I have to admit that two years ago if I would have come across this swarm of bees in my yard I would have screamed and ran for the wasp spray to exterminate the creatures.  When I discovered the swarm in my yard today, I was in awe of the beauty of nature and fascinated by how they work.

We harvested honey from our new hives for the first time last fall.  It was an exciting experience for all of us to drain the honey in colanders and then carefully wash the wax and make candles.  Everything was enjoyed and we learned a great appreciation for honey bees.

We are building our ark one plank at a time but today I'm sure we'll never even get to the planks due to the endless rocks.  Every time I try to dig in this soil I hear the familiar clank of a rock, actually an entire pile of them.  Jonathan informed me that we built our home on an ancient lake bed and the rocks are a huge plus for the stability of our home. The citizens of Mona fondly refer to them as Mona potatoes.  Apparently they grow better than anything else here.  They increase the alkaline in the soil which is another problem all together.  As for me, I am feeling a little cursed.

Ever brought home those beautiful new tomato plants from the nursery, carefully planted and watered them, just to watch them wilt and die over the next few days?  Me too.  Hardening off seedlings before transplanting helps to gradually acclimate them to the harsh conditions outside the nursery environment. Skipping this important step can result in a gardening disaster.  I was reminded of this just this morning when I walked out to inspect our little garden.