So, we’re back from our annual camping trip and I can barely string two sentences together. I am in BRAIN FOG LAND. Or maybe I just need another coffee? That must be it. I do want to write more about this year’s adventure, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of a fox that was near our campsite:
He looks all sleek and regal – SO VERY FOXY – but you should know that mere seconds before this photo was taken he was doing the ol’ “there’s something stuck to my rear end” bum scootch that most dog owners will likely recognize. So, this is a photo of an embarrassed fox, caught doing a very public bum scootch when he thought no one was looking. Poor guy.
Don’t you love it when you clean out the fridge and the resulting food comes together in one dish so beautifully you can’t help but think you ARE WINNING THE KITCHEN WARS?
Well, this happened the other day, and I can’t stop thinking about it and high-fiving myself:
Here’s what happened. I bought a couple marinated salmon skewers at Farm Boy, fired up the grill, and made them for my lunch. There were two in this package (I think there are usually two) but it was too much for me to eat so I put one away in the fridge and promptly forgot about it.
Before too long it was time to clean out the fridge and I rediscovered this lone skewer. What could be done? I picked a few kale leaves from our vegetable garden**, washed, chopped, and tossed ’em with some Farm Boy Apple Cider vinaigrette. Then I added the cold salmon and topped the whole shebang with leftover feta, a few stray snow peas, and some green onion from my windowsill that was leftover from a surprise delivery from Mike’s Garden Harvest. (Thanks Mike!) It all came together so wonderfully that I am going to have to recreate this salad very soon.
** I use this term very loosely.
I really like bees. I don’t know where it comes from, but I think bees are pretty cool and deserve a little bit of love. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at beekeeping but, sadly, that’s not going to happen here in Westboro. We CAN, however, do the next best thing:
1) Plant bee-friendly flowers our flowerbeds.
2) Avoid using insecticides in the garden.
3) Put a source of water out in the yard for bees and butterflies: a shallow dish of water with a layer of pretty rocks or half-submerged marbles will do the trick!
4) Get out the camera and contribute to Bumble Bee Watch. (!)
HELLO NEW FAMILY PROJECT.
What is Bumble Bee Watch? Good question. This is from their website: Bumble Bee Watch is a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees. This citizen science project allows for individuals to:
- Upload photos of bumble bees to start a virtual bumble bee collection;
- Identify the bumble bees in your photos and have your identifications verified by experts;
- Help researchers determine the status and conservation needs of bumble bees;
- Help locate rare or endangered populations of bumble bees;
- Learn about bumble bees, their ecology, and ongoing conservation efforts; and
- Connect with other citizen scientists.
I snapped a few photos the other day, opened an account on the website and uploaded them to the website. It was a very easy process. What I didn’t expect (but makes total sense) is that users are asked to take a closer look at their bumblebees and try to match them to illustrations on the website as they’re uploading. As it turned out, I’m pretty sure we had a Brown-belted bumble bee in the front garden – Bombus griseocollis. It’s common, but still, pretty exciting to contribute to a project of this scale!
The photos are verified by experts later, but it’s still neat to contribute in this way. And who knows! You may have a rare species in your own backyard!
Tip: The best photos are taken straight on so you can see the colouration of the head and body. (Don’t worry about being stung. Bumblebees will mostly ignore you.) I took a lot of photos and then realized there were only a couple that were clear enough. Next time I’m bringing my zoom lens too. :)
