My honey habit

  

Here are 20 interesting facts about the importance of honey and bees:

1. Did you know that honey never spoils? Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible!

2. Did you know bees are essential for growing many of our foods? They pollinate about one-third of the food we eat, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

3. Did you know honey has natural healing properties? It can help soothe sore throats and even speed up the healing of wounds and burns due to its antibacterial qualities.

4. Did you know bees produce a tiny amount of honey in their lifetime? A single worker bee produces only about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her entire life, but together they make a lot!

5. Did you know bees communicate through dancing? They perform a "waggle dance" to tell other bees where to find the best flowers.

6. Did you know honey can help your brain? It contains antioxidants that may support brain health and improve memory.

7. Did you know beeswax, made by bees, is used in many everyday products?** It's found in things like candles, lip balm, and even some types of food packaging.

8. Did you know honey can be a natural energy booster? It provides a quick source of energy because it's packed with natural sugars.

9. Did you know there are over 300 types of honey in the United States alone? The flavor, color, and aroma depend on the flowers that bees visit.

10. Did you know that beekeeping helps many communities around the world? It provides income, supports agriculture, and helps improve food security in many regions.

11. Did you know honey can be used as a natural preservative? Because of its antibacterial properties, honey has been used to preserve fruits and other foods for centuries.

12. Did you know that some bees can recognize human faces? Studies have shown that honeybees can remember and recognize human faces, much like they remember different flowers.

13. Did you know honey can improve your sleep? A spoonful of honey before bed can promote relaxation and better sleep by raising insulin slightly and allowing tryptophan to enter the brain.

14. Did you know bees are colorblind to red? Bees can see ultraviolet light, which humans can't, but they can't see the color red. Instead, they see it as black.

15. Did you know honey can help with seasonal allergies? Consuming local honey is believed by some to help build immunity to local pollen and reduce allergy symptoms.

16. Did you know that royal jelly, produced by worker bees, is fed to all bee larvae? However, only those destined to become queens are fed royal jelly throughout their development.

17. Did you know honey has different medicinal uses in various cultures? For example, in Ayurvedic medicine, honey is used to treat digestive issues, and in ancient Egypt, it was used to treat wounds.

18. Did you know bees have a built-in GPS? They use the position of the sun, the earth's magnetic field, and their own memories of landmarks to navigate and find their way back to the hive.

19. Did you know honeybees are the only insects that produce food eaten by humans? They are unique in their production of honey, which has been a staple in human diets for thousands of years.

20. Did you know that honey can vary greatly in taste and texture? The type of flowers the bees pollinate affects the flavor, color, and texture of the honey. Some honey can even be creamy or spicy!

Thank you, precious bees!

Text credit: Earth Unreal

Image credit: Rory Shapland

How do I take my honey each day? A teaspoon at a time in each of two cups of coffee. Nothing else.

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My health continues to improve, slowly in the breathing and stamina of course, but able to go to chair Yoga yesterday. We've had a measurable amount of rain each day (not all day of course) for the last 11 days. I plan to start at the Tailgate Market today, and may well go sit in the car for whenever it is difficult to breathe the muggy air. I did dig out a few new pots to sell. It meant really cleaning the dust off the ones on bottom shelves!

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Today's quote:

Wholeness does not mean perfection. It means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life.

PARKER PALMER SHARING WITH EILEEN'S SATURDAY CRITTERS

Dragons be all around these days!

 Not sure where this first flying one came from into Facebook-land ... but what a gorgeous view.

Someone was very creative to make these dragon bookends.

My friend and fellow potter, Gary Rith made a dragon mug, and one with a unicorn!

I just put my 5th little one into the kiln with glaze on her. No. 6 is waiting to bisque. I haven't felt quite up to creating in clay for the last week or so. I have some big ideas stewing in my mind however!

I've always loved the Bosch detective stories, and listening to this one again has been enjoyable. I can stop the story any time my coughing interferes with the story. Incidentally, no dragons were harmed in the making of this book...indeed they are simply a reference to the Triad gangs from China. Those people were violent!

Dare I share dragons with Eileen's Saturday's Critters?

Hope you have a great week ahead!

Today's quote:

The history of the Universe has been summed up thusly:

"Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into people."

—John P. Wiley Jr.

(quoting Edward R. Harrison)

Tail-waggers at the Tailgate Market

  

I admit to not going to introduce you to many dogs and their families, as they weren't coming over to the pottery booth anyway. This one group didn't seem at all friendly from my position at the back of our tent.

This little one in the sunhat was my favorite market-goer for the last market in June.

I missed my chance to have a shaken paw...

I enjoyed meeting the wirehaired terrier, and his family.

