tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80884497985328561092024-03-13T22:40:41.822-04:00Global Swarming HoneybeesBeeMusings from a novice beekeeper on raising additive-free honeybees using organic methods and top-bar hives. Plus rants and raves on art, culture, environmentalism, and the pleasures of being alive.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.comBlogger563125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-25846244194675597502011-09-26T15:31:00.003-04:002011-09-26T15:37:53.053-04:00(Feminist) Beekeeping in TurkeyI've been remiss about keeping up with this blog—too much actual living, being, and doing—but every now and then something crosses the transom and I feel compelled to share.<br /><br />Here's a pretty cool <a href="http://inspiredbeeing.com/">blog about beekeeping in Turkey</a>—take an amble over there and let me know what you think.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-47214664311461706102011-05-24T20:44:00.004-04:002011-05-24T20:49:48.686-04:00Urban Beekeeping, Hong KongHere's an absolutely lovely video about a beekeeper-artist-visionary in Hong Kong named Michael Leung. I love what he says about moving slowly, calmly, in a Zenlike way when working with the bees, and I love his steadfast attitude toward the work he's doing to promote all sorts of important connections that, for many, have been lost but now are found.<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21746934?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" frameborder="0" height="225" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/21746934">Nokia - HK Honey</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1399210">The Silentlights</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-46945845297733404312011-04-12T12:09:00.005-04:002011-04-12T12:48:58.904-04:00Caffeinated BeesInteresting goings-on at the compost heap the other day, with the honeybees frenetically gathering coffee grounds in their pollen baskets. Not sure what was up with that, but the proof is posted below for all to see.<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rXQ418D5lcU" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe><br />Given the dearth of pollen sources so early in the season up in the Northern Catskills, perhaps the bees were simply "taking what they could get" by gleaning the coffee from our discarded Melitta filters. I wonder what, if any, merit the grounds have from a nutritional perspective.<br /><br />Or perhaps these bees (and, one can only hope, bees across the world) are hyping themselves up for a long overdue battle with <span style="font-style: italic;">homo sapiens</span> for world dominance. If so, I'm rooting for the bees and will gladly serve as <span style="font-style: italic;">barista</span> to the revolution.<br /><br />What interesting or unexpected things have you observed honeybees gathering or doing of late?Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-89814278172376126632011-03-28T08:50:00.006-04:002011-04-01T18:30:53.005-04:00Wildflowers as Mirrors<span style="font-style: italic;">The New York Times</span> has just published a quite wonderful, and mournful, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/25/opinion/20110326-opart.html#1">meditation on the lost flora of New York City</a> by the Executive Director of<a href="http://www.nycwildflowerweek.org/"> N.Y.C. Wildflower Week</a>.<br /><br />I highly recommend <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/25/opinion/20110326-opart.html#1">taking a look</a>, whether or not you live in NYC, as a motivating meditation on the importance of finding ways, large and small, to help replenish and restore this battered world.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-13635996517827159752011-03-14T13:15:00.004-04:002011-03-14T13:32:40.230-04:00Thinking of Japan<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sM9UUyjHLHY/TX5NY7u6saI/AAAAAAAADfw/Ux-mW6PPRJk/s1600/imagefront_576683s.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sM9UUyjHLHY/TX5NY7u6saI/AAAAAAAADfw/Ux-mW6PPRJk/s400/imagefront_576683s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583985678732669346" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't give up, Japan. Don't give up, Tohoku.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">***</span><br /><br />I am asking my friends to consider making a donation<br />to the <a href="http://www.japansociety.org/news">Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. </a><br />I am confident this support will go to the right places in a timely way.<br /></div>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-57997207749397346632011-03-02T14:13:00.002-05:002011-03-02T14:16:35.526-05:00Apropos of NothingThis doesn't even remotely qualify as beekeeping-related, but I just had to share it. I found it on a great website called <a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/">Braining Pickings</a> that a friend turned me on to recently.