tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66071819143345272582024-03-14T08:41:44.964-04:00Flannel Jammies FarmFlannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-72270911412897514502020-07-28T12:35:00.001-04:002020-07-28T12:36:40.705-04:00Imperfect Foods delivery service reviewIn my last post I reviewed <a href="https://theneighborhoodharvest.com/" target="_blank">The Neighborhood Harvest</a> home delivery service. We still receive deliveries from TNH and enjoy every item!<br />
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This time I'll introduce you to <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a>. Here's the scoop:<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="526" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FzXIEZhR-B0_qcGCD9HGkchOiHMFeNIBErC4ViqvEYDcVbc805p4V4QP3LLh8c8DKqaGMuGaK1CZFjhv_JJ2S_i91KeWQQPvJua-wBxkXzm07hndXOHY-SNS5nq2_xmrAYRE_TDAeHjz/s320/Screenshot+2020-07-28+at+11.12.43+AM.png" width="320" /></div>
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GROCERIES ON A MISSION</div>
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Grocery items that help reduce food waste—</div>
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delivered for up to 30% less than national supermarket chains.</div>
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From the <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a> website:</div>
"Our mission:<br />
Eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone.<br />
If food can be saved, we will save it. With every bite into a misshapen apple, short piece of pasta, or oversized egg we can shape our world for the better. We’re hungry for change and eager to reduce waste on the farm, at the store, and in the home.<br />
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The Imperfect Promise<br />
We promise to deliver delicious groceries and fresh produce and we'll make it up to you if we ever leave you a few carrots short of a bunch.<br />
Entrusting your weekly grocery shopping to a bunch of pun-loving googly-eye enthusiasts is a leap of faith. We don’t take your trust lightly. Here is our promise to you:<br />
We promise to deliver delicious groceries and fresh produce...<br />
We promise to reliably deliver fresh, healthy, delicious produce and groceries to your door every week. If we wouldn’t eat it, we won’t put it in a box. Our produce is only ugly in appearance–never in quality. You should never receive produce that’s bruised, damaged, broken, or moldy. And our groceries are top quality, sourced from producers you can trust. We want your box to be your favorite part of the week.<br />
...And we’ll make it up to you if we don’t:<br />
If we ever fall short of this promise, we’ll make it up to you. We’re imperfect too, and sometimes mistakes happen despite our best-laid plans. If you’re ever less than thrilled with your experience, drop our customer care team a note and we’ll do everything we can to make it right.<br />
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We are <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a>. We’re proud to deliver groceries on a mission."<br />
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Good organic food. Reduced waste. Fair pricing. We were all-in! We were on the waiting list for a couple of months, but then we received a message that we could customize our first box! We signed up for the Organic Medium Box, with an added Grains Pack. Items are pre-selected weekly and placed in our online "box". So, I hate okra. No problem! Remove that from the box and add in something I do like... maybe dark chocolate covered pretzel pieces. (Good choice, right?) Each week during the ordering window, I can customize the box till it's just right for us and then wait for it to arrive in a few days.<br />
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Our first box:<br />
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Everything was delivered in a big box that was insulated and included a cold pack. To reduce waste, there is an intentional lack of interior packaging.</div>
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All the yummy box contents in one place!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">( quarter for size comparison )</td></tr>
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<u>THE GOOD:</u><br />
Signing up and ordering were each easy processes. The website is bursting with information, tips, instructions, and an ever-changing variety of groceries! You select your box size and order frequency according to your needs and those can be changed at any time. There is no contract and you can skip boxes when necessary due to travel, too much on hand already, or just, well, life.<br />
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We chose the organic box and the items delivered were labeled organic. The produce was fresh and not "imperfect" in the way we as Americans have come to expect. Items were free of gashes, insect damage, weird lumps and bumps, and nastiness.<br />
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There is clearly a focus on reduction of waste in packaging. In non-pandemic times, the packing items may be set out before your next delivery to be picked up for reuse/recycling.<br />
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We were happy to find some favorite items, Wildbrine Kimchi and Nature's Path Granola, among the items in their inventory. The Anna Potato Gnocchi was the added Grains Pack item in this box, and it cooked up beautifully (we had it with breaded and oven-baked eggplant from our garden and tomato-basil sauce). The Miyoko's Vegan Butter was a wild card that we tried. It was a hit!<br />
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We found the pricing to be excellent for the quality and quantity of organic food we received. You can earn credits by referring friends.<br />
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<u>THE BAD:</u><br />
Because of the lack of packaging, items freely roll about inside the box during delivery. As shown above, the granola box was a bit crushed and also damp from the cold pack, but not at all damaging to the granola inside.<br />
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The sizes/quantities of the produce items is perplexing and, I'm sure, part of being "imperfect". For instance, TWO red potatoes? Though when I looked at the order, it DID indicate "1 pound of potatoes". If I want more in the future, I'll up the quantity. The onions were plentiful, but quite small, as seen in the photo above.<br />
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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were on the wait list with <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a> for two months. Additionally, as indicated on their website, deliveries can be delayed. Our first order was two days after our scheduled delivery date.<br />
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Not really like Christmas when the box arrives. More like, "Oh, good. I didn't have to go to Kroger!"<br />
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<u>THE EDIBLE:</u><br />
That gnocchi is a delight! Cloud-like and comforting and so tasty!<br />
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The vegan butter is awesome. I normally buy Earth Balance Soy-Free vegan spread, but this is a step up. It also melts and cooks like a dream for recipes.<br />
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<u>THE VERDICT:</u><br />
<a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a> is a good value with a passionate mission. The food choices and quality are good, too. We have continued to receive boxes and look forward to each week's ordering window.Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-35533775113776499662020-07-07T16:55:00.000-04:002020-07-28T12:36:49.814-04:00The Neighborhood Harvest delivery service reviewHey, hi! It's been a little minute or two. And now we find ourselves halfway through 2020!<div><br /></div><div>How are you? Really. Are you finding ways to safely connect? Are you adding beauty and play and creative time to your days? Are you able to do the things you need to do?</div><div><br /></div><div>With the COVID-19 pandemic, I've been finding ways to SAFELY do the things that need doing. Like grocery shopping. Yes, we are blessed with a Wegman's literally just outside our neighborhood (the husband, aka: Star Trek Red Shirt, normally tackles the in-person shopping). Yes, we've pre-ordered from local farmers and vendors for pick-up at drive-through farmers markets. Yes, we've even used Amazon.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpSr7sDtlYTszwXzaFuCg4_egWN6P5qXVlo_KYEyXD3eRY_KeecjhJQZ-ZMlDg2vlTis-aP8RSNJUSkSIUI1dV8GQPNqtMskRuOTKXtShu4FDF6LsPe3-povjn7fS7IGmQT2Cgf6ZcLwt/s2048/68491111-4625-49D9-87C4-5C5607935CD7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpSr7sDtlYTszwXzaFuCg4_egWN6P5qXVlo_KYEyXD3eRY_KeecjhJQZ-ZMlDg2vlTis-aP8RSNJUSkSIUI1dV8GQPNqtMskRuOTKXtShu4FDF6LsPe3-povjn7fS7IGmQT2Cgf6ZcLwt/s320/68491111-4625-49D9-87C4-5C5607935CD7.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now I'm leveling up!</div><div><br /></div><div>Fresh home delivery services, sign me up!!! We've signed up with <a href="https://theneighborhoodharvest.com/" target="_blank">The Neighborhood Harvest</a> and with <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a>. This week we receive our first deliveries from these companies and I'm going to review each... the good, the bad, the edible! </div><div><br /></div><div>First up: The Neighborhood Harvest. From their homepage:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://theneighborhoodharvest.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="1288" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5um1d3XzFYSn_yxDD8b1INimibyk95gpRV9kc8nwJk-CsvdEiZyWMra4CXy3icPhY1Y4fvMgOFHpVth-IoKBAg1FDIfk-mgzSkNAkY7HMHX-I4_1KGUG_iAlVj8kr7blLNKk8XIb1siRv/w400-h154/Screenshot+2020-07-07+at+4.06.13+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><i>"We are John, Eric, and Thomas, the founders of The Neighborhood Harvest.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Today, The Neighborhood Harvest operates in 19,000 ft. of greenhouse year round and delivers fresh and beyond organic lettuce varietals to more than 4,000 Hampton Roads residents.</i></div><div><i>But it all began with basil.</i></div><div><i>In 2012, we’d just ventured into greenhouse farming and began supplying fresh basil to local restaurant suppliers and grocers in Hampton Roads. The expansion in our farming over those first couple of years allowed us to establish The Neighborhood Harvest in 2014, join the Buy Local revolution and more fully serve our local community</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>So, what makes us different? Plenty.</i></div><div><i>1 We are beyond organic.</i></div><div><i>2 We are convenient.</i></div><div><i>3 We are local.</i></div><div><i>4 We are committed to you.</i></div><div><i>5 We are you.</i></div><div><i>We are The Neighborhood Harvest.</i></div><div><i>Buy fresh. Buy local. By all means, try The Neighborhood Harvest.</i></div><div><i>Building healthy habits has never been so easy!"</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>We signed up and placed an order online from the selection of farm-fresh produce, eggs and dairy, bakery, craft beverages, harvest kitchen, and pasture-raised proteins. No pre-set amount or pre-selected items. Just shop what you want and put your cooler out on your area's delivery date. Here's what we ordered:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOR24Fq6qxLX7QPfgMJVE6rq2T9c-KMSAH_LZmzgKK0cKxFq6TJjamHhVnM5-0Jf_GsAn6DnvO3_O1hOnDuybv2Sa6nIstK57kpFnKhj9owoait7zBkrz0S_Ob9oqIwosBYzyjnk-6fCh/s2048/39600AC2-CD13-45B7-8BE6-416B7F2DC3E6_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOR24Fq6qxLX7QPfgMJVE6rq2T9c-KMSAH_LZmzgKK0cKxFq6TJjamHhVnM5-0Jf_GsAn6DnvO3_O1hOnDuybv2Sa6nIstK57kpFnKhj9owoait7zBkrz0S_Ob9oqIwosBYzyjnk-6fCh/w400-h300/39600AC2-CD13-45B7-8BE6-416B7F2DC3E6_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Everything arrived, beautifully packaged and handled with care. The bacon was delivered in a foil pouch. The fruit and vegetables were in their individual bags, and then batched into larger plastic bags.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuCEXHKBWkg38Jv2J9vbCUvZeKd6IDFTREH71U7hbUWrjZhAKmOaYMny_tjkX6KOR8OkjhitdBuVqT4h7NWyI7XvvOM7-oOt-gKX9BwTrf8t2dRLrYvPl0OZg39gVHITURmWciwwrLXOm/s2048/E49C9067-5654-44E7-8FBE-614C886AA479_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjuCEXHKBWkg38Jv2J9vbCUvZeKd6IDFTREH71U7hbUWrjZhAKmOaYMny_tjkX6KOR8OkjhitdBuVqT4h7NWyI7XvvOM7-oOt-gKX9BwTrf8t2dRLrYvPl0OZg39gVHITURmWciwwrLXOm/w400-h300/E49C9067-5654-44E7-8FBE-614C886AA479_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Like Christmas and your birthday rolled into one yummy delivery, right? Let's open them up!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ57Ne_lUb-DkiPabXUgxg1Kvl4ASckdZHxyESjc6il4Ess6ZzjmeHul7rHdGPgSyzuriyvp2jlynGMZa6-yMs4yxVJb2XradnslK4VPgJDFuVTgsKQhK_iW1RgDDyLV9AnPHS0G9xmUZ/s2048/98DD8ED4-C365-47CE-9782-B225C3553B96_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2048" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZ57Ne_lUb-DkiPabXUgxg1Kvl4ASckdZHxyESjc6il4Ess6ZzjmeHul7rHdGPgSyzuriyvp2jlynGMZa6-yMs4yxVJb2XradnslK4VPgJDFuVTgsKQhK_iW1RgDDyLV9AnPHS0G9xmUZ/w400-h346/98DD8ED4-C365-47CE-9782-B225C3553B96_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Edward's Peppered Bacon, one hefty loaf of Fruit Nut Bread, one 16 oz. bag of Green Machine Superfood Juicing Blend, celery, 3 good-sized shallots, 2 bell peppers - orange and yellow, 1 lb. Persian cucumbers, 5 large apples, 5 large golden potatoes, plus information and FAQs.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAW102d5rssTGSq_Qhrsdx78tGUwTiBvGLUl57DILFBV1AfKkwg92MTMMbG5lRfPCiNHKOdayhSUg3AziNFCYlzif2rkvdJcpee82je_ScuWxFNT7PWRL_6i63wfIx1G_4ezqpzp-StYa/s2048/5F48ADF7-8FAC-4A39-939E-FB04A045875C_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAW102d5rssTGSq_Qhrsdx78tGUwTiBvGLUl57DILFBV1AfKkwg92MTMMbG5lRfPCiNHKOdayhSUg3AziNFCYlzif2rkvdJcpee82je_ScuWxFNT7PWRL_6i63wfIx1G_4ezqpzp-StYa/w300-h400/5F48ADF7-8FAC-4A39-939E-FB04A045875C_1_201_a.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOycpcg1jy4fjWvi1OisDKZNmDkuXi2HS5WxuXZwJJYOP8VE6q9Jt7l_zGZEPsf70Fr33Oj-jnNllQvUuQakhz_7NuaCjlF2ZkUEfXrXwTh1OTIAPTX89EFwZb6mg5jQxOHnHM60jjGEGp/s2048/7AC3B6A5-B671-4CEA-999D-401ED5B376D9_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCr4KyN-D0DZwSW8mfZMWOEI8tZeahA_Bwz7sCA_ChRb3tmnpvCbeHj7MruE9X1mQcZ3jvhVypvjKXzy0mLxFHvTrOPOBsTDAoygREKd6I6OGXjqkhmWtfdZYGW2iKYa8Q_wzgCmfU3X4K/s2048/BF16620F-58E0-4648-A75E-0AC3E9157A0A_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCr4KyN-D0DZwSW8mfZMWOEI8tZeahA_Bwz7sCA_ChRb3tmnpvCbeHj7MruE9X1mQcZ3jvhVypvjKXzy0mLxFHvTrOPOBsTDAoygREKd6I6OGXjqkhmWtfdZYGW2iKYa8Q_wzgCmfU3X4K/w400-h300/BF16620F-58E0-4648-A75E-0AC3E9157A0A_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBNKyGywYe2uRNw8Tx-ufNZflCW8xANOMFSPlRk-1CkfR8wAE92ZbiOlcCnkedBSjpMEaleGyCa16cSMmmvhnsVJ0s8dt1Q9V0TixecIn5RJ2dJts_6cJyvDYHWirw_igjUrWfT_wWd93/s2048/FDEC9665-8B8D-44CE-AC21-144570199E46_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBNKyGywYe2uRNw8Tx-ufNZflCW8xANOMFSPlRk-1CkfR8wAE92ZbiOlcCnkedBSjpMEaleGyCa16cSMmmvhnsVJ0s8dt1Q9V0TixecIn5RJ2dJts_6cJyvDYHWirw_igjUrWfT_wWd93/w400-h300/FDEC9665-8B8D-44CE-AC21-144570199E46_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>THE GOOD:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Signing up and ordering were easy and quick. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time. The website is beautifully done and easy to navigate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Delivery was on time, no touch, and efficient. Items were placed in the cooler we set out on our front porch gently. (You can order a TNH cooler or use a large one of your own.) We did not have to go out to the store... major GOOD.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The items were of the very best quality. Beyond organic, locally grown, pesticide and GMO free, in season, and darned pretty to look at. The produce was pristine, good-sized, and very fresh. The gorgeous potatoes had me swooning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The labeling is clear and informative. The additional information enclosed is helpful and added value.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>THE BAD (not really bad, just maybe slightly less than great):</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The items are pricey if you are used to purchasing your groceries at Walmart or Costco. That being said, I did not find it more expensive than what we normally pay for local, organic items at markets and stores.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plastic. Lots of it. On each item ordered and then again in groups of items. I did appreciate the foil packaging on the bacon, though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>THE (highly) EDIBLE:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This fruit nut bread is so scrumptious! Nice thick slices, good distribution of fruit and nuts throughout, and soul-soothing with a little vegan butter on top of a toasted slice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw43F5xbshUlwH-xrdT2IA2BfFHT8Gs8mKfI84pTjLSGF1N2oXawnd1glhklAckJ3C8yS8zddkyR2Q1-tSJNmzm8wsCTSKg02vA5-vg_myX7oPFovmf0k1-UAO0gVtAYVPBUeXGt1x91wA/s2048/CF3296B6-702D-48C2-B61C-E45BCAD37D8C_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw43F5xbshUlwH-xrdT2IA2BfFHT8Gs8mKfI84pTjLSGF1N2oXawnd1glhklAckJ3C8yS8zddkyR2Q1-tSJNmzm8wsCTSKg02vA5-vg_myX7oPFovmf0k1-UAO0gVtAYVPBUeXGt1x91wA/w300-h400/CF3296B6-702D-48C2-B61C-E45BCAD37D8C_1_201_a.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>THE VERDICT:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://theneighborhoodharvest.com/" target="_blank">The Neighborhood Harvest</a> is a big WIN in my book. I love the simplicity of it and the amazing quality of the items. We will continue to order!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up: our next delivery is from <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a>. I'll be sure to check back in with our review!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-15457683949628589472017-06-24T16:01:00.000-04:002017-06-24T16:01:45.650-04:00a May visit to the State Arboretum of Virginia...Yes, this post is a tad late.<br />
<br />
In May, we drove to
Maryland for the annual Sheep & Wool Festival. My daughter and I
spent a drizzly day walking, eating, caressing all the wool, and making
friends with so many sheepses! It was such a treat!<br />
<br />
On the way back to the coastal plain of Virginia, we took the long, meandering route and quite unexpectedly discovered the <a href="http://blandy.virginia.edu/arboretum" target="_blank">State Arboretum</a>!