However, they were leaving and Mr. Dog became a very bad dog, peeing on my tubs under the table. Maybe he missed, but I did soak up his deposit with a Kleenex, and said "bad dog" loud enough for the departing owners to turn around to see what he had done. They just echoed "bad dog" and went on their way. When I had to load the un-sold pots into my tubs, I was aware that I might be carrying Mr. Dog's scent along with me. And I sure didn't welcome any more dogs into our pottery area, thinking they might feel obliged to leave their own marks.

Fortunately there's been a rain. I will soap down the tub's handles before unloading them next week. Incidentally, everyone had sales this day, so it was a satisfying Tailgate Market for the Mud Buddies!

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday's Critters

Today's quote:

The preface Walt Whitman wrote to Leaves of Grass, only in the 1885 edition:

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body."

This week's critters

 Sometimes the critters just seem to pop up everywhere.

A sweet Snauzadoodle (I think) was a little bit hyper, though she had calming treats to eat, at the Center for the Arts show last week.

Pippen came to visit at the Tailgate market again last Saturday, with her mom!

And Maddie lives with my favorite hair artist, Joe. She comes to work with him sometimes too.

I had barely stepped out of my car at the parking lot of Lake Tomahawk, when I was greeted by these white ducks.  Since the pool is now open, there aren't as many parking places near the Senior Center, so I have to park at the tennis court lot...and walk a ways to get to lunch. But hey, I need the exercise!

I don't know if these tin critters count, just standing by the bookstore in Little Switzerland NC where we visited last Wed. I'll finish the second blog of all those photos soon!

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday's Critters!

Today's quote: 

 Being aware of the connection between all things can help you in terms of the broader effect you may be creating.

Critters for this week and...

 At the Black Mountain Tailgate Market May 18,2024

While Amelia was telling me about the Westminster Dog show awards, I saw these canines walking by.

Sorry I missed the photographer's name for this great Road Runner shot showing his iridescent feathers.

And a bonus peak at the sky Thursday afternoon, as I awaited a thunderstorm to appear. But 4 hours later it still had not made it over the mountain ridge. But I didn't water the flowers outside, hoping that rain would take care of them!

And - A Forest is a Kind of Poem - an experience of the forest  as poetry, from Emergence Magazine

Sharing with Skywatch Friday

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday  Critters

Today's quote:

At every moment, we always have a choice, even if it feels as if we don’t. Sometimes that choice may simply be to think a more positive thought.

TINA TURNER

Just a few of my canine friends from last week

 At the Tailgate Market in Black Mountain, many people bring their dogs. They have to behave...in all good doggie fashion.

It was a sunny cool morning...just right for a stroll around the market.

This sweet blue tick hound sends hi to my granddog, Zora, who lives in CO.

Then there was the man in a kilt and sneakers, and a tee shirt that said Coonhounds.

He said his hound had ADHD and was focusing on one thing at a time. She sure did, making sure she was quite comfortable while he stood in line for baked goods. (wouldn't it be nice to have folks stand in line at our pottery booth?)  And he had no Scottish accent either.

I'm pretty sure this was Rosemary, who's mother makes her dresses. (There's a pet store in Black Mountain (Bone Afide) with everything imaginable, I wonder if these are there...)

I was at an interesting booth selling pottery every once in a while...but had plenty of time to snap some of the pooches. Actually, these are only the first batch!

This lovely lady (Shirley, Shelly?) sat behind our booth at the sidewalk wall. Her family parked there a while and ate.

See you next week!

Sharing with Saturday's Critters.

Today's quote:

Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we are called upon to be more.

RITA DOVE

Otter know better!

  Otters anyone?

I adore these playful critters! And here's a video where house crows interact with them as well.

"Bandit" Baker showing just how fierce he is.

Sharing with Saturday Critters.

OK OK, here's a photo I took myself...just to show I'm still walking around looking for critters in real life!

Our maintenance man leaves his window down in his car, so Puff, our resident kitty, decided to explore inside his car the other day. She stayed a while, and I doubt that he ever noticed!

Today's quote:

Courage is what love looks like when tested by the simple everyday necessities of being alive.

DAVID WHYTE

Meet Co-co!

 A friendly little dog is such a pleasure to meet. Co-co and her owner were happy to let me take her photo in the parking lot the other day.

You can tell she's well loved by her beautiful sweater!

And a few more little furry critters were walking at the lake.

Meet Max

 And a busy walker who didn't stop for me to take photos...

Yes, lake is drained pretty much again! But rain is forecast this weekend!

Sharing with Saturday's Critters

Today's quote:

 “A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” novelist George Augustus Moore