Each day is a gift! Some days are certainly more wonderful than others, but we should still cherish each day and celebrate every twirl around the sun. Even though the past year and a half have been grueling, We still believe there is much to be thankful for and plenty to celebrate. We’re not under the delusion that every day is going to be spectacular. However, it is important to us that we make the most of every day. We do acknowledge that some days it’s a challenge to remain outwardly happy, but we do try. When confronted with difficult situations, we try to find something positive to focus on. A confident self-esteem and grateful mentality help us navigate difficult times. This glass-half-full approach to the day, always gives us something to smile about. A cancer diagnosis and the Covid-19 pandemic certainly put a strain on this philosophy. Some days felt more like an April Fools joke than a celebration. However, the most important piece of wisdom that we can share, is to treat each new day as a gift. Get creative, try one of our projects, and find ways to fill your bucket. No one can predict, with certainty, what the future will hold. Do the best you can to make each day memorable. The challenges and loss of life our world has experienced throughout this past year and a half are difficult to comprehend. The Covid-19 Pandemic has claimed the lives of friends and family, young and old. It has taken lives without warning and left us grieving in solitude. Still, we remain positive. We are so thankful for the vaccines that are available. We are humbled by the herculean effort that has gone into fighting this Coronavirus disease. We encourage everyone that is eligible to get their shot. This will help protect our loved ones, safely open our communities back up, and enable us to continue living our lives. With the arrival of summer and being fully vaccinated, we are able to visit friends and family. This brings many reasons to smile. We hold onto our belief that each day is a gift. Let go of the stress; you can’t have yesterday back, and there is no guarantee for tomorrow. The best you can do is try to make each day count! Celebrate the time we have with one another. Remind yourself, that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful!
Happy Bees…
We have several honey bee hives in our yard and I am thrilled to say, they are happy bees. Over the past several weeks, we have opened the hives up, inspected them and made sure the colonies were healthy. We do this in the early morning when it is relatively cool here in North Carolina. This is a good time to work with bees because the hives are less active. We are respectful of the bees hard work and careful not to stress the hive. We are gentle and calm around our bees and they respond in kind. Honey bees are so important to humans as they help pollinate our gardens, orchards, and our food crops. We are dependent on the survival of all pollinators for the food we need to survive. Bees are responsible for pollinating approximately one-third of the food we consume in this country. We recognize that not everyone is able to raise bees, however, helping the bee population and other pollinators to thrive, is not difficult. One way to support bees (and other pollinators) is to plant a variety of flowers in your yard that aid pollinators and help with honey production. Bees are looking for two types of plants; flowers that provide nectar and ones that provide pollen. Nectar provides carbohydrates and is an energy boost for bees. Pollen is their primary source of protein. Perennial flowers are a great option to assist honey bees. Perennials only need to be planted once and will grow back year after year. These plants are a great option to attract honey bees because after the initial planting and investment; these plants are typically easy to grow, and require very little attention to flourish. Here is a bee friendly list of beautiful perennial plants. Next time you are looking for flowers to plant, you may consider adding some of these to your yard: Cosmos Black-Eyed Susans Coneflowers Bee balm Mint Joe-Pye weed Liatris Milkweed Sunflower Zinnia Peony Phlox Salvia Sedum Coriander