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The interest and intention is there to read all of the books that I've collected over the past years, months, weeks, even days. But the time is not.

I've been known to spend full days in the bookstore, pouring over each and every shelf in search of the book with all the answers. And while I've figured out that that book doesn't exist (I may just have to write it) I'm a sucker for old words placed on new pages in all different kinds of ways. I approach a new book like I approached the first day of school as a kid: a blank notepad to write down the thoughts the adventure is sure to inspire, freshly sharpened pencils topped with brightly colored erasures, and neat as a pin desktops (or clutter free couches) that protect from mental distractions.

I'm still collecting the books, I'm just not reading them. (Maybe it also has something to do with the thrill of anticipation I wrote about in little treasures).

But I am reading great children's books. And what I'm finding (or maybe remembering) is that it doesn't take big words (or many or any words at all) to feel a shift--in thinking, in doing, in stopping, in starting. In fact, these little books are changing me in big ways.

For example, right now Ava and I can't get enough of "The Gift of Nothing."

It tells the story of Mooch the cat who is desperate to find the perfect gift for his friend, Earl the dog. Of course, the perfect gift for Earl who has everything eludes Mooch. So, Mooch wraps up a great big box full of "nothing" and gives it to Earl. When Earl opens the box, he says to Mooch, "But there is nothing in here." To which Mooch replies, "I know. Nothing but you and me."

Then, there is "The Nose Book." Now, on its face (no pun intended) it's a fun rhyme about noses. Dig a little deeper and it prepares kids for all of the different kinds of noses that "they'll meet"--all shapes, sizes, and colors (maybe helps to develop a little tolerance and sensitivity?) and even encourages them to stretch their imagination and consider what would happen if we had "no nose!" (Just think of it!)

I'm not sure that any of the grown-up books that are waiting in my in-box would have shed light on two practices that I've started doing since my return to children's books (at least as succinctly or efficiently):

1. To do nothing more often with those who already have everything and especially with those who mean everything.
2. To wear my glasses more often because I should and because I can, thanks to my nose!

Discovering these children's books and the weight they carry feels kind of like discovering a secret that you want to share with the world--and it's not even cheating! I can't begin to count the blessings that Ava has brought into my life, but I do count getting reacquainted with the children's section of the bookstore among them.

The Splurge of Nothing:

When you're feeling the itch to buy (or are desperate for the perfect gift) instead, pull this off the shelf--to calm, to remind, or to give.

Better yet, when you're feeling the itch to buy (or are desperate for the perfect gift) instead, find someone you love and together, don't do a thing.

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The consistent thing about Fox News is that it manages to have every discussion at the lowest possible level. So here is an earth-shattering discussion over the new upcoming film, The Golden Compass (nope...nothing important to report from the world). The issue is over the atheistic tone of the film (and the book), which is meant to attract kids. This can potentially be an interesting topic, and we can ask the question, if religiously themed movies (and books) for kids are or should similarly be challenged? Or should we leave the films alone, and if you don't like the topic, don't see it? So below is a clip of the Fox News discussion. But please do check out the trailer of The Golden Compass here. It looks fantastic! (And, yes it has Eva Green and also talking animals....what more do we want in a movie??).

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Nope, this is not from the Onion. A Malaysian firm has plans for an Islamic car.

The Malaysian carmaker Proton has announced plans to develop an "Islamic car", designed for Muslim motorists. Proton is planning on teaming up with manufacturers in Iran and Turkey to create the unique vehicle.

And it runs on a prayer! Nope...it is still a regular car (but it does require fuel that is located underneath some Muslim countries). So what is Islamic about it:

The car could boast special features like a compass pointing to Mecca and a dedicated space to keep a copy of the Koran and a headscarf.

So basically, a severly limited GPS unit that only gives one direction and a glove compartment! But it is an interesting marketing strategy once again showing that capitalism really has no religion. Oh, and I am guessing that there will be a special model for women in Saudi Arabia: the same car, but with no way to get into the driver's seat.

Read the full story here.
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Here is what I love most about early early mornings:

1. Cool floors against bare feet
2. Getting big thinking out of the way while most are still in the midst of big dreaming
3. The light of my computer screen against the dark of everything else
4. The sound of an occasional car passing by...
5. And then daydreaming about where it's headed
6. The quiet wide open space early morning creates and then...
7. Thinking about how I will fill it up with the rest of the day

:: Ripple Effects

We were all excited for my family to visit this past weekend. Ava jumped her way through life each of the days they were here. We spent yesterday in Washington, DC, honoring Veteran's from a distance at a number of ceremonies and at other times, smiling at them as we passed on the street. My dad was one of those Veteran's, having served our country in Vietnam as a Medic with the 101st Airborne. Two of his closest friends that he served with also made the trip. What makes them, and most all Veteran's, so special is the gratitude, respect, and admiration they hold for one another (mostly conveyed through silent understanding rather than composed and precise words) and the humility they apply to themselves. It is a remarkable relationship to witness; a humbling example to follow.

Today's Splurge:

Nothing that costs money today. Just ten minutes tonight to file my nails, write down a few things that have been swirling around searching for a place to land, and enjoy some peppermint tea. I don't know if I'll add honey; I'm going to decide last minute (I know, a real dare devil).

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A reminder that Nova episode titled, Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, will be aired this coming Tuesday (Nov 13) at 8pm on PBS (check your local listings). There is a nice companion website to the show that incudes audio/video extras and other related stories.

Today's New York Times also has an article about this Nova epsiode and here is show's producer, Paula Aspell, talking about her motivation to focus on the Dover trial:

But then, she said, she started to read news accounts of the six-week trial, held in central Pennsylvania in the fall of 2005. She read the court transcripts too. She remembered that in many polls almost half of Americans said they did not accept evolution. “As someone concerned about science literacy, that concerns me — a lot,” she said.

And she thought that there was plenty of drama to be found in the stories of the science teachers in Dover, Pa., who refused to obey when the school board instructed them to present intelligent design as an antidote to Darwin; the parents who sued the board; a community divided by religion and politics; and a court full of witnesses who, though they did not rival the Scopes trial protagonists William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow for rhetorical flair, offered an abundance of spectacle.

