Queen Alessandra

Dear Mom,

I spent my Saturday morning at Wildflower Ridge Honey Farm.  This enchanted farm is owned by the Barrickman family in Anderson.  I felt like I was in Heaven on Earth! 

I parked in a field with the animals!  There were sheep, a llama, and a Great Pyrenees dog to watch over them. 

The farm had its own character!  Look at this barn!

Here is the outhouse and the flower "beds".

There was a candle burning inside the outhouse!  (I actually thought of Kim while I was inside the outhouse taking pictures...I imagined that she would have been taking pictures too!)

Nearly 100 people came from near and far to pick up their bees!  The American Honey Queen, Lisa Schluttenhofer, spoke to the group.  Lisa is from Indiana and attends Purdue University.  The group was told that the bees have contracted nosema, a digestive disease.  There are chemicals available for treatment, but I will try to combat this disease by making certain the bees have plenty of syrup and pollen supplements to eat.

Finally, the group dispersed for some interaction with the bee hives.  I was sooooo excited! I finally got to put on my veil!   Mr. Barrickman took a hive apart and showed us a healthy colony of bees.

A hundred boxes of bees were waiting in a horse trailer to be taken home. Our names were called in sequence according to the date our orders were received. 

The rest of the day is a blur.  A total blur.  I was a nervous wreck.  I have been attending seminars, reading books, and talking to complete strangers about beekeeping for over a year, and yet I was scared  and on my own.  I drove the bees home in the trunk of the car.  I took the bees to the back and loaded them into the hive.  I can't even remember how I did it.  I think I made some mistakes.  Was the queen there?  I was afraid it would rain any second.  And my smoker went out. But....I did it!  I didn't get stung.  I did it! 

I wish I could do it again and remember what I did, so I wouldn't make any mistakes. I think I might have switched some frames around and I wish I would have looked for the queen. It started to sprinkle. But I sat and watched with fascination. The bees were flying in, out and around the hive.   I made some sugar syrup and inserted the feeder into the front. 

 

 

I met some nice people, like Tom and Melissa.  Melissa might stop by this week to help me find Queen Alessandra.  "Alessandra" is an Italian name which means "the defender or helper of mankind".  I look forward to Melissa's visit.  I feel she will be a valuable new friend. 

 

I have so much to learn. I wonder if the bees will recover from nosema.  I hope Queen Alessandra is strong and hearty. One thing I know for sure:  I am falling in love with beekeeping.

Love, Bonnie Jo

Matthew 5:4

Dear Mom,
On this, the most wretched of anniversaries, you must be kindest to yourself.
It is impossible not to remember what this day means, even when the remembering brings sorrow as deep and fresh as the first days. And with it the bewildering shock that we have been 5 years without him, even though we accepted the fact of our loss long ago.
I am sad for the things he is missing, and selfishly sad for the things about him I still need. I know that I have become a stronger, more compassionate person, but I have gained an almost obsessive intolerance for wasted time. I am too familiar with the phrase "Life is Short."
We've all learned to Move Forward. And we can without forgetting. I like to think we are bringing Daddy with us, and that he is enjoying our adventures right beside us. I bet he is tickled and proud.
Love,
Kim

Stop Me!

Dear Mom,
And now I am doing everything I can to restrain myself from hunting down old sheets and trying THIS, so I can make THIS.

Love,
Kim

I want one

Dear Mom,
I think I found my dream pet. You can read about it HERE.
Love,
Kim

Juggling

Dear Mom,
A cloud of volcanic ash has not trapped me in Europe unable to blog. Nor am I buried under an avalanche of yarn. I've just been juggling the usual housework, kid schedules, an attempt to keep up with the yard, some knitting pattern writing and the knitting that goes with them. Throw in some hair appointments and dental visits and you pretty much have my week and not enough time for blogging. Oh. Add a home repair.

After years of failed attempts to locate and fix a leak, we are having the copper roof replaced with shingles. I hated to see the copper go, but once removed, it was clear that we are on the right track. All this activity has the dogs (mostly Patsy) on high alert.

I've lost track of sock progress. I AM working on socks, though. And writing up the pattern for them, so I don't think I am too far off my sock-a-week resolution.

This pair is almost done. Plus it is a Man's pair and that may deserve a hall pass or something. Extra credit maybe.

Isn't the yarn pretty, though?