It's a sprawling and wonderfully green place, occupying the central 172
acres of the Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, Virginia. The
afternoon was spent exploring and learning and walking and sniffing...
even our precious Carolina dog, Scarlett, had a blast, leaping through
the grassy expanse!<br />
<br />
I cannot recommend this destination
highly enough. It's a must see, especially for garden gurus, mountain
dreamers, pollinator protectors, tree huggers, and just about anyone in
need of a quiet space to refresh their soul. I could tell you all about
it, but how about a virtual tour? <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_a23krAD5Ic17xm-r2BKdVmVZ0aUTEkaLhhtoc4hsL5emyc7j758IMNvD-0auGCI5KXVryZ3OKcrVwQdwjbuKwOMHBn8d8nTD3nyBAtkcYe6iRaGV8s6SmPLDohhsC9rhWwAtYh0qHSD/s1600/fullsizeoutput_ae4c.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_a23krAD5Ic17xm-r2BKdVmVZ0aUTEkaLhhtoc4hsL5emyc7j758IMNvD-0auGCI5KXVryZ3OKcrVwQdwjbuKwOMHBn8d8nTD3nyBAtkcYe6iRaGV8s6SmPLDohhsC9rhWwAtYh0qHSD/s400/fullsizeoutput_ae4c.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...wondered if there was a message here...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett leaping through the grass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The scene driving out of the Arboretum... pure bliss!</td></tr>
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Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-76008187816069723362017-03-01T15:24:00.001-05:002017-03-01T16:47:01.905-05:00bees, bees, bees under February trees...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Virginia is a bit confused. Several days in February have been in the 70-degree range and a couple days even dipped a toe or two into the 80's. Leaves are popping out everywhere; sources tell us leafing is about 3 weeks ahead of schedule this year. Our forsythia and lilacs are alive with colorful blossoms. And the honey bees.....<br />
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We lost colonies of bees this Winter... the weather was weird and harsh at times and it followed a Summer and Autumn that had us distracted with many things. We donned our suites and took a quick peek at our bees in mid-February. One top-bar hive was bursting with bees and brood (babies) and stores of honey and pollen. <br />
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After waiting two weeks and observing more and more bees, larger and larger traffic jams at the hive entrance, and workers backfilling empty brood comb with early pollen and nectar abundance, we considered an early split to try to prevent swarming as the hive became densely overpopulated.<br />
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We lit the smoker and grabbed our suits on a particularly beautiful day. We went carefully through the hive, noting population, stores, and crazy comb building, and removed some wonky cross comb. (See that "W" marked on one of the bars? That was our guide, saying, "Here's that wonky comb!")<br />
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There was brood in all stages in every place available, and new nearly-white comb was under construction.<br />
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The one thing we could NOT find, after nearly an hour of squinting, was Queen Mum. We have not marked our Queens since our first season, finding the practice too high-stress for us and for the Queen herself. We looked and looked, but she was having none of it on this day, escaping our gaze on every bar of comb we inspected. IF we wanted to split the hive, it would be necessary to find the Queen and move her, bars of brood in all stages and food supplies, and lots of workers to a second top-bar hive, leaving eggs and brood and the Queen cups we noted in the existing hive for the workers to raise a new Queen. *sigh* We decided to close the hive and check again for Queen Mum another day.<br />
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Just a couple of days later, on yet another gorgeous day, we ventured into the hive again. This time the inspection was quicker, more fluid, as we'd already noted where the brood chamber was within the hive, and loosed all the bars from their winter-propolized state of "stuck-to-it-ed-ness". One bar, then another, then another, and then I exclaimed, "I've got her!"<br />
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She was moving quickly across the comb, regal and beautiful and filled with life! We carefully moved the frame to the new hive and stopped just long enough to take some photos. See if you can find Queen Mum in the photos below. Other things of interest in these photos are drones hatching out, with their fat bodies and large eyes and workers cleaning out vacated cells in the comb.<br />
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We've made a split, and now one colony is two. The Queen will continue to lay eggs, just as prolifically as before, in her new home. A new Queen will be reared and emerge to embark on her mating flight, and hopefully return to the mother colony to fill it with new life. We've added our own organically grown lemongrass to a third hive, a sweet-smelling lure to welcome nearby swarming bees in search of new digs. We will watch in wonder (and just a little anxiety) how the Great Bee brings these things to pass.<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-56728811836757837462016-08-25T18:52:00.002-04:002016-08-25T18:55:09.060-04:00walking in Old Salem...Following medical procedures, the advice is to walk.<br />
To wake up the body after anesthesia.<br />
To get the gut moving again.<br />
To release (politely, of course) trapped air.<br />
To fill the lungs with oxygen and cough out any lingering yuck.<br />
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Some walk the hospital halls. Some walk around the hotel. Some walk a treadmill. But why not fill your eyes and heart with lovely things while tending to this necessary part of recovery?<br />
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We decided to visit Old Salem and walk its brick and stone sidewalks. A little history lesson, then photos. Let's go!<br />
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<i>"The town of Old Salem traces its history to the immigration of Moravian settlers, who brought their deep religious faith, Germanic heritage and industrious work ethic from central Europe to America in the 18th century. The Moravians, properly known as the Unity of the Brethren, are a protestant denomination whose members sought religious freedom and economic opportunities in the American colonies, settling several permanent communities in Pennsylvania during the 1740s. </i><br />
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<i>In 1753, Moravian settlers traveled south to North Carolina to found Wachovia, a 100,000-acre tract of land that would eventually contain six Moravian communities. These included Bethabara, Bethania, Salem and three smaller outlying settlements. Salem, founded in 1766 as the central community in Wachovia, served as a hub of economic trade and the spiritual center of the Moravian settlements in the region.</i><br />
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<i>Salem was a congregational town, meaning that one had to be Moravian and a member of the church to live in the community. However, outsiders were welcomed to come interact with dozens of skilled tradesmen in their shops and the community store. In addition to such fundamental trades as blacksmithing, woodworking and shoemaking, Salem also offered the much-needed but rarer services of a potter, a doctor, clock maker and justice of the peace to the residents of North Carolina backcountry." </i>(Visit <a href="http://oldsalem.org/">oldsalem.org</a> to learn more!)<i> </i><br />
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This happens often when we travel...<br />
I go into a shop to buy, oh, maybe a shopping bag full of Moravian cookies, say, and I return to find Tom and Scarlett surrounded by people!<br />
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This was a delightful way to speed recovery before our journey home! (And the cookies were such a treat!!!)Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-9878438619256681782016-07-22T16:59:00.000-04:002016-07-22T16:59:32.984-04:00tiny moments...The test comes back with something new. Something you weren't expecting. You pick up the phone to hear your doctor's voice, calling unexpectedly, using the word, "alarmed". **deep breath**<br />
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I could not have predicted this journey with FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis). I deluded myself that a surgery a few years back to prevent full-blown cancer was the end of the story. I was a pre-vivor! And yeah, I have other illnesses, but I can handle those! This particular hereditary cancer syndrome, though, is tricky, and new polyps are happy to form wherever they wish, of a type that become cancerous if left in place to thrive.<br />
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Another procedure looms to vacate a plump and cantankerous growth and many of his smaller neighbors. Another team of folks trying to keep me strong and cancer-free. I am so very grateful for all the wise and skilled people guiding me to wellness. But I needed a moment to catch my breath...<br />
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We decided to run away, just for a few days, to the place most sacred and healing for me: the blue, blue mountains of my beloved Virginia. We wandered. We laughed. We walked. We ate. We adventured. And my heart burst open wide. <br />
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I found the camera pointing at textures, focusing in small and profound. These tiny moments, stay here, linger here. Here is healing. Here are secrets waiting to be heard. <br />
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Let me share these tiny moments with you...<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-38056117034102689892016-05-24T20:01:00.000-04:002016-05-24T20:02:33.760-04:00mulberry muffins and memories...Some friends... you know the ones... lift your spirits and make your heart happy. They're the ones who surprise you with treasures that they just know you'll love. You giggle with delight at the same things. You learn and grow together with them. (And they're the ones that make a pact with you that neither of you has to clean the house before the other one visits... but that's another story.) What makes them even more special is the wee people they're nurturing, wondrous children filled with excitement and curiosity and intelligence.<br />
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I am so blessed to have just such a friend, raising two beautiful daughters. May I introduce you to one of them? Her name is Nettie and I've known her since she was a tiny baby. She makes me think and makes me smile and makes me see the world in new ways. And she shares my love of overalls.<br />
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On a recent visit with her family, Nettie gave me a delicious gift: fresh mulberries picked from their tree! The berries were nestled in a lovely little pocket, tied with a perfect yellow bow. I tasted one (well, maybe two or three) right away... sweet and juicy and perfect. As we drove away with the mulberries, I knew exactly what I'd do: bake mulberry muffins!<br />
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But how? So, of course, I roamed the interwebs, searching for a delicious and somewhat healthy recipe. And there it was: <a href="http://www.aspicyperspective.com/best-things-in-life/2/" target="_blank">Ginger-Wheat Mulberry Muffins</a> from Sommer at <a href="http://www.aspicyperspective.com/" target="_blank">A Spicy Perspective</a>. The recipe looked easy, healthier than some others from which I'd quickly clicked away, and contained crystallized ginger yumminess to compliment the mulberries!<br />
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Flouring the mulberries is a must and I do have a small addiction to Ziploc baggies (and paper towels and April Cornell clothing and...), so in the bag for a gentle shake before I began. And another quick moment to chop that zingy-sweet ginger!<br />
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Into the mixing bowl went the ingredients, with the addition of some toasted and chopped pecans...<br />
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And then into the muffin pan to bake...<br />
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And soon we had wonderful bites of Springtime!!!<br />
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Thank you, Nettie, for the tasty gift of mulberries... and thank you, Nettie's mom, for the gift of friendship.Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-3809445303022484432016-05-06T15:17:00.000-04:002016-05-06T15:17:19.567-04:00traveling altars...<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">altar</span></b></div>
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<span class="main-attr"><em>noun</em>,</span>
<span class="main-attr"><em>often attributive</em></span>
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al·tar </span>
<span class="pr">\ˈȯl-tər\</span>
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<span>a platform or table used as a center of worship in Christian ceremonies and services</span></div>
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<span>It's been a year. Twelve months of appointments and medications and tests and procedures. </span></div>
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<span>I live with layers of chronic health concerns. Sometimes my diabetes plays nice; sometimes I'm unable to track what has my numbers roller-coaster-ing. Last year I began a long and hard-to-treat flare of existing gastroparesis. Weight began to melt away. Food, once a great joy and comfort, became an enemy. Pain became constant. My team of medical caregivers kept searching for answers ... and found them. </span></div>
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<span>I also have familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a rare hereditary colon cancer syndrome. I lost my colon to this condition a few years ago, and somehow missed the memo that FAP was still very present. A few months ago the doctor found polyps in my stomach again, nothing really new, but then polyps were also found through the length of my small intestine. The trouble with FAP is that these polyps can turn cancerous when no one is watching, and they had to be removed. After an attempt by my specialist to locate and remove the largest of the growths, and after being turned down by a local group of specialists for a more complex procedure ("this patient's needs would be better met at a teaching hospital"), I was referred to UNC Chapel Hill.</span></div>
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<span>Doctors had never indicated that I was beyond their capabilities before. My primary care physician had never had a patient needing this more complex procedure. I'd never traveled hours away for treatment before. To say I was a little unnerved is an understatement.</span></div>