And finally there was the judge who heard the case, John E. Jones III, a Republican appointed to the federal bench by President Bush. In a blunt verdict Judge Jones condemned the school board members’ position as “breathtakingly inane,” cast doubt on the honesty of some of their testimony and ruled that intelligent design was a religious creed with no place in a public school science class.

It was too good to pass up, Ms. Apsell said. The result is “Judgment Day,” a two-hour “Nova” segment that will have its premiere on PBS on Tuesday. With interviews and courtroom re-enactments, the film takes viewers through the trial, illuminating the theory of evolution, the flaws of intelligent design, the politics of those who back it and the course the case ran in Dover.

Read the full article here.
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Dedicating a day to honor soldiers and veterans is important for traditions and ceremonies and for reminding us that we should be honoring them everyday, not just one day.

Following my parents' example, I go out of my way, sometimes foolishly, to thank a uniformed man or woman for their service, for protecting my country, for protecting my family, my daughter, our freedom. The smile (and sometimes tears) that they respond with soars well above any insecurity or awkwardness I might have felt approaching them.

So today and everyday as we sip our coffee or fetch the paper, let's quietly thank the men and women who have served our country so that when we pass them on the street or stand behind them in the grocery store line, we are prepared to thank them out loud.

Splurge of Thanks

Visit this site to find a charitable organization to support. Today, Charity Navigator is highlighting top performing charities that support veterans, such as Fisher House, which offers housing at military bases around the world to families whose loved one has been injured or hospitalized; and Freedom Alliance, which awards educational scholarships to children whose parents were killed or permanently disabled in service

.

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Here is part of an interview with Sir David Attenborough on evolution, God, and morality:


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Here is an interesting convergence. The Evangelical community of Kenya and scientists, both oppose the display of Turkana boy, the remains of a 12 year-old prehuman ancestor who died roughly 1.5 million years ago. The reasons are of course completely different.

Bishop Boniface Adoyo, the head of the 35 Kenyan evangelical denominations, is leading opposition to the exhibition. “I do not dispute that as humans we have a history, but my family most certainly did not descend from the apes,” he said. The bishop was invited to view the new Human Origins gallery before it opened this month, and said that he would call on his flock to demonstrate outside the museum if evolution was described as anything other than merely a theory.

Yes, merely a theory that is the backbone of modern biology and is accepted as much as merely the thoery of gravity.

Lining up against the evangelical movement is the country’s most famous fossil-hunting family.

Richard Leakey, who led the team that unearthed the skeleton in the far north in 1984, dismissed the creationist argument. He said: “Science is at the very foundation of our ability to deal with the new century, so if we bring it down to the idea that science may be unChristian . . . well, how stupid can you get?”

Much of the museum’s collection is based on finds made by his parents, Louis and Mary Leakey, in the 1920s.

While Leakey and other scientists are opposing Bishop Boniface's brand of creationism, they are not happy with the exhibition either:
Dr Leakey has his own concerns about displaying the skeleton, arguing that it would prevent access for scientists, who still have a lot to learn from Turkana Boy.

Read the full story here.

There are also plans to ship Turkana Boy (a.k.a Nariokotome Boy) to US for a tour of couple of museums, and that has also raised concerns amongst scientists. From Science (Oct 5, 2007):

When Ethiopian officials announced plans last year to send the famous human ancestor "Lucy" to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas, many paleoanthropologists were furious at the risk to an irreplaceable specimen. The late F. Clark Howell of the University of California, Berkeley, predicted that Lucy's journey would "start an avalanche" of exhibits of original hominid fossils. Last week, Howell's remark began to seem prescient: Officials at the National Museums of Kenya announced government approval for their plans to send Nariokotome Boy, the partial skeleton of a 12-year-old, to The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

The 1.5 million-year-old fossil, the most complete skeleton of Homo erectus found, continues to be a source of scientific data, and many researchers are angry at the news. A traveling exhibit is "prostitution" of the fossils, charges Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey, whose team discovered the skeleton in 1984.

Perhaps its a good idea to keep Turkana Boy rest in peace for research and avoid both controversies.
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Hi, Sheri and I would like to welcome all of our new subscribers and tell you just a bit about ourselves. We are David and Sheri Burns, sharing various aspects of our family beekeeping business with you, like these online beekeeping lessons. Many people just drive out to our bee farm here in central Illinois and visit, and many others call and ask questions. Many more email us. It is our passion to encourage others to become beekeepers. We're glad you could join us for today's lesson on making splits.


Once your hives become strong and good honey producers, and you begin to sell your honey, wax, pollen and propolis, you'll reason that if you had more hives, you could make more money. It really does work this way! If one hive makes $400 a year, then 10 hives will make $4,000 and 100 hives $40,000.00...that's in a near perfect world of course :) And, if you really want to make bees your business, there are other aspects of income from your hives such as raising and selling your own special line of queen bees or package bees, wax and wax products such as lip balm, pure beeswax candles, hand cream etc. You can also sell nucs from your hives. A nuc (short for nucleus) is when you pull out 4 or 5 frames from a strong hive and sell those frames for $100-$150. Queens sell for around $15-$25 and on up.

This sounds exciting and fun and it is and to make bees your business, you'll have to learn how to successfully split your hives. This is how you can multiply our hives without spending money on buying packages every year. Or you can do both, split some of your hives and buy a few packages too. It is the most cost effective way to add additional hives each year. Normally, a certain percentage of hives die each year. We expect a 20% loss over winter. Sometimes there is no loss, and sometimes more than 20%. I have around 40 hives going into winter, and I know that 10 are pretty small and light and will probably not make it. It's not the cold. Bees can survive cold weather just fine. It is because they never built up to be a full size hive before winter arrived; they didn't store up enough food for winter. Some of them were hives I removed from residential areas late in the year. I could replace these by purchasing new packages, and sometimes I do. However, at $50 a package, that gets expensive each year. Splitting a hive only cost time and maybe a new queen, unless you raise your own.

There are several advantages and reasons why you will want to split your hives:

To increase the number of you hives.
To prevent swarming.
To produce nucs.

MAKING SPLITS IN OVERWINTERED HIVES

It is important to realize that splits should only be made from overwintered hives, or what we refer to as second year hives. A first year hive usually will not expand enough to split.