<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20344220" frameborder="0" height="225" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20344220">Drawing Inspiration</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user153493">Wesley Louis</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-20553824751695709162011-02-17T08:31:00.003-05:002011-02-17T08:38:08.109-05:00Pollinators on ParadeNational Geographic, which can still be counted on for phenomenal visuals, has posted a breathtaking <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/pollinators/moffett-photography">photo slide-show by Mark Moffett of pollinators great and small</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/pollinators/moffett-photography">Take a look-see. </a>You won't be disappointed.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-69098493354141012882011-02-02T09:01:00.001-05:002011-02-02T09:01:00.643-05:00"Secrets Honey for Yemen"Wren's folks recently returned from a trip to the Middle East. They're always very generous about seeking out honey to bring home to us, and once again they came through on this trip.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TUbBMUUeJFI/AAAAAAAADfQ/-gKJvbYT7yk/s1600/_DSC4681.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TUbBMUUeJFI/AAAAAAAADfQ/-gKJvbYT7yk/s400/_DSC4681.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568350406647358546" border="0" /></a>Check out the swank set-up this gentleman from Amman has created for marketing his honey. I love those hexagonal display shelves. We've been enjoying the jar of honey pictured below with our morning yogurt—absolutely divine!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TUbBLilsQYI/AAAAAAAADfI/ssp-hO9WmQo/s1600/_DSC4680.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TUbBLilsQYI/AAAAAAAADfI/ssp-hO9WmQo/s400/_DSC4680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568350393297813890" border="0" /></a>(Thanks to Fred Sanders for allowing me to share his photos here.)Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-12981102712491325402011-01-31T08:32:00.002-05:002011-01-31T08:34:49.943-05:00Taking the Sting Out of Monday<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90408805@N00/collections/72157622508048613/">Marvelous photos showcasing the extraordinary diversity of bees.</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90408805@N00/collections/72157622508048613/">Take a look!</a>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-76097596892805428642011-01-25T10:14:00.005-05:002011-01-25T17:08:21.855-05:00Earthworms Deserve More Poems!<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A friend recently asked me for a copy of this poem I wrote back in 1999, while at a writer's colony in Taos, New Mexico.<br /><br />I'm glad she did, for I'd forgotten about it and was glad to be reunited with the strong pleasure I feel when I remember to take the time to commune with the worms. Earthworms are one of the many unsung heroes of the natural world. For gardeners, they're good friends, but all of us who eat are directly enriched by the work they do.<br /><br />And so I hope you'll enjoy my poem, "Reward."</span><br /><br /> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">REWARD</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">You must first be willing to kneel before the meadow.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Align your ear to its uneven surface and you will hear</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />the wheezing earthworms below, rubbery locksmiths<br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">tunneling through their monotonous dimension. You</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />will hear the mild sucking of the earth entering into them,</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the rasping friction of soil undulating uneasily through</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />them, and its loose translation into unstrung </span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />baby bracelets of aerated loam. Look around you,</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />for you are kneeling amidst a sea of worm-castings,</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />amidst their labor and its souvenirs. </span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />Then smell the worked-over soil their bodies revise.<br /></span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">And in that scent, find the echo of the sound,</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />its manifestation: the world passed through</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the earthworm’s body </span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />a key in its keyhole,</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />music through its bell.</span>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-35142141241049816562011-01-24T10:13:00.000-05:002011-01-24T10:13:00.325-05:00Honeybee Exploring Metaphoric FlowerOne day last summer, an adventurous (or witty?) honeybee thoroughly investigated the plastic flower design on my watering can.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TThPxR9gXiI/AAAAAAAADe4/Nj2pnX9nZuo/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TThPxR9gXiI/AAAAAAAADe4/Nj2pnX9nZuo/s400/IMG_1614.