About Bees: The Miracle of Pollination: A Ted talk. Field Day Friday

Pina sent this to me a week ago and I just had the chance to see it.  Thank you Darling Pina!!  You are a doll!



We have three of these Huge cacti,  three different species, and one is in the back yard,  and two are in the front yard, and all of which these tiny bats pollinate.

Opuntia in the back yard last year

Pachycereus, and yes the Moon and a planet Venus
Night flowering- Pink or maybe red.??  iffy

Prickly Pear, not ours but ours is bigger.

Right now, as I was watching the YouTube above, I turned to Mr. Z. and told him this.  He told me that, last night, when he took Wolfie for his before bedtime walk a bat swooped down into the area in the front yard where these two cacti are.

I was going to tell him about hearing bats in the yard again.  I haven't heard them since we had rabbits.  And yes, I am one of the people who have hearing that can detect bats.

BUT, now I know why!  And, I'm so excited about all this.
HERE is the link to the YouTube above (in case it doesn't play for you)  from a Ted-talk about pollinators.

We cannot survive without these creatures being healthy and alive and working.

Monsanto.  You really are the Devil.  You have put us into a very bad and dark place, and your marketing and lawsuits against farmers were just the last straw.  Shame on you! 

In all the fuss and hubbub, this tiny insect carries us all on it's wings.

From THIS web page

Let us remember to keep it together, at all costs, for the birds and for the bees and for the Earth's children.  The idiots trying to destroy the EPA and the remnants of the U. S. Department of Fish And Game have NO IDEA what they are dealing with.  We need the bees and other pollinators to have any food to eat.  

Wordless Wednesday + Flickriver creatures

As shared by soorawn, on Ravelry + Creatures

Sky Watcher

Another Sun Dog on the same day as the first one.
This one is on the South side of sun.

Remember, these photos can all be made very BIG!

This was a very weird day.  I'm trying to ignore the news, since it's getting pretty predictable, and I don't want to worry this much anymore!  Maybe it's time to go back to bed and try to get some sleep.

There was this famous 50's quote: " I decided that God ran the Universe, the President ran the country, and I run the vacuum cleaner."  Aside from not believing that Politicians had much wiggle room around the Oligarchy that has been developing over the past 100 years, I think it's still a good quote.

Here's a "Hortish" sky and mountain view of the river valley that runs back into the Laguna's from Old Mission Dam. I love looking up river and imagining what this all was like before Europeans came. 

This tiny fellow got trapped behind the screen on one of those -40F nights
Sadly, she/he didn't make it.

Saturday Komeekz, and We got rain!

I do know that our little Wolfie Rescued the two of us!

Patrick McDonnell's website has a place where you can order prints of his dailies, on good thick paper suitable for framing. I got one for Mr. Zippi for Father's Day a couple years ago.  I think I'll get this one for Moi!  Mr. McDonnell does a lot of stuff for animals, too.   Poke around his website?
 
Skywatcher post.

Clouds and wind during the day after strong showers at 5 am

 Rain is life giving in a desert.  We celebrate it, and feel nothing but sorrow for the East Coast that just got hammered with way WAY too much of "nature's fecund blessing" - a quote from the movie, "Cold Comfort Farm"

 Plus, we have an update on the Christmas Van and more activity at the (alien) water tower:

More on the interesting life of The Van of the Man Who Loves Christmas:

 We have seen the owner, and he looks like a very young Santa Claus, on vacation.
  He is an actor, I believe.  Maybe he's a set builder, and artist, too!

There is activity at the Space Ship, disguised as a water tower;  it has mysteriously accumulated more clouds.  No one that I've talked to has actually seen the Aliens adorning their ship but there are definitely more clouds on it.  The clouds go all the way around now.  Do you think they are planning to stay on Earth?  Do you think this is good thing, or bad?   Are they going to beam up all the food?   The Beer?

I see that it's listing to the right, too.  What does this mean!!??

Maybe they are making a salt water tank out of our water tank, to beam up all the dolphins?

This is FINALLY knitting weather I tell you!  I'm back at it!


My DD is going, maybe, to live on the East Coast.  I'm torn between wanting her to be happy, and thinking that is just so damn far away.  I've put into the hands of the Creator.  I can't deal with it.

Must go knit...

Saturday Beasts Just in time for Halloween. A voice for Pat Tillman.

Well, Saturday Komeekz are going to get me hacked so, maybe I'll try for something else.. Great BIG insects and the Pat Tillman Story...

