Pages

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Another Rose, and a Bee House


I was expecting Mother's Day to be quiet and, well, a little lonely and depressing. 

Then Saturday afternoon, Andee called and asked, "mom, can we do a drive-by tomorrow for Mother's Day. We won't come in."   Of course! I was tickled to death! 


Then Poppy said, why don't you pick up some lunch on the way and I will pay.  Anything will be fine, and we will sit outside and eat. So we did. It was so good to see them both!

Andee and Todd brought me the beautiful rose in the picture.  It's yellow, pale pink, and dark pink too. I love it!

I've started a new project for the garden...by the way, that dot you can see going up the dirt road is Poppy riding his brand new John Deere mower to the mail box...
didn't realize he was in the picture until now.


Anyhow, I've been hearing and seeing a lot lately about Solitary (mason) bees and how to build a house for them in your garden.


and you know how I am...get an idea in my head and then simply can't wait to get started. Oh, I've already lost sleep over these bees, dreaming and planning all during the night while the rest of the world sleeps. 

Most surprising is the fact the I found everything I needed to build this bee house in my stash of junk boards and pieces of old wood down near the bunny lot.


Poppy's back with the mail and a big turkey feather and says tell ya'll "hey". Said he found the feather along the way.

So back to the bee house...I've found some really neat ideas online but one of the cutest and the one I tried to model my bee house after is by Jerri Landers at hopalonghollowgazette.blogspot.com She has such a beautiful place!


It's not finished yet. All those sticks piled on the left side need holes drilled in them and the wide mouth glass jar will hold pieces of bamboo...
Also picked up small pieces of cut firewood, and large pieces of pine bark. I love, love, love doing things like this!

Tomorrow Poppy and I are going to Lowes in Henderson to get a few things we need. Wearing our mask and keeping our distance, of course.

Turkey season ended last Saturday, thank the Lord! Now we can concentrate on getting some things done around here...before next deer season comes in again! No turkey this time, by the way. :)

Here it is Wednesday morning...was too tired to finish this last night. Will say bye for now and hope to be back soon. We're going to Lowes!! Yay!!

Love,
Henny

41 comments:

  1. Poppy makes me chuckle..HeHe! Turkey season has just
    finished..and he ends up with one feather..l bet all
    the turkeys are out jumping about and making merry..
    Oh! Hang on..turkeys jumping, no perhaps not, their way
    to big and fat..waddling along then..! :).

    And..what a lovely surprise for Mums day..and what a
    lovely rose to..AND..The bee house looks amazing..what
    a choice of abodes..the bees will love it...And..Mason
    bees are named for their habit of using mud or other
    "masonry" products in constructing their nests...there
    on the decline over here, there trying to get people to
    encourage them more in there gardens, mostly by growing
    more flowers! :0).

    Oh! Suggest you get some tape, and secure that feather
    to Poppy's cap..then you can see where he is, even in
    the undergrowth..! Hope we get to see some bees soon! :o).
    🍁🍂🍃🍁🍂🍃🍁 🍁🍂 🍃🍁🍂🍃🍁 🍁🍂🍃🍁🍂🍃

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your suggestion for the feather on Poppy's cap made me laugh. Hope to see a Mason Bee soon. That would make me happy.

      Delete
  2. Hi Henny- Your new BEE PROJECT is coming along beautifully- you'l have a lot of Pollenation going on for sure. Poppy looks pleased as punch riding his new John Deere- just the thing for the on-coming Summer. Thinking about you guys each day- if I were a Local I'd certainly like to visit your Farm once in a while. All the best. KEV. (Sydney- AUSTRALIA).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like you had a great Mothers Day in this time of changes. Looking forward to seeing your bee house. I have never seen one before.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your bee house is very interesting! I bet you'll get a lot of bees! I was watching bees yesterday. We have fat ones and skinny ones.
    I think you need a fancy golf cart to cruise around your patch. Poppy has that lawn mower, so it's only fair.
    Have fun at Lowe's. I must make a new mask because the masks I have are irritating and steam up my glasses.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful surprise you had for Mother's Day. That rose is beautiful. I love roses with more than one color. I think that's why I like lantana so much; they have such a beautiful mix of colors. I don't believe I've ever heard of solitary bees. I'll have to look them up. Have fun with your new project!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Peg. I've seen the three colored roses before but never had one. Hope my back is better tomorrow so I can dig a hole for the rose. I had never heard of solitary bees either, until recently.

