I have mentioned before that I have a weird bucket list. You guys asked for details. Well, it includes things like . . .
Heroically land a commercial airliner after the pilots have become incapacitated:
Well, Sean Connery, I can.
Kill (re-kill?) some zombies:
Give myself stitches:
and Execute a Superhero Landing:
I have not seen this movie, and don't know who this gal is, but that's what I want to do. I have seen this:
The list also includes bees. So when my friend Micaela found a swarm of bees in her hedge, it was like a dream come true:
I just happened to have purchased a basic beekeeping starter kit, when we bought a house with two poolside cabanas that turned out to be full of bees. But, as it happens, bees don't necessary want to move into a hive when they already have a perfectly good cabana. So, I still had all the gear, ready to go.
And, Micaela had read this blog post, and told me about it, so we were pretty much experts.
I loaded up the kids the next morning, drove to her house and we cut the branches, and scooped the bees off the branch and into the box! It was AMAZING. They were all buzzing around us, but without honey or babies to protect, they are quite docile. And we even saw the queen bee go into the hive box.
See for yourself!
We got the box all closed up with the queen in there, and then gave them the rest of the day for the scouts to come back. After bee bedtime, I came back, loaded the box into my minivan and drove it home.
It's now situated in our new little orchard and we'll just wait and see if the bees feel like sticking around. Anyway, it was a really cool experience. I recommend it.
They seem to be settling in well.
They seem to be settling in well.
Bees in slow motion: the thing you didn't know was missing from your life.
Next order of business . . .
I'm working on a little project that is not a cookbook but is cookbook-related, and I have therefore been looking at my cookbooks, and researching other cookbooks. Cookbook, cookbook, cookbook.
Here's what I've got now:
I'd love to know what your go-to cookbooks are. I know I should have something by Pioneer Woman, I love her online recipes, but she has so many cookbooks, I don't know which to choose. Smitten Kitchen, and Brown-Eyed Baker are my other favorite cooking blogs, but I don't have any of them in book form. So . . . lay 'em on me.
The awesomest thing I have encountered so far in my cookbook research is the fact that the cover 1931 first edition of The Joy of Cooking features St. Martha of Bethany, patron saint of cooking, "slaying the dragon of kitchen drudgery." What could be more awesome than that?
And speaking of books . . . let's do a bookish Catholic Stuff Saturday.
It's May, the month of Mary, which means it's the perfect time to get into, or back into, the habit of a family Rosary.
Here's a post on why:
WHY I BOTHER WITH THE ROSARY
And a post on how:
HOW WE SAY A FAMILY ROSARY
To help you on your way, I've got giveaway copies of The Rosary in Art for Children by Mary Cooney! And, extra bonus, The Stations of the Cross for Children by Carolyn Cooney.
There will be three winners, one here on the blog, one of Facebook, and one on Instagram. Stay tuned for those. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this blog post telling me the last time you said a Rosary. You're allowed to say never, especially if you're planning on these books giving you the inspiration to start a new habit!
The winner of last week's giveaway for the LEGO Catechism is . . . Jonathan of The Catholic Woodworker! Congratulations, Jonathan. You're going to love this book. Please email me by the end of the day on Monday to claim your prize.