The blog, Ohio Birds and Biodiversity, offers up the first one.   Black Witch Moths.  These mamma's are G-Enormous!

We also watched, "The Pat Tillman Story", a documentary about what really happened, out there on the border lands of Ancient blood lines during the "Bush Era".

For the military ditz who was going on and on while on tape, talking about Tillman's lack of Religious Affiliation, I will only say this:

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13
 
What a terrible thing for this sensitive and private family to endure, this circus and trail of lies, after losing their heroic son.  At least two others from his group died with him.  What a world the wretched so-called leaders have made for us, eh?

Knitting report: three inches knit on the ties for Stardust.  I was handed a new book from the Lady's #1 Detective Agency series by DH, back from the outer worlds, and that was the end of the knitting.  I'm also reading a translation of some Taoist tracts to try to keep this downward spiral from going any further.

God, we all sure need some flowers....

Shooting Star in a Granite Bolder Cleave - Ansel Adams Wilderness Trip

The Earth will prevail.   The Universe cannot afford to let them win this one, and it won't.   Nature will find a way.
Good night...

Update on Wolfie and the Knitting report

He was scratching at his stitches, and even pulled one out, so we got him a little yellow T shirt to help with that.  He gets stitches out on Monday, and I bet he'll be one happy fella when that happens!

Knitting Report.  I finished a sleeve for Manhattan, and cast on  the other one.  Whew!  Then the collar goes on and a row or two of garter all around the opening.  We are going shopping for two spiffy looking buttons in a few days.  I would call this sweater 75% finished.  The pink straps have to be knit next, apparently before the two fronts.  But then it was a little late when I re-read the pattern.  *insert Googlie Eyes* 

Something pretty:

Make it big.  There's a little garden spider in it who has made it her home for now. Though she is not a bug, that's the tag. ;o)

The mitt to the thumb and other trash talk..

I've gotten to the thumb stitch set- aside.  Five little stitches onto one of those orange holders. Just ignore the one already dangling from the side.  It means nothing. 

The pattern shows up differently (or I've been knitting it wrong) with this Lorna's Laces yarn, but I still think it's pretty.

It will be three days before I can even  read the rest of my blogs.  But, I've found that trying to figure out something other than the Googles Friends Connect, which they officially DITCHED sometime in March, is almost a fruitless search.

I'm also still trying to solve the mystery of how to get myself off MY Followers list.  Since that list, which was easy and fun to use, is supposedly now defunct, Google, which owns Blogger, apparently wants everyone to pony up to their g+1 bar and drink the Kool-aid.  Well, I'm not going to.  I liked clicking on the icons my friends connected and being able to go to their spaces.  Oh well, things change.

Organizing:

Last night late, I was looking at the giant craft table.  It is an old conference table from when NCR called it quits the first time and sold off all their stuffff for a penny a pound; I'm hellishly proud of it since I got it for 20 bucks.

OK, back to the topic.  This big worktable is in the end of the big room.  I was wondering if I can actually get it cleared off without stuffing everything back under it.  I don't think so!   So, that's the next back breaking project. Everything must go back up on risers and back under the table.  BUT, I did throw away an old blender after contemplating selling it on eBay.  It's a collectible Hamilton Beach in Avocado Green.  Maybe I'll go ahead and put it on eBay.  Anyway, it's GONE off the work table!  It was going to be used for paper making.

While out there, I found that I've got three alcohol lamps . Two of them I inherited when the Rock Hound shop went belly up, and one I actually bought when I was a kid, starting out.  I've given another one away to my DD who makes jewelry.  I need to donate some more!

Sorry for being in a royal funk.  Tomorrow though, I get to go and look for glazes at a new shop.  Thursday is my day off !  I expect to like a kid in a candy shoppe, so I'm really going to be working overtime at reining in my insatiable greed  desire to own every colored clay product and Glaze that exists.

Re-organization, again:

I've been keeping busy on the two main parts of re-organization.  Mostly so that when I start buying anything new, or rather am tempted to, nothing I already have will be duplicated.  I bought these (and other) cutters over about say, 8 years using 40% off coupons.  Does this qualify me for a  "True Grit Award"? * (see at end of post.)

 It's time to go watch some Cops and Robbers, or maybe, "Whose Wedding is This?"  But this next is for you all to make big and just calm way back down.  You know, calm down and climb back out of your trees.  Enjoy.

Beautiful Shady part of the San Lorenzo River.

* True Grit Award.  Take it if you dare.....