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564285047669808674" border="0" /></a>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-3598343641492543172011-01-22T10:09:00.003-05:002011-01-22T10:09:00.546-05:00Honeybee Visiting Chive BlossomIn this time of winter, memories of summer are an oasis. Think back to the honeybee stuffing her pollen basket with the chive's cheerful orange pollen.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TThPxooRpyI/AAAAAAAADfA/hjd-rVXuPTQ/s1600/IMG_8276.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TThPxooRpyI/AAAAAAAADfA/hjd-rVXuPTQ/s400/IMG_8276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564285053754779426" border="0" /></a>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-9853260273955067422011-01-20T05:13:00.002-05:002011-01-20T10:09:03.169-05:00Self-Portrait With Bees (A Poem)<span style="font-family:georgia;">SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BEES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Entering the hive</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">is like falling down a black velvet staircase.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Off come the gloves, the hat, the veil.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Proudly, I pose for my portrait with sweetness,</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">my portrait with pain.</span>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-85507293699329806982011-01-19T16:34:00.010-05:002011-01-20T11:00:22.031-05:00My Compost, Myself.<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Awhile back, I wrote this mini-essay for a literary calendar project a friend of mine was putting together. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Today, in the snowy Catskills, I happened upon it and thought it might be fun to reprise it here. At this phase of the year, the tactile pleasure of handling earthworm-y compost is a fond memory, buried under a foot or so of snow; these days, a trip to empty the compost is a vaguely life-threatening battle with deep snow and icy patches. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I miss the sight, smells, and yes, sounds of robust mid-summer soil. In that spirit, herewith, alongside my freshly unearthed meditation on compost and poetry, are some "action shots" of my beloved compost pile taken over the past couple of years.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiLSbP_II/AAAAAAAADeQ/7pi0v0Rzv3w/s1600/IMG_7289.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiLSbP_II/AAAAAAAADeQ/7pi0v0Rzv3w/s400/IMG_7289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564023810703752322" border="0" /></a>In my compost pile at this very moment are: eggshells, a rotted zucchini, strawberry hulls, hot pink earthworms, fish bones, onion skins, hardworking ants, an old copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Joy of Cooking</span>, aged cow manure (hauled in buckets from a farm pile 10 miles away where I force my girlfriend to take me every summer), deadheaded daffodils, weeds whose names I won’t bore you with, teabags, and the shredded drafts of old poems.<br /><br />I love the idea of my words returning to the earth, since the inspiration for much of my writing and more and more of my living is the world of nature.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiLjzJifI/AAAAAAAADeY/ZB7GSbgTedY/s1600/IMG_7288_2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiLjzJifI/AAAAAAAADeY/ZB7GSbgTedY/s400/IMG_7288_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564023815367395826" border="0" /></a>Compost Happens, says a popular bumper sticker, but I think of compost the way I think of poetry: a process of thoughtful addition, disciplined editing, experimentation, and alchemy. Just the right amount of attention is required: too little, and you get a cold pile of nothing; too much, and you overwork the magic. Words squirm together on the page and life is born, but if the artistic choices aren’t right, you wind up with a stinking anaerobic sludge.<br /><br />Like compost, writing should startle and surprise. My compost pile has revealed spotted salamanders, red-bellied snakes, handsome toad-elders, iridescent beetles, moles, voles, stupendously handsome red-bellied snakes, and luminescent worms so thin they’re barely there at all—each and every one of these <span style="font-style: italic;">animalitos de dios</span> evoking a sense of gratitude and awe akin to the very best (and rarest) moments of creative pursuit. Like writing, compost is deep.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">* * * *</span><br /></div><br />Bonus compost-sagas:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiNILUAII/AAAAAAAADew/8E4w9yO2tG0/s1600/IMG_7235.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiNILUAII/AAAAAAAADew/8E4w9yO2tG0/s400/IMG_7235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564023842312290434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Composted asparagus deciding it doesn't want to be compost. (Yes, I replanted it.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiM2ITA_I/AAAAAAAADeo/hAQnZof0VCE/s1600/IMG_7243.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiM2ITA_I/AAAAAAAADeo/hAQnZof0VCE/s400/IMG_7243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564023837467804658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Composted almond deciding to give it a go.