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<span>Then in April my friend, Kathleen, reached out with an invitation to a small group of women: gather at New Earth Farm for bonding, encouragement, and creating traveling altars. Her sister-in-law, Daisy, a hospital chaplain, would be there to share examples and ideas with us. It was the perfect, just-for-me gift at the perfect, just-as-God-timed-it moment. I accepted with gratitude.</span></div>
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<span>The day was chilly and windy, but the gathering spot was cozy and warm. Friends, new and treasured, arrived unexpectedly, filling my heart with happiness! One dear soul brought hats for everyone, a welcome gift on such a chilly day as we wandered the farm. </span></div>
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<span>Everyone brought supplies and tools which spilled out along the long table amongst the softly flickering candles. Traveling altar examples were placed on shelves with books and put-up jars of yumminess. </span></div>
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<span>Tiny boxes were transformed while strong women talked of challenges and joys. Each box would hold beauty, strips of paper for penning prayers, and a wee candle to light. The boxes were different sizes and shapes and materials; each a special creation for quiet prayers and meditation that could be closed tight and carried to many destinations.</span></div>
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<span>At the end of the day, as we stood and shared tasty treats, our traveling altars were placed together on the long table, our offering of praise and thankfulness for the time spent together. Farmer John came to admire the work of our hands and obliged us by taking our group photos.</span></div>
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<span>My traveling altar was ready for my journeys ahead... wherever my God leads...</span></div>
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Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-16014114109340062232015-08-25T14:57:00.000-04:002015-08-25T14:57:58.242-04:00the "truth in advertising" garden tour...Often I and my gardening buddies will post stunning photos of our garden goodness... perfectly kept beds of always blooming flowers, mega-productive vegetables, and herbs worthy of a spread in <i>bon appetit</i>. And we do, in fact, often have gardens (or at least spots in them) that look just like that.<br />
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My sweet homesteading friend, Lanette, recently moved to Guam. GUAM! And just a couple of weeks into her residency, she has a home, kids ready to begin school, farmers markets and growers identified (and visited!), and yes, a new version of gardening in place. She gives us a "walk around the homestead" in a recent post on her blog, <a href="http://homesteadingonthehomefront.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-walk-around-homefront-aug-2015.html" target="_blank">Homesteading on the Homefront</a>. (Go ahead, click and enjoy the beauty.)<br />
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In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that it's been a hard season for me and I have not been able to tend my gardens the way I should. I'm no help to my "on his second career" husband, who comes home from a long day of work and commuting to be greeted by a honey-do list longer than the monstrous morning glory vines slowly devouring the sunflowers out back. <br />
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Below I share with you some of the good, the bad, and the ugly around Flannel Jammies Farm as summer draws to a close. Try not to judge. Laugh with me as we greet the fresh start of Autumn. And say a prayer for Tom as he braves stink bugs, poison ivy, and cucumbers the size of cantaloupes...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rosemary, chive, boxwood basil, peony... and weeds</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">echinacea: wanted, dead or alive</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sedum: blooming where it's planted</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">still life: rosebush with tomato and pumpkin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my treasured pink dogwood among wandering lambs (ears)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crappy birdbath </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh, the abundant tomatoes (that I can't eat this season)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spooky marigold and black tomato</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chives, tomatoes, windows, and pollinators... oh, my!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hibiscus camouflaging a top-bar hive</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotAmkgZJ1n6wlWIHHLJIkJAx4J7slKk55r26BGIvzld1QCayuvbi6KAdSw7Re1RohZCmPPYcRVLgfpf7pv3wR-wDG-S4vXsuetECYvG4k9KfdXgtXo2E3vp0ieb_MalOY1W4fny0YdoIp/s1600/IMG_7559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotAmkgZJ1n6wlWIHHLJIkJAx4J7slKk55r26BGIvzld1QCayuvbi6KAdSw7Re1RohZCmPPYcRVLgfpf7pv3wR-wDG-S4vXsuetECYvG4k9KfdXgtXo2E3vp0ieb_MalOY1W4fny0YdoIp/s400/IMG_7559.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a Tim Gunn "make it work" moment (ran out of striped boxes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv5mR9Muax67OEWJO1d_ggr4s0Z6ZyPkbD5jTLsAN9ZYnZQ43CAm9zV0Y_f3dvMAzB-AIw7BG0osZh62HL0ezyAaHNp_mQoJuE9QGjw3fuqo7A3M-XFdvHNj4QY7bFXKfDZOiABXq-XBf/s1600/IMG_7561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzv5mR9Muax67OEWJO1d_ggr4s0Z6ZyPkbD5jTLsAN9ZYnZQ43CAm9zV0Y_f3dvMAzB-AIw7BG0osZh62HL0ezyAaHNp_mQoJuE9QGjw3fuqo7A3M-XFdvHNj4QY7bFXKfDZOiABXq-XBf/s400/IMG_7561.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another top-bar beauty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTeMe6UwKWIUzgFgifiAdK1hNnKZwD1A7FFthcDvX2WAeR9e0UDLu2DN-gYc5WKugadtBB88zCtF6KCHVijtg32Fe5ZVkrvG3ZBJbnZz-NSDUExFJ-oQImM5Z6oIv1PPpubGVNhnWVEY8/s1600/IMG_7567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTeMe6UwKWIUzgFgifiAdK1hNnKZwD1A7FFthcDvX2WAeR9e0UDLu2DN-gYc5WKugadtBB88zCtF6KCHVijtg32Fe5ZVkrvG3ZBJbnZz-NSDUExFJ-oQImM5Z6oIv1PPpubGVNhnWVEY8/s400/IMG_7567.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wish these washboarding bees knew how to rake...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemITRvUAoY6gNhUli2u3FnEgUhZp59xwOTWhq3bfpZSkBzsfPMLr7nVswN6CkHWbG-TTO-ge2bU8B8BbFaLb_liYBEt88GKury9haUtHRN3DPlDxozc25M1W2M67Pq1ZGqGu0Qx-hphMw/s1600/IMG_7538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemITRvUAoY6gNhUli2u3FnEgUhZp59xwOTWhq3bfpZSkBzsfPMLr7nVswN6CkHWbG-TTO-ge2bU8B8BbFaLb_liYBEt88GKury9haUtHRN3DPlDxozc25M1W2M67Pq1ZGqGu0Qx-hphMw/s400/IMG_7538.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarlett's thinking, "that ain't right..."</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixf9OB8hYphSUVjApBSDp_tQ3dRsJVc2mNufRx6YWd1iUNavGihbj6qL8GAeGIJrkZuE8dN4njBqJjV-U3hALNbz1JmLm4NKcFqgqaoFz_FuY30zpb-FDLJpx77tvQqyNW5bEh_oy2pg0K/s1600/IMG_7516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixf9OB8hYphSUVjApBSDp_tQ3dRsJVc2mNufRx6YWd1iUNavGihbj6qL8GAeGIJrkZuE8dN4njBqJjV-U3hALNbz1JmLm4NKcFqgqaoFz_FuY30zpb-FDLJpx77tvQqyNW5bEh_oy2pg0K/s400/IMG_7516.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">composter, windows, solar wax melter, and overgrowth, a la Fred Sanford</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdUovlehZ3N5SSmIeeDMlQ4MFXbSGHrxA0qRXTYTpSYSEiVndJYZSzDr9AV1WsgWdj5Vs1Oc6-Ph2mfSvbdojTqKyZawPXs2ZAS5bGPj4ALJ40A4V-w8RoqRf-idIy4KG2h3vM-4es8pk/s1600/IMG_7514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdUovlehZ3N5SSmIeeDMlQ4MFXbSGHrxA0qRXTYTpSYSEiVndJYZSzDr9AV1WsgWdj5Vs1Oc6-Ph2mfSvbdojTqKyZawPXs2ZAS5bGPj4ALJ40A4V-w8RoqRf-idIy4KG2h3vM-4es8pk/s400/IMG_7514.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>erectus mysterio</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-9130633294110867502015-07-16T11:06:00.001-04:002015-07-16T11:06:07.545-04:00visiting the bees...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIKpLiW9TzB8t4zgFSwYMExL-eD4pnvRZtXuEBsae14j-LsiqwjBT6rKXK_b6IjptjMt3C5eXcxokXmpdaqAhe06tUaMgiAwsfUMH3lYmkP7CfQ6pGngthZI9MBK2Vot1AbCOFgMZ6nwq/s1600/IMG_7001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIKpLiW9TzB8t4zgFSwYMExL-eD4pnvRZtXuEBsae14j-LsiqwjBT6rKXK_b6IjptjMt3C5eXcxokXmpdaqAhe06tUaMgiAwsfUMH3lYmkP7CfQ6pGngthZI9MBK2Vot1AbCOFgMZ6nwq/s400/IMG_7001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The time is drawing near! The Spring nectar flow has come and gone, the busy bees have foraged and gathered and fanned and stored and capped tiny cups of sweet honey in the comb. Very soon now we'll be taking just the surplus from the hives, leaving more than enough to nourish the bees through the coming winter. We purchased our own extractor this year, a big, gleaming drum that uses centrifugal force to spin honey from frames of honeycomb. We chose a hand-cranked model with capacity to hold 2 frames (with the option to upgrade to 9 frames)... perfect for our small apiary.<br />
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A few days ago we peeked into the hives, assessing their numbers, health, needs, and just how much honey could be shared with us. We gently lifted off the hive roof and puffed a little smoke from the smoker, our way of asking the bees to move aside to allow us to enter without incident. <br />
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Bee numbers had increased so robustly in all but one hive! Every one seemed healthy, busy, and ready for more elbow room. We scraped away any wayward comb and overzealous propolizing. We checked for brood in all stages, finding eggs, larva, capped brood, and even saw a little bee friend emerging into the world!<br />
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We decided to begin feeding a sugar syrup to the one colony with the
smaller (but strong!) population, encouraging them to build wax comb and bee numbers. (We don't usually feed sugar syrup to our
bees, but in this case it can prove helpful.) <br />
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The tops were placed back on the hives, leaving the bees to their work. We'll return this week to extract from second and third year hives; we leave all honey stores for the bees in the hives that were started this year, giving the bees the best chance to build their numbers and go into winter with lots of nourishment.<br />
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Before sitting down to share on the blog this morning, I was pondering our dinner menu. What to cook? What to cook? WHAT TO COOK? I came up empty, and wandered out to the kitchen garden to see what might be ready to harvest. Menu problem solved.<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-16766211220492022722015-07-08T16:03:00.001-04:002015-07-08T16:03:18.776-04:00flannel jammies farm is stepping out!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">BIG NEWS...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Flannel Jammies Farm is stepping out!</span></span></div>
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<br /> We'll have our first Pop-Up Shop</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
at <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=797099470329233" href="https://www.facebook.com/westelmvabeach">West Elm Virginia Beach</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
located at Town Center </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
on Saturday, July 25, 12-5pm!<br />
Stop by and see us </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(and our honey bees in an observation hive!) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for raw
local honey, beeswax, lotion bars, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
photo postcards and prints, and much
more! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-25937578974251766502015-06-15T17:33:00.000-04:002015-06-15T17:45:08.007-04:00giving a swarm a new home...Some days, the Great Bee smiles and whispers to swarming honey bees the path to a loving home. <br />
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This was the case recently, with sweet bees stopping to rest in the maple tree in our front yard. We welcomed these visitors with joy and gently settled them into a new home. Here's how...<br />
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On a bright Saturday morning, my husband pulled into our driveway and heard the unmistakeable sound of buzzing bees. He peeked overhead, into the maple tree, and saw a traveling swarm had stopped to rest right in our beekeeping front yard! The swarm was not too small and not too big but just right.<br />
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The hubs worked quickly but calmly. He pulled his pickup under the tree branch and placed a horizontal ladder atop the truck's toolbox. He also brought out a waiting nuc box, or small hive for a nucleus colony of bees. This box is a good starter size for a small colony, with only five frames to fill with wax and to protect. Any additional escape routes were covered over, leaving only one entrance open at the front of the box. The bottom of this box is screened for ventilation. <br />
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Reaching up, he used loppers to gently cut the branch from the tree, far enough away from the clustered swarm to ensure they would not be disturbed or harmed.<br />
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The branch with the swarm still attached was lowered into the nuc box. Bees, sensing the Queen's pheremone, should make their way to her. If the hubs was successful, the Queen would be in the nuc box and the remaining bees would begin their journey into the box to join her. We soon saw that this was the case and watched as bees made their way through the entrance and clustered on the screened bottom.<br />
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After about 20 minutes, the branch was slowly removed and the frames were added one by one, floating and then sinking slowly into the bees in the box. The lid was added to the box. <br />
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My husband also invited the neighbors over to watch the process! They loved seeing something they'd never witnessed before and were fascinated by how gentle the bees are.<br />
