Movin and shakin

If you should feel the ground moving beneath your feet this week, don't be alarmed.... it's just me, moving heaven and earth, trying to accomplish all of my set in stone goals before Saturday:-)

My yard will play host to a large yard sale this weekend which will include goodies from, me, my Mom and my two twin Aunts. For the first time in over a year, I hope it doesn't rain.

There is still A LOT of planting to be done in the garden and for this part of the country, time is getting late.

And last, but not least, I have a pile of brush a mile high that needs to be burned before the May 1st burn ban goes into effect...

Time to roll up my sleeves and get to it.

So as this 42 year old body tries to summon the energy of someone half her age, there is bound to be some ground rattling going on. ~Rhonda

Sunday Smiles

Dappled sunlight on...

Freshly potted petunias:-)

Happy Sunday~Rhonda

Little Boy, Big Toy

This past weekend was perfect for getting out of doors and working in the yard. So my Daddy, who spends his retirement days operating a Grading and Hauling Business, came and did a little work for us. He had a very willing and eager little helper~
His Papaw let him operate the Bobcat all by himself~ of course there were four adults standing at the ready just in case assistance was needed.

He pulled every leaver and pushed every button just to get a feel for what it could do.

He took his work very seriously....

He scooped up the dirt... see our red Georgia clay!?


And dumped it in its new location.

It was a job well done. It made such an impression on him, that he even thanked the Lord in his prayers on Saturday night for being able to do it by himself.

And I thanked the Lord that another project was completed:-) ~Rhonda

Sunday Smiles

The air around my house has been thick~

With the heavenly sweet fragrance of...

hundreds of hanging wisteria blossoms:-)

Soaking up the Sun

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that my son and I went for a visit to one of the local parks. After he played on the slides and climbers for a while, we took a walk along the path by the lake~Sprite in tow:-)

He is not really mad here, the sun was reflecting off of the water and made him squint.

When we got back home, we let the ducks out to enjoy some swim time. They have graduated from the bathtub to my son's old swimming pool.

They are loosing their duckling fuzz and growing in their feathers, they look sort of nappy during this transition time.... but still cute as a button when they are waddling behind me through the yard. They are also starting to quack rather than peep:-)

Today promises to be another glorious sunny day and I am hoping that my garden is dry enough for me to get in and work a little. We have had an incredible amount of rainfall in the last few weeks. It has done wonders for our water-table, but has made a muddy mess of everything.... not that I am complaining, mind you.

I hope it is sunny where you are~Rhonda

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break for the schools here in our area so with Sweet Hubby and Dear Son free for a week we packed up and headed North to Tennessee where my Husband's parents own a cabin near the Great Smoky Mountains. Since Sweet Hubby was also celebrating his 40th, his whole family came and we were able to spend the week together.

This is Round Top Mountain, where the cabin is located~

On Monday it started to snow and by Tuesday morning there was a good 3 to 4 inches covering everything.

My son and I took a little hike up the mountain after the snow. Everything was so beautiful and he had a blast eating the snow....

Posing in front of Mossy Rocks~ we both have a thing for moss covered rocks:-)

He set to work making a snow sculpture. Sometimes he would press too hard when adding another handful of snow and a part would crack or fall off. He didn't get mad, he just mended and went right on shaping it. He must have worked on this for at least 15- 20 minutes. He really enjoyed himself, and was very proud of his creation.

He also thoroughly enjoyed splashing through the little creek that ran down the side of the Mountain.

We took the ducks to the cabin with us. They had a good time swimming in a different tub and they got to meet some new friends....

My little Nephew was very excited by all of the splashing and swimming:-)

We also had a big party for my Husband's 40th Birthday.

We dressed him up in full party attire. Gave him some fun gifts.

Baked him a Boston Creme Pie.

And generally enjoyed ourselves. Laughing, eating, and soaking up the good time with the people we love.

It was a wonderful week~Rhonda

Sunday Smiles

Happy Easter~ Rhonda

Happy Birthday Baby

Today is my Husband's birthday. He just completed a three day ride from our home in North Georgia to the cabin in Tennessee. If you would like to read about his adventure you can find it here.

I love you honey, I hope your day is wonderful:-) ~Rhonda

A Fist Full of Violets

"Here you go, Mom" is what I heard. This is what I saw~

"Did you pick those for me?" "Yea, I thought you might like them."

Boy does he know how to melt a girls heart or what?~Rhonda

Sunday Smiles

Getting acquainted with new friends.

7000 Bees

Here they are... 2 pounds of New World Carnolian honey bees....



I went to the BeeMan's yesterday and picked up my package of bees. He has a separate bee farm in South Georgia where he raises bees to sell. He goes down in the Spring and brings back hundreds of packages of bees for people who have ordered them from him. I was very fortunate to find a supplier in my area. Most people have to order bees from a packaged bee supplier that is located several states away from where they live. The disadvantage to this is that you don't know the nature of the bees, they may be gentle stock or they may be an aggressive strain. My BeeMan says that if you want to know what kind of bees you are getting, look at the beekeeper. If they get all suited up~ in a full bee suit, veil and gloves ~ to go out and work their bees, that tells you what kind of bees you are getting. I have yet to see the BeeMan were a hat and veil or even gloves for that matter.

There are about 3,500 bees per pound. The bees you see on the outside of the package stayed on the cage the entire time and never flew off, I guess they were part of the colony that was inside and did not want to leave. They went inside the hive with the others. I was a bit more nervous than I thought I would be. But transferring the bees from the package to the hive was just a matter of following a few simple steps and in less than 5 minutes my 7,000 bees were in their new home.

Today, I am attending an organic bee class that the BeeMan offers. It starts at 9:00 and runs all day. I hope to come home with loads of knowledge and pictures to share:-)

Hope you all enjoy your Saturday~Rhonda

What's the Buzz?

Tomorrow I will wear a new hat~literally..... I will become an apiarist or beekeeper.

I started to bat the idea around last Winter after hearing many reports about the rapid decline in the honey bee population. I started paying close attention to the types of bees I saw buzzing around last Spring and Summer. I saw tons of wasps, especially those horrid red ones that dive bomb you every time you step out the door. I noticed bumble bees, and the pesky carpenter bees that love to destroy any wooden structure. There were always yellow jackets on hand every time we ate outside, but rarely did I observe honey bees. Not on my flowers, not in the garden, not even on my huge tree-like hedge that when it blooms, the fragrance wafts on for miles and miles... well maybe not really, but it is very potent. So, I bought a book, watched lots of on-line videos and most importantly I met the local BeeMan. He is a very kind and extremely knowledgeable man whose entire property is filled with bee hives. I have to admit that my first visit to his place was a bit intimidating. He was out working in his "bee yard" and there were thousands of bees flying everywhere. I had not thought to bring my hat and gloves and my first inclination was to hop back in my truck and high tail it out of there. But he assured me that his bees were very gentle and he himself was not wearing a veil or gloves so, I followed him around, observing what he was doing and asking tons of questions. He was very patient and answered them all and even offered advise and information I had not thought to ask. By the time I left I felt comfortable, knowing that the bees would not attack me on sight, I began to envision a type of relationship developing between me and my bees. Much like the relationship I have with my other animals. I will tend to them and care for them and in return, I will be rewarded with good pollination and the sweet golden nectar.... honey

Sounds yummy, doesn't it? Well, wish me luck on my new adventure. Yes, there will be pictures:-) ~Rhonda