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiMi6imaI/AAAAAAAADeg/MJ8WGQtNKOY/s1600/IMG_7198.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TTdiMi6imaI/AAAAAAAADeg/MJ8WGQtNKOY/s400/IMG_7198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564023832309832098" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">A snail "riding the wave" of an old cookbook.</span>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-42906486791516910752011-01-11T11:53:00.003-05:002011-01-11T11:55:07.797-05:00Bee WatchingHow about a gorgeous slide show of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevin_matteson/sets/72157603722653851/show/">New York City bees</a> to get your wintry mind rolling in a summerly direction?Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-48164207668397673052011-01-04T18:38:00.001-05:002011-01-04T18:41:48.102-05:00PoemI am every day<br />looking at the flowers.<br /><br />This is the gift the bees<br />have given me.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-13542929524269578622010-12-22T08:37:00.004-05:002010-12-22T08:45:57.068-05:00Might Mighty Mite Have Met Its Match?Research is under way to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9306000/9306572.stm">genetically tweak Varroa mites</a> in such a way as to cause them to "self-destruct."<br /><br />Much as I'd love to see an end to the serious troubles <span style="font-style: italic;">Varroa destructor</span> brings to honeybees, I'm always leery of this level of human intervention—so rarely do such things go as planned; so often do they bring an avalanche of unanticipated (and unwanted) consequences.<br /><br />Take a look at this recent news item about the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9306000/9306572.stm"><span style="font-style: italic;">Varroa destructor </span>self-destruction study</a> and let me know what you think.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-53153143766561532962010-12-03T22:19:00.000-05:002010-12-03T22:20:24.806-05:00Honeybee Luv<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/10971927" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10971927">Queen of The Sun Teaser Clip</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1220608">Taggart Siegel</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-30906235456518172712010-11-21T13:07:00.014-05:002010-11-22T09:56:57.659-05:00Holiday Gifts for Beekeepers and Friends of BeesContinuing our (more or less) annual tradition of scouting out <a href="http://globalswarminghoneybees.blogspot.com/search/label/gifts?max-results=100">great gifts for beekeepers</a>, we proudly present Global Swarming Honeybees' 2010 holiday gift list for the beeks, bee-lovers, gardeners, and ecosystem appreciators in your life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> First things first:</span> Without a healthy planet, there are no healthy bees—or healthy anything. Honor your family members and friends with a donation in their name to an environmental organization. Two of my favorite earth-defenders are the <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (which, among its many activities, has done great work to fight pesticides that harm bees) and <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/">The Center for Biological Diversity</a>, which fearlessly fights for "a world where the wild is still alive." Other good groups include <a href="http://www.foe.org/">Friends of the Earth,</a> <a href="http://www.xerces.org/">The Xerces Society</a>, and <a href="http://www.nature.org/">The Nature Conservancy</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Bookworm Beek Nirvana: </span>Your book-loving beloveds will surely enjoy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Honeybee-Democracy-Thomas-D-Seeley/dp/0691147213/ref=pd_sim_b_1">Honeybee Democracy</a>, Thomas Seeley's book on "hive mind" and Rose-Lynn Fisher's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bee-Rose-Lynn-Fisher/dp/156898944X/ref=pd_sim_b_2">Bee</a>, a truly awesome visual feast of bee anatomy, rendered via scanning electron microscope. For those with an interest in homesteading, Philip Ackerman-Leist's <a href="http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/up_tunket_road/">Up Tunket Road</a> looks like a refreshingly thoughtful and candid take on the subject.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOl_uwDGV5I/AAAAAAAADcU/vQyZZo282so/s1600/618osWjXvyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOl_uwDGV5I/AAAAAAAADcU/vQyZZo282so/s400/618osWjXvyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542101257604716434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Greening the Season of Sneezes: </span>Two years ago, I converted from a lifelong Kleenex addict to a cotton handkerchief aficionado. My guilt over trashing a perfectly good tree every time I blow my nose is now a thing of the past, and my delicate schnoz greatly prefers a soft cottony dab when cold season arrives. Fun and beautiful retro hankies can be found in many thrift shops and antique markets—and believe me, once you make the change, you'll never go back. Consider making an eco-friendly stocking stuffing of this fabulous <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/41996811/sneezy-sheets-set-of-2-silk-screened">bee-inflected silkscreened handkerchief</a> or of Muji's non-bee-related but profoundly stylish <a href="http://www.muji.us/store/historic-city-view-handkerchief-new-york.html">"historic city" handkerchief series</a> featuring the cities of Tokyo, London, Paris, and NYC.