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These bees quickly filled out the frames in the nuc box with lovely beeswax, pollen and nectar stores, and sweet baby bee brood. The five full frames were moved into an 8-frame hive, giving the bees more room to grow their colony's numbers and stores for the winter ahead. They now reside in the barn red hive behind the bottle tree, nestled among honey bee neighbors.<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-76764391788819150682015-06-09T13:46:00.002-04:002015-06-09T13:46:19.883-04:00the flying Spring (lots of photos)...Has it really been 3 months since we've visited here? It's hard to believe! Spring here at Flannel Jammies Farm: our daughter's wedding, bees everywhere, newly built raised beds, a pen pal, Easter's joy, helping a high school student with a bee awareness project, achieving full Virginia Beach Master Gardener status, hanging with friends, and so much more! Rather than bore you with my fumbling words, here are some photos to catch you up to where we are now, in no particular order... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting and stitching with Paulette Stewart</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once Upon a Tea with dearest Cathy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dogwood Daddy gave me long ago</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new Tom-built raised beds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yLJBGsGpJvS2vY6DF80daDJeABAImNmHAV31Gdhs5EkTTG_KuMLwBXVjEBuIMti7aVbcG7zffLzSMPd_sgPeN3UxBTCWAlKNCrwjsoFXB8X6LXKOUyAjHfISFxAYTJfzNryTZdBEuZY9/s1600/IMG_7910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yLJBGsGpJvS2vY6DF80daDJeABAImNmHAV31Gdhs5EkTTG_KuMLwBXVjEBuIMti7aVbcG7zffLzSMPd_sgPeN3UxBTCWAlKNCrwjsoFXB8X6LXKOUyAjHfISFxAYTJfzNryTZdBEuZY9/s400/IMG_7910.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working with Alanna, sharing about bees</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snail Mail from my pen pal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXi-FcP1oBVha7speSa3r5qP3hvw2vUdbmXPBH41ADHv_a7jlRJ3lkmIVzac1VnY4cv_wunJejJLfhS_qUiNZD7QDVSu4Uobzpn_B1NEn-LQlUDMxOVdxbSoIgIk30TNAoWjI-X120lY02/s1600/IMG_5692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXi-FcP1oBVha7speSa3r5qP3hvw2vUdbmXPBH41ADHv_a7jlRJ3lkmIVzac1VnY4cv_wunJejJLfhS_qUiNZD7QDVSu4Uobzpn_B1NEn-LQlUDMxOVdxbSoIgIk30TNAoWjI-X120lY02/s400/IMG_5692.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Installing a Natural Playscape at church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVJrTol3CHaB39QP_yBB0ifmPfqmELHSsqoATL1JxhCJCfziaUvaVR6kYQ7lmnmiygkOfZay7VBSTPTz87huAyWyPyUpuLneJbKrq6xWkP69VFkXQE-9x3R449e9qA6GPxVw9q1gVAT8b/s1600/IMG_2939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVJrTol3CHaB39QP_yBB0ifmPfqmELHSsqoATL1JxhCJCfziaUvaVR6kYQ7lmnmiygkOfZay7VBSTPTz87huAyWyPyUpuLneJbKrq6xWkP69VFkXQE-9x3R449e9qA6GPxVw9q1gVAT8b/s400/IMG_2939.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top-Bar Hive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPJ7HuDoMXt3jPiRO9Keg5XOnbiS8d0DboHiAlc7dBo1pgxa-jDq8bpTWnqmoaIAMEULoCy1WYPCt_fMI4QfeE1iamLIEXnsIrNJb2JDGwUv3ouvYRcR_OJjmx_Zivm39VM9JRDKsVrOY/s1600/11203113_10155524465590013_4476860485724868651_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPJ7HuDoMXt3jPiRO9Keg5XOnbiS8d0DboHiAlc7dBo1pgxa-jDq8bpTWnqmoaIAMEULoCy1WYPCt_fMI4QfeE1iamLIEXnsIrNJb2JDGwUv3ouvYRcR_OJjmx_Zivm39VM9JRDKsVrOY/s400/11203113_10155524465590013_4476860485724868651_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road with Joan and Lanette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5xCDqiPSm7mDwHYkmydu9soKbAL7iTrj_J1FTT67WfFlJSqeaZX7CHewOmpmLFFRx3eP80oAoMuzMTcgaW7HiQjsg5p_2jca1VuR1gdPa12-Q0_7ebLqdqqDWSkAsUs9lZWOkBL_7MIg/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5xCDqiPSm7mDwHYkmydu9soKbAL7iTrj_J1FTT67WfFlJSqeaZX7CHewOmpmLFFRx3eP80oAoMuzMTcgaW7HiQjsg5p_2jca1VuR1gdPa12-Q0_7ebLqdqqDWSkAsUs9lZWOkBL_7MIg/s400/IMG_2767.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring stitching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFl20dBQVxwOdAPa5xfE3lo2lhH-seFRKRHOI5iwsRO1gIbcO-YMDjbFxyS7hfXbKbv6bTfc1URrFM6PB_P58gsBK8xauIe0si9V-0dYVgZqIfPapJJ2RIpUCxOMw8fpQE_EuZYoRHlURF/s1600/IMG_2943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFl20dBQVxwOdAPa5xfE3lo2lhH-seFRKRHOI5iwsRO1gIbcO-YMDjbFxyS7hfXbKbv6bTfc1URrFM6PB_P58gsBK8xauIe0si9V-0dYVgZqIfPapJJ2RIpUCxOMw8fpQE_EuZYoRHlURF/s400/IMG_2943.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chihuly exhibit with the Zamorskis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTwzUUFrWSsNdIRdYjBR59qv2_lZn5Xioh7noPmHpVLW6FxXgBHoiDnOaoEo90yj2iSLaxoLT-HLUQzYFRmFVXqDEDp-M_iJmhlUiXIzMd5Myq7nTwvqd-kWAJku4BK6CGICBKxPm-5iX/s1600/IMG_2828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTwzUUFrWSsNdIRdYjBR59qv2_lZn5Xioh7noPmHpVLW6FxXgBHoiDnOaoEo90yj2iSLaxoLT-HLUQzYFRmFVXqDEDp-M_iJmhlUiXIzMd5Myq7nTwvqd-kWAJku4BK6CGICBKxPm-5iX/s400/IMG_2828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New beadboard ceiling and amazing green paint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKBvFAw6FEFA1BIoM1r0D02H_UbCyv272DCw9sNexe-MmO2qrE16n-O5bTH0nNoauKIBNOiIcNpch2WLYCFTKoIcI_ExvFCCasI0D5N6G2dHq9rzga-zwlkRqQE3fmVIFqeGPetCY3PXP/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKBvFAw6FEFA1BIoM1r0D02H_UbCyv272DCw9sNexe-MmO2qrE16n-O5bTH0nNoauKIBNOiIcNpch2WLYCFTKoIcI_ExvFCCasI0D5N6G2dHq9rzga-zwlkRqQE3fmVIFqeGPetCY3PXP/s400/IMG_3001.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working at the Children's Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLHOtBnQPl2fvcYosF3rwYY572GFGrq405qVc4yIsdfEBgdqOLhNSz9AZU4JE_16yj1-rC4SuF6FQPOdVPBpZGlrcoIfy27uPHefKZrPkI_e4HxYe7CJTpJEO1mblLkPaZ5QGuhWHtkmh/s1600/IMG_2766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLHOtBnQPl2fvcYosF3rwYY572GFGrq405qVc4yIsdfEBgdqOLhNSz9AZU4JE_16yj1-rC4SuF6FQPOdVPBpZGlrcoIfy27uPHefKZrPkI_e4HxYe7CJTpJEO1mblLkPaZ5QGuhWHtkmh/s400/IMG_2766.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our daughter designed her wedding stationery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGMXXtsnGZW-ZZXcdsSTzT4KJ2JkkfuUMNiC9uLzFPjFUV7LlfX5SMp6cDNo58ppZPq-xhSotrIrMPwA0M9jBcaBX5EEI9uM_sBMycpPY_tEzIjFJdQcxxgW5Q9TcqDF3co2WNh0fzl6Q/s1600/Bridal+Hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGMXXtsnGZW-ZZXcdsSTzT4KJ2JkkfuUMNiC9uLzFPjFUV7LlfX5SMp6cDNo58ppZPq-xhSotrIrMPwA0M9jBcaBX5EEI9uM_sBMycpPY_tEzIjFJdQcxxgW5Q9TcqDF3co2WNh0fzl6Q/s400/Bridal+Hair.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trista's bridal beauty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz95gZigsVETmmUvcU6a1bkj_JvounbkWUXVkPBWZYn1xvR-yPxP8hm8sLY8lI0bQi3gnKchOzheFMwEqJeloG43FbtlLQACNirSoxCG4n9YeWB0lwT7-FzT3xcNzj21imZ0a9vYr87yaj/s1600/Groom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz95gZigsVETmmUvcU6a1bkj_JvounbkWUXVkPBWZYn1xvR-yPxP8hm8sLY8lI0bQi3gnKchOzheFMwEqJeloG43FbtlLQACNirSoxCG4n9YeWB0lwT7-FzT3xcNzj21imZ0a9vYr87yaj/s400/Groom.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handsome groom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTw4Hl7pCrBRWhAGmxWCPN3loiMXoI5e0A0fbibq3Q9gNMVJbkU5zC50F7gs3f54MFvu8_E4RDOmKKsKL4VHGLYxoQeX0k_JojhBNKZUH28zIO4OPqnd_Gl2tLIGTlMa2TeZC_2zgrGIl/s1600/Bride+and+her+mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTw4Hl7pCrBRWhAGmxWCPN3loiMXoI5e0A0fbibq3Q9gNMVJbkU5zC50F7gs3f54MFvu8_E4RDOmKKsKL4VHGLYxoQeX0k_JojhBNKZUH28zIO4OPqnd_Gl2tLIGTlMa2TeZC_2zgrGIl/s400/Bride+and+her+mom.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsitTAzgFwSKpekCGTwPplaSIBOQNroF97uQhS6ek9W2-wLpU8XxFUneAjjDjqQ5vJtR7XW0Wy_X2C8tZmJ1hoI8SQSAzWvq1QaQ0WPKmiBEmeC5I-j82fYP1MF-Cdfuq8fulNEQetsxU/s1600/Brother+and+Sister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsitTAzgFwSKpekCGTwPplaSIBOQNroF97uQhS6ek9W2-wLpU8XxFUneAjjDjqQ5vJtR7XW0Wy_X2C8tZmJ1hoI8SQSAzWvq1QaQ0WPKmiBEmeC5I-j82fYP1MF-Cdfuq8fulNEQetsxU/s400/Brother+and+Sister.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonder what these siblings are chatting about?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTva-4e8Qefg2zXdxvZLSWiBFJdz5549qoA-j-W9SikfHmgXB878JyuVqNRjEJ6YtUjz4G6lidEqTonErtB0sW1y3d8xmx0ZCA6oOgWuV0l8448LgSkK5bmTZvs0oTVqnGpn359evKKxfA/s1600/Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTva-4e8Qefg2zXdxvZLSWiBFJdz5549qoA-j-W9SikfHmgXB878JyuVqNRjEJ6YtUjz4G6lidEqTonErtB0sW1y3d8xmx0ZCA6oOgWuV0l8448LgSkK5bmTZvs0oTVqnGpn359evKKxfA/s400/Cake.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cake, complete with Star Wars quote</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBmlON1IsriDbOgPE8AE0F30ckDTj7YBkYXmESDIf4_BxjGbiMUcvCpzhYGwEeJU99LenmNNQKMdnQKzAGqCDqFIrh8Xk5rORseFRBbhyphenhyphen_HdGaAzhvwVM19mduosfMy34LcDdz2EeEqJF/s1600/Groom%2527s+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBmlON1IsriDbOgPE8AE0F30ckDTj7YBkYXmESDIf4_BxjGbiMUcvCpzhYGwEeJU99LenmNNQKMdnQKzAGqCDqFIrh8Xk5rORseFRBbhyphenhyphen_HdGaAzhvwVM19mduosfMy34LcDdz2EeEqJF/s400/Groom%2527s+cake.jpg" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The groom's cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXC8erKeF-5TzC_2rMCcVRyoleAbSDYvkXTGIVAu_XYbzq2lLchmhf6SqXGotLxFaCDjD1zaNYPkE2WkAGuklh6QAnUfwxQehg0o9w1tUlNqx9r1hfwWTwKYTOKoJnH72-qfhUu1Jf_VJz/s1600/Ring+bearer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXC8erKeF-5TzC_2rMCcVRyoleAbSDYvkXTGIVAu_XYbzq2lLchmhf6SqXGotLxFaCDjD1zaNYPkE2WkAGuklh6QAnUfwxQehg0o9w1tUlNqx9r1hfwWTwKYTOKoJnH72-qfhUu1Jf_VJz/s400/Ring+bearer.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One serious ring bearer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYchBNIubG5vNvNA-UsuHdvQXN4rlO1fVGUZxI_nE2MYw7S0mHbWWLUkoFdnzoQdYT2hDnX4JB78XFJOcslUzwkgelK1bgDoLNtLSVg-xNbint0lRCN3sxTz6EbiuKt3XMXA37QzPxzFP/s1600/Mom+and+Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYchBNIubG5vNvNA-UsuHdvQXN4rlO1fVGUZxI_nE2MYw7S0mHbWWLUkoFdnzoQdYT2hDnX4JB78XFJOcslUzwkgelK1bgDoLNtLSVg-xNbint0lRCN3sxTz6EbiuKt3XMXA37QzPxzFP/s400/Mom+and+Bride.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wedding flowers and smiles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhRX9-yKOzJHHWpoFkHAiBPYE_YyL3GiEqiRXNl3aostjBQgofRzgF5ogipEG-yrJfaLxL3BgMlzepN7MNJbnCOYvToixxB41117aYqLwJZHeNLnh-DhA1udkErpY8lAkZ0F-aNCSKlB/s1600/Dad+and+Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhRX9-yKOzJHHWpoFkHAiBPYE_YyL3GiEqiRXNl3aostjBQgofRzgF5ogipEG-yrJfaLxL3BgMlzepN7MNJbnCOYvToixxB41117aYqLwJZHeNLnh-DhA1udkErpY8lAkZ0F-aNCSKlB/s400/Dad+and+Bride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Father and daughter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nA3GAAHWqYhnrLz6Czb468OEl589QOVnRV5tXQ2Jyjj_JBXdD8uRvLXZxP_rt5jNGs35VBn3LM2unQD_FyOwH9vblm9vUjUQuxpg61KTVAaWOCKNdtLwMdkUE90COa_9sP4qIoJHjC7z/s1600/Wedding+march.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nA3GAAHWqYhnrLz6Czb468OEl589QOVnRV5tXQ2Jyjj_JBXdD8uRvLXZxP_rt5jNGs35VBn3LM2unQD_FyOwH9vblm9vUjUQuxpg61KTVAaWOCKNdtLwMdkUE90COa_9sP4qIoJHjC7z/s400/Wedding+march.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the courtyard aisle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh464QZQjjHxvslKrLgqSS0rdAtqfUPJuuOzMrfWYmq80AjwvsQlFfK8HuxAlWrx8623dixJ2V9tDfvgpU8ezDE0SfM9EVWgwkKmG_p9WTF8Eho5I9GE_qysyqc4w_wiAOwj1bRkjvdDhPl/s1600/Dad+presenting+Bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh464QZQjjHxvslKrLgqSS0rdAtqfUPJuuOzMrfWYmq80AjwvsQlFfK8HuxAlWrx8623dixJ2V9tDfvgpU8ezDE0SfM9EVWgwkKmG_p9WTF8Eho5I9GE_qysyqc4w_wiAOwj1bRkjvdDhPl/s400/Dad+presenting+Bride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom presenting the bride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToteQSAF4hnPQ8C3RUOht5yYCcqSJn9voeIPa3e3OjwLON7UKipL9duP_W7G_Y05yb5r4X3zAN4jAol81YgsaycMgyMYCHxA5VSwQIs5rAaporsQikZR9jZf4oNH5g23lKShNmffxc2sE/s1600/ceremony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToteQSAF4hnPQ8C3RUOht5yYCcqSJn9voeIPa3e3OjwLON7UKipL9duP_W7G_Y05yb5r4X3zAN4jAol81YgsaycMgyMYCHxA5VSwQIs5rAaporsQikZR9jZf4oNH5g23lKShNmffxc2sE/s400/ceremony.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceremony </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hO1hwNxLBwQeB-UG3pyUxxz5UyuuKbq7u-0BoKynislUSvB8GLwKdA-QvaA_rAQejFiT5gdFvJLxzelCmkIgFjEoT5qpuSCxq-hMStZyQe189VTyqOI2UFvVqqdna1m1eiLPORPbHNFu/s1600/the+kiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hO1hwNxLBwQeB-UG3pyUxxz5UyuuKbq7u-0BoKynislUSvB8GLwKdA-QvaA_rAQejFiT5gdFvJLxzelCmkIgFjEoT5qpuSCxq-hMStZyQe189VTyqOI2UFvVqqdna1m1eiLPORPbHNFu/s400/the+kiss.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiss and the cutest flower girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EbpVwXF3gxeg7NXKkA5uG3vibBCazHn6lX8KlubGEM4RkBkHdbycLgE1ix9M3Dl1Zg4ERvRyNlQ1-8lvHHBPuQskzjoXpF_HQo-aFTr0Wy_NhyphenhyphenHUsTkI5fFE6pTJ8YTimbQazxvyKIF4/s1600/Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EbpVwXF3gxeg7NXKkA5uG3vibBCazHn6lX8KlubGEM4RkBkHdbycLgE1ix9M3Dl1Zg4ERvRyNlQ1-8lvHHBPuQskzjoXpF_HQo-aFTr0Wy_NhyphenhyphenHUsTkI5fFE6pTJ8YTimbQazxvyKIF4/s400/Family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkGJUmezyHSg3xxyvopZwmYnmhL_nImd_armYhNUmxj_y2e_hdroqirM4zHQkM3cKeIhYUWlWvTN0lxi-j3ehczInEqsd1WKICrP9ajgVGvAH6Lqupg3Oll2Mclhc_-sv9cFTJQ8O6K4X/s1600/Father+of+the+bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkGJUmezyHSg3xxyvopZwmYnmhL_nImd_armYhNUmxj_y2e_hdroqirM4zHQkM3cKeIhYUWlWvTN0lxi-j3ehczInEqsd1WKICrP9ajgVGvAH6Lqupg3Oll2Mclhc_-sv9cFTJQ8O6K4X/s400/Father+of+the+bride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom's boutonniere </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixZSn2M3Z17vOc_AeMhO9ewuH32LDgET2hobHx888Io_dWNL3Ekh3Q8IP0BSbxGh6bntHZ9L00vcv2P12Z8klOqwk_VCmWG9IaC8vh87vIwkC2cwhhjbQHi76P9sGsIBd763TdaG0DSDB/s1600/Silly+Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixZSn2M3Z17vOc_AeMhO9ewuH32LDgET2hobHx888Io_dWNL3Ekh3Q8IP0BSbxGh6bntHZ9L00vcv2P12Z8klOqwk_VCmWG9IaC8vh87vIwkC2cwhhjbQHi76P9sGsIBd763TdaG0DSDB/s400/Silly+Mom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can have Leia buns, too!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTK6ncwfb21dU5xJVGQ_QzVKD6lHmltKBOiN2S9kVG3hcpJr0L9ZkZ_npsdLDZ0-JyM9ISZNDbKZTtK7tCyk6Z5n9Zw4ZCUNd_L5rA8ohbwRSSXrHosS-RcTQz31jhse_iiOF1ap-7OZgw/s1600/Cousins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTK6ncwfb21dU5xJVGQ_QzVKD6lHmltKBOiN2S9kVG3hcpJr0L9ZkZ_npsdLDZ0-JyM9ISZNDbKZTtK7tCyk6Z5n9Zw4ZCUNd_L5rA8ohbwRSSXrHosS-RcTQz31jhse_iiOF1ap-7OZgw/s400/Cousins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet cousins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdTeJTOkC-OTiVG5L_MON3Zpthwsdx7GdZeAk_M19iQIp031ztI9unrF-nzb-hA1OTU_dkNhPwiCpFkEddAUbTAuKAn2649IYcA3fLZ9YJk-GK2kGq6rt9ibYcwg1617_W7eFJ-M3ULQV/s1600/Bride+and+Groom+toast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdTeJTOkC-OTiVG5L_MON3Zpthwsdx7GdZeAk_M19iQIp031ztI9unrF-nzb-hA1OTU_dkNhPwiCpFkEddAUbTAuKAn2649IYcA3fLZ9YJk-GK2kGq6rt9ibYcwg1617_W7eFJ-M3ULQV/s400/Bride+and+Groom+toast.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A toast (thanks, Joan, for those stunning goblets!)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphen4vsNMknOOv2hkXW5lSI8wnE1IfBcRkHKixflI3pq_7q1lXyHH4OXsXskWdkJ2JqeF4tqfDfNXVHQo4rrfB1eDQpmvqMxJyd1J2Y7wTGO6ANwEiVILAF1kvGx171-9v9rinWfX0lbNUn/s1600/IMG_6097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphen4vsNMknOOv2hkXW5lSI8wnE1IfBcRkHKixflI3pq_7q1lXyHH4OXsXskWdkJ2JqeF4tqfDfNXVHQo4rrfB1eDQpmvqMxJyd1J2Y7wTGO6ANwEiVILAF1kvGx171-9v9rinWfX0lbNUn/s400/IMG_6097.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These ladies... love my family!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-t_cA6jpAiwRwB8OutHUSrzqjCNBSc4VjkdkhjQOYeTXfTTctEh77vSn58dhVr_k8Flqthrs5qM5pKRT9v5qM7AYPjQHeaqnhKFu8BR9fUGMim6sv4hKw33D_oyZlkdD_RS5chSUp3c0/s1600/IMG_6606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-t_cA6jpAiwRwB8OutHUSrzqjCNBSc4VjkdkhjQOYeTXfTTctEh77vSn58dhVr_k8Flqthrs5qM5pKRT9v5qM7AYPjQHeaqnhKFu8BR9fUGMim6sv4hKw33D_oyZlkdD_RS5chSUp3c0/s400/IMG_6606.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traveling the Blue Ridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg164XzyhdjXJMFo8GfAjWQEdZ_BjgC7FYq2idhSmI2EcTeLr00VK4ZH9eC7ppjRMo4fYcBBFYFcZl32XkXC-oZgZBCmnNmo3d5S88B588OmPN3yJ9xsRY1RWc4gMBL8yLrz_3I3aZt5aCk/s1600/IMG_3333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg164XzyhdjXJMFo8GfAjWQEdZ_BjgC7FYq2idhSmI2EcTeLr00VK4ZH9eC7ppjRMo4fYcBBFYFcZl32XkXC-oZgZBCmnNmo3d5S88B588OmPN3yJ9xsRY1RWc4gMBL8yLrz_3I3aZt5aCk/s400/IMG_3333.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dehydrating cherries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofPqiH_FBKxNgBREkaWh4C22bh2_1CnGCKpoPAgbokPMqgS-aykElSKrHzr_KlxqhkeT4jyKReYvKIoiPFBnVasJpNg7OphJOVcfTEKWUuP48sO4jbgIFXQwmcbBIoo-89vbd5bZtbVYj/s1600/IMG_3285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofPqiH_FBKxNgBREkaWh4C22bh2_1CnGCKpoPAgbokPMqgS-aykElSKrHzr_KlxqhkeT4jyKReYvKIoiPFBnVasJpNg7OphJOVcfTEKWUuP48sO4jbgIFXQwmcbBIoo-89vbd5bZtbVYj/s400/IMG_3285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging at Notforgotten Farm with Lori Brechlin</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLLzhNGLli7CgFvabN6bIbjdhl-tvqqx5ztIN17YjrP6yAzBY_3Ppsig_l2Ac9K9-KoRJb9_jEgYBpO7R1Xbqb5Zif1_TroUajX8rNv_HF9VOPX-6gX9fP1dJlw2Uv9w18NREepPNz72-/s1600/IMG_6390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLLzhNGLli7CgFvabN6bIbjdhl-tvqqx5ztIN17YjrP6yAzBY_3Ppsig_l2Ac9K9-KoRJb9_jEgYBpO7R1Xbqb5Zif1_TroUajX8rNv_HF9VOPX-6gX9fP1dJlw2Uv9w18NREepPNz72-/s400/IMG_6390.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trapping a swarm in a nuc box</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOT8ZHPvdI2EvPIP5fcDUHBfW4J0coBZGswLk8kOFp6gwj2ZnYtOxfHlG8TDydZ1Ef_yAftEqbYFUjgJBKB9ExldsfElBt2IgDtwMQvXj3bUthoGSXn_y5Yirtcm_QQo212uvknMjInqQ6/s1600/IMG_6810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOT8ZHPvdI2EvPIP5fcDUHBfW4J0coBZGswLk8kOFp6gwj2ZnYtOxfHlG8TDydZ1Ef_yAftEqbYFUjgJBKB9ExldsfElBt2IgDtwMQvXj3bUthoGSXn_y5Yirtcm_QQo212uvknMjInqQ6/s400/IMG_6810.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WHAT WILL WE DO NEXT???</td></tr>
