A Soggy Sunday and a Disappointment

Last Sunday we were going to have the kids and grandkids come for a carefully-physically-distanced gathering in the back yard for cake and ice cream. I had it planned out to be safe, and the local Covid restrictions allow up to ten people outdoors (and we are nine). But it was raining and cold, so we postponed to this Sunday, which is Easter.

But the Covid variants are on the rise, and the government yesterday told us not to gather over the holiday. So we have cancelled the gathering. And I'm heartbroken. I haven't seen my kids and grandkids in so long! I miss their banter, their laughter, the way my boys joke together. My grandson has learned to read and I've missed it. My grand-daughter is almost a pre-teen and so tall and beautiful, and I've missed it. Bleh. I may as well go back up to the church and hide out there. I can't wait for the chance to hug them all again. It might be easier to bear the passing time if I'm not in such close proximity.

So Many Bee Books!

I was just going over the books on my shelves and the list I keep of books I want to read, and I'm struck by how many of them mention Bees or Beekeeping in the title:

• The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie King
• The Language of Bees - Laurie King
• A Recipe for Bees - Gail Anderson-Dargatz
• The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
• Letters from the Hive - Stephen Buchmann
• Queen Bee of Tuscany - Ben Downing
• The Honey Queen - Cathy Kelly
• The Boy Who Taught the Beekeeper to Read - Susan Hill
• Bee Season - Myla Goldberg

Of course, not all of these are literally about bees -- but isn't it strange I've gravitated to so many! And that there are so many out there. I have fond memories of sucking on honey taffy for a sore throat. I love the smell of burning beeswax candles. I like trying all the different flavours of honey I can find. But when I consider raising bees myself, I fluctuate between fear and fascination. My brother-in-law does it and seems to have survived it. Maybe someday I will get up enough courage to try it myself.

Planning the Low-Maintenance Garden, 2021

This year is going to be different from other years, because I'm going to be away from home much of the time, working up at the church we're renovating. I've been trying to think of ways to maintain the vegetable garden at home by planting things that need less frequent care and attention. I need to grow food, because a) I love it, b) it's healthy, c) the cost of food is going up, and d) I like the security of being able to provide at least some of my own. But it needs to be stuff that can fend for itself while I'm away.

Root vegetables like beets, carrots, and onions are easy and self-babysitting. Maybe even potatoes and sweet potatoes, so long as the layering happens now and then. The rhubarb can stand to wait a bit between harvests. Hard squash like spaghetti squash, butternut, and pumpkin would be fine. Cabbages and broccoli take a long time to mature. Dry beans, of course, because they don't need anything at all until harvest time in the fall. Maybe even peppers, since they mature slowly. But I'll have to avoid the short-term stuff like leafy greens, peas, green beans, and tomatoes (I still have a ton of them preserved from last year anyway). They require frequent harvesting.

The asparagus, of course, is already in and doing its thing, so that's unavoidable. I'll have to ask my husband to harvest that daily if I'm away. The raspberries, ditto, unless we just leave them for the birds this year. And the watering can be set on a timer.

So I think this year's garden will be pretty low-maintenance, other than occasional weeding, but will still produce much of what I want to eat. The garden has always been my sanctuary and happy place. With some thoughtful planning, it can remain so this year too, even with some selective neglect.

Some photos from past years:

The Plot of My New Book

 This is the blurb from the cover of my new book, All My Loved Ones, due out in July.

After a heartbreaking divorce, Kerris Wells moves to a small northern Canadian town to renovate an old house she has inherited. She’s never felt so alone as she takes her first uncertain steps into her new reality. She isn’t just rebuilding a house. She’s rebuilding her life, which will demand courage and hope—things she thinks she lost long ago. 

Little by little, Kerris discovers she is being guided into the path followed by her beloved grandmother who was Kerris’s oasis during her difficult childhood. That path helps her understand her past and the decisions that tore her family apart. But is it enough to help her move beyond the pain others have caused her? 

The opportunity is all around Kerris to redefine family and find peace—if she can only let go of anger and sorrow to make room for new friendships, a caring family, and a new love.

Reminder about my other blog

Just a reminder  of my other blog, www.buyingachurch.blogspot.com for those who want to follow the progress on our church renovations.

Country Rambles

Less than a month ago, I was posting pictures of the three-foot snow in my yard. This week I'm wandering along dry dirt lanes through the countryside, carrying my coat over my arm because it's so warm. Isn't spring wonderful? (Well, I mean, we got freezing rain two days ago, but the robins are out, so I'm counting it!) The sky is a deep cloudless blue, the sun so welcoming, the shorn fields full of anticipation.

I put Brio on a long lead so he could snuffle and play and chase mice through the dusty grass beside the lane while I stayed on higher ground. In another month, rain and mud will make the lane impassable, and midges will make it impossible, so I'll enjoy my walks now. My husband kindly bought me a beekeeper's hat with veil so that I can face the mosquitos and no-see-ums that will thicken the air as the weather warms. I will look ridiculous, but I don't care, so long as I can get out into this lovely fresh air.

Sneak peek at the cover of my new book

My next novel comes out in July, and today I got the final copy of the cover. I'm very pleased with it, and I think it relates to the story on several levels. I will be getting the back cover "blurb" soon and will share that when I receive it.