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmCCQyV39I/AAAAAAAADc8/_g7G-XKidUw/s1600/il_570xN.127823678.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmCCQyV39I/AAAAAAAADc8/_g7G-XKidUw/s400/il_570xN.127823678.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542103791833571282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJ1ORrEI/AAAAAAAADdc/KyrCYY-UZQo/s1600/4548718419708_l.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJ1ORrEI/AAAAAAAADdc/KyrCYY-UZQo/s400/4548718419708_l.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542106120896752706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">4.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Go Goth:</span> For the hipster beek in your life, check out this <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+the_wasp_shirt,480528742">stingingly cool vespid-inspired T-shirt</a>, this <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bee_girl_silhouette_magnet-147988508606264413">scintillating bee girl silhouette magnet</a>, or this alluring <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61229961/the-acorn-queen-print-premium-matte?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=bee&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=3&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade">Acorn Queen</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMddVb9zI/AAAAAAAADd8/s-gzA0dxYXs/s1600/il_570xN.190897054.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMddVb9zI/AAAAAAAADd8/s-gzA0dxYXs/s400/il_570xN.190897054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542115254174742322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">iBeek Incidentals: </span>Your iPhone-wielding beekeeper might enjoy the <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+bee_calm_iphone_4_slider_case,485556554">Bee Calm and Carry On iPhone Case</a> or this <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+iphone_4_slider_case,484157692">possibly too cute bee-inspired slider case</a>. iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users will get a kick out of the new game app, "<a href="http://www.tuaw.com/2010/11/19/tuaws-daily-app-bee-patrol/?icid=px-iphone">Bee Patrol.</a>"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJsxiggI/AAAAAAAADdU/q4Ea9TbAb0w/s1600/485556554v4_480x480_Front_Color-White.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJsxiggI/AAAAAAAADdU/q4Ea9TbAb0w/s400/485556554v4_480x480_Front_Color-White.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542106118628737538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Stripey, Warming Fun: </span>This handmade, yellow-and-black <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/41843273/buzzy-bee-hat?ref=sr_gallery_21&ga_search_query=bee&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=7&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade">"buzzy bee" hat</a> comes sized for children and (thankfully!) adults, so your entire social network can, should they so choose and should you be so generous, float around town with merry antennae aflutter and hive minds in perfect sync. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEKe9stNI/AAAAAAAADdk/kerXLWzzMHo/s1600/il_570xN.127484041.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEKe9stNI/AAAAAAAADdk/kerXLWzzMHo/s400/il_570xN.127484041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542106132101510354" border="0" /></a>Take the whole festive scene over the top with these Dickensian, bee-inspired <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60160843/bees-black-and-yellow-striped-fingerless?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=bee&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=13&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade">fingerless gloves. </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEKhIl--I/AAAAAAAADds/2q9K2mpzti4/s1600/il_570xN.187303002.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEKhIl--I/AAAAAAAADds/2q9K2mpzti4/s400/il_570xN.187303002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542106132684078050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">7.</span> Pour It On: </span>I'm wild about these fanciful pottery pieces from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/apaulek?ref=ls_profile">apualek</a>. From the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60832285/bee-biking-in-flowers-1?ref=sr_gallery_23&ga_search_query=bee&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=4&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade">"Biking Bee in Flowers" bowl</a> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60415239/biking-bee-chasing-rose-tumbler">"Biking Bee Chasing Rose" tumbler </a>to the cheery yellow <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60352590/kayaking-bee-pitcher">"Kayaking Bee" pitcher</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span>shown below, </span>these marvelous pieces of usable art will thrill anyone with a good imagination, an appreciation of the handmade, and a love of pouring liquids in high style.