Of course, how soon you start to split your hives will depend upon where you live. You will have to wait until the evening temperature is warm enough so that the transferred brood will not become chilled. It is a gamble for me, here in Central Illinois, to make splits prior to the month of May. A thoroughly populated hive can keep their brood warm on a cold night, but not a small split.

Although there are many variations in making splits, let me give you the simplest explanation, then I will expand upon the variations.

In its simplest form, a split is nothing more than several frames of brood, bees and food sources taken from a strong hive, and placed in an empty hive. You might think of it as a controlled swarm, although a natural swarm only consist of bees and not brood or comb. But, when making a split, we also add brood, nectar and pollen to the split. Thus, making a split can discourage swarming.

When I make splits, I simply pull our 4 or 5 frames of brood in various stages of development, along with the bees on those frames, and place them in an empty box. I also add a frame or two of nectar and pollen from the strong hive. And, I feed my new split 1:1 sugar water as well.

If you know that your transferred brood has eggs that are less than three days old, you do not have to add a queen as the split hive will realize they are queenless and begin to raise their own from the fertilized eggs in the brood. This is preferred when I wish to retain the qualities of the queen from the strong hive.

This is convenient for me, because it doesn't matter to me where the queen is, either in the old hive, or perhaps I moved her over to the new split. As long as both hives have 1-3 day old eggs, the queenless hive will raise their own queen.

CHALLENGES IN MAKING SPLITS: ADDING VARIATION TO INCREASE SUCCESS

Since I have lots of hives in small areas, I have found that my stronger hives have a tendency to rob my small splits of their honey. Therefore, if you find this to be a challenge, simply move the split at least 2 miles a way, keeping it there until it can become large enough to defend itself. Then you can bring it back and place it where you want.

Also, sometimes I fail to supply enough bees, especially nurse bees, to care for the amount of brood I have transferred into the new split. Therefore, it is helpful to shake frames of young bees into your split hive. It is best to shake them from the hive the split was made from to prevent fighting.

Another challenge may be that one of the hives may not raise their own queen. In this case, it is important to check within a few days to see if a queen cell is being formed. If not, you will need to call us up and order a queen.

Another slight variation is to add the variation of a screen. In this case, the split is on top of the established hive. The split is placed on top of the hive they were removed from, with only a screen to separate the old hive from the split on top. The heat from the old hive keeps the split warm above. This is successful but the entrance of the split on top should face the opposite direction than that of the hive below. Eventually, the split can be taken off the hive and moved to it's autonomous location.

Some beekeepers claim to make 16 splits from one hive each year. Generally you can always make one split but sometimes 2, 3 even 4!

Make you splits as early as you can, as the split will need time to prepare for winter. There are many who are practicing splits in the fall. This is possible, however, if you live in a region with hard winters, you will have to place the split on top of an established hive, divided by a screen, and the split must be fed or have plenty of nectar and pollen.

I have also made splits with just two frames of brood and bees. So, you'll have to experiment and see what number works for you.

Making splits is really pretty easy! And think of the savings of not having to buy a package or a new queen.

I have fun doing the math with splits, like this. Say you have 2 hives and in 2008 you make a conservative single split from each hive. Now you have 4 hives. In 2009 you get brave and split your 4 hives, but this time you make 2 splits from each hive. Now you have 12 hives.

12 split twice = 36 hives by 2010
36 split twice = 108 hives in 2011
108 split twice = 324 hives in 2012
324 split twice = 972 hives in 2013

In 5 years 2 hives could increase to nearly 1000!

In our next lesson, I'll be sharing how to get the most honey from you hives. Then, I'll share how to market your honey, such as bottling and labeling and were to go to sell your honey.

Remember, it is never too late to order your equipment for the 2008 bee season! You can place your hive order by giving us a call at 217-427-2678. This way, you can get all of your hives ready for Spring! Our prices will increase after the first of the year, so take advantage of this year's pricing!

Also, check out our website at: www.honeybeesonline.com

See you next time and remember to BEE-have yourself!

David & Sheri Burns
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Tonight I am going to write about my favorite subject. I hope you don't mind reading about her.

Even though she's come down with a cold that would knock me off my feet, Ava hasn't stopped moving hers all day. The only thing that's different is that she's a little more cuddly. Tonight at dinner she was sitting in her high chair and she said to her daddy, "Shoulder?" (Which means, can I see yours?) So, he bent down to lend his shoulder, she laid her head on it, sighed, and after a minute said, "All done."

The only attention I've been paying to shoulders lately has to do with yoga: mostly that I can't do much at all with mine.

But Ava reminded me of how wrong I am. When it's all a one year old wants, it feels like a shoulder can do everything. I'm going to find one to rest my head on a little more often, too.

Another tid-bit:

:: We have a big stainless steel pot in one of the cupboards that Ava is allowed in. It's underneath the counter top and where we keep her CDs and a few other make-shift musical items (lids, tupper ware, old oatmeal containers). About a week or two ago, I noticed her as far into that cupboard as she could get, carrying on a conversation like she was with friends in a coffee shop.

That someone was the little reflection in the steel pot, who I'm sure appeared to be talking just as animatedly to her as she was to it (wink, wink).

She's gone in to say hello just about every night since. And before she backs herself out, I hear a little smooch and then, "bye bye." I know I'm supposed to be her "first teacher," but I swear, that little girl is my best teacher.

Thursday Splurge-day

I don't do this often, but I had to do it. Hanna Andersson was having a great sale a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't resist this adorable little outfit for Ava. She wears the "sippers" around the house and I am trying not to "save" the outfit for a special occasion because isn't everyday is a special occasion?

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There were protests at few more universities today. In Islamabad, Quaid-Azam University (QAU) students staged a rally (from The Emergency Times):

Yesterday the students of Quaid-e-Azam University in tandem with faculty mainly from the natural sciences department staged a protest in thier campus roughly 400 people strong. Intelligence agency officials were reported to have been present aswell.

Today a similar protest was staged in a larger number and another successful rally was staged with morales running high. After the protest was officially over the police once again showed up but thankfully no untoward incidences occurred.

There were protests also at Hamdard University, Islamabad:

Recent reports have been confirmed that this afternoon a gathering outside Hamdard university comprising of students, lawyers and journalists managed to stage a vociferous protest within the premises of the nearby district court. Decrying the martial law and shouting slogans for Musharrafs immediate resignation they rallied together for a considerable period until the police showed up. Thereafter they resisted police baton charging succesfully and managed to retain their stronghold of the district court and remained there effectively making their point. They dispersed before any more serious action could be taken but some lawyers are reported to have been arrested form the premises.

