A walk around my apartment complex

I took a walk looking for bees and flowers bee's like. All I found was  a few patches of white clover, dandelions, wild black berry plant, and a hedge bloom. I saw no honey bees at all. But on the hedge bloom I saw two bumble bees. Several hoverflies and other non-bee pollinators

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Star Trek Fan Film has Lawsuit from CBS

In recent news, CBS has decided to sue a fan production for copyright infringement. What is odd is the production group talked with Paramount and CBS about the production and were told that their would be no problem. But it would seem that because they want a studio quality product CBS slaps them with a lawsuit for using trademark places, names and characters.

The problem I see is their are several productions that use the characters names from the original Star Trek series. To top that, the original actors played parts that cameoed their old characters. So if the fan base is involved in productions of Star Trek and CBS shuts them down, CBS will have a fan revolt on their hands.  

Pots to start plants for bees

My roommate has a 3d printer. I started making starter pots for the seeds I have ordered. So far I am going to be planting Anise Hyssop ( Agastache foeniculum ) and Bee Balm ( Monarda fistulosa ) . These two plants are in the Lamiaceae family of plants. This family of plants include mint, cooking spices like sage, basil and thyme .

Trip to Pigeon Mountain Trading Company

Pigeon Mountain Trading Company is a beekeeping supply company. It is located in LaFayette , GA. This was my first visit to a beekeeping supply business and I was very curious as to what they carried. I found it to be a bit far form Marietta, Ga, where I live. But was told people come from all over Georgia and surrounding states to buy their nucs, hives and package bees. The staff is very friendly and help me learn a few things about bee clothing. Since I've never owned a hive, they told me prices for the different ways to get bees to start a hive. They had a good selection of books on beekeeping for beginners along with posters to help teach new beekeepers.

Even with this being the off season for beekeeping, they had a full selection of hive parts, bee suits and tools that a beekeeper would need. The staff is well informed about beekeeping and the local information on what is going on with the bees in the area. I would highly recommend you check them out if you  are interested in beekeeping. Their website is at www.pigeonmountaintrading.com . The website is very well done and easy to use.

While I was there I tried on a beekeepers jacket to find my size.

More on the Plight of the Honey Bee

I recently found a video on Youtube that gives a good historical pitcher of the plight of the honey bee. The film starts out about the time the first cases of Colony Collapse Disorder ( CCD ) started.

The video is entitled " Vanishing of the Bees "  It is well written and follows a few beekeepers who try to find out what is going on with the bees and the hives they own. This story coves the happenings to bees in Europe , the US and other parts of the world. It is my fear if we loss the bees, we maybe on the extinction menu too. Lose of our fruits and vegetables that need bees to pollinate. The lose of the honey bee is only the latest pollinators to disappear. Wild bees and bumblebees are also disappearing and they pollinate plants that honey bees unable to do

The link to the video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-JjQH_HUHQ

Last of the Roses

I went for a walk today around my apartment complex. I found a few left over roses and a few buds that are trying to bloom before the first frost of the season. The air has a slight bight as cold air from the North is filtering in from a cold front that left snow in the area around Minnesota. They can keep their snow and for the most part I wish they would keep the cold air.

I prefer Spring and Fall. Comfortable warm days like in the 70's and lows around 60. Here in Georgia we sometimes get snow and ice which makes me wish I lived South of Orlando for the warmer temperatures.

Boycott Starbucks ???

When Starbucks went to the Christmas season cups this year it was red with only the Starbucks logo. It 's a nice simply design that I think looks good. In years past it had stars , snowflakes and christmas trees. Every year the design is different, so this year it is a plain red cup.

Evangelicals and other groups are saying the cup should have something to relate to the christian holiday of christmas. But on the pagan calendar it is Yule. The church changed the holiday to christmas to move pagans away from their customs to the church.

Another holiday is Easter, it was a fertility festival. That is way bunnies and eggs are a part of this holiday. Also it is about rebirth of the land from a long winters sleep. Now the christians use it to celebrate  Christs rising from the dead.

So if you check out the christian holidays with the history of the celebration, you may find pagan underpinnings.