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmCCvPxlLI/AAAAAAAADdE/Esk9GC5flQE/s1600/il_570xN.188141424.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 369px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmCCvPxlLI/AAAAAAAADdE/Esk9GC5flQE/s400/il_570xN.188141424.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542103800010085554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Share the Love:</span> Native bees are in trouble throughout the U.S. and across the planet. Who better than beekeepers and bee allies to lend a helping hand by providing habitat in the form of an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/andrewsreclaimed?section_id=5812141">attractive bee box nest made of recycled wood</a> for our native populations of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54544983/leafcutter-bee-nest-block-recycled-wood">leaf-cutter bees</a> and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62541808/mason-bee-box-reclaimed-wood-nest-for">mason bees</a>?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMdJsRvVI/AAAAAAAADd0/gat7zaCc3Vk/s1600/il_170x135.191106690.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 135px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMdJsRvVI/AAAAAAAADd0/gat7zaCc3Vk/s400/il_170x135.191106690.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542115248901832018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9a.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Kitchen-y Bee:</span> I have a thing for tea towels, so it's no surprise I'm taken with this rustic <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62450262/queen-bee-wreath-feedsack-iron-on">Queen Bee burlap towel</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmBFyY4zpI/AAAAAAAADc0/O4E2aRL9upk/s1600/il_570xN.193465139.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmBFyY4zpI/AAAAAAAADc0/O4E2aRL9upk/s400/il_570xN.193465139.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542102752881594002" border="0" /></a>...and this retro-style <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48227089/hand-embroidered-retro-kitchen-towel-bee?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=tea+towel+bee&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title">embroidered gem</a>. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMgDpLy9I/AAAAAAAADeE/hCXnntBVyt4/s1600/il_570xN.147384690.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmMgDpLy9I/AAAAAAAADeE/hCXnntBVyt4/s400/il_570xN.147384690.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542115298817854418" border="0" /></a><br />9b. </span>I also have a thing for tote bags, especially this <a href="http://www.kenspeckleletterpress.com/product-detail.php?id=312">honeybear tote</a> from Kenspeckle Press, which provides "19th century solutions to 21st century quandaries." (Don't neglect to ogle the wonderful <a href="http://www.kenspeckleletterpress.com/product-detail.php?id=154">letterpress honeybear cards</a> while you're ambling around this charming corner of cyberspace.)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJGN0Q2I/AAAAAAAADdM/JK_Jh6wtP7Y/s1600/312-56182794.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmEJGN0Q2I/AAAAAAAADdM/JK_Jh6wtP7Y/s400/312-56182794.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542106108278358882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Wrap It Up:</span> To personalize your gift, try these <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/55335081/honeybee-picnic-tags-set-of-4?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=honeybee&ga_search_type=&ga_page=0&order=most_relevant&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade&filter[1]=paper_goods">handsome, vintage-style honeybee tags</a>, these super-sweet, hybridized <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/59558981/french-bulldog-honeybee-greeting-card?ref=sr_gallery_17&ga_search_query=honeybee&ga_search_type=&ga_page=&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title&filter[0]=handmade&filter[1]=paper_goods">honeybee/French Bulldog greeting cards</a>, and/or this <a href="http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Bees-Wrapping-Paper/3106.001/44346850.html">funky wrapping paper</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmBFSwmvBI/AAAAAAAADcs/aY-HWm3ygXg/s1600/il_570xN.185283564.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TOmBFSwmvBI/AAAAAAAADcs/aY-HWm3ygXg/s400/il_570xN.185283564.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542102744391138322" border="0" /></a>For additional ideas, check out my <a href="http://globalswarminghoneybees.blogspot.com/search/label/gifts?max-results=100">holiday gift lists for beekeepers</a> from years gone by. I hope your holidays are sweet and rich in the non-material joys of living.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-55846667840956571612010-11-10T14:51:00.002-05:002010-11-10T14:54:39.647-05:00Song of the Unsung Pollinator<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c2Sbhv-2C1Y&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c2Sbhv-2C1Y&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object><br /><br />Thanks to <a href="http://membracid.wordpress.com/">Bug Girl's Blog</a> for surfacing this gem!Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-8260009862902563382010-10-31T00:03:00.002-04:002010-10-31T00:03:00.688-04:00The Great Pumpkin Bee (Happy Halloween)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TMxejrOJFZI/AAAAAAAADcA/jD8DAYw7GFs/s1600/IMG_2772.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TMxejrOJFZI/AAAAAAAADcA/jD8DAYw7GFs/s400/IMG_2772.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533902009121969554" border="0" /></a>A she-bee visits the fruits of her labor...a hefty, bee-pollinated pumpkin. Happy Halloween!Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-38370980125871910742010-10-29T17:05:00.004-04:002010-10-29T17:16:36.026-04:00"Winterizing"The bees are "winterized"—their entrances reduced, mouse protection added, and sky-blue sheets of Styrofoam insulation placed atop and along the false back of every hive.<br /><br />Two of three look good to go. The third seems a little quiet, but time will tell. All three hives have been left their honey; I didn't harvest this fall and it will be interesting to see whether, with nothing stolen from them, they make it OK. So much depends upon the weather; the weather, luck, and whatever secret strengths or deficits reside inside those mysterious wooden hives with their brilliant clusters of thrumming beings.<br /><br />Geese are passing overhead now, not just daily, but hourly. And so begins the countdown to winter which, for me (and for the bees?) is really just a countdown to spring.Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-73933620337034766952010-10-09T00:01:00.000-04:002010-10-09T00:01:00.399-04:00Honoring John Lennon's 70th BirthdayWell, you know, John and I share a birthday in common and he's always been real important to me, so I'd like to share this on what would have been his 70th birthday.<br /><br />Gives bees a chance.<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lduaMSZqn1Y?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lduaMSZqn1Y?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-52176283893739432982010-09-29T10:14:00.011-04:002010-09-29T11:05:33.351-04:00Saluting The Field<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUg89euII/AAAAAAAADbU/uy3fxj_CNlE/s1600/P1040234.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUg89euII/AAAAAAAADbU/uy3fxj_CNlE/s400/P1040234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522350493182900354" border="0" /></a>We've seen it all before, the changing colors, the falling leaves. <span style="font-style: italic;">And yet, and yet. </span><br /><br />I walk around the pond with cat and dog, thinking of <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/1120">James Schuyler's</a> great field poem, "Salute," which ends with the lines: "Past/is past. I salute/that various field."<br /><br />Which evokes <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/164">Frank O'Hara's</a> line, "Grace to be born and live as variously as possible." (These words are inscribed on O'Hara's gravestone, which I once had the honor of meeting in person.)<br /><br />A field does live as variously as possible. Here, its variosity is of aster (several kinds); (red & white) clover; heather-like purple fists that seem to drive the bees wild; a spectrum of goldenrod, and cornflower, black-eyed susans, <a href="http://www.google.com/images?q=coreopsis&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=ebd&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivs&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=mkujTL_vDMGAlAfPz6D6BA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&ved=0CBUQ_AU&biw=1299&bih=659">coreopsis</a>, plus some intense purple flowers I cannot find a name for.<br /><br />So many plant-inhabitants whose names I'm just learning: tear-thumb and smartweed, a wild mint I just call "mountain mint" for simplicity's sake. So many more names to learn or not. And beyond the names, the important unknown stories of plants <span style="font-style: italic;">and<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span> animals.<br /><br />To this various field is now added a jumbled corridor of fallen leaves—ash and sumac, apple, pear (remnants of old orchard), hawthorne, and no-longer-whispering aspen. Perfectly placed in their disorder, like thoughts overturning their ancestors.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUhQDf_gI/AAAAAAAADbc/wJ_OO0FyN5I/s1600/P1040248.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUhQDf_gI/AAAAAAAADbc/wJ_OO0FyN5I/s400/P1040248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522350498308423170" border="0" /></a>The colors have been described a million times before—we know that story all too well. It escorts us to the threshold of cliche and right on through its frosted-glass door. <span style="font-style: italic;">Auburn. Magenta. Burnt umber.</span> But color-words get in the way of it, can't begin to reach the thing itself, which originates way up high in the trees. An arboreal collaboration of sugar, wind, cold, and light. Trees, changing their minds, acknowledging their time.