And in Lahore, apart from the LUMS rally, there was protest staged at National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES) a.k.a. The Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST). After the cops arrived, here is how the events unfolded (this is how it was updated on MetrobloggingLahore):

14:23hrs: Police at FAST-Lahore
14:45hrs: One protesting student arrested by Police.
14:52hrs: Gates closed, seems like students are being dispersed.
14:59hrs: Police raided inside the Campus. 3 Arrested.
15.04hrs: Campus surrounded well. No one can come in or go out!
15:19hrs: Devestated by the situation. Students are trying to reach GEO and ARY news channels.
15:29hrs: Photos are being taken by the students 'emselves. GEO and ARY teams are approaching soon.
15:49hrs: Student arrested. One name revealed as: "Zaki". Reported as beaten by the Police.
15:53hrs: Police released 3 students arrested earlier. Faculty members and former University Directors are out there with the studnets.
16:17hrs: Female Students are allowed to go. Abdallah Zaki remained in custody for some time.
16:19hrs: Cops allowing Female students to leave. Liaqat Majeed Sheikh (LMS), current permanent faculty of FAST and former faculty member of Pak-AIMS has burst with harsh tone, protesting against Musharraf's policies and unsolicited steps.
16:26hrs: Policemen gone. Students were addressed by faculty.
16:44hrs: Peaceful protest ended, peacefully. Patience of Faculty Members, Students and Police Management (as they haven't been seen 'that' brutal and released the students) is commendable. Some more updates by the students.
16:45hrs: "Do not participate in the protest! we will not delay exams-- mids or finals and will not give any holidays so concentrate on ur studies!" - Campus Admin urged responsibly.
17:06hrs: Protest Plan of Friday will be announced later. There were at least FIVE faculty members including Senior Professors were taking part. Arrested guy was not among protestors! (See details).

Hopefully, more protests to follow.
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Lawyers have some company now. For the last two days, students from one of the most prestigious universities in Pakistan, LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences) have staged protests against the imposition of Emergency (read Martial Law) in Pakistan. Here are some pictures and you can read about the rally from, Emergency Times. Students are also protesting because two of their faculty members were picked up by police from the premises of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
and here is a video of LUMS protest:

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I've just always paid attention.

I could probably tell you how many people passed by wearing a hat; how many wear a collar up or wear it down. I notice if people cover their mouth when they laugh or tap their knee to not cry.

I try to pay attention everyday because I just don't want to miss a minute of it--even if the highlight consists of three dozen run-throughs of Kippy Koala or Humpty Dumpty (pronounced Hump-et-ee Dump-et-eee).

I have also always been a leading-up-to-an-event kind of person--savoring the months, weeks, days, and minutes leading up to an event as much as I do the event itself. In fact, when I was probably seven or eight, I joined the local swim team and never missed a practice; I also never made a meet.

And somehow, I think these things--attention and anticipation--are related.

Apart from anything that has ever been created because of or by my daughter, the things (to distinguish from people) I treasure most are things that come from everyday life..the little details that fill in the bigger picture. For example:

• A poem that my husband wrote for me when we were dating.
• Memories of a journal that my grandfather kept when he was young and courting my grandmother.
• Letters that my dad wrote to his parents as a soldier in Vietnam.
• A note from my mother written on a paper plate letting me know she'd gone to the store but would be back soon.
• An old journal entry written with a broken heart about the joy that would soon come from a mended one (and it did!)

So rather than ask any of you to send a list or read another one, maybe just take a couple minutes to jot down what you noticed today--because it might become someone else's treasure tomorrow.

Splurge-worthy Wednesday:

I need to clean out my refrigerator, which is stocked full of Greek Pizza ingredients. Here's what I've got:

• whole wheat pizza dough (of course, regular old dough will work too)
• artichoke hearts
• sundried tomatoes
• kalamata olives
• feta cheese
• roasted red peppers

1. I let the dough sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, so it's easier to toss (well, I don't really toss it, I roll it, but toss sounds better).

2. Preheat oven to 425°

3. Chop all of the above ingredients that can be chopped

4. Roll the dough and bake it in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes (so that it gets a little crispy before the toppings are added)

3. Spread with olive oil

4. Sprinkle everything chopped on top

5. Sprinkle the feta (if I have shredded or grated Romano or Parmesan, I might add that too)

Bake for another 8-10 minutes...

and yum. You're in the Mediterranean. How's that for a Wednesday night splurge?


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As part of Science & Religion lecture series at Hampshire College, Eugenie C. Scott gave a lecture on Creationism & Evolution: A Historical Perspective on September 27, 2007. Here is the abstract for her talk and below you will find the full video of her lecture:

Abstract:

Since the early part of the last century, American society has been witness to a very public dispute between those who deny the evidence for biological evolution and the scientific community that has been responsible for working to unearth and interpret that evidence. The public image presented by those who reject evolution has taken many forms over the years, from a reliance on the Bible as an inerrant text, to the more recent formulation of "intelligent design," which attempts to present the creationist argument as one of scientifically equal weight to that of evolutionary biology. Dr. Scott will discuss the history of these controversies and offer her thoughts on the future tactics of the creationists.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott is a physical anthropologist and Executive Director of National Center for Science Education (NCSE). She is the author of Evolution vs Creationism: An Introduction and is considered the leading critic of creationism and its offshoot intelligent design.

Here is the video:

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Yesterday I participated in a 5 mile trail run through the vineyards of a local winery. It was a typical fall day and crunching through the leaves and taking in that fresh, crisp air was one of those slap in the face reminders of why I love to run.

It also reminded me that I don't want a slap in the face reminder of why I love other parts of my life--especially people. So starting today I'm going to find a way to snap out of the take-it-for-granted routine and work on infusing a little bit of zip and gratitude into this life. You know, spice it up a little. (And let people know how much I love them in the process.)

Splurge of the day:

I was looking for some new kitchen lighting and found these instead. The last thing I need is another set of measuring cups, but I'm a sucker for anything red. And besides, I don't have rubber measuring cups!