Actually, take it if you like it.  Go ahead, give yourself an award for reading this far.

I love the way these little damsel flies stare right back at you, defiantly, even when you are about a billion times their body mass.  They seem to know that the you are too big and clumsy to be real.  And what's with that great, big, shiny eye and one little tiny eye next to it attached to your front legs.  What the hell is that thing, anyway?  Time for a nap.

Latest News on Bees

But this is bad for all the pollinators.

An article, HERE, at the web page Grist, sums it all up.

It would be extremely helpful if the stone heads developing these things would listen earlier before things become DIRE!  Colony Collapse has been going on since 2009, approximately.

Bee Keepers have been pointing the finger at this new class of pesticides almost as long as that, making note that before that time their bees were doing much, much better.  Since they are the ones who are closest to the problem, they should have been listened to.  Now, here we are, 2012 and counting.

The wild bees in my yard seem to be doing well.  They love the citrus trees, and Skippers are back, too.  This link shows all skippers but ours are from the grass skippers.

Ours are very much like  THIS one.  We used to see these as kids, and in our gardens here in San Diego until they disappeared along with the bees.  But, they are back in small numbers here and there now.  They are very cute little guys, and bright when they open their wings.  I leave Some Mallows and grasses in place so as to give them room to propagate themselves.

Kudos to DH's sharp eyes for this one...

Visit from the "Magi", Balboa Park, Knitting Blah blah, Organizing, and Accidental Art

The twins came for a visit at New Years, and though they went on huge hikes with their Pa, up mountains (two) and down, and around lakes, the Ma had to stay home because of CJS (Cranky Joint Syndrome).

But, we all did go to Balboa Park to see the Big Fish, and the Natural History Museum on the free day.  Sis wanted to come but got too sick to do so on the actual day.  I will take her on another day. 

At home we drank lots of different teas, ate lots of Christmas cookies, watched fun movies on the Netflix box, ate the very last of the tomatoes from S's little seedlings, and we knit.  Actually, S knit and I just wove in some ends on the Baktus- yes, I know.. two whole ends- and R not at all.  She's the one who is studying History at the BIS (Big Important School), and she hasn't had a pair of knitting needles in her hands for well over a year.  The class lecture and reading load at these schools is absolutely BRUTAL!

We used all the various cups and saucers from the china sets, and drank lots of tea!  S made the tea cozy last year.  It's the one from Little Vogue Knits Book, or something like that.  Noro yarn, and it was a #*@& to try to felt it in my front loader. GAH!  She took it home for more heat and pressure torture than my machine could inflict.

S is knitting her sister a lovely hoodie.  Lots of lace and cables around it, here and there.
I got the pattern for myself. because

I didn't actually knit a stitch.  But this is how I "felt" since I was "Grounded" by a "gammy" leg.  But that's enough whining.  This is a no whining zone.

Big, Lovely Fish at the Lotus pond in the Park.  Very friendly fellow!

Accidental Art # 24 or maybe it's 25?
 This is such a graceful imitation of the female torso, dancing...

This tree was very interesting, and, since I spent a long time in it's shade, I tracked the ants who were making a mess of it's leaves.  They are just innocent small scale farmers making a living.  They were all taking advantage of the sweet sap that passes from the leaves, into and through their little "cattle", in this case, not aphids but scale insects.  Ah, the entomology, biology, and botany of the park is endlessly entertaining! 

Pods from the same tree. I'm glad I didn't try to dig those interesting looking seeds out.
  They can have some nasty, itchy little "pins" to stick into your fingers.

Enormous leaves!  I found this family of trees on the web.
The tree is from the land of OZ and is called a Kurrajong, in the Brachychiton Family.

It is most likely a naturalized hybrid, as the flowers (I have a very dull picture of them) are different than any others on the web. These trees will hybridize if they are close to each other so I am guessing that's what happened. Here are the flowers:

Sorry it's so fuzzy.  The camera phone is usually very good to me!

 Find more about the tree family of Brachychiton  HERE.

Organizing and weather report:

I have blazed a pathway to the storage drawers in the end of the big room.  I've tossed out old things and trashed other things, just the sort of things no one else in their right mind could use.  There is lots more to do but now there is a WAY to get at the rest of it!  What a jumbled heap full of Important Stuff!  I've unearthed  the Foredom flex, and the hand cranked pasta machine.  I'm tired.

The weather Report: It has been hot and dry.  This means that everything has had the life sucked out of it, and must be watered.  Tomorrow is another day.  Cheers!  Time for a glass of Muscato Wine!