I've also had fun knitting these:.

A sneak peak at two future patterns for KnitPicks! I'll show you more once they are online there. For now, I have been knitting the samples and writing the patterns. MaryLee has been test knitting one of them for me, giving me some peace of mind, an extra set of eyes and the pleasure of frequent emails from her.

With KnitPicks, unlike my submissions elsewhere, the responsibility for charting, schematics, and photography is mine. Last week I spent most of one school day on the computer learning how and then drawing a schematic on Word and charting a knitter's graph using Excel. I even downloaded a knitting font. Can you believe that I, Kim Wagner, did something, anything, using Excel?!!?  I just know that at the end of that day I had a bad cramp in my right shoulder. And for someone who never got past 27 words per minute in 9th grade typing class (which was my one and only business class, by the way) let me tell you that any success on the computer is a Major Accomplishment. Major. I even had to stay after school to finish the typing assignments. Yes. I was THAT good. 

We are 2 weeks away from Puppy Kindergarten Graduation. If we pass. We need to practice sit-stay and Patsy isn't too quick on learning Shake. Shake is one of the five Requirements to graduate.  Sit-stay for 10 seconds is another. I can't remember the other three. Really. If she doesn't pass, how old does a dog have to be before she is too old for PUPPY Kindergarten?

Love,

Kim

p.s.

I'll leave you with the view out my front window. I would lower the blinds, but Patsy would destroy them in her attempt at Homeland Security.

Practical Beige

Dear Mom,

My bee hive and equipment arrived in four big boxes.  I felt like a child on Christmas morning, eagerly opening boxes with excitement and anticipation!  These "fragile" stickers were on the outside of each box.

It is recommended to apply a good quality coat of exterior wood primer and two coats of house paint to protect and prolong the life of the hive.  The guys and I agreed on Practical Beige because it is a light and neutral color.

So...I've been painting....

We found a location at the edge of the woods that catches the morning sun and some afternoon shade.  The Captain built a rustic stand out of apple tree stumps and aged oak planks.  He is so handy and inventive, and I love the way it turned out! With the hive in the middle, I have space on each side to set my equipment.

Voila!  It is fit for a queen!

The bees arrive on April 24!  I think I'm ready....

Love, Bonnie Jo

My Prince Charming

Dear Mom,
The appearance of frogs in the pond gladdens my heart!

Which one should I kiss?

Love, Bonnie Jo

One of my favorite things

Dear Mom,
Last night I clipped these lilacs and put them on my kitchen table. Just imagine the fragrance!
Love,
Kim

Safety First

Dear Mom,

For 16 years and 43 days, not to mention the 9 long months before that, I have done everything I could to keep my boy safe. My radar has become finely tuned, and the eyes in the back of my head have not yet needed cheaters. For years, I slept with one ear open, or had my sleep disturbed by horrific dreams of toddlers stepping into oncoming traffic. I've made sure he was vaccinated and had regular checkups and balanced meals and knew to look both ways before crossing the street.

And all that time and through all that effort, despite all driver's education classes and all the hours practicing, I knew that this day would come. But somehow it never seemed real.

Today, the Young Man passed his driving test and earned his driver's license. He drove his dad back to work and then for the first time, drove to golf practice.In the car. Alone. By himself. In the car.

I am not waking up from this one. And I will not breathe right until the car is parked in the garage and he is back home safely.

I don't know how you did it Mom.

Love,

Kim

How things are

Dear Mom,
Spring break is winding down, and except for 2 cold rainy days, the weather could not have been nicer. In fact our spring has been beautiful, with everything in bloom all at once, it seems.

I can't remember ever having the serviceberries, pears, magnolias and redbud trees all in bloom together. Our back yard is so pretty right now.

It has been an eventful week. In addition to pet care and a written driver's exam (the actual driving portion of the test is scheduled for next week), the Young Man had his wisdom teeth extracted, the Young Lady's ipod died (replaced without hassle at the Apple Store) and Patsy was "fixed".

Bumper seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy his time being the only dog while Patsy was in hospital. He surprised all of us when he jumped off the couch and greeted Patsy at the door Friday when I brought her home. Bumper does NOT get off the couch for anybody. He does not greet me at the the door. Ever. And I know he loves me best. At least I thought he did. Maybe he loves Patsy more than he lets on. Anyway, it was a sweet little moment and they stuck close to each other for the rest of the afternoon.