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With my extra hour this morning and everyone still sleeping, here's what I am going to do:

1. Make some coffee.
2. Spend 15 minutes stretching with the lights still off.
3. Go down and collect the newspaper that I never read.
4. Light a candle at my kitchen island.
5. Sit down at my kitchen island, drink my coffee, and get as far along in that newspaper until my 45 minutes are up or until a certain little person wakes up.

Today's Splurge:

I'm going to steal a little bit of Pete and Ava's extra hour and make them these pancakes for breakfast.

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Yes, this is off-topic, but being from Pakistan, it is hard not to say anything about yesterday’s events. Musharraf has now imposed emergency in Pakistan. This is supposedly not a full-fledged martial law and it focuses only on the judicial system and the media – the two groups that have been the most vocal opposition to Musharraf. So like any other despot, he has taken the decision to replace most of the Supreme Court justices that have given decision against the government and have banned the media from criticizing the government.

Any criticism of the head of state, members of the armed services and any other senior member of government is banned.

Anyone breaking these rules faces a three-year jail term and a 10 million rupee ($167,000) fine.

Now this is the way to run a successful government - if you say otherwise, you will end up in jail (only for 3 years).

His justification for these steps: the Supreme Court was hindering in the working of the government (for giggles or tears, you can read the full text of emergency here) . Yes, he is right. Checks and balances really screw up the “absolute” power of the government. However, there is a more naked reason for his actions: the Supreme Court was about to issue a ruling on the legality of his election as a President.

So how are things shaping up? Currently, there is a blackout of news in Pakistan. The transmission of private television stations has been blocked and state television is providing the only version of events in there. Fortunately, Dubai-based Pakistani channels are still broadcasting to the international community.

The problem is that Pakistan is indeed facing a serious threat of extremism. There have been several suicide bombings in the last few months and the areas bordering Afghanistan are in an open rebellion. Most people in Pakistan, especially in major cities, are also terrified of these developments. However, instead of taking these moderates into confidence, Musharraf has spent all of his political capital (and all of state machinations available to him) on making sure that he is in power. His political actions have created resentment against the army amongst the educated, middle-class Pakistanis – his natural allies in the fight against the Taliban elements of the northwest. This was particularly evident in the lawyer’s movement against Musharraf this past summer.

So what will be the impact of today’s events? It is still too early to tell. There is going to be pressure from the US and the EU (the only two places that have any influence on Musharraf’s actions). It also appears that the Supreme Court judges will not go without a fight. While Musharraf sent out the emergency order, an 8-member Supreme Court panel issued a judgment nullifying the emergency order.

The key issue is that the fight against the Taliban cannot be won without the political will of moderate Pakistanis. Without a proper political ally, the military cannot subdue violence in the northern areas. Now the hopes for free and fair elections have receded completely and there is a good chance that resentment against the army (already at an all time high) will only increase in the coming months in all sections of the population. This unity of opposition against the army will provide a good opportunity for Taliban-style extremists to enhance their influence in Pakistan.

How much will Pakistanis have to pay for the power ambition of one man? The next couple of months will give us some hint. And it will not just be Pakistan. The location of Pakistan - between China, India, Afghanistan, and Iran – with its population of 160 million, ensures that the international community will also end up paying a high price for the hubris of one General.

Ok...now that I have blown some steam over this issue, we can return to science & religion.
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Hi, and welcome to another online beekeeping lesson from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms. Please feel free to submit your beekeeping questions and I will answer them in future lessons! Email me at: david@honeybeesonline.com

I thought I'd take a break from the bee lessons today and tell you about how we removed a honeybee hive from a diesel engine yesterday. But then I decided this would make a good lesson on swarms, although the hive in the engine was not a swarm, but an active hive with comb.

I received a call on Wednesday night from a man who noticed bees coming and going out of a small hole in the oil pan of one of his Cummins Diesel engines.

Wanting to sell the engine for scrap metal, he needed the bees removed first. For most bee removals I am assisted by my father-in-law, Bill Henness of Paris, Illinois. Bill makes our bee-vac that we sell and works in our hive production as well. Our bee-vacs are wonderful. It sucks the bees into a screen cage and the air suction can be adjusted so that it does not injure the bee. Then the cage can be pulled out of the vac so that the bees can be transported safely to their new location.

At 8:00 a.m., Bill and I met the man and his father, the owner of the engine and the unwanted bees. He used a sledge hammer to break open the aluminum oil pan, and sure enough, there the bees were, on a cold November morning, clustered together over their comb.

We take a lot of calls like this, almost one per day in the spring and early summer when swarms are more common. You will too, when people learn that you are a beekeeper. Since it was around 40 degrees, the bees were very calm and on the comb. I started sucking them into the cage, peeling back the comb and revealing more bees along the way. Finally after about an hour, I had removed all the comb and captured all the bees. And as part of the course, we spend the next half hour answering honeybee questions.

This was the wrong time to remove a hive. There was only about 2 lbs of bees and they had very little honey in their comb. But the engine had to go for scrap the next day. It is normally best to remove a hive in the Spring, so they can have time to build up their new home with comb and gather enough nectar throughout the year to carry them through winter. This hive could never get ready for winter now. So, I combined them with another hive.



On site, back at the engine, I tested the hive for American Foul Brood, sacbrood and chalk brood and saw no signs. I inspected many bees for mites and found none. No deformed wings, so that's why I decided to add them to one of my other hives.

When combining bees like this, it is best to place a piece of newspaper between the two different sets of bees. Otherwise, they will fight each other because the main hive will view the new bees as robbers. But by placing a newspaper barrier between the bees with a few holes in it, the bees will eat through the paper and by time they meet, they will live happily ever after (or at least for 30 days, the normal lifespan of a worker bee).


Swarms are easier to capture than removing an existing hive. Swarms usually have no comb, and are just a huge pile of bees hanging from a tree, car bumper, fence post, bird house or as in this picture, a porch on a beautiful house. A swarm is the natural way hives multiply. This happens predominately in late April, May and throughout the month of June.

In our bee yards it's RED ALERT during the months of May and June. We try to capture our own swarms. Swarms are not aggressive; they usually don't sting because they are full of honey for their journey and they have no honey or brood in a comb to protect. They are simply out shopping for a new house.