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-78742481217309690802015-03-08T18:05:00.001-04:002015-03-08T19:51:44.424-04:00first hive check of the season...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZRZfb42ukO3wKVrNAauDh86DWuVuMAW4mzhj0vFoZYQ6qZhVmsOU5-awSu4IEZgLhOh3OG43qQkFxIrYIH_dvUcPk6hkAo9I6Kcj3XI64vlGJJKSi-R9fwByIqtGPwkh0UsPsHV8FBkQ/s1600/IMG_5433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZRZfb42ukO3wKVrNAauDh86DWuVuMAW4mzhj0vFoZYQ6qZhVmsOU5-awSu4IEZgLhOh3OG43qQkFxIrYIH_dvUcPk6hkAo9I6Kcj3XI64vlGJJKSi-R9fwByIqtGPwkh0UsPsHV8FBkQ/s1600/IMG_5433.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's been a long and cold winter. Really cold. Record-breaking cold for our area of Virginia that lasted and lasted, punctuated with days and days of snow and ice. Since we started keeping bees, winter has become a time to worry about the bees and to be lonely for them. Is it too cold? We do provide extra insulation on the most bitter nights, but is it enough? Do they have enough ventilation to prevent condensation? We use screened bottom boards and screened inner covers, but is it enough? Are their honey stores holding out? We slipped some of their honey to them on the warmer of the cold days, but is it enough? How many hives will we lose to this cold, lonely season?<br />
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This year we did lose some bees, but thankfully we have strong hives emerging, too. The last couple of days here have been so warm and sunny. Bees have been flying and drinking water and gathering pollen. (And getting stuck in my hair...) Today's temperatures were warm enough for us to do our first hive check of the season.<br />
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We chose a Langstroth hive for today's check, put on our suits, and lifted the lid. There, happily buzzing and sharing and working, were so many beautiful bees! We went through each hive box, looking for warning signs of disease and pests and queen cells. I am delighted to report that this hive seems quite strong and healthy! We did not spot the Queen, but we saw eggs and larvae in all stages, along with capped brood, colorful pollen, and honey stores. We no longer mark our Queens following an unfortunate marking job... I just can't seem to get the hang of it. We noted bees fanning and building and transferring nectar one-to-another through their proboscises (their strawlike "tongue"). We watched with renewed wonder, blessed to be back in the bee yard. We scraped excess and erratically placed honeycomb and propolis (the sticky, resinous mixture the bees use to seal the hive), placed the frames back in the boxes, stacked the boxes back together, and gently closed the lid. <br />
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These amazing creatures bless us so much! They pollinate our plants, they provide honey and wax for our homestead, and they are fascinating to observe!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one on the right seems to be saying, "Oh, no... my little sister is following me..."</td></tr>
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Please forgive all the photos... </div>
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new grandmas' photos are NOTHING </div>
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compared to what a Bee Mama can snap and store! </div>
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-46132091078213585922015-02-05T13:29:00.000-05:002015-02-05T13:29:13.575-05:00solar wax melter (mis)adventure...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What’s an urban homesteader to do in Winter? Well, here at Flannel Jammies Farm we’ve been battling flu, celebrating holidays, eating too much, planning new raised beds, checking on our honey bees, taking inventory of canned goods, moving the mini greenhouse, pouring over seed catalogs, making salves and balms, stitiching, AND helping our darling daughter plan her Spring wedding! Winter is a good time to complete nagging projects or reflect on a previous project.<br />
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Since we started keeping bees we’ve been collecting beeswax from stray and wonky comb and queen cells built by our overzealous workers, from the scraps left from uncapping and scraping comb to reveal the sweet honey for extraction, and from comb that was damaged. We’d take beeswax scraps, place them in containers, and store them in the freezer until we figured out what to do with the wax. Well, the ratio of beeswax to food quickly grew in our freezer. Something had to be done! We started to research rendering wax for use in candles, salves, balms, for waxing thread and cloth, and soon found that (just like beekeeping) if you ask 3 people how to do something and you’ll get 4 opinions! We visited a dear friend and beekeeping mentor to watch her process of melting and straining wax. We watched too many YouTube videos. We investigated retail offerings of solar melters. Then we took all of that research and came up with a project plan: we’d build a solar wax melter!</div>
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Come along on our journey, learn from our mistakes, tweak our process, and build your own solar melter! Here are the steps we took…<br /><br />Create a wax strainer/separator/holding pan to place inside your solar wax melter. You’ll need a pan or baking dish and a screen that covers the top of the pan completely. We used an ancient Corning-ware baking dish and an old window screen that fit together nicely, both unearthed from our possessions.<br />
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(<b>LESSON 1</b>: Plan and build your solar wax melter FIRST, then find a pan and screen to fit inside. Items can be scavenged from your home or found at your local thrift store. If you assemble the pan and screen first, then build the melter, you may end up with a melter the size of your dining room table… don’t ask how I know this…)<br /><br />Add about an inch of water to the pan/dish (this will allow the clean wax to ‘float’ after melting making it easy to remove and not permanently adhered to your pan/dish). Tape the screen to the top of the pan/dish. Red duct tape seemed like a swanky choice. Atop the screen, spread a couple of layers of paper towel (this will be unusable following the melting process, so a cloth towel is not a good choice). Make sure the paper towel fits nicely and covers the screen surface above the pan/dish. Set your newly created wax strainer/separator aside and move on to washing your wax.<br />
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Wax scraps are messy! They are sticky from nectar, pollen, and honey, and are strewn with dearly departed bees or bee bits. This will not do! We want our finished wax to be clean and bright and free of all foreign matter. Next job: wash the wax! We spread our wax scraps onto a screen and sprayed them with water. <br />
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(<b>LESSON 2</b>: Do this in an area far from your hives, lest lots of bee friends join you and snack on the sticky buffet you’ve set before them.) <br /><br />After this first rinse, the wax scraps went into a 5-gallon bucket for repeated spraying, stirring, and draining. This process removes the sticky honey and larger bee bits and debris. Drain the wax scraps well.<br />
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Carefully pile the wax scraps atop the paper towel covered screen attached to the dish. <br />
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Ready to melt! Um. We don’t have a solar wax melter yet. Hhmmm….<br />
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Maybe the hot interior of the Suzuki Samarai parked in the sun would work! Ok. Place your wax strainer/separator pan/dish thing in the level back portion of the interior of your 1986 Samarai. Add a thermometer to gauge the temperature and close the door. Wait. And wait. And wait. Now remove the wax strainer/separator still mounded with unmelted wax from your 1986 Samarai.<br />
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(<b>LESSON 3</b>: Build the solar melter before beginning to work with the beeswax. A Suzuki Samarai will not work.)<br /><br />The hubs built a solar wax melter that would hold our rather large wax strainer/separator pan/dish thing (and a complete Thanksgiving dinner). Our solar wax melter was constructed from oriented strand board, 4-sides and a bottom. The sides were angled to efficiently catch the hot rays of the sun. The dimensions of our solar wax melter were determined by the large glass window we used as the top, again a piece unearthed from our “treasures”. The inside of our solar wax melter is painted black to absorb the heat. We recommend adding foam weather stripping, folded cloth, or some other material to the top edges of the 4 sides of the solar wax melter; this will provide a seal between the wood and the glass top, keeping heat inside. <br />
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NOW, place the beeswax-mounded wax strainer/separator pan/dish thing into the solar wax melter on a hot, sunny day, being careful not to spill the water in the bottom of the pan/dish. Close the glass top securely.<br /><br />(<b>LESSON 4</b>: A smaller wood-framed window, hinged to a smaller solar wax melter box, would produce a more manageable and easier-to-store model.)<br /><br />Pretty soon, the sun’s hot rays begin to melt the wax. As the wax melts, the paper towels between the wax and the screen filter out any impurities, allowing clean, bright wax to flow into the water in the pan/dish below. Occasionally rotate the solar wax melter to keep up with the movement of the sun across the sky. By the end of the day, all the wax has melted and filtered into the pan/dish, leaving the unwanted debris behind on the paper towels.<br />
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LEAVE EVERYTHING ALONE overnight. This time allows the filtered wax to cool and harden while floating in the water in the pan/dish. <br /><br />The next day, open the solar wax melter. Gently lift the (disgustingly dirty and sticky) paper toweling from the screen; discard. Untape the screen and remove. <br />
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There, floating freely atop the water in the pan/dish is the most beautifully clean and golden beeswax, ready for use! <br />
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(<b>LESSON 5</b>: Don’t store your hunk of gorgeous wax on an easel in a sunny room for all to admire; it goes a bit wavy. Again, don’t ask…)Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-17999756205913485302014-10-11T12:28:00.001-04:002014-10-11T12:28:09.673-04:00a paper cone wreath tutorial for Autumn...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You've seen them, right? Those lovely paper cone wreaths all over Pinterest? We even made them at our church's Advent Workshop last year using old, damaged hymnals.<br />
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Recently I was tidying up in the art room and unearthed an unopened package of heavy, double-sided, Autumn-colored printed paper. It screamed, "Create a wreath with me!" So I did!<br />
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I first cut the 12"x12" papers into 6"x6" squares. With a long-practiced move, I shaped each square into a cone, securing the cone with dabs of hot glue. If you do this, do be careful not to burn your tender fingertips. (I should add that I have adhesive issues... <i>Hi, my name is Donna Rae, and I have adhesive issues</i>... so I, of course, added some thick tacky glue along with the hot glue to ensure a 'stuck-till-Jesus-returns' bond.)<br />
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I laid the paper cones out, sorted by color, in the order I wanted to add them to the wreath form.<br />
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Speaking of the wreath form... it's a very high-tech, complicated contraption: a circle cut from cardboard that was destined for the compost bin or my husband's next lasagna gardening adventure. I used a salad plate to trace the circle, cut it out, and penciled a smaller circle in the center. <br />
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I was ready! I added swaths of thick tacky glue to a portion of the wreath form, applying it between the edge of the inner penciled circle and the cut edge of the wreath form. As I added each paper cone, I would apply a couple of dots of hot glue to the wreath form in the place where the cone would be laid. (Again, I have adhesive issues. But really, the hot glue gives you that immediate hold, keeping the cone in place while the thick tacky glue dries over time. I find that items held with just hot glue can 'pop off' over time, especially if an item is in the sun, like, say, between a front door and a storm door.) The paper cone was laid in place quickly, glued seam to the back, with the tip touching the edge of the inner penciled circle, not all the way to the center of the wreath form. This allows the 'give' for the paper cones to line up nicely around the circle. I continued, adding the cones around the circle in color-order to give even color distribution around the wreath. (I didn't want 5 green cones on one side and no green cones on the other side.)<br />
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I then added a second layer of cones on top of the first layer to add volume and to cover any gaps. I arranged the tips of these second-layer cones closer to the center as I added them, allowing the flares of the first-layer cones to be visible behind them.<br />