Patsy is supposed to take it easy. She has not learned 'take it easy'. This morning I went to the vet to get knock out drops. Otherwise I was afraid we would be looking at more surgery. The emergency kind. Unfortunately, Dr. Vet did not give me enough medication to knock out the husband and kids, but suggested that if I take them, then none of the rest would matter. Tempting, but I have a LOT of knitting to do.

Actually at this moment, I am the only human at home. I should seize this moment, plug a book into my ears and start knitting.

Love,

Kim

My Other Twin

Dear Mom,
Do you remember this outfit?

I bought it three years ago when all of the April Cornell stores were closing.  It didn't matter that at the time, it was waaaaaayyyyyy too small for me.  Green with white polka dots always give me the warm fuzzies--I had to have it.  You and Bonnie Jo both questioned my lack of reason at the time.  "Are you sure?!" you lovingly (and a bit skeptically!) asked.  There really was no possible way it could ever fit.  And you both looked at me like I had gone off the deep end.
I am happy to report that after seventeen months of completely changing the way I eat and easing into exercise (I started out slowly walking to now running several miles daily!) I am now wearing my favorite outfit!!  And I am even happier.
I look like my other twin again . . . .

Huge Judy was my size when she was sewn for me (by you!) on my 5th birthday!  She looks fabulous for 38, doesn't she?!?!  She has kept her figure quite nicely and is still wearing her original dress.  Is it any wonder I love my green and white polka dots?!
Pipsqueak is now the keeper of "Huge Judee" and loves her almost as much as I do!
Love,
Wendy

Go Bulldogs!

Dear Mom,
In honor of tonight's game....

This is George, one of the many pets the kids are responsible for while their families are on Spring Break this week.
Love,
Kim

Knitting

Dear Mom,
I can't remember a more beautiful Easter Sunday, weather-wise. The afternoon was ideal for the family cookout.
After everyone left yesterday, and after my nap on the screened porch, I enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening knitting on the patio.

I finished the latest pair of socks during the Butler game on Saturday night.  GO BUTLER BULLDOGS!!!

because of long color pattern repeats in the yarn, this is a fraternal rather than identical pair of socks

 

I worked on the next pair of socks yesterday. This pair is for a future issue of Creative Knitting magazine. I love the yarn they chose. It is Trekking Hand Art.

I also worked on knitting and  tweaking a pattern that will also be published soon. Nearly done with the knitting on this one.

This morning may even be more pleasant than yesterday. After some pet-sitting responsibilities, I am taking the Young Man out to track down some leads on summer jobs. He passed the written portion of his driver's test on Saturday, and the driving test is scheduled next week. I have mixed feelings about the thought of him driving. I am scared, and yet his independence gives me a little more freedom, too. I'll just pray hard and try to ignore that clenched up burning knot in my stomach.

We'll all be watching the game tonight. I may need to pull my mindless car knitting project out of the car to work on during the game. Tense fingers could throw off my gauge or snap those tiny sock needles into pieces!

Love,
Kim

Easter Eggs

Dear Mom,
I decided to try coloring Easter Eggs this way, and I love the way they turned out. I bought some silk neckties at the Goodwill store for a $1.99 each, cut them up, followed the instructions and TA DA! pretty eggs. I almost think the uglier the tie, the better the egg. Makes me want to try some more, but there is no way my family and I can eat that many hard boiled eggs.

Love,
Kim

Whooosh!

Dear Mom,
There has been so much going on and it seems like all the time I am thinking of something I should tell you, and then I get side-tracked and I forget or there is no time for blogging and before I know it lots of Not Blogging has been going on. Spring Break officially started when school let out this afternoon, and I feel like I better hurry up and tell you what I can remember, because there may be even less time to talk next week.

Spring is just a way too busy time of year, with all the pressure to 'get that Spring Cleaning done' and all the yard work that needs to be done all at once. This morning I heard the sound of lawns being mowed. I do have to say it was (for me) a happy sound. We are enjoying a beautiful spring and we deserve it. The only bad thing about hearing the lawn mower sound is when you hear it next door or behind you (or both) and realize that lawn mowing is something else to squeeze in. Maybe I can convince the Young Man that driving the tractor is good practice for driving the car. He needs to practice parallel parking. Can he do that on a John Deere?