When I experimented with Russian queens, I found that they have a greater propensity to swarm. In fact, I had one hive swarm several times in two days. Sound impossible? A swarm is when the old queen leaves with half the hive. However, after the main swarm, there can be "afterswarms." This is when virgin queens swarm with smaller amounts of bees from the hive.

You might be wondering why a swarm would hang from a tree, and just sit there doing nothing. The main reason is that the scouts are out, looking for a nice place to make their final home. That's the beekeeper's tricky job, to capture the swarm before the scouts return and to make sure the scouts cannot find the newly captured hive.

It is common for a beekeeper to capture a swarm by shaking the swarm into a hive, and then leave the hive below the tree until dark. The problem is, the scouts can find their hive, enter it, convince the swarm there is a better place, and soon they will leave the hive. So, capture and move it once they are all in.

In this picture, notice the swarm hanging just above the deep hive body sitting on a bottom board? Now, all I do is give the branch a hard shake and all the bees and queen drop in the box. If they don't? Just do it again, only harder!

Keeping a swarm in their new hive box is tricky too. Here's what I do. I save drawn comb just for the capture. Drawn comb is another best friend of a beekeeper. Swarms will stay better if there is drawn comb, and a lot better if you can add a frame of brood from another hive. I spray the foundation with sugar water too. What bee would leave a sugar coated comb? I also restrict the opening down to only a small, small opening where only one or two bees can get through at a time. It's hard to swarm again if everyone has to go single file through the door. Keep it this way for at least 24 hours. My son will keep his captured swarm hives completely closed the rest of the day, and through the night.

Some tips on capturing a swarm:

1) When you get a call, ask good questions. Ask how large the swarm is, by having the caller compare it to a soft ball size, foot ball size, bowling ball size or beach ball size. This will help you know what to take. Also, ask how high the swarm is off the ground.
2) Have equipment ready like a fireman. You'll need a spare hive! Please don't call us and ask us to send you a hive in 2 hours! Have an extra one on hand. It's an extra expense, but you save by not having to buy bees! You'll also need sugar water to spray the new frames. Have the sugar water already mixed and in a spray bottle. You'll also need ropes to possibly tie off limbs, a nice limb saw, gloves because some tree sap is sticky when you cut the limbs and a secure way to tie down the hive box you are transporting home. You don't want the hive bouncing apart in the back of your truck, only to find all the bees are gone when you get home with your captured swarm. I keep my swarm supplies in a big army ammo container so that I can grab it and run. I also keep my ladder in my truck from late April through May. It takes too long to load it and strap it down.
3) Warn Bystanders. The home owner or bystanders will gather to watch. Although swarms are not aggressive and usually do not sting, they are bees with stingers. I always warn bystanders to back away or watch from their car or bedroom window. Your work will most certainly draw a crowd.
4) Be Careful. Don't try to climb the highest tree or put yourself in danger. Some swarms are way up in the tops of trees. The most dangerous aspect of swarm capture is the climb! Be careful!
5) Work fast, but not hurried. The bees are waiting for scouts to take them to a better home. Or the queen may have become too tired on their way to the better home and they may just be taking a break, a quick break!
6) Retrieval. Shake, cut or vac? You'll have to make important decisions once you see how the swarm is positioned. You'll have to decide whether to climb into the tree, or use a ladder or you may be fortunate enough to simply have the swarm at waist level. Then, you'll have to decide if you can shake the branch or cut it. If the swarm will fall directly into the box without having to fall through other branches, then by all means shake! If not, and they are on a small branch, cut the branch and carry it down to the box. This is really dangerous and takes a lot of balance and strength. Some swarms can be very heavy. This is where your ropes come in handy. Before cutting someone else's tree, ask permission. Explain the size of the branch so they will not be surprised when their beautifully shaped tree now looks like the cookie monster took a bite out of it.


When swarms are on buildings, cars and permanent structures, you have to use a bee-vac. You will never scrape them all off or get the queen. I've tried! It's like pushing a chain uphill. But, with a bee-vac, you simply vacuum them safely into a cage. A bee-vac is the second most important tool to the beekeeper, second to the hive tool, in my opinion.
7) Place the captured swarm box in its new location ASAP. Though you must allow adequate time for the swarm to work its way into the box, you must move it to its new location as soon as possible. There is a good chance that the swarm has a plan, a planned place to go. You've got your work cut out to disrupt that and convince them to go where you want them to go and to stay.
8) The white sheet approach. Using a white sheet works! It seems to help the bees notice the dark entrance to the hive box you are using. I rarely use a white sheet. Once I removed a swarm from garden. I placed a hive box on the ground very close to the hive. They began walking in. It took around 30 minutes for the swarm to finally walk into the hive, and at the end of the 30 minutes, I observed the queen walking in.
How to prevent swarms in your own hives
Swarm prevention is vital for a good honey production year. Swarming is a natural instinctive behavior and is how a mature hive multiplies into two hives. Attempting to prevent a swarm is a challenge, and sometimes after doing everything to prevent a swarm, they still swarm. If a hive swarms and 50% of the hive leaves, then it will unlikely be able to produce a good honey crop that same year due to the reduction in bees. If you are fortunate enough to capture the swarm, the good news is that you now have two hives, but the bad news is, neither will provide a honey crop that year. You can usually place the swarm back into the hive it came from, and the swarming instinct will have been satisfied.


