Remember when....

The house is quiet now...

The nieces and nephews gone back home...

I hope their hearts are filled with those kind of memories which come back again and again...

".....oh yes, in the summer we used to go visit my aunt and uncle in the country...

we'd have picnics in the orchard..."

"....and then we would pile into the van and head down to the lake...."

Even the little ones, braving the jump off the wobbly wharf!

I've been there since the day they were all born and now I see them growing up...

It's a rare occasion for them to see each other but time knows no boundary's for cousins...

Getting along like a house on fire!

Chattering and giggling all along the way...

Already making plans for the next time they are together...

Introducing.....

The other day, my friend Wysti gave me this incredible moth which she found...

It's name is Antheraea polyphemus and it is a giant wild silk moth.

Have a close look...this guy is incredible...first of all, the size of it. They can get as long as 5 1/2" long.

At first it was just so pretty to look at and then I started researching the life of these moths.

They coccoon all winter and then hatch out in the spring....looking for love.

Unfortunately he had lost one of his antennae but aren't they lovely? Like a tiny furry fern...

This moth, when it hatches into the adult form only lives for a week and doesn't eat during this time.

It's only purpose is to find a female and reproduce. 

Sometimes flying for miles just to find her...

I find it ever so humbling to discover these other layers of life which go on around us.

Most of us oblivious to these small wonders...

His body fur reminded me of a Highland cow...

 I imagine him fluttering about at night...

for a week...

looking for that mate...

somewhere out there..

"I lingered around them, under the benign sky;

watched the moths fluttering among the heath and hare-bells;

listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; 

and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

Emily Jane Bronte

  Wuthering Heights

Room with a view...

Chickens are interesting animals.

The term 'pecking order' certainly comes from the delicate hierarchy of the chicken world.

When introducing new chicks into the flock, care must be taken to do it slowly.

These chicks were brought home as 3 week old balls of fluff and are now what you might think of as teenagers...

They spent some time in the brooder under a heat lamp and when they were old enough, they were sent out into the big world...

They've now found their place in the flock but keep in their own little gang.

They use to roost in the far corner of the hen house but have since decided they prefer a room with a view...

...and so they settle in for the night...

All is well in hen land.

Swarm-a-rama!

Today when I went out to do some work in the garden, I heard a tremendous buzzing nearby.

Not the usual and by now I know what this means....another swarm.

This is the post they decided to land on....

before....

...and after...

So I phone the beekeeper and he comes out a few hours later, happy to see that the bees have stayed put...for now. We have learned much about honey bees and are not bothered by this occurrence.

I ask him about how close you can get to them....me with my selfish motives for taking pictures!

This picture should explain it quite simply....

A little closer?...

There's about 30,000 bees in this swarm.

As long as you move slowly, you can put your whole hand inside the swarm.

I will honestly tell you that I'm not there yet.

Bob tries to coax them into a new box with some artificial pheromones...

 The scouts come out to check it out and will hopefully go back to the swarm and 'tell' everyone to move...

Slowly they start to check into their new digs...

But things are slow and the sun is going down so the bees are tired and quite happy and warm on the post.

They stay here for the night.

The next day Bob comes to try to get them into a new box but they decide to swarm AGAIN...

This time they go about 50 feet away into the Linden tree and stay there until Bob comes just after sunset.

He sets up his operation from the back of his truck...

The box is set up under the cluster and Bob shakes the branch and about 8 pounds of bees go into the box...

It takes a while...

here are some stragglers making their way up towards the box...

Bob explains that the bees decided to do this about 2 weeks ago and have been preparing to fly away by putting the queen on a bit of a diet so she's light enough to travel.

It is after dusk when he finally gets them into a few boxes.

The cost of losing a swarm like this is not only worth about $250, but also the cost of the amount of honey they can produce in order for Bob to make his delicious mead and wild flower honey.

The life of a bee keeper can sometimes mean long hours and it was good to hear from Bob that tomorrow he is taking off with his family for 2 days of canoeing and camping...

 A rest well deserved!!

The bounty!

Out into the fields again...

 Past the old farmhouse...

 down through the orchard...

Out past the tractor...

These little beauties are easy to find...

A few little surprises along the way...

This time of year is heavy with the bounty of fruit!

We were like kids in a candy shop...

The delicate raspberry ready for the picking.

They don't keep long but just imagine...

In the middle of winter you go down into the freezer and grab a few cupfuls to eat with cream and sugar...

Or pop open a little jar of jam for your toast on a frosty December morning...

It will be that sweet perfume of a summer day...

The sun, the blue sky and chattering amongst the rows...

song for Friday....aahhh...summer!

 To me, this song says summer....

 beach towels

watermelon

AM radio

popsicles

flip flops

drive-in-movies...

Hope you have a sunny weekend!

Who's there?

5:38 A.M.

Tom has just left for work. Griffin and I still snoozing away, when....

Rumbling on the back porch...

Griffin goes ballistic....

I jump out of bed and see, without my glasses, what I think in my 5:38 A.M brain, is a big black dog.

Then I remember where I am and grab my camera...

This is what I see.

I let him get away a bit before releasing the hound. Griffin chases him away while I clean up the Rubbermaid bin which contained dog food. I bring the bin in the house.

We have had this locked lid container out here for 6 years and have never had any wildlife come to try and get into it.

We go back to bed.

6:00 A.M...

He's back.

This time I let Griffin go straight away.

The bear takes off out back and up a tree for a few seconds, gets down has a good rub against the tree and down into the woods he goes...

This kind of visitor is NOT welcome.

This bear is getting too close to the houses around here and he is only going to get himself killed.

With children and livestock around, it is a dangerous thing to have him around.

Unfortunately, part of the problem is development. Loss of habitat.

Even more disturbing though is people who don't take precautions with their garbage and those who actually feed wildlife.

The people who live on the property which borders ours think it's 'sweet' to feed the deer.

Well, it's not only the deer who come around now but ravens and bears, raccoons and possibly cougars when no one is watching.

I will have to make a call to the Conservation Officer this morning.

I will not only report the bear but also my neighbour. It is unwise to feed wildlife, illegal and dangerous.

I don't like to make this kind of call but this bear and possibly others are getting too close for comfort.

In the fall they come around to take fruit from the trees which is not good either but understandable.

Coming onto the back porch is NOT GOOD!

I hope this little bear has taken off into the woods and finds a deep shaded spot.

Hopefully Griffin's barking has given him the warning signal to stay away.