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Now for that hideously blank center... I took some burlap ribbon, ran a running stitch along one of the long edges, and gathered it into a circle. I double-glued (hot and tacky) a lovely metal "Autumn" sign atop the burlap (I found it at a local craft store on sale, less than $2.) The burlap/sign combo was then double glued to the center of the paper cone wreath.<br />
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But how to hang it? Simple! I turned the wreath over, glued on a strip of gingham ribbon, and a deckle-edged circle of printed paper over that, to the cardboard wreath form. Yay! A wreath!<br />
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It's a colorful and welcoming addition to our front door for Autumn!<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-9877017787710665232014-10-04T18:14:00.000-04:002014-10-04T18:14:06.597-04:00oatmeal for a busy October...It's here! October, truly Autumn, my very favorite time of year!<br />
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There's one catch... our calendar overfloweth. Each square (or digital sliver) on our calendar is filled, some with letters and numbers treading dangerously onto the already filled square nextdoor. Meals must be planned lest they be forgotten until the last minute, leading to poor and expensive choices and very often a bad tummyache. So today I did a little prep for breakfasts this month. I have home-baked healthy muffins in the freezer, waiting to be pulled out as needed. I have eggs-a-plenty on hand. And I made up lots of those very handy Oatmeal Packets seen all over the interwebs (you've seen them: a few ingredients in a little baggie to be dumped in a bowl. Just add water, heat, and PRESTO! Healthy hot breakfast! An oft-pinned tutorial on this subject by The Yummy Life can be found <a href="http://www.theyummylife.com/Instant_Oatmeal_Packets" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: dehydrated cranberries and orange zest strips; bottom left: Apple Cinnamon oatmeal packet, bottom right: Christmas Cranberry Orange oatmeal packet</td></tr>
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I whipped up several reusable containers (so much nicer than baggies with no waste!) with our favorite Apple Cinnamon variety, using the apple rings I preserved in the dehydrator, nuts, and cinnamon. Then I did a little taste-testing and LOVE our newest flavor: Christmas Cranberry Orange. It truly smells and tastes like Christmas to me! The cranberries were purchased fresh, pulsed in a food processor until fairly finely chopped, then dried on the fruit leather tray of the dehydrator until crispy. I like these much better than the dried cranberries from the store that are chewy and can have added sugars. The orange flavor comes from 2 slivers, finely chopped in each container, of dehydrated orange zest. (Orange peels were saved, cut into strips, and all of the bitter white removed before dehydrating. If you don't have dried orange zest, you could add some fresh orange zest to the oatmeal when you are ready to serve.) We don't like things overly sweet, so we often add no sweetener at all or just a 1/4 tsp per packet; you may sweeten to your taste, of course. I also like to stir in a teaspoon of freshly ground flax or other seed to the oatmeal just before serving. Many recipes online call for nonfat dry milk powder but we leave it out making our packets free of dairy and gluten.<br />
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When ready to enjoy our oatmeal packet, we dump it into a good sized bowl (the oatmeal can bubble over in the microwave, trust me!), add 3/4 - 1 cup water, and heat in the microwave for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes (quick oats and instant oats take less time). No time in the mornings? No problem... prepare overnight oatmeal: add oatmeal packet to a pint jar with a tight fitting lid, pour in 3/4 cup cold water OR 1/2 cup cold water and 1/4 cup yogurt, shake until well mixed and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerator oatmeal can be enjoyed cold or we might heat it up. Here are the ingredients per packet for the two flavors I mentioned...<br />
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<u><b>Apple Cinnamon (Almost Instant) Oatmeal</b></u><br />
per packet:<br />
1/3 cup gluten-free old-fashioned or rolled oats<br />
2 dehydrated apple rings, chopped or torn into small pieces<br />
1 - 2 T. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, whatever you like)<br />
1/4 t. dry sweetener (I like turbinado cane sugar)<br />
1/4 t. cinnamon<br />
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<u><b>Christmas Cranberry Orange (Almost Instant) Oatmeal</b></u><br />
per packet:<br />
1/3 cup gluten-free old-fashioned or rolled oats<br />
1 T. chopped, dried cranberries<br />
1/2 t. dried orange zest, chopped fine<br />
1 - 2 T. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, whatever you like)<br />
1/4 - 1/2 t. dry sweetener (I like turbinado cane sugar)<br />
1/4 t. cinnamon<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-52369085098897063372014-08-21T11:11:00.000-04:002014-08-30T11:47:25.823-04:00extracting honey...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a busy summer here at Flannel Jammies Farm: keeping bees, gardening, composting, working, canning, dehydrating, entertaining, teaching, volunteering... not to mention working on wedding plans with our daughter (but that's another post for another day)! Lots of to-doings. In the midst of this activity the time came to extract honey from our hives.<br />
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We are second-year beekeepers. During the first year, we did not extract any honey, choosing instead to leave all the honey on the hives as food for the bees through their first winter. This second Spring, we planned to take only excess honey, above and beyond what the bees' food, from the two hives that made it through the last winter. We'd never done it before, only watched and assisted in the process with other beekeepers, but it was time to jump in on July 4th. <br />
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First, let me tell you: honey is sticky stuff. And it tends to get everywhere. It's impossible to extract outside; bees will immediately join the party to enjoy the open stores of honey! We don't have a convenient honey house or garage, so our extraction process would be taking place inside the home, in our kitchen. I tend to unintentionally make the most glorious messes, flinging anything liquid into the most far-fetched places, so I knew that precautions must be made. We covered the items on our walls with a great product combining painters' tape and plastic sheeting. We covered the large farmhouse table with more plastic, and put a tarp on the floor to cover the tile.<br />
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Back outside, we peeked into the two chosen hives, determining that the top hive boxes had many frames of capped honey. Bees bring lots of nectar from flowers back to the hives during the blooming season, or nectar flow, and store the nectar in the hexagon cells of the honeycomb. When the bees have dehydrated the stored flower nectar to honey of just the right moisture content, they cover the honey with a thin coating of wax, forming "capped honey". Uncapped stores may contain too much moisture. If uncapped honey is extracted, it could ferment in the jar... not pleasant!<br />
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How do you get busy bee girls to leave the frames of capped honey and allow you to whisk them away for extraction? Glad you asked! We created a fume board by covering a piece of cut-to-size corrugated plastic with flannel scraps (it IS Flannel Jammies Farm, after all), securing the fabric in place, and attaching the fume board to an extra wooden inner cover for the hive. We then sprayed the flannel on the fume board with a product that would repel the bees without harming them, causing them to retreat from the frames of honey in the top hive box into the depths of the lower boxes below. The sprayed fume board was placed on top of the hive and we waited several minutes. When Tom returned and lifted the fume board, the top box of the hive had been vacated!<br />
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He loaded the top box into the plastic lined wheelbarrow and headed for the house. Heavy frames filled with capped honey were pulled from the hive box and brought inside. Any stray bees were encouraged to stay outside with their sisters.<br />
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Once inside, each frame was set in a large dish and a special sharp-toothed tool was used to uncap the cells filled with liquid gold! As the thin, wax caps were removed from the honey, it dripped down, sweet and thick and delicious into the dish below. Wax cappings were set aside for melting later, destined to become salves and balms and candles and such. Once all the cells were uncapped on both sides of the frame, the frame was place into the extractor.<br />
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We borrowed a manual extractor with a hand crank. There are power models out there, but for our small honey operation the hand-cranked extractor worked perfectly. We looked twice to be sure the honey gate was closed before beginning. Frames are placed in this extractor vertically, into metal guides to keep them in place during the process. When two frames were in place, we closed the lid, placed a honey bucket (with straining basket in place) below the honey gate of the extractor, and opened the honey gate.<br />
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Gently at first, we began to turn the crank, then faster and faster. Inside the extractor, the frames are spun round and round, the centrifugal force flinging the honey onto the inside walls of the extractor. The honey drips down the walls in sheets, gathers at the bottom, and pours out the honey gate into the strainer and bucket waiting below. The strainer captures any wax and debris, and the clean, raw, beautiful honey fills the bucket below.<br />
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The process was repeated throughout the afternoon. After filling the buckets and weighing the honey (a total of 76 pounds this season), we filled jars and jars with the amber treasure of honey. We returned the emptied frames to their hive boxes and placed them back onto the hives, allowing the bees to clean the honeycomb, enjoy a feast from the remaining film of honey, and reuse the comb for future brood or stores.<br />
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It was quite a day of work, but the reward was SO worth it! Our larder is stocked with half-gallon jars of honey to be used as sweetener throughout the year and with smaller jars to be given as gifts from us and from our bees.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><i>My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Proverbs 24:13 <i><br /></i></span></div>
Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-62689666518863314082014-06-14T14:51:00.000-04:002014-06-14T17:05:51.220-04:00132-gallon rain barrel. check.<br />
We love our rain barrel. It's wonderful for catching rainwater which is then used to water our vegetable garden, herbs, and other plantings. Water conservation, unadulterated rainwater, lower water bill... what's not to like?<br />
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We really wanted another one, though, in the front of the house, to water all the herbs, medicinals, and stray tomato plants that we plunk in amongst the hydrangea and peony and hellebores. Oh, and the bee and butterfly bed. And the asparagus/beet/tomato bed.<br />
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Recently we went to RIVERFest in Norfolk, our neighboring city. It was a lovely day of learning about cleaning up our rivers and keeping them clean, conserving natural resources, boarding the Learning Barge, and chatting with local organizations.<br />
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One such group, the <a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/" target="_blank">Elizabeth River Project</a>, was signing folks up to be River Star homeowners. Say what? Yeah, so, River Star Homeowners are basically folks doin' right by the river, helping to restore the Elizabeth River and the Lafayette Branch! You agree to do 7 simple things...<br />
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<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><u><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21scoop-the-poop/cpyi" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>"SCOOP THE DOG POOP"</b></a></u></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span></span></li>
<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21reduce-lawn-fertilizers/clbv" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><u><b>REDUCE LAWN FERTILIZERS</b></u></a></span></span></div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><u><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21only-rain-down-the-drain/cg5o" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>ONLY RAIN IN THE STORM DRAIN</b></a></u></span></span></div>
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<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><u><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21no-grease-in-the-sink/c2lv" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>NO GREASE IN YOUR SINK</b></a></u></span></span></div>
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<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><u><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21help-geese-migrate/c22ec" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>HELP GEESE MIGRATE - DON'T FEED THEM</b></a></u></span></span></div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="font_9">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><u><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21copy-of-help-geese-migrate/c1kw2" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>PUMP OUT YOUR BOAT WASTE AT PROPER FACILITIES</b></a></u></span></span></div>
</li>
<li>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.elizabethriver.org/#%21dont-flush-medicines/c7rl" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_self"><b>DON'T FLUSH MEDICINES</b></a></span></span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
...and the organization gives you access to information on doing more, a spiffy little River Star Home flag for your yard, AND the opportunity (through a grant) to purchase a 132-gallon rain barrel, completely installed, for $75!!!! You guessed it. We signed up. We wrote the check. We flew our flag. And today, that beauty was installed!<br />
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Mike, a sweet and patient man with a smile and a bright orange shirt, kindly answered all my questions, turned the barrel this way and that until I was happy, and got to work rerouting our gutter downspout. The hubs worked with him, arranging foundation stones under the barrel, removing an unwanted sapling to clear more room, and finishing off with a flourish of river stones (we're all about the costuming over here!).<br />
