busy days

Friday's follow-up on my toe report: looks good, healing as it should, new nail is already starting to grow in (It is? Where?), and don't pick off the remaining scab.

Shopping spree was mostly successful. I got the two most essential items...liquor and pond pump. I exchanged my capri length yoga pants for a better size but really what I want is just below the knee instead of mid-calf but I can't find that length anywhere. Got some 60 pound teflon wrapped wire leader line for my next attempt at foiling the squirrels from the bird feeder, got two new watercolor paint brushes but not the frisket tape which was only available online, looked at available drapes for the living room but didn't buy any, and looked at the sandal offerings at the show store but didn't buy any.

Yesterday morning was the Earth Lab talk on bee keeping at Hesed House so I got up early and picked up my daughter and finally 'met' their four ducks (and the wild whistling ducks who come to hang out with them) and 2 dozen chickens.

We went to the talk which was not exactly what I was expecting but interesting nonetheless. The guy who came to speak captures wild swarms and colonies when they settle on, in, or around people's homes which apparently happens a lot and also sets up and cares for hives for people who want bees for an agricultural tax exemption on their acreage. Bees are considered livestock. It was pretty interesting to learn how he captures wild bees. As for setting up a hive in your backyard just to have bees around, turns out it's a little more difficult than that if you want a healthy hive. First, you need more than one hive for healthy colonies and you have to feed them especially if you live in an agricultural area (like we do) that grows row crops because once harvested, the land is just empty fields with no food source for bees. Second, they get diseases and mites so you have to be able to recognize that and treat it. But if you persevere, expect to kill a lot of bees until you figure it out.

Then we went to the Saturday Farmer's Market where I bought 3 tomatoes for $5, pricey but they were so pretty, and some okra. And then we went in a couple of shops and then off to the Peach Creek Market because while I was out on Friday they messaged me that the Fredericksburg peaches were in, small because of the drought but sweet and juicy, for some peaches. They weren't kidding about being small but they are sweet and juicy!

After Mike got off work and came by the house to get Sarah we streamed three more episodes of Stranger Things. Finished season 2 which was really good and ready to start season 3. It will be interesting to start season 4 which has just recently come out as it's been three years between 3 and 4 because of covid and those kids will be 16 now.

Plan for today was to work on the wax bas relief inlay which I did and here's my progress on that. When I drew this out I thought it was going to be fairly simple or at the very least not too much work. Oh when will I ever learn?

One last thing...this little 5,000 BTU window unit is keeping the upper house nicely cool. Makes me think all we need is another window unit for the lower house. Of course it's just the beginning of summer and already we're having near August temperatures so we'll probably still get the new central AC unit anyway.