So, the best honey crop comes from operating a hive slightly below the swarm congested level, while preventing a swarm.
Congestion vs. Crowded --you need open cells!
Many beekeepers have been taught to provide more space in the hive to prevent swarms but this is only partially true. Placing a super of undrawn foundation on the hive will not help if you've waited too long. Hives swarm because of congestion and overcrowding and more so from congestion. Congestion means that there is incoming nectar and pollen in large quantities, and the queen is laying well, thus there are not enough empty cells to accommodate the need. This is why undrawn foundation (more space) does not always help. They need drawn comb with open cells, not just more space. Sometimes, you can pull out a frame or two of brood from the brood nest area and add two frames of either drawn or undrawn foundation, and this might be a temporary solution. But by this time, you may have waited too long.
Remove swarm queen cells. The obvious swarm sign is the presence of queen swarm cells. These queen cells are called swarm cells because the are usually located on the lower section of a frame in the brood chamber. You can tilt back a deep hive body and look for these swarm queen cells hanging from the bottom of the frames. Another type of queen cell is the superseding queen cell, which is located higher up on the drawn comb. A superseding queen cell means that the old queen is being replaced because she is not productive or injured or dead. Leave these superseding cells alone! The bees know what they are doing, and why they need this replacement. But, if you want to try and prevent swarms, remove the swarm queen cells from the bottom of the frames.
What do queen cells look like? They are shaped like peanuts and hang out either from the foundation, as with superseding cells, or they hang from the bottom of a frame, as with swarm cells. They are about the size of the first joint on your little finger.
I usually save the cells in a mason jar with air holes in the lid, keeping them in a warm spot in the house, just in case I need a queen. I also have several small hives (nucs) that I store these queens in. It's cheaper than buying queens. Sometimes, I'll have two or three jars full of queen cells on the kitchen table. I'll wake up and while eating breakfast, watch a queen emerge, then take her to her nuc box using a queen cage, slow introduction method.
In closing, I've got to tell you about my swarm capture stocking cap! I got the idea from reading what Langstroth did in his bee yards. He would hang dark woolly items from trees, so that a swarm would light where he had placed the item, instead of high up in the tree. I use a black stocking cap, fill it full of cloth, and hand them around my bee yards. It may not work every time, but when it does, it sure makes the capture much easier. To the bee, the dark, swarm shaped stocking cap looks like the place where other bees have landed.
In our next lesson, I'll explain how to split or divide a hive in the Spring to prevent swarming as well.
Here at Long Lane Honey Bee Farms, we enjoy providing these free online beekeeping lessons to all who wish to learn more about keeping bees. We are a family operated business that has a passion to see more people enjoy the art of keeping bees. We also believe that to offset the dwindling honeybee population, that more people need to start keeping bees. Feel free to contact us at: 217-427-2678.

We manufacture all hive parts, and we also carry a complete line of everything you need in keeping bees.
Our website is: www.honeybeesoneline.com
Share this with your friends and maybe you can get others to become beekeepers too!
See you next time!

David & Sheri Burns
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
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I found a list that I wrote over a year ago, four months after the birth of my daughter. I remember when I wrote it. She was sleeping nearby and it was one of those moments (the enduring kind that strengthen rather than fade) when the purpose I'd been searching for was so obvious and so simple, spelled out in little baby breaths.

In the journal entry that preceded the list, I had written the following:

One of my favorite times of day with her is in the early morning when
its still dark out and all you can hear are her little breaths and the
few cars who are passing by, getting an early start on the road. When
I pick her up she's so warm and cuddly and just snuggles right into
me. She smells so good and breathes so softly. I'm often late for work
because I extend one more minute into two, into three, into four...

She loves the Beatles and especially loves it when we sing their tunes
to her. She looks at me, then Pete, then me, then Pete and she's just
so delighted with all of the attention that she doesn't know what else
to do but squeal and giggle and kick her little feet.

She is, pure and simple, a treasure. She loves people, loves life, and
loves to laugh. Every day we are reminded of how simple and
adventurous life can be. I find myself paying attention to so much
more now...Ava has reminded me to listen to the birds, watch the sun
filter through the shades, and study the way water fills up a glass
and reflects the space around it.

The list was just a way to organize some of the things that had been floating around my mind for some time and that were rekindled by Ava's adventure and determination. I'm not sure it's a "life list" but they are things that I hope to accomplish or qualities I aspire to possess, some sooner rather than later. There isn't much that's exotic or worldly (maybe a little far reaching) but then it wouldn't be my "life list" it'd be my "wanna-be list."

And by the way, I think in the time it took me to color code this list, I could've knocked off at least a third of the items.

************

We're trying out another coffee shop tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!

************

My brother took the picture (above) on a ski outing in Oregon (where he lives). You'll see that visiting him is on my list of things.

************

Splurge-ilicious:

I've noticed that grocery stores are having decent (not great) sales on baking supplies (spices mostly)--but every little cent counts. And did you know that the money that you save serves as a credit for the calories that you create (and consume!)? How's that for rationalization, which, in case you haven't noticed, is probably my #1 skill.

Break in those baking supplies with these little delights. I'm having a hard time thinking of a better way to fill up the cooler (and shorter) days than with these. Yum!

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Three things happen when I am tired: I make bad decisions, I break things, and I bruise things.

Certain things in my life remain fairly constant: I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, my head hits the pillow the same time every night (may vary by 20 minutes depending how riveting House Hunters happens to be) and I swing my legs out of bed the same time every morning.

These constants keep me consistent and current.

But on October 30th, I went to bed way too late and woke up way too early. My 7 hours of steady sleep were replaced with four hours of choppy chants (like counting sheep, which didn't work). "Go to Sleep, Russell" (a book about a sheep who can't fall asleep) is Ava's current every-second-gotta-read-it book...and I couldn't get Russell and all the sheep he counted out of my head.

Needless to say, Halloween Wednesday was a very frustrating day. A few highlights:

• I went the wrong way (twice) to the library that my daughter and I go to every week.

• I took off one of her shoes to change her diaper (it was an outfit thing--one leg had snaps, the other did not) in our car that was parked in Home Depot and could not for the life of me find it when I was through. I was convinced that if I looked under the car long enough, it would appear. It didn't. At that moment, I became one of the 30 percent of people who believe in ghosts. There was just no other explanation. Pete found it that night in the rear storage area, which still does not discount my ghost theory (by the way).

• I miscalculated the same corner of a bench that has been in our bedroom for three years five times. And I have one enormous bruise made up of five large bruises to remind me.

• I continued to eat pumpkin cookies, even though orange was still pumping proud through my veins from the night before. Deciding I should have a little variety, I crammed about three Milky Ways down my throat in just as many minutes. I NEVER eat that bad and I rarely miss my lunch. But I wasn't about to put anything else in my mouth (or my blood) after that yucksugar overload.
  

• I was cleaning the shower while taking a shower and lifted the drain lid to clean it. The drain itself is about 1.5 inches in diameter (or exactly the width of the widest part of a Venus razor) and I know that because when I stood up, my elbow hit the shower caddy and jostled the Venus razor (which was resting on top of my shave gel) which proceeded to fall five feet to the ground (there might have been a ricochet, I'm not sure) in a perfect vertical line directly into the bottomless 1.5 inch diameter drain.

And those are just the highlights. And they don't include my behavior.