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And now, we wait for rain...<br />
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While we're waiting, you can check out the programs in your area to do right by your rivers, forests, and other natural areas. Take care of the pollinators and birds. Make your home a safe haven for native plants and critters. You'll be glad you did!<br />
<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-86808779781123375162014-05-24T10:52:00.000-04:002014-05-24T10:52:48.536-04:00bees in the top-bar hive...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're newbies, really. We haven't even had our first anniversary as beekeepers. We have a few Langstroth hives in the back, and thousands of honey bee guests. It has been a great gift to create a safe haven for these amazing bees. But all along, the hubs longed for a more natural way, a style of beekeeping that intrigued him: a top-bar hive.<br />
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We enjoyed hearing <a href="http://www.tbhsbywam.com/author/" target="_blank">Dr. Wyatt Mangum</a> speak at a couple of beekeeping conferences last year. My husband chatted with him and his wife while he purchased a signed copy of the book, <a href="http://www.tbhsbywam.com/" target="_blank"><i>Top-Bar Hive Beekeeping: Wisdom and Pleasure Combined</i></a>. My husband then carried this book everywhere for months, reading and re-reading sections, dreaming of starting his own top-bar hive. We read other material on top-bar beekeeping and watched countless YouTube videos on the subject!<br />
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Toward the end of this past winter, feeling bruised from life's challenges, we decided to cheer ourselves with a gift. A top-bar hive from <a href="http://www.beethinking.com/collections/top-bar-hives/products/top-bar-hive" target="_blank">Bee Thinking</a>, made of cedar with a copper roof, a screened bottom board, several entrances, beautifully beveled top bars, a double jar feeder, and an observation window running the length of the hive. It arrived and was assembled in moments. It was a thing of beauty standing in our living room! <br />
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Spring swarm season soon arrived at Flannel Jammies Farm. I trapped a couple of swarms and tried unsuccessfully to move them into the lovely new top-bar hive. One swarm obviously did not have or lost their queen, and quickly dwindled, despite our best efforts. One swarm seemed quite happy and began building gorgeous lobes of wax comb... then moved on to a new home without warning. *sigh* Then on a Sunday, driving with my daughter across the state to a funeral, I received a swarm call from a friend and fellow beekeeper. I asked her to please call my husband at home and he might be able to rescue the bees. Soon after, he called to say he had the swarm in a bucket and was driving them home to the top-bar hive!<br />
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This third swarm settled in nicely, built amazing wax comb, foraged and stored pollen and nectar, and began raising brood (bee babies). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> A peek inside the top-bar hive through the observation window</td></tr>
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Three weeks after getting the bees settled in, we did a hive check and found true wonders inside that top-bar hive. We are loving this method of beekeeping! Here are some of the photos from that hive check. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bee at the reduced entrance to the top-bar hive</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the hive: lobes of lovely wax comb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carefully removing any wax adhering the comb to the hive body before we try to remove the top-bars</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bars must be turned carefully end-to-end, and not flipped, lest the entire comb break off the top-bar; this photo shows pollen and nectar stores</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bees, comb, nectar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larvae and eggs inside the cells</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wax comb attached to the top-bar</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bees tending capped and uncapped brood</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bees working, building</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The carefully removed and turned bars of comb, placed in the order we removed them</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of the comb with white bee pupae visible inside the cells on each side of the comb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in the top-bar hive</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-55210119150798640292014-05-02T11:41:00.000-04:002014-05-02T11:41:43.282-04:00share the (urban homestead) love...(sshhhhh... don't tell anyone... I'm really only about five years old at heart... <br />
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So the hubs and I have been 'farming' this little 1/5 acre for over a decade now. We grow veg and herb and fruit and flowering everythings, all mixed in together. We grow intensively and our year-round harvest is abundant. We're going into our second year of beekeeping, and our first little swarm has blossomed into 2 large Langstroth hives, 2 nuc boxes, 1 nuc swarm trap (in which we have bee squatters, the hubs proudly displayed yesterday), and 1 top bar hive. We compost and we create 'lasagna garden' mulch and we collect rainwater. It's all great fun. Why not share the fun with some tiny visitors?<br />
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A couple of moms brought their kiddos for a Discovery Day at Flannel Jammies Farm! We gathered and chatted about farms and bees and growing things. Little ones snacked on the fruit and rice crackers set out in the kitchen. Once all had arrived, we sat down at the big, square kitchen table for a brown bag lunch. Then the real fun began... <br />
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We started with a Scavenger Hunt. Each child was given a pencil and a clipboard with a specially designed Scavenger Hunt sheet. Kids and moms explored the yard and garden beds, looking for and asking questions about all sorts of things: a rain barrel, worms, asparagus, pink flowers, strawberries, tomatoes, beehives, watering cans, and so much more! It was a bit rainy that day, but we didn't care! Boot and smiles were the apparel of the day!<br />
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We came inside to wash hands and sit down on the kitchen floor together. Now to plant! A pot for each one, a pen to add their names, and a little instruction about how much soil got us going. We decided to plant some lettuce and grow a salad. Little fingers poked holes in the top of the soil and gently placed seeds in the depression. The seeds were covered with a bit more soil and watered just a bit.<br />
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More snacks, more smiles, a little imaginary party planning with hats, and sweet hugs goodbye completed our Discovery Day. I so enjoyed sharing with these small friends! Share the hospitality, share the wisdom, share the love with those around you... you will be blessed even more than those you share with, I assure you!<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-15782749517385334802014-04-09T10:49:00.002-04:002014-04-09T10:49:47.161-04:00moments in Spring...Sometimes we need a few moments...<br />
to catch our breath,<br />
to calm ourselves,<br />
to see God's creative hand at work.<br />
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My husband has been in the hospital for the last few days. A small injury injury, a barefoot step onto something tiny and sharp, immediately became aggressive cellulitis. What we thought was a return to the Emergency Department for perhaps a stronger antibiotic just a day later turned into a hospital admission. <br />
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And did I mention the rains that came pouring down, the fog that rolled in, the dark clouds that hung overhead? Even my ever-faithful, ever-positive, ever-hopeful husband experienced a long evening of discouragement.<br />
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But today the sun is shining brightly and green things are bursting all around! I took a walk in the gardens and visited with sprouts and blossoms. Here are a few of blessings God sprinkled before these weary eyes (don't mind the weeds)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lilacs and beehives</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lilacs in bloom</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">faerie garden</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">forsythia</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">peony waking up</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lemon balm returning</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6j8hbPutac0CgHP-aUhsSh18adzWN-Fi1Xqcx0vzVNw3YJD_29MLHcTwhBSSRqte-RRP4LvfOGKn-FwSBlRBx6PeZqJd8-abpYLVTTG-GmJjc8wUD0kXF59kR-cqrRvTkIesdb3N6EXTo/s1600/IMG_9044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6j8hbPutac0CgHP-aUhsSh18adzWN-Fi1Xqcx0vzVNw3YJD_29MLHcTwhBSSRqte-RRP4LvfOGKn-FwSBlRBx6PeZqJd8-abpYLVTTG-GmJjc8wUD0kXF59kR-cqrRvTkIesdb3N6EXTo/s1600/IMG_9044.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one bed of Spring sprouts: sugar snap pea, radish, and lettuces</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM3ESQkL5-Mfww2QdyM1BY259t0Xo80s3bqA_G83mhyphenhyphenCebLah9pcAdKhbX-2u8-pAJtLG0s2Q32_NHLU8KdpFESVoTdDz8PCgeSn22GBycU9IuF7KCn-JwHUpGVe7fz0mbzdspBzcoMxF/s1600/IMG_9046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM3ESQkL5-Mfww2QdyM1BY259t0Xo80s3bqA_G83mhyphenhyphenCebLah9pcAdKhbX-2u8-pAJtLG0s2Q32_NHLU8KdpFESVoTdDz8PCgeSn22GBycU9IuF7KCn-JwHUpGVe7fz0mbzdspBzcoMxF/s1600/IMG_9046.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tender plants in the mini greenhouse</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxrTzw6v77YcqMGy7p_mi2SZRvJn4w9_drg-RrBRM9IUObBy36MqeH-I2_tpqjPjIWIGU8N-NX2n8T7kZJf8XuobouOahXrrObenR6gJC29LFqtJJRNcFCStSmKSNyvKMAZEjii8SEi3p/s1600/IMG_9052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxrTzw6v77YcqMGy7p_mi2SZRvJn4w9_drg-RrBRM9IUObBy36MqeH-I2_tpqjPjIWIGU8N-NX2n8T7kZJf8XuobouOahXrrObenR6gJC29LFqtJJRNcFCStSmKSNyvKMAZEjii8SEi3p/s1600/IMG_9052.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blueberries and lamb's ear</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsBvXYqAxGPhcfOxEPUl5MpeMcgKlaRzGmekVWX3d0HSGcDeQzxUuU_KshHizNFKUEByfEQafNtkEqKIe_GI7bj703-53uXDRtocTY5Aox6zS_hkYgJxjpEdqgGttjAU-hbu-G5JQioZZ/s1600/IMG_9065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsBvXYqAxGPhcfOxEPUl5MpeMcgKlaRzGmekVWX3d0HSGcDeQzxUuU_KshHizNFKUEByfEQafNtkEqKIe_GI7bj703-53uXDRtocTY5Aox6zS_hkYgJxjpEdqgGttjAU-hbu-G5JQioZZ/s1600/IMG_9065.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">horseradish</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g3cN8fJWHd4q0J2hbh_SLJpnG8-aDIszkYqHgIfve0Zp9P0NXR1XEBrDOjfOgQF9ifsIHt_-gmsafaZiiBlvhRHAH4AyKy1w9JnPxoS7Ffai7mXbMkxqJosCA0FToFTOelxPzryIPDY0/s1600/IMG_9076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g3cN8fJWHd4q0J2hbh_SLJpnG8-aDIszkYqHgIfve0Zp9P0NXR1XEBrDOjfOgQF9ifsIHt_-gmsafaZiiBlvhRHAH4AyKy1w9JnPxoS7Ffai7mXbMkxqJosCA0FToFTOelxPzryIPDY0/s1600/IMG_9076.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">joi choi</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1n-IPeltugv3g5gAnk-RN_88uxcChcevVhOVMOF5W0KN9rk2F1nq5kjOskWVaMSPWjiKAb74gZMPo0LBek4GqVC_CvfPOYh30z9OcobXv_Z5gLzw6SEC_DLCOHrXdj0ICxUnf9bm8xcW/s1600/IMG_9077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1n-IPeltugv3g5gAnk-RN_88uxcChcevVhOVMOF5W0KN9rk2F1nq5kjOskWVaMSPWjiKAb74gZMPo0LBek4GqVC_CvfPOYh30z9OcobXv_Z5gLzw6SEC_DLCOHrXdj0ICxUnf9bm8xcW/s1600/IMG_9077.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strawberries</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDX4B4yElPfwCHMrn061dxl3ibdnA0nCdLpe6FjDOH7f7icXYMOcbQzvwoEPj2hmGfJloViNpuPc__U1GDh6oTha48dLW9eoc6QrFVi-EjvEj8hha4vp3614ihlrrqDr7ySTkhucY9Rjq/s1600/IMG_9078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDX4B4yElPfwCHMrn061dxl3ibdnA0nCdLpe6FjDOH7f7icXYMOcbQzvwoEPj2hmGfJloViNpuPc__U1GDh6oTha48dLW9eoc6QrFVi-EjvEj8hha4vp3614ihlrrqDr7ySTkhucY9Rjq/s1600/IMG_9078.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">broccoli bolting</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPTfEWNXLx0iVULqdMg4OXDSVNVeByLuR82NoIE2zOOstZS_QwQNw4dMb7H4aqC9LWjtqDbemTxDafGEFADzf_RkMXisCX2mE6X_dhC5ttG9MX_CA5zjk7sop8G0XVfL-y2xZQ8DXN89Y/s1600/IMG_9081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPTfEWNXLx0iVULqdMg4OXDSVNVeByLuR82NoIE2zOOstZS_QwQNw4dMb7H4aqC9LWjtqDbemTxDafGEFADzf_RkMXisCX2mE6X_dhC5ttG9MX_CA5zjk7sop8G0XVfL-y2xZQ8DXN89Y/s1600/IMG_9081.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">creasy greens or watercress</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After coming inside and beginning breakfast before my trip back to the hospital, I felt a little Spirit-nudge to take one more moment, one more peek outside. And there, the most amazing and beautiful visitor! One more moment of loveliness for the heart...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALuM507SDPHA334uXPzrNsWzFBDexdGcMBBnCMkxbVkCSb3C-hUUmhyphenhyphenY37xdmfihUZM2ILi9nORB8MIzKusIEO333aqNPa8O6E6Wd4zhO8Q-FN_suan3XR_EIxxyDsY_eiH2a7vxz4HQ/s1600/IMG_9111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALuM507SDPHA334uXPzrNsWzFBDexdGcMBBnCMkxbVkCSb3C-hUUmhyphenhyphenY37xdmfihUZM2ILi9nORB8MIzKusIEO333aqNPa8O6E6Wd4zhO8Q-FN_suan3XR_EIxxyDsY_eiH2a7vxz4HQ/s1600/IMG_9111.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">swallowtail and lilac</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-12351530146811548022014-04-01T10:20:00.002-04:002014-04-01T10:20:50.422-04:00art therapy: stained glass...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A wise pastor knows. A wise pastor sees the struggles, the anxieties, the pain we so easily hide from others. A wise pastor knows that not all counseling is done in comfy chairs over a box of tissues. We are blessed to have just such a pastor at our church. And the extra blessing? He's a stained glass artist. So when he sees me struggling against the stressors of this life, he invites me to learn about stained glass. Brilliant.<br />
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First, the design. "I want a bee," I tell this kind pastor. He finds a design immediately: a lovely fat bee on a circular background. And I just as quickly say, "But I want the background to be a hexagon, like a cell of the comb." We set to work reconfiguring the design (and by we, I mean he and my sweet husband). Soon we have a workable design, a framework on paper to proceed from. Each section is coded with a number (because this will be our pattern and each piece must have a number) and a letter or two indicating the color of glass for that piece. The original paper pattern was cut apart, then each piece and its coding was transferred to a sturdier paper.
