THE US REPORT

A truck driver hauling hives and bees lost control of his vehicle and turned over near Winona on Interstate 90 today, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune says beekeepers were called in to take care of the swarms. It’s a good thing too, because without those honey bees, our flowers and crops would be challenged. But I was curious—why would a truck be hauling bees and hives?

Bees are important to our economy in more ways than one. Most states have beekeeper’s associations, and the Florida organization’s website has some interesting facts about honey bees. According to an article at the Florida Beekeepers Association website, by Laurence Cutts, honey bees aren’t native to the U.S. They were brought over from Europe by colonists. Cutts says American Indians called them “white man’s flies.” In the 1970s and 1980s, Florida was ranked first in the nation in honey production. But the nasty little tracheal mite caused a decrease in production, and now the state ranks fifth.

When I read the story about the Minneapolis incident, I learned something even more interesting—bees travel. Cutts writes: “Florida beekeeping has now become almost totally migratory. Most bees in the state are moved from two to six times annually, either interstate or intrastate. About half of Florida’s bees move to northern states in the summer for pollination or honey production. They pollinate everything from blueberries in Maine to almonds in California.”

Is there anything that smells as good as fresh honey, and is there anything better to stir into your cup of hot tea? I don’t think so. Florida’s Orange Blossom and Tupelo honey aren’t just popular stateside—these brands are known worldwide for quality.  The Florida Dept. of Agriculture website has some interesting information about the state’s honey in general, not just the two most esteemed brands: “Seventeen million pounds of honey are produced in Florida each year and enjoyed around the world. “ The state’s honey industry alone generates $13 million, and that’s without the work these creatures do in pollinating over 100 fruits and vegetable varieties. So next time you see a honey bee, don’t swat it.

Honey is just one of the gifts these busy creatures give us, and obviously, as indicated by the wrecked honey bee carrier, the bees don’t mind traveling to provide us with benefits.

[Text by Kay B. Day; photo from Florida Dept. of Agriculture: Apiary Inspection]

*Links to sources cited are in 'References' below this post.

Not long ago I was talking with our older daughter who was having a truly pitiful moment. “I got a masters degree and I can barely pay my bills!” She’s old enough to feel the pinch of an American economy hit hard by global and domestic politics, but she doesn't remember the times when her dad and I lived paycheck to paycheck. The fact I could always tuck a few bucks away for hard times surprised her. When she and her sister were young, I can remember walking into a grocery store, coupons and detailed list in hand. My husband was always amazed that I could predict the register tally, at least within a $5 range.

Those days are gone, mainly because our daughters are grown and I no longer have to provide 3 square meals a day for 4+ people. I say 4+ because the house was always full during those years, with friends and family who often ate with us. I can’t tell you what will work for you, but I can tell you what worked for us. Here are some tips from our experience coping during times of plenty that cost plenty as well.

Click to read more ...

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the Carolina Wren couple who took up residence in last year’s begonia in a hanging planter on our deck. The babies have hatched, and the wren activity fascinates us when we’re having coffee or we’re working out back. When I wrote the first story, there were a handful of eggs in the nest. Now the babies stay hungry. The mother and father work hard to feed them right now, taking turns zooming to and from the nest. I had to be patient yesterday in order to get a photo while both parents were gone—I don’t want to disturb them.

If the hound goes to barking as he often does when he catches an interesting scent or hears a loud sound, the father wren (I think it’s the father) will protest loudly. You can listen to the wren song at pages on the Cornell University website. Our adopted chicken is fascinated by the bird sounds she hears; she struts around the deck near the nest area and cocks her head every now and then. We’re curious to see what Chickie will do when the fledglings start their flying lessons. I moved a large begonia beneath the hanging basket where the nest is—hopefully that will cushion a fall if one occurs. I’m thinking about placing a large fern there as well.

Thankfully there aren’t any predators, pets or otherwise, that can get to this nest. But it’s tricky because I have to water the begonia so the foliage stays full enough to shelter the nest. That means waiting, as I do for a photo opp, for the parents to forage. Then I sneak up to the back of the basket and gently water it around the edge so it doesn’t get the nest or babies wet.

I’m hoping to get more photos once the fledglings venture out. There are some cool photos also at the blog Deep Fried Kudzu.

Watching birds make a nest and raise a family reminds me that amazing experiences often come wrapped in simplicity. (filed by Kay B. Day)

**Please note I will be offline May 1-4.

(New York)-The first mention I saw of a shortage of rice was in a story in the NY Sun. I had to locate the cached page. The headline declared, “Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World.” Stories are surfacing elsewhere, suggesting that Americans are short on rice. The only thing some of us are short on is having something constructive to do.

