getting ready for spring

It is time to start thinking about spring. This year, my big project was to be an apiary. Now for me that is a big step, because I am not personally crazy about bees. But I do value greatly what the offer to my garden and the honey and wax that I can utilize in my home projects. Now my son is sick, so I am not sure that this year I will start the apiary, but it is something I think everyone should have. Let's talk about the value of an apiary....first off is the wonderful pollination that you will get in exchange for providing the honeybees a home. You will even the first year notice that you will immediately reap the benefits of greater pollination. Second off is the honey. Honey is a great product...not only is it a natural sweetener, but it also is naturally antibacterial and work very well in helping wounds to heal. Third of course is the bee's wax. Perfect for candles, lip balm, hand salve,furniture polishing and a ton of other uses. Where to get started....timing is important to apiary's just like it is to seeds. Here's a link that is helpful in getting you started by state... next post we'll talk about starting that apiary....where to order supplies, bees and discuss building your own.

Using those foil bags

One thing that annoys me is all those items that come in plastic and foil bags. I try to purchase things that don't use them, but sometimes it is just impossible to get away from them. SO I have a new use for the foil bags (ie: potato chip type bags) I sew a pouch in a simple square or rectangle out of polar fleece, then I put one or two bags into in (after washing out and drying the bag) and then sewing up the end. It makes a great crinkle mat for the cats to play on and is washable, though I do recommend hanging to dry. The cats love the noise and the foil also keeps their body heat making the pad a little warmer to lay on, and we all know cats love to warm places to sleep. if anyone has any other suggestions or uses for plastic and foil bags, let me know. (Plastic bags can be recycled, and many grocery stores to have bins to accept them)