Bees in Flowers

Just for the record, I do love all insects. It never ceases to amaze me how all creatures play such an important role in maintaining our ecosystem.

But I prefer they stay outside and help pollinate the flowers that have sprung up the past few weeks, like this bee is getting ready to do.

I hoping some of these guys make it over to the apricot tree, and the to-be-determined flowering tree. I'm crossing my fingers for a plum tree. Because plum jam is so good on homemade waffles. With whipped cream.

All this talk about food is making me hungry. I think it's time for a snack. Maybe some toast with some honey?

What. The. Heck.

True story.

Yesterday, I found a bee (I think it is a bee, but it was covered with salad dressing so who knows?) in my prepackaged salad from the grocery store. And at first I was all like, "Ewwwwwwwwww. Gross!" But then I ate the rest of the salad anyway because I was so hungry and at that point the bee had already contaminated my salad so I didn't think there was any harm in finishing it.

I'm totally contacting the salad maker because as far as I'm concerned I should get free salads for the rest of my life because I've probably contracted some sort of bee disease that I don't even know exists and I'm probably going to die soon, in which case they won't be out much money for the free salad they will be providing me with for the remainder of my very short life.

What do you think? Is it a bee? Please tell me it's a bee and not some other insect that's going to give me a disease that will even further shorten my life span.

Thank you,
Little Miss This and That

P.S. In the event that I don't die, I will let you know what happens with my complaint to the salad maker, who I won't name, unless they do not give me free salads for life.

Mixing It Up

I am a lucky girl. My lovely sister sent me some flowers last week (Thanks, sis!). Getting flowers delivered at work has got to be one of life's greatest pleasures. At least I think so.

I thoroughly enjoyed the arrangement for the week. Breathing in the heady scent of the lilies seemed to induce an aura of calm around my desk, and I felt completely at peace with the world. Just kidding. The flowers don't quite have those magical powers on me, though I did feel more relaxed.

While I thought the arrangement was elegant and splendid just as it was, I wanted to mix it up a little. Also, I needed to take the flowers out to trim them and add fresh water in order to extend their life, so that was a good time to break up the bouquet.

So I brought the flowers home on Friday with the intention of making several new arrangements to enjoy throughout the house.

Ah, Gerbera daisies! They are such happy flowers, don't you think?

I wanted to add some different colors and textures into the new arrangments, so I headed out to this tree in the yard.

I spent quite a bit of time scouring the web, trying to figure out the name of this shrub-tree thingy, but I haven't had any luck as of yet. I'll keep searching, but on the off-chance that anyone recognizes it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you let me know. Pretty please?

These bright fuschia flowers bloom in springtime. I am not sure when it will start going to seed, but I think it will be soon, as the flowers are starting to drop their petals.

Hello, bee! I do believe you are looking at me. (Sorry, that rhyme was bad, bordering on awful really, but I couldn't resist.)

Okay, back to harvesting some cuttings. You're going to need your garden clippers for this plant. The stems are woody, and you will be hard-pressed to cut through the stems with regular scissors. Garden shears might work; I don't own any though, so I haven't tried using them. You also might want to grap a deep bucket or tub or vase for transporting the branches. They are a bit scratchy.

So grab your shears and snip off a few branches for your arrangement. I cut mine about 2 ft. long. It helps if you know the size of the vessel you are using to display the flowers, as you might want to make them longer if you have a very tall vase. If you aren't sure what you will end up using (I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I cut these), I think 2 ft. is a good length. That way, you'll have tall stalks if you want to use those, or you can just trim smaller stalks from the larger ones if you need shorter stems.

For transporting the branches, I grabbed this empty cat litter tub from the garage. It's a classy joint around here, I tell ya! I have no idea where this came from as I don't even have a cat, but it certainly comes in handy for weeding and serving as a makeshift bucket.

Remember to add water after you gather your flowers if you aren't planning on making your arrangement right away. I suppose you could add water before you head out and get in your arm workout for the day, but I am not the type of person to do that.

That's all for today. I will post the new arrangments I made next week when I get back from my road trip. Have a great weekend!

Oh, wait, one more thing: I know I have been posting a lot about flowers here lately, but I promise upcoming posts will be a little more diverse.

The Very Beginning

I'm getting ready to launch.

Please have patience while I gather and collect, making preparations.

I need all the help I can get.

Come back soon. I'll be ready. At least as ready as I can be.*

*Seriously, no pun was intended. I promise.