Monday, April 26, 2010

This weekend we were to have some friends over to help with the remaining tasks in getting our garden ready for planting. It rained. We truly needed the rain, so I'm not complaining. Plus I was sick......again.  Iron deficiency anemia--not so fun. But that's a whole nother Oprah! I love that phrase: 'a whole nother'. I'm definitely one of those people who cringes at grammar and spelling errors in signs, menus, etc. But I just love the phrase a whole nother. (I'm probably not even spelling it right..;-)

Wow, I digress. Anyhoo, it rained and we spent time inside. As I said I don't mind the rain, but I do have a request for mother nature--perhaps she could just release the rains during the middle of the night or only between 2 pm and 4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? It reminds me of a prayer I read in one of my gardening books, Wisconsin Garden Guide by Jerry Minnich. It was originally published in a book titled "The Gardener's Year" by Karel Capek in 1929 in Czech. Here is the English translation, published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1984:

"Oh Lord, Grant that in some way it may rain every day, say from about midnight until three o'clock in the morning, but, you see, it must be gentle and warm so that it can soak in; grant that at the same time it would not rain on campion, alyssum, helianthemum, lavender, and the others which you in your infinite wisdom know are drought-loving plants--I will write their names on a bit of paper if you like--and grant that the sun may shine the whole day long, but not everywhere (not, for instance, on spiraea, or on gentian, plantain lily and rhododendron), and not too much; that there may be plenty of dew and little wind, enough worms, no plant-lice and snails, no mildew, and that once a week thin liquid manure and guano may fall from heaven. Amen."

I just love this....if farmers controlled the weather....

One task Jim completed this weekend was a trip to Lapp's bee supply in Reeseville Wisconsin. We had ordered honey bees a couple months ago and they were ready to be picked up. Erica went along for the adventure, while Aidan and I stayed home. Jim and the kids had assembled and painted our hives this past week. We should be installing the bees into their hives today--a nice sunny day--and I hope to get some photos of this (delicate) operation.

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