The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 39,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 9 Film Festivals
I consider myself to be a highly organized person. I have flawless systems in place for just about everything and I pride myself on my ability to remember the appointments, make the phone calls, find that gift I bought months ago for the birthday that is this week and even pull from the back of my brain the oddball placement of Beckett’s doll’s missing shoe. We have a scheduled bi-monthly pickup from the local non-profit for donations and I make regular trips to the consignment store to drop off unneeded/unwanted/outgrown kid’s gear and clothes. Our closets are lined with labeled containers and neat baskets. We do not live in clutter. At all. And, we don’t buy things we don’t need.
So, taking all this into account, when I heard about the book “Organized Simplicity” by Tsh Oxenreider – I thought to myself “pssssh… We don’t need this. We are already simply organized.” Well, turns out that being simply organized and organized simplicity are two very different things. Continue reading
I have some big news that I am just ecstatic about. Literally busting at the seams. Sit down – NO, no sibling for Camden and Beckett just yet, but it is still pretty cool. The city of Bellingham passed an ordinance titled the “Single Use Carry Out Bag Ordinance” that goes into affect on August 1, 2012. The ordinance bans all single use plastic bags in the Bellingham city limits. Paper carryout bags will be available for 5-cents (with a few exceptions – see below).
Here are my thoughts. First – I am big fan of reusable anything. Single use anythings, be it ziploc bags, plastic grocery bags, water bottles, etc…, are modern day conveniences but they come with a price. And, it’s