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| So much clover. So many bees. |
Most nights, we try to do a family project together, whether it’s pulling a few weeds, scooping up some algae, checking the animals, or watering the garden. There’s always something to do. One of the ongoing projects we’ve had for a while is to finish planting a bundle of Indiana native shrubs and trees we bought from the Department of Natural resources. Some have gone up front to form a hedge, a few hazelnuts have been planted along the west fenceline (the “Nutella Trees,” as the kids call them), one pawpaw tree up in the orchard (a.k.a. the Indiana banana), and the rest in the back.
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| Planting some oaks. |
So, we fed the animals, and all headed outside to grab a couple of trees, a bucket of manure from the compost pile as fertilizer, and a couple of tree saplings each to put in the ground. Evelyn, returning from gathering eggs, said she wanted to get her boots on…
Evelyn’s not a fan of pain but she let Jack scrape the stinger out, then carry her inside to run it under cold water, put on a baking soda compress, then put on an ice pack.
Evelyn was out of commission for the night but lucky her, that meant she was off the hook. Since we know she’s not allergic–this isn’t her first rodeo with a bee–she got a walkie-talkie, a couple of books, and was excused from the evening chores.
Soon enough, another handful of trees were planted. We started the long trek back, stopping to scoop up Henry, who couldn’t seem to keep his feet and arms and neck and body from getting tangled up in the grass. Heaven forbid he ever try to play hide and seek in it.
Back at the house, we wiped our brows, got in our jammies, had a popsicle, and were satisfied we had a few less trees to plant tomorrow. Perhaps with Evelyn’s help, if she doesn’t squash another hungry bee.
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| I think we’re about halfway done… |