<br /><br />My fingers are stiff trying to capture it on the page (tear-thumb?). I wish you could see it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUiNnG4LI/AAAAAAAADbs/5Tq16YXpDyc/s1600/P1040250.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUiNnG4LI/AAAAAAAADbs/5Tq16YXpDyc/s400/P1040250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522350514832335026" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUhnunpAI/AAAAAAAADbk/C71HDOUI9IQ/s1600/P1040255.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TKNUhnunpAI/AAAAAAAADbk/C71HDOUI9IQ/s400/P1040255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522350504663294978" border="0" /></a>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8088449798532856109.post-34596360446561228282010-09-15T20:31:00.009-04:002010-09-15T21:25:17.097-04:00Hay, Handsome!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFshiUPYsI/AAAAAAAADbE/sA57DTDpUqo/s1600/IMG_9528.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFshiUPYsI/AAAAAAAADbE/sA57DTDpUqo/s400/IMG_9528.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517310341908751042" border="0" /></a>One of the things I like best about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/garden/09garden.html">no-till, no-dig method of "surface gardening"</a>—aside from saving my back—is the pleasure of playing with hay mulch, which is basically old, worn-out hay that, when placed in the vegetable beds between plantings, serves to suppress (some) weeds, maintain soil moisture, and stabilize the soil temperature.<br /><br />Hay mulch is just the thing if you like to get down and dirty in the garden, communing with earth-bound sprites of all persuasions. It's a primordial ooze of fungal, bacterial, and insect life, squirming with quick-witted centipedes, sparkly worms, fuzzy spiders, glowing larvae, and a metropolis of unidentified whatnots. It's also home to wonderful snakes, salamanders, and rodents. Like the prize in the Crackerjack box, you never know what you'll find.<br /><br />The other day, a substantial chill in the air signaled the need to get started on "autumn prep" for some of my vegetable beds. I decided to start with my asparagus bed, which has done its duty for the year. I added some compost to fortify this greedily-feeding perennial so as to feed greedily upon it come springtime. After adding the compost, I cut the string on a few square bales of mulch hay delivered earlier this summer (and nearly compost themselves at this point in time) and lay the thin "books" or sheaves of hay in the asparagus bed to inhibit weeds and provide a nice cover for wintertime.<br /><br />Here are some of the handsome denizens of the hay I encountered during this process.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp9o7HVpI/AAAAAAAADas/Kn5PAHjXH24/s1600/IMG_9533.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp9o7HVpI/AAAAAAAADas/Kn5PAHjXH24/s400/IMG_9533.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517307526183868050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp9CRTO-I/AAAAAAAADak/4yj5eGSKyg0/s1600/IMG_9537.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp9CRTO-I/AAAAAAAADak/4yj5eGSKyg0/s400/IMG_9537.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517307515807939554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFsiDpR-xI/AAAAAAAADbM/pjnLhbvgXWE/s1600/IMG_9524.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFsiDpR-xI/AAAAAAAADbM/pjnLhbvgXWE/s400/IMG_9524.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517310350855371538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFshIpINuI/AAAAAAAADa8/3bZqO1bDhrk/s1600/IMG_9516.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFshIpINuI/AAAAAAAADa8/3bZqO1bDhrk/s400/IMG_9516.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517310335017039586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFsgjmaLaI/AAAAAAAADa0/wbIfttQZA8Y/s1600/IMG_9396.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFsgjmaLaI/AAAAAAAADa0/wbIfttQZA8Y/s400/IMG_9396.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517310325073522082" border="0" /></a><br />Speaking of handsome, comely, attractive, and adorable, our new kitten, Magnet, loves the hay as well. She turned up on our doorstep here in the middle of nowhere back in June and is now an esteemed member of the clan.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp7sO7QOI/AAAAAAAADaM/kT-hik6Fgyc/s1600/P1040078.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp7sO7QOI/AAAAAAAADaM/kT-hik6Fgyc/s400/P1040078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517307492712530146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp8grgk8I/AAAAAAAADac/SF3X9dA7KD0/s1600/P1040099.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp8grgk8I/AAAAAAAADac/SF3X9dA7KD0/s400/P1040099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517307506791060418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp8NUfxhI/AAAAAAAADaU/RyYH1L3hK24/s1600/P1040098.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N9s-wZxuxCs/TJFp8NUfxhI/AAAAAAAADaU/RyYH1L3hK24/s400/P1040098.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517307501594265106" border="0" /></a>Gerry Gomez Pearlberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07983170311255392530noreply@blogger.com2