The pieces were cut from the sturdier paper, but not with ordinary
scissors. The scissors used cut the pieces and simultaneously created a
"gutter", a small gap between each piece to allow room for the foiling
to come.<br />
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Colors, oh colors! Our patient pastor/instructor sat me down in the corner of his studio
where he stores all those beautiful pieces of stained glass and told me to
choose. He and my husband quietly overlooked the squeals of delight as I pulled out each new piece of glass. Well, of course, we need gold and dark brown for the bee, and black for its legs, I think. The wings should be clear or opalescent, maybe? The pollen basket... hmmm... pollen comes in so many colors! And the hexagon. Cream or ivory for the interior section to make the bee "pop" on the background, but maybe some sort of beige for the outer walls of the hexagon. And then, he pulled out this amazing, mottled, bumpy, beeswax-colored glass from his stash. It took my breath away! It was perfect. <br />
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We still needed a few colors, so we loaded into the Jeep for a trip to the local <strike>candy store</strike> stained glass store. Pure bliss. Colors, textures, patterns... everywhere. Aisles of shelves arranged by color. End caps with small, affordable pieces of gorgeousness. Whole bins of glittering shards. How were we to choose? But choose we did. And my husband found the most magical sky blue, opalescent glass for the bee's wings and a clear, bright green for the pollen basket!<br />
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Back to the pastor's studio (a cozy over-the-garage room with all the tools needed to create stained glass masterpieces). Those sturdier paper pieces of our pattern were transferred with each one's coding to the coordinating color glass with a permanent marker.<br />
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In our sessions together, our pastor taught with care about scoring the glass with a special tool, how to split the glass along the score lines, how to grind each cut piece on the grinder until it was just the size needed to fit on the pattern, which had been tacked to a board with metal guards to keep the glass pieces in place. Some pieces were more difficult (like me). Some had to be ground more than a few times to get them just right (like me). Some pieces had to be reworked altogether (like me). Finally the pieces fit in an acceptable way into the temporary framework. Copper foil was added to the edge of each piece and burnished onto the glass edges, and the pieces were fit into place once more. A couple of the pieces had to be ground again; the copper foil adding more width to the pieces made them fit too tightly in a couple of spots. Flux, a gooey substance that allows the solder to flow and adhere nicely to the copper foiling between the pieces of glass, was brushed onto the foil a section at a time, then solder was applied with a hot soldering iron in a smooth, flowing bead. (Soldering... let's just say that I need way more practice and I'm ever thankful that our pastor cleaned up my poor attempts!)<br />
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In the wink of an eye, she appeared! Out of the broken, dirty pieces of stained glass appeared a stunning, shimmering bee! <br />
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And isn't that what we all are anyway... stained pieces of fragile glass through which the Lord shines His Light, creating beauty?<br />
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Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-33129851322148958452014-03-10T16:17:00.000-04:002014-03-10T16:17:03.026-04:00lessons learned from the VABF conference, part three...Our last day at the <a href="http://vabf.org/" target="_blank">Virginia Association for Biological Farming</a> conference...<br />
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This was the day that I knew exactly which sessions I wanted to attend. <br />
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<b>Workshop: <u>A Bio-Intensive Market Garden</u> presented by Jean-Martin Fortier of </b><b>Les Jardins de la Grelinette, Quebec, Canada, and author, <a href="http://www.themarketgardener.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Market Gardener</i></a></b><a href="http://www.themarketgardener.com/" target="_blank">: <i><b>a successful grower's handbook for small-scale organic farming</b></i></a><br />
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My favorite main conference workshop! Loved Jean-Martin's practical advice and his efficiency mindedness. Loved his wit. Loved that when we chatted as he signed my copy of <i>The Market Gardener </i>he asked about my little urban homestead and he was genuinely enthusiastic about it.<br />
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<b>Takeaway Tidbits:</b><b> </b><br />
- Efficiency in farming is everything... because you want to have a life!<br /> - Bio-intensive, example: grow onions in bunches of 3 instead of just one = more harvest, quicker planting<br /> - Permanent raised beds, 30" wide (easily worked with hand tools without causing back strain), 100' long (quick production calculations, efficiency in ordering materials that come in 100' lengths), and 18" between rows (because, as Jean-Martin put it, you don't want your ass in the cauliflower behind you while you're working the row in front of you).<br /> - Cover the rows with black tarps 2 - 3 weeks before planting or transplanting to kill weeds and prep the garden with a no-till method.<br />
- MUST check out the propane flame weeder! <a href="http://www.flame-weeders.com/" target="_blank" title="www.flame-weeders.com">www.flame-weeders.com</a><br />
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Next: Edible Landscaping. This workshop was one I was excited about. It was not what I expected, but a great deal of fun!<br />
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<b>Workshop: <u>Edible Landscaping</u> presented by Michael McConkey of <a href="http://ediblelandscaping.com/" target="_blank">Edible Landscaping</a>, Afton, Virginia</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael McConkey</td></tr>
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Michael is a loveable nut! He started with an amazing ode to edible plants, singing and playing guitar. His smiles were infectious. He even took a couple of cell phone calls during the presentation, making them a part of the workshop and including the audience and the caller. He knows his plants and it's obvious that he loves them dearly.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Takeaway Tidbits:</b><br />
<b> </b>- Recommended Surround spray, a kaolin clay-based product for apples and other fruit trees to keep worms and/or larvae such as plum curculio, oriental fruit moths, and codling moths from your fruit. A happy item for those wishing to grow fruits organically! Also, pheromone twist ties are helpful during the last 120 days of fruit growth.<br />
<b> </b>- So many edible plant suggestions were favorites: che fruit, Regent juneberry, weeping mulberry, Eddie April apple... too many to list!<br />
- Blueberries love to grow in mulch and lots of rotting vegetation. Put a couple of inches of mulch around them each year. Container (20 gallon pot) blueberries need to be wet to be hardy.<br />
- Figs: plant on the south side of the house. These are not fussy about soil. Cut figs with 1/4" of the stem attached... if it bleeds a milky substance, it's not ripe. Stretch marks on the fruit skin are a good ripeness indicator.<br />
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Instead of attending the Simple Farm Structures workshop, I chose to slip away and take my son to lunch. What a treat! You can find the presentation notes for Simple Farm Structures, as well as many other workshop presentation files, by visiting the VABF website <b><a href="http://vabf.org/2014-conference-presentation-files/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my amazing son</td></tr>
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I got back to the conference in time to pick up Lanette, make sure the Jeep was filled with all good things (seeds, chick feed, compost, luggage, notes, and snacks), and set the GPS for home. The trip home was quick and free of traffic snarls and tunnel clogs. I arrived, kissed the hubs, and then drowned him in notes and information!!! <br />
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Now, a last note. I don't own a farm. We work the soil and keep bees on 1/5 acre in the middle of a large city. But we grow intensively and beyond organically and harvest much of our diet from our garden. I am very curious about all things organic, farming, homesteading, and foodie. Was I the likeliest candidate for this conference? Maybe not. But I learned SO MUCH and met so many people with the same 'loves' as mine who shared generously with me in lines, over dinner, and in workshops. It was a wonderful experience that I won't forget. Start looking at conferences that interest you and take the leap!!! Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6607181914334527258.post-23892411762870982762014-02-24T12:18:00.001-05:002014-02-24T12:18:47.486-05:00lessons learned from the VABF conference, part two...The second day of the <a href="http://vabf.org/" target="_blank">Virginia Association for Biological Farming</a> Conference was a whirlwind of ideas, inspiration, and great food! <br />
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The conference offered SO MANY good topics and speakers this year. It was terribly difficult to choose, but just before closing our eyes in the hotel the night before, Lanette and I had decided and marked in our conference schedules which sessions we'd attend. After some sleep, some yummy brought-from-home breakfast goodies, and some caffeine, we were off to the conference! Presentation files from all of the great sessions can be found <b><a href="http://vabf.org/2014-conference-presentation-files/" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>.<br />
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<b>Workshop: <u>Selecting Farm Land and Location: Own, Loan, or Lease: The Waterpenny Example</u> presented by Sue Ellen Johnson, Cliff Miller from Mount Vernon Farm, and Rachel Bynum from Waterpenny Farm</b><br />
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Perhaps I'm getting older, but I didn't realize until I walked into the room and chose my seat for this session that I'd met Cliff Miller and Rachel Bynum and visited their farms! The hubs and I took a trip and attended the Rappahannok Farm Tour a few years back and these two farms were on the tour. It was a great surprise and truly enhanced my experience in this session as these two farmers discussed the long term lease (40 years!) between Mount Vernon Farm and Waterpenny Farm<b>.</b><br />
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<b>Takeaway Tidbits:</b><br />
<b> - Farmland must support your objectives! </b><br />
<b> </b>- Longterm goals to consider: livelihood, lifestyle, and legacy<b> </b><br />
When considering land for farming, be honest with yourselves and take a long hard look at...<br />
<b> </b>- Land: How much? For a median income, you'll need 700 acres for a hay farm, 500 acres for a cattle farm, 30 acres for orchards, between 1 and 20 acres for nursery crops, 5 acres for a vegetable farm, 3 acres for a flower farm, 1 acre for a hydroponic greenhouse, and only 1/2 acre if you just want a subsistence garden and chickens or a subsistence garden and 1 cow. In our region of Virginia, potted plants and cut flowers currently return the highest profits.<br />
- Land: Kind/Quality? Be sure to check soil type/composition, topography, current fertility, current plant cover (what's it going to take to clear the land?), soil moisture/water table/drainage.<br />
- Water: existence, locations on farm, functioning system of wells, capacity (for irrigation, for livestock, for washing), potability (can you wash your market veggies with it?), ponds/creeks/river/floodplain. Water issues can be limiting.<br />
- You've found a farm! Now: walk the farm many times, talk to locals about farm's history, feel/smell the soil, evaluate current production potential, look at the functionality/maintenance/looks of farm's structures, carefully consider the septic system (particularly for agrotourism which means lots of guest to your farm needing to use the facilities!), consider the location and the distance/time to market, check local zoning, is there room to grow?<br />
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<b>Organic Food Festival Potluck Lunch </b>- an amazing array of organic foods brought by the attendees! I brought homemade oatmeal bread with honey apple butter and strawberry honey jam. Lots of delicious choices here!<br />
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Between to-doings, I made mad dashes to the Silent Auction, vendors in the Exhibition Hall, seed swap, and the ladies room! <br />
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<b>Plenary Presentation: Ray Archuleta, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Greensboro, NC, "<u>Healthy Soils for Healthy Profits</u>"</b>. Mr. Archuleta is loud, proud, and on a mission to get our soils biologically healthy! A showman and a scientist, this guy was very entertaining AND informative with interactive soil demonstrations, a slide show, and huge helpings of inspiration!<br />
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<b>Workshop: <u>43560 Project</u> presented by Clif Slade, Vegetable Specialist and 43560 Project Manager</b> <br />
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<b>Takeaway Tidbits:</b><br />
- "One acre of soil can do it" - 43560 = number of square feet in a single acre; this project set out to prove that if you could grow 1 head, 1 pound, or 1 bunch per square foot, selling at $1 - $1.25 per square foot, the gross income would be $43,560.<br />
- This was an "all in/all out" plan - plant in Spring, raise to harvest, done; plant buckwheat and clover for the rest of the summer; begin again in September for a second harvest to sell.<br />
- If you have a soil pH of 6.5, you're ready to consider this method; a low pH will have lots of weed problems and plants won't do well.<br />
- Marketing is key!!! Utilize on farm sales, growing for CSA owners, selling your produce as a complementary items to PYO farms, restaurants, value-added items (painted, "adoptable" pumpkin babies); be a dependable supplier of whatever you produce.<br />
- Fertilization: One 5-gallon bucket of pelletized poultry manure per 500 square feet; ten 5-gallon buckets of compost per square feet (sifted by hand), weekly applications of vermicompost tea.<br />
- Corn, tomatoes, cantelope, and watermelon cannot profit $1.25 per square foot in an "all in/all out" plan.<br />
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More visits to the vendors, and then the catered dinner. Having spent the entire first day with Gunther Hauk and beginning to feel weary, we reluctantly decided to skip his plenary presentation. <br />
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With cramped note-taking hand and overfull brain, I made my way to the Jeep with Lanette and headed to the hotel for a lovely soak in the hot whirlpool. One more wonderful day to go!<br />
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<br />Flannel Jammies Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17013629180007052701noreply@blogger.com0