We Captured a Swarm! Wouldn't it Be Wonderful If We Could Capture Souls Like That?

I love being a beekeeper and I love all the saints who appreciate the bees and use them in their teaching. St. Francis de Sales mentions bees often in his sermons. Many other saints did too, e.g., Thomas Aquinas. 

I thought of that today when I went out to check our swarm trap and saw that we had, indeed, captured a swarm. It's been up about a month since I set it up and we didn't think it was going to be successful. Surprise! Today, after I got back from visiting my sister in Maryland, I went out to check, and the opening was covered with bees. To make the trap I used a bucket and put honey wax and some lemon oil in it and a little propolis. My husband cut a hole in the side for the entrance.  Yippee! We captured a swarm. 

What next? We put a frame of brood, some honey, and some pollen in a hive box and turned the swarm trap bucket upside down over the top entry after covering the entry hole. The bees have no place to go except into the hive box. Now we wait until evening and hopefully all the girls will have gone down and set up their new home. We'll leave them alone for a week or so and then see if the queen is laying.

Thought for the Day: We All Need Beauty, and Don't Need to go Far to Find It!

 Remember Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz: 

We don't need to go far from home to find incredible beauty with ample reason to praise God. If you can't find God in your home, your yard, and your neighborhood, you probably won't find Him anywhere.

Need a break from the insane world? Make a date with grandkids!

First Campout of the Season with Two Happy Little Boys!

Shenandoah River State Park - View from the Overlook Trail

We took a quick camping trip on Monday with two of our youngest grandchildren who are five and eight. A lovely park close to home, Shenandoah River State Park, outside Front Royal, VA was the destination. One of the great blessing there? -- no cell or internet service! (Read more at my Grandma blog....)

Sunday Meditation: Home Alone

It is eerily quiet. Our five little peppers (an assortment of sweet, mild, and hot) are reunited with their mom and dad and just drove away with a honk and a wave. After a bustling and hopping week, it is strange indeed to return to the quiet of  our "ordinary time."

It makes me think of the gospels. Jesus certainly had busy, noisy times surrounded by crowds that pressed in upon Him. He loved all those dear souls seeking His help and especially loved the children. How much He was like a grandparent in that way! But He also looked forward to getting away with his closest friends for a quiet time to teach and pray.

This evening quiet time is on our menu. We are out in the quiet desert (the air conditioner froze up so it is definitely turning to desert) away from the crowds calling for attention. ("Gramma, watch me....Gramma, I'm hungry....What's for dinner?....Paka, will you read us a book?....May we have a snack?....Will you help me (whatever)?... Is it time to swim yet?... May we watch a video?.... Where are the art supplies?....What are we doing today?"....and on and on. Ah, but what a fun time. We always love it when our grandchildren come, but we say good-bye with mixed feelings. A rest for two old folks after all that activity is welcome. But, really, peace and quiet isn't all it's cracked up to be -- especially when the alternative is pure joy!

Our last night before the exodus was a birthday celebration that included sending five colored paper lanterns up into the night sky. I picked them up six weeks ago when we went on a wine outing with our daughter and husband along Lake Erie. Camp Kreitzer was the perfect place for the launch and feeling them rise and watching them catch the breeze and float off above the trees was exhilerating and beautiful. It was the perfect way to finish a wonderful week with five precious girls. Thank you, dear Lord, for the gift of grandchildren and for the beauty of Your world. May we never take one precious minute for granted and may we never forget to say thank you!