happy pollinators

i just learned that minnesota is paying 75% of the costs for homeowners to convert their lawns into pollinator friendly landscapes. i am thrilled about this. steve and i have been pecking away at this for a decade. we keep bees. actually, the university of minnesota does our beekeeping. we are one of their research sites. in exchange, we get the honey and the enjoyment of observing the whole process. both my kids have worked for the UofM bee lab at one point or another. participating in the this program fills me up–it is one concrete way in which i can live my values. yesterday, the bee lab beekeepers were out doing an inspection, and they found so much honey in our two hives, that they decided to add additional “supers” (those stackable boxes filled with trays of comb starters).  so, it looks like this year will be a banner year four our girls (yes, the honeybees are all females). in a world with so much uncertainty, this feels grounded and good.

milkweed flowers (Asclepias)