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The Full Flower Moon

Full Flower Moon

Full Flower Moon

Tonight is the third full moon after the March equinox. In North America we often call this particular full moon the Flower Moon.  It is also called the Rose Moon or Strawberry Moon. Plus the moon is at its lunar perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth for this month. By a newly coined popular definition, that makes this May 25 full moon a supermoon.

Supermoon

Supermoon

What’s a supermoon? It’s a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

The first “super” full moon for 2013 is coming up tonight. There are only4-6 supermoons a year on average.

There will be three supermoons in a row coming up over these next three months in 2013: May 25, June 23, July 22, with the June full moon being the most “super”.

Don’t miss out on the great planetary trio of May 2013. When three planets meet up in the same part of the sky, coming less than 5o degrees of one another, the grouping is called a planetary trio. This month’s planetary trio is the first since May 2011 and the last until October 2015.

Planetary Trio

Planetary Trio

A typical binocular field covers about 5o degrees of sky. If you have binoculars, take them along with you to see tonight’s planetary trio – the planets Mercury, Venus and Jupiter – in a single binocular field. If you don’t have binoculars, view the evening tableau anyway for these beautiful and brilliant planets should be visible to the unaided eye.

All three planets will be about 3o degrees apart as evening dusk falls on May 25, 26 and 27. That’s about the width of your thumb at an arm length. Look for all three worlds to pop out into the deepening dusk around 40 to 60 minutes after sunset. With binoculars, you can spot the close-knit group of planets all the sooner in the glow of sunset.

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Memorial Day

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Summer is upon us and I want to wish you all a Happy Memorial Day !

For many of us Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer, a time to gather with friends and family and enjoy the inaugural summer barbeque. We should also take time to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day: the remembrance of all who have died in the service of their country.

General John Logan observed the first Memorial Day in the horrible aftermath of the Civil War in 1868 by placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who died in battle. This symbolic act demonstrated that Memorial Day is not about division, but rather reconciliation as a nation and remembrance for all military personnel who gave their lives fighting for what they believed was best for our country. Only God knows which side was in the right, if either truly was.

When I was a child, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day, and we all wore paper poppies. The poppies memorialized those who died in the First World War.

After presiding over the funeral of a friend and fellow soldier during the First World War, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae penned the poignant poem: In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky,

The larks, still bravely singing, fly,

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe!

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high!

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

This Memorial Day may we not only honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, but for all nations. Political, religious, and cultural differences may divide us, but our belief in Something Greater unites us.

This Memorial Day please take a moment to honor fallen soldiers all over the world and appreciate their ultimate sacrifice no matter what their creeds or political beliefs.

And let us pray for the grace to understand and forgive.

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Cooking With Honey – Honey Grapefruit Margarita

grapefruit margarita

With the weather heating up, this is a delicious way to cool down!  The honey and the grapefruit combine wonderfully.

Yield:  2 servings

Ingredients

3 oz tequila

2 oz orange liqueur

2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice (2 limes)

6 oz fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice (1 grapefruit)

Simple honey syrup, to taste

Salt, for rim

Grapefruit wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions

Mix tequila, orange liqueur, lime, and grapefruit juices well. Add a generous splash of simple honey syrup. (To make simple honey syrup combine equal parts honey and water and heat until honey is completely dissolved. Refrigerate after cooling to save.)

Rub one of the used lime or grapefruit rinds around the rim of two glasses and dip in cocktail salt.

Fill each glass with ice and pour in the margarita.

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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 15, 2013

Foxglove, Hosta, and Clematis are the stars of my garden in May!

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Beautiful Beekeeping – The Beehive Inn

The "Living Sign" outside The Beehive Inn

The “Living Sign” outside The Beehive Inn

You may enjoy unique honey for tea when you visit The Beehive Inn in Castlegate at Grantham in Lincolnshire, UK.  The honey comes from the Inn’s “living sign” – a beehive.

Since 1830, the beehive has hung in a tree outside the Inn.  Its bees produce an average of 30lbs of honey every year!

beehive inn

A sign on the Inn reads :

” Stop traveller this wondrous sign to explore and say when thou hast view’d it o’er and o’er.

Grantham now two rarities are thine, A lofty steeple and a living sign.”

The lofty steeple is that of St Wulfram’s church, 272ft high, at the end of the street.

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Beautiful Beekeeping – If It Isn’t Broken…

About a decade ago I started beekeeping.  I followed the instructions in Beekeeping for Dummies and used wired wax foundation. Everything worked beautifully.

Wired Wax Foundation

Wired Wax Foundation

My bees loved the wax foundation. The colony built up quickly. It was easy to extract the honey.  So why didn’t I leave well enough alone?

The answer is I’m kind of lazy. Wax frames are very labor intensive. I have to assemble the wooden frames (using a hammer and nails!) and carefully fit the delicate wax inside it without tearing it. Pre-assembled plastic frames are much easier to use.

Pre-assembled Plastic Foundation

Pre-assembled Plastic Foundation

Last year I noticed that my hive with plastic frames wasn’t building up as quickly as my old hive had. Of course, I blamed it on my bees.

This year was worse!  My new bees completely refused to build comb on the plastic frames and built inside the roof top feeders instead!!   I spent Tuesday afternoon cleaning burr comb out of the feeders and replacing plastic frames with wax ones…

Feeders full of burr comb...

Feeders full of burr comb…

The good news is that I’m pretty sure my bees are okay, no thanks to me.

I’ve heard that some bees prefer the plastic frames, but not mine. From now on, I’m going to stick with what works. If it isn’t broken, I’m not going to try to fix it!

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