Bottom line: I don't know how people function on little sleep--but I do know that most don't come close to getting what they need.

Splurge-sation!

Now THIS is a splurge. My friend shared it with me and I have to share it with you. It is so soothing (and pretty!) I told him he could hang me on it.

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Evolution will be taught in schools in South Africa from next year. Wait a minute...it isn't being taught these days?? Here is an article that predicts a science & religion clash over this in South Africa:

A clash between secular and religious conscience could unfold in South Africa’s education system -- and different interest groups are set to line up against one another.

The teaching of evolution to grade 12 learners from next year might trigger an uproar among South African parents, teachers and religious sectors.

Come on...how many times will we have to say that this is not an inevitable clash. But here it is:

Josef de Beer, a lecturer in the faculty of education at the University of Johannesburg, said teachers of evolution might have religious concerns. “My experience in teaching evolution in a foundation-year programme at the University of Pretoria is that many students find evolution problematic because of their religious beliefs.”

And a more concrete example:

At a recent conference on teacher training, a teacher said: “I am disappointed about the fact that evolution attacks God’s creation. It also mixes Genesis with idol worshippers of Babylon, which were never there when God created planet Earth.”

Another said he thought the topic should be voluntary because he didn’t think it suitable for people who believe in God. “I am totally against evolution,” another teacher said.

And if this isn't enough, you can add the issue of race in there too:

Matters came to a head after snippets of a video, Tiny Humans: Finding Hobbits in Flores, was shown. The video traces the origin of tiny prehistoric humans somewhere on an Indonesian island. They are depicted as short and dark-skinned people. This offended some black teachers. They said that evolution was a racist theory. It “terribly undermines black people, everything bad gets a black colour. It means blacks were apes,” they said.

Ok...lets put South Africa also on the evolution-controversy watch-list.
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Happy Halloween.

When Ava was about 14 months old, I taught her the punch line to a joke. Sometimes she'd deliver it, sometimes not. Inspired by my request for performance, a friend taught her to say, "No treats, no tricks" which very sweetly sounded like, "noteat notick" out of her little mouth. Of course today, four months later, we've been working on, "Trick or Treat" in light of tonight's Halloween outing. For most of the morning, she just looked at me convinced I had it wrong and said, rolling the "r's" that she's begun to master, "notrrreeat notrrrrick"). Then this afternoon, before her nap, she picked up Cookie Monster and said to him, "Kor Treat" and grinned like she did for me in this picture, taken last Halloween (her first Halloween). She got it. And she even knows who to go to (I didn't teach her that).

**********

I've been feeling a little restless lately and I can't exactly pinpoint the source. I was thinking maybe it had to do with some domestic disorganization, but I'm slowly getting that in order and need to update my list a bit. After more than a year of non-stop working 8-10 hour days while Ava slept, caring for her exclusively while she was awake, and still managing to keep clean sheets on the beds (largely thanks to Pete) and sticking to our "one night of take out a week" commitment, work is finally beginning to feel a little manageable--so I don't think it's work overload. The marathon is over and I'm back to cross-training (which I love) and Hot Yoga (which I don't but could)--so I'm sure it's not boredom. I just don't know.

But I do know that when I get restless, it usually means a change is going to come. I'm no different than anyone else in how I feel about change--but I've lived through a number of them (many at once) and am here to say that it's usually better on the other side. I'll keep you posted.

Splurge-worthy Wednesday:

• I've yet to make it to the bookstore to check out this journal, Listography: Your Life in Lists that Jenny of LobotoMe posted on her blog. But I'll keep you posted. Can't wait to check it out and get us all listin'!

• A new liptint (with SPF 15) that I actually wear. It's from Aveda and it's called "Coco Plum".

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My house is a mess (and my face is so dry)...but I had a great day.

Here are the top five things that made it great:

5. I broke a lot of rules with my daughter:

• We stayed in our pajamas too long
• Didn't clean the breakfast dishes till there were dinner dishes to join them
• Ate an afternoon snack (bananas and peanut butter) in front of the TV (Ellen)
• Slid down the slide with just our socks on
• Took out every tupperware lid we could find and chased each other around the house with them, shouting "boo"

4. I got in 8 hours of work for my consulting business because my daughter is such a great sleeper

3. I mailed three old fashioned letters to three great friends

2. I lit our two jack o' lantern's and then watched Ava's face light up brighter than either of them

And by far, the number one reason it was a great day:

1. When we were looking at pictures today, I pointed to me at my wedding and asked Ava, "Who's that?" Her reply, "Princess." Just like that, "Princess."

Sigh....

And here's are the top five reasons why my house is a mess:

1. I made three batches of punkin cookies for my husband's office and for our terrific neighbors and (as a friend wrote me once) "got fatter by the minute eating all the broken ones."

2. Didn't clean the breakfast dishes till there were dinner dishes to join them (reason it was a great day #5e)

3. Ava and I took out every tupperware lid we could find and chased each other around the house with them, shouting "boo" (reason it was a great day #5b)

4. I ate peanut butter and bananas in front of the TV with 18-month old Ava who's as tactile as she is mobile (translation: everything in our house had peanut butter and banana for a snack this afternoon) (reason it was a great day #5c)

4. When my daughter referred to my picture (therefore, me!) as a princess, I said to heck with the laundry, let's go slide with our socks on! (reason it was a great day #5d and #1)

In other words, it's a mess because it was a great day or because I'm a princess. (Isn't that the Law of Modus Tollens or something algebraic?)

...............

I have gotten some GREAT lists and splashes that I'll be posting in the morning (I really need to do something about the batter on my cupboards tonight)...Love them! Keep writing and then sending!

..............

Splurge worthy Tuesday:

• A friend sent me this fun splurge that she was trying out tonight: ordering pizza and eating it out of the box in bed while watching a movie with her hubby! On a Tuesday!

• Determined to get back to it again, I picked up a new knitting book and some yarn to make this adorable sweater for my darling.

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Plentyoffish: 1-Man Company May Be Worth $1Billion: "PlentyOfFish.com, a leading online dating site that is run by a single person and is raking in money. Markus Frind is the singular force behind PlentyOfFish. At the time of our last review, June 2006, PlentyOfFish was earning $10,000 per day from Google Adsense (around $3.5 M per annum)."
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