On Tuesday evening the Young Lady and I stopped in at Lowe's to buy the crabgrass stuff for the lawn. In addition to the fertilizer, we left with a pot of English Daisies to plant, and 2 blueberry bushes. The Young Lady has been wanting blueberries in her garden and we found some that should do well in her semi-sunny spot. Hopefully we will have some fresh blueberries to share. See what I mean about getting side-tracked?  We walked in there on a mission for ONE THING and walked out with a cart filled with plants.

And that fertilizer is gonna kick in and then we really will need to rev up John, Dear.

Easter is practically HERE and all the Easter stuff is still in the attic. Enough said about that.

I spent some time with Daphne Joy, spinning some yarn for a gift. I have had to move Daphne upstairs to the guest/sewing/knitting/now spinning room because Patsy thinks roving and spinning bobbins are fun things to grab and go. The roving I spun came from Inish Knits and the yarn it turned into is beautiful. I took ONE good picture of it yesterday ( actually, I took several pictures and couldn't get one to do justice to the colors), and today I cannot find the photo on my camera, which means I must have hit the little trash can button on my camera when I thought I was saving the shot. I am disgusted with myself. I find that I do these things when I try to do too many things at once. You are just going to have to trust me. That yarn was pretty.

I moved my knitting chair out onto the screened porch. Just saying that makes me smile big and want to do a little happy dance. I have knitting deadlines, (yes, deadlineS! all good, pinch me) and I hope to spend lots of time knitting in my chair on the screened porch in warm air and sunshine.

The warm weather has enticed me to take the dogs back to the path in the field that I found last summer. Things out there are just beginning to wake up, but there is a little creek running along one side of the field and yesterday after school, the Young Lady spent the better part of an hour playing in the water with the dogs.

Also, that English Muffin Bread recipe that Aunt Chris sent us is so easy and good that I think we should share it on the blog. The bread is goood, but not so good that the whole family inhales it the minute it is cool enough to eat. Which means that I have enjoyed it toasted all week. I like that I still have home baked bread to eat days after I made it.

Aunt Chris's English Muffin Bread

6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 packages active baker's yeast
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1/4 t baking soda
2 c milk
1/2 c water
coarse sea salt
a little bit of cornmeal

Grease 2 9X5 loaf pans and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal to coat. Combine 3 cups of flout, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Heat milk and water until they are very warm ( 120-130 degrees). Add to the dry mixture. Beat until well combined. Stir in remaining 3 cups flour until combined, but do not over mix. Pour dough into prepared pans. Sprinkle the tops with sea salt. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes  or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire rack.

At this point I have gone on long enough and I am surely forgetting to tell you something. If I think of it, I will try to remember it for the next blog.

Happy Easter.
Love,
Kim

p.s. Michele left a comment on a previous post asking about the socks. Sock yarn is pretty thin.  I knit most of my socks on size 1 double pointed needles at a gauge of 8 stitches per inch. A tight dress shoe would not comfortably accomodate hand knit socks, but you probably wouldn't be wearing a thick wool sock with a dress shoe anyway. I mostly wear a clog type shoe, so the sock thickness is not really an issue. I pretty much don't wear any other socks all winter long, and I have worn through a few pairs lately. I need to learn how to darn socks, I guess.

The Dog Next Door

Dear Mom,
This is Brewster. 

He is the 106-pound Great Pyrenees/Australian Shepherd dog who lives next door. Brewster is probably the closest I will ever come to having my own dog.  Brewster and his dog-sister Shasta were adopted from the Indy Great Pyrenees Rescue.  The Great Pyrenees breed is often used to guard livestock, especially sheep.  Although separated by a fence, I have observed Brewster patiently watching over my chickens.  He is especially good at scanning the skies for any flying object that could be a threat to our society. 

Last week, a hawk stopped by my back yard, and I don't think it came for a friendly visit.  I have been completely nervous about letting the girls out for their evening stroll ever since.  Over the weekend, I invited Brewster over to my yard to help protect us from the evil hawk.  He arrived on his leash, ready to work.  Marge, Golda and Gloria clucked and scolded him, but otherwise went about their business of scratching and digging.   Brewster enjoyed patroling the yard and keeping an eye on other important issues.  It turned out to be a pleasant experience.

Why would I need my own dog when I've got Brewster next door?!

Love, Bonnie Jo