For Karen C bee update

This post is for Karen C because she wrote such a nice comment about the bees.  I wanted to give you an update.

The guys said bees would still be around for 4-5 days.  They are.  In fact, there are MORE NOW than before!  Turns out, our neighbors to the east (the ones who threatened to SUE US if we didn't cut the cottonwood)!!! have 2 hives out in their bougainvillas!  And, obviously other neighbors do too because the hummingbird feeders are crowded with bees.  So, apparently our hive wasn't the only one (although it was probably the biggest one!) in the neighborhood.  And, none of the bees are aggressive.  I can walk right up to the hummingbird feeders, take them down, clean them, and refill them, and they are eagerly waiting for the sugar water.

I sat out on the side porch yesterday morning and watched two different Cooper's hawks light on the utility pole in our back corner.  One flew to the neighbors DEAD pine tree in their front yard.  They are going to have to take it down sooner or later...sigh...another tree gone.

BUT...GOOD NEWS!

I'm in the process of planting my backyard garden and, along with the vegetables, I'm planting lavender.  I can't wait to see how it is in March!  So far I have 3 lavender plants, 1 basil, 2 rosemary, 1 mint, and 6 packs of red cabbage, green cabbage, and cauliflower.  I also planted (seeds) some sugar snap peas.  Oh, and 3 cherry tomato plants are now climbing up the chain link fence.  I WILL have to protect them when we get a frost, and I also bought 1 pepper plant that I'll plant near the tomatoes so I can protect it, too.  I used all the wood chippings to enrich the soil and some leftover leaves from previous years, so the soil is in pretty good shape.  The lavender is to attract bees, and I'm sure they will love it.  Our hummingbirds will enjoy it, too.  I seem to have 4 permanent residential hummers:  1 female, 2 males, and 1 that moves so quickly I can't tell what it is!

We had rain here yesterday afternoon and another storm (from the north) is bearing down upon us with snow forecast down to 3,500 or 4,000 feet tonight.  We were going to drive to Temecula, but we've put that off.  Don't want to be out in that stormy weather on New Year's Eve!

Stay warm, stay comfortable and have a Happy New Year!
~Cheryl Ann~