All about Bees...

That other title was just too long.

Cinderellen put up a lovely YouTube tribute to pollinators on her blog.  So it got wheels turning.  DH and I have been following the news about bees for some time now so a news search was in order.

I found a newish article and put it under the Bee picture in the side bar.  Here is an excerpt from that article from CNN:

"Dr. Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the health group at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that while the Bromenshenk/Army study is interesting, it fails to ask the underlying question "Why are colonies dying? Is it because they're getting weak? People who have HIV don't die of HIV. They die of other diseases they get because their immune systems are knocked off, making them more susceptible." In other words, pesticides could weaken the bees -- and then the virus/fungus combination finishes them off. That notion, however, is not explored in the new study."

A few days ago, DH and I  watched a documentary on bee keepers, and  I went on a "man hunt" for the causes because I knew the class of pesticides were suspects.  We really have some Frankenstein stuff out there being sprayed all over Kingdom come.

The fact that the huge die off all over the world is on going points to some other factor, and since the newer pesticides, called  neonicotinoids, also coincide with this massive world wide kill rates, this scientist's ties to Bayer, and his omission of that fact to the New York Times, are most disturbing indeed.


More and newer news from a Grist article

This Image comes from THIS blog

If you love flowers, and indeed if you like to eat fruits and vegetables, You have to respect our tiny pollinators. Hover Bees are in decline and they aren't in man made hives.  Something is hurting them, too.

Worldwide, we have to push the obstructionists out of the business of real Science.

And in the High Sierran Bug category we have....

Raphidiid in the genus Agulla
DH took this picture

If you like what you see and want to see more bugs go HERE
You know you want to do this.  Bugs are fun!

Flowers and fire starting coming later. 

Little Critters at camp - make it big for better look.

UPDATE: DH tracked it down. It's a Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar.

I have no idea what this caterpillar turns into.  I think it's an Tussock Moth caterpillar. 

If this little bug's relative is really there, I hope that someone else has seen to it, as the vapourer is considered a pest in the UK and Europe!

The Ranger didn't know what it was, and just made a little joke when DH showed it to him. The caterpillars were all over the place.

New bug site.. Awesome! Birds, too!

While outside setting up to water the roses, lemon tree, and Iris this morning, I heard a bird singing on the telephone wire.  I dashed inside to get my camera, and sadly the bird did a flit.  It had a lot of yellow and some black barring around the head, so I'm pretty sure it was a Bullock's Oriole but I'll never know now!  The picture is from this wonderful bird site that I've added to Some of My Favorite Blogs

However, nature provides entertainment without stint, so I looked down at my feet, turned over a pot so I could rest a foot on it, and there was something sort of interestingly patterned underneath.


This was what it was.  A spider I'd never seen!  I love spiders, except I do kill the deadly ones.  You might like to check out that whole site.  Lots and LOTS of bugs are listed.  Back to the spider.  The poor terrified thing took off for under the stucco.  I really gave it a fright!

There you have the Bird report AND the Bug report.

Something fun..

My new car, I WISH!

See The License Plate? It's a vanity plate! lol. If only!

A Little Bit of Cuteness

This teensy car has always cheered me up. I want one in the worst way!
Mine would be Yellow and black, and I would make it look like a Bee.

This is International Hugging Day, too. What a fun thing!! Yay!

Bee Keeping info

When I was a kid, honey bees, and even native bees, were still very plentiful and benign. So, I grew to love them. They were all over my mother's big gardens and the fruit orchards. What I hated were wasps, but that's another story!

Honey bee keeping and growing big, big gardens were two things I looked forward to being able to do as soon as my own family acquired more space. Alas, Southern California real estate got terrifically expensive. Then, too, the introduction of the African bees in Utopia occurred, as everyone knows.

There's now a big liability in keeping bees as a hobby. The nice little Italian bee had been a good idea. The African bee was not. The purpose of it's introduction to South America, though an accidental release ruined big plans, was that it would yield more honey. Big Business must have demanded a bee that could be herded and milked for all it was worth but the African bees would have none of it! They knew their rights to their own honey, and exercised them vigorously! No one in their right mind keeps them as a business, let alone a hobby, within the city limits in California. Africanized bees can and regularly do, chase people up to a half mile in defense of their hives..

This month, Sun Magazine has a good article by a hobby bee keeper but he resides in the state of Washington. Unlike the nice little "H" bee, the nasty little "A" bee can't live in colder climates...yet.

Here's a great site on the history of bee keeping.