The original NYS story run April 21 mentioned 20 lb. bags of rice with additional mention of a particular rice, Basmati. Basmati, an Indian staple, is so valued in some kitchens that India and the US got into a fight about a patent granted to the US in 2000. People being people, even the slightest mention of a shortage sent customers rushing to the stores to stockpile rice. This was reported by Costco and other grocers in California, according to the Washington Times. The April 21st article in the Sun has been EDITED. Read it for yourself and compare it to the cached page linked above in my first paragraph.See the difference in the story made by switcherooing mention of Basmati? It's called sensationalizing.

I decided to phone the two main grocers in my area—Publix and Winn-Dixie. I didn’t ask about Basmati. Customer service thought I was crazy enough when I asked if the store had plenty of rice on the shelves. “Lice?” said the guy at Publix. “No, rice,” I said, adding, “I’m Southern. Sorry ‘bout the accent.” I started to add “ya’ll,” but figured that would be overkill. The nice lady at the Winn-Dixie is still, I imagine, wondering about the crazy lady who phoned to ask if there was rice on the shelves. The Dixie has plenty of rice too.

As a media person (I say that in a somewhat embarrassed manner), let me tell you this. A food shortage in the US is a big headline. Any kind of shortage. We’re used to getting what we want when we want it if we got the bucks in our pocket. If we were short on escargot, that’d be a scoop I suppose.

I’m in awe of people who would rush to a store to stock up on more than one 20-lb. bag of rice. I’m in awe of people who would rush to a store to stock up on even one 20-lb. of rice, period. You gotta’ have a big pantry to store that much rice. Mention was made of flour shortages too. If they’re out of white flour, they’re doing you a favor healthwise, in my opinion.

Food prices have gone up, that’s for sure. We help feed the world, you know? Corn is being diverted to ethanol and the Chinese want piles of wheat. But if you stroll into your local grocery, and you can’t make a week of meals out of what you find, call me. I will personally arrange for you to obtain some food education. I will also help you plan nutritious menus that are simple and probably cheaper than what you’re eating because we eat too blasted much anyway and I include skinny people in this statement.

Even if we couldn’t get rice, which we can because there’s white rice (Southerners love that stuff), brown rice (the only kind I let my family eat), saffron rice, Uncle Ben’s rice and about 100 other kinds of rice you can grab and make your pudding (or whatever) with. Running out to a store in a hizzy to stockpile rice is probably one of the least productive things you can do. If you eat gourmet every night, you might have a problem. But for simple folks like us, there is no food shortage in the US because groceries are limiting purchases of 20-lb. bags of rice. I'd say it's a good time to be a farmer, and an even better time to plant a garden.

Having Saturday morning breakfast on the deck is one of the best things about living in Florida, and this morning we found a family of wrens had made a nest in a hanging basket of slightly dowdy begonia. Plants live through winter here, and I hadn’t repotted this one yet. I saw the Carolina wren dart out of the basket and realized she and her mate probably had some little ones coming along. Sure enough when I looked, I found the nest containing 5 eggs. I took a quick photo because I didn’t want to upset the parents. Then I sat back down at the table and my husband, daughter and I watched her zoom back to the basket to resume her motherly duties. I didn’t try to make her photo; I was afraid it would make her skittish. There are some great photos of Florida birds by a fellow named Bill Schmoker at the blog BrdPics.

My daughter asked why the bird would make her nest in such a place. I think it was a good move. The basket is inaccessible to cats or any other predator that might like to feast on the eggs. I doubt our black racer would slither from his preferred spot in the big Sago to bother with her eggs. Not likely that other birds like bluejays would want to try to get to that nest. For one thing, the hound, which the wren doesn’t seem to mind, loves to dart after jays and squirrels, barking madly, though of course he can’t catch them. Our yard is deliberately not cut back the way many Floridians choose to landscape. I like allowing the shrubs to grow a little wild, to reach beyond our fence line. That gives small critters and birds some cover. I keep two different water bowls available and change the water out every day, not only for the feral chicken that moved in a few years ago, but also for the lizards, frogs, birds and squirrels that like to have a drink every now and then.

I spent the first 18 years of my life pining to leave the farm. I’ve spent most of my years after trying to recreate it, first in Carolina and now in Florida. We’ll watch that wren take care of her babies, and we’ll do all we can to accommodate her. I hope to snap some photos as the birds hatch and begin to make their way into the world as fledglings. (Photo & Text by Kay B. Day)
**Read our May 1 update ; the babies have arrived.