 cents. I wanted to shout, “Give her a dollar”, but I was patient and kept my mouth shut. Then the words began, one after the other spilled forth into my memory banks. Beautiful paragraphs to fill the struggling chapter I had been working on. However, my memory banks have a small hole in them, referred to as senior moments. No pencil. No paper. And, the little old lady was still counting, 68, 69, 70. I wanted to pound my head on the basket handle but that would have hurt.

By the time I arrived home, my mind was a blank, no beautiful words, no characters talking, and I felt exhausted. Such is the life of a writer. Why do we continue to write? Because we have to. We are physically and mentally driven. How do we get our inspiration? One word at a time.

So dear readers, I sit in front of the monitor, fingers on the keyboard and prepare to finish the fourth book in the Anderson Chronicles, which finally has a title — TRAILS OF DESTINY.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Miss Bethany Fisackerly won a free book in my Title Contest. Congratulation, Bethany. I know you will enjoy reading James, Standing Tall and Micah’s story in the fall.