      Delete
  6. Love the bee house. I can hardly wait to see it finished. You are really handy putting that together all by yourself. Lots of room for improvisation which you are really good at. Hope you get a bunch of nice bees to fill it.

    That rose is beautiful. What variety is it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Vic, I meant to look at the name of the rose before replying. I will look tomorrow and let you know. Hopefully, I can get the rose bush planted tomorrow. Bet your yard is beautiful.

      Delete
  7. That was so sweet of Andee and Todd, stopping by and sharing lunch with you and Poppy, and the Rose bush is so very pretty, and will give you pleasure for years to come.
    Your bee house is precious and I'm sure will be much appreciated by the bees. Jerri Landers has the most gorgeous blog, she is truly a talented and creative artist.
    Enjoy your new project !
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
  8. How wonderful you had a Mother's Day surprise and those beautiful roses! I love your idea of the bee house and I especially love how you get an idea and just run with it. Good for you! Poppy sure looks happy on his new mower! Tell him this friend in Missouri says "Hey!" right back! I hope you enjoyed your trip to Lowes, that is one of my husband's favorite places. Take care Henny!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can just imagine your surprise and happiness having Andee and Todd stopping with lunch and new roses. I would have loved to see one of our kids. Oh how I miss people.
    Your bee house is so neat! I think it's great that you care about them so much. I laughed when I read that Poppy rode his new mower to the mailbox. Men and their toys. Have fun at Lowes. I went to the Post Office and the dollar store for the first time since all of this started. It's weird how stressful it all is. I needed a birthday card, napkins and some doggy "doo" bags for the lake. They are all least expensive there. I was the only customer. I don't think that's ever happened before. What a strange world we're living in.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  10. How wonderful that your daughter was able to visit, such a wonderful treat for you in these difficult times. Love the way you have built the bee house, looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I watched the video where Jeri Landers talks about, and shows us her bee house. I've watched so many of her videos during the last months. Now I'm outside a lot more so not watching TV.
    I'm so glad that you got to see Andee and Todd on Mothers Day. I'm done with this distancing bit ( except with my one daughter who actually works at the local hospital)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Happy to hear you enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day.
    Good luck with your bee house. what a great idea. We have so many bees around here I don't have to build a house for them!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bee houses are the in thing these days.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I hope you attract lots of Mason bees. We participated in Rent Bees, and managed to produce a few tubes full of egg cases, but we decided after several tries to give it up. It is just too cold and shady here in are garden now for Mason bees to be happy, since their season is very early.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey back to Poppy! Your bee house is very interesting. I hope you get a lot and let us know how it works out.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I hope everyone's safe and staying safe. I just read that the virus is mutating and getting much more dangerous. I don't want to alarm anyone but it's time to get right with God, cause this is getting downright scary! Stay home and stay safe, guys!

    ReplyDelete
  17. love your new rose bush from your daughter and her hubby. How nice that you enjoyed an outdoor lunch together on Mother's Day. Your new bee house sounds pretty cool. Funny, regarding the comment before mine;...I just read that the virus is getting much milder. Two people in our family got it and are fine now, and now they're donating plasma to help others. Can't stay locked up forever...our U.S. economy will croak. No more people will die with this virus, than with the flu. Do yourselves a favor and Don't listen to the fake news! They're trying to scare you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane, thank you. I agree 100% with you about the fake news. We don't watch national news any more. We watch only one thirty minute local news and weather and then TV goes off or to a Western channel. Glad those two in your family that got the virus recovered and are well.

      Delete
  18. How fun to come here and see that you are building your very own bee house Henny, when I received, as a Mother's Day gift, a mason bee house from our kids! I am really looking forward to having these little bees in my garden this year! I love what you are doing, it looks great! I'm thankful you were able to enjoy being with your kids on Mother's Day, what a treat! Your yard looks amazing, as always! I"m sure you had fun finding just the right spot for your new rose bush! Many blessings to you sweet friend :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a fascinating project your bee house is. The bees will think they have found paradise!
    So good to hear you were able to get together with family to celebrate Mother's Day :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a great idea, Henny! We did something similar.

    ReplyDelete
  21. By the time you see this, you will have enjoyed a trip to Lowes! Love the Mother's day rose bush!
    I know how it is to get an idea in your head at bedtime and stay awake all night working it out over and over!
    The bee house looks great. I just had one of my over wintered Black Swallowtail butterflies fly off yesterday after
    all the 5 nights of freezing weather. I have 7 more to hatch, and I have my parsley planted for this years butterflies to lay eggs on.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a neat idea! Can't wait to see the finished house.💖

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your rose gift is so pretty! I can't wait to see the finished bee house. We have two that we bought, but the homemeade ones are way more interesting. Jeri's is spectacular.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am excited about your bee house. I just put up a butterfly house and bat house in my garden/yard. I will have to think about making a bee house.
    And what a lovely Mother's Day. 2020 will be a year we will be talking about for a long time, the ups and downs and different ways we celebrated.
    Lots of love,
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  25. I need to go check out Jeri Landers's blog! I try to watch her videos a bit, but it never occurred to me she would have a blog - duh! Your mason bee house is delightful! I'm sure a bunch will move right in. We have bunches of all kinds of bees. This time of year we have carpenter bees too, eating up our garage :( But they are pretty harmless. Can't wait to hear the residency report of your bee hotel!

    ReplyDelete
  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a lovely planter! So glad you got a personal visit! :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Mothers Day late to you my sweet Aunt Melba!! I love you so much. I am so happy you got to spend time with Andee and her family. Love you bunches. Tell poppy that the Farmer got a good size turkey.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I hope the bees like the new home. They certainly have a lot of choices of accommodations according to their individual preferences! I love your new rose bush. Such delicate pinks. Hey back at cha, Poppy!

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a lovely rose and your bee house is awesome. Hope you and Poppy had a good trip to Lowe's. Take care friend. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Glad you had a nice mother's day, and that's a beautiful rose. I see a lot about Mason bees on a FB gardening group I am part of. They are out quite early, and many people have said they have already laid their eggs in the tubes and sealed them up. You are ahead of us re Spring and the growing season, so it might be too late this year for your Mason Bee house to get used, but you will be ready for next year. It's always interesting to see other people's opinions of C-19 ........

    ReplyDelete
  32. I was here the other day trying to read this and just so much other going on I could not concentrate. Are you going to order some of the Mason bees or do you think they will come on their own?

    ReplyDelete
  33. I'm just catching up on your posts. Very nice Mother's Day one. I always miss my mom so much as that day draws near. It's rather bittersweet. Hi Smokey. Such a cute photo of the country cat. And I love the old wooden swing. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  34. I read and watch hop along hollow blog and videos. Love her site. I look forward to seeing more about how you are fixing the bee house. I know not a thing about this kinda thing. I was just reading about these ugly bees that may make their way to the states. I heard that they will kill off other bees, scary.
    Good to see you had a great mothers day with your family.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Your enthusiasm is catching! I saw the latest photo of the bee house in the latest post but had to comment to this one! How cool. I love bees and didn't know you could do something like this for them. I'll hop over to the other blog and get more info...my niece would love this! So glad you spent some family time, after all, for Mother's Day with your daughter. Such a blessing! Say "hey" back to Poppy! He's so cute. Lovely post, I'm happy I came back to catch up! God bless you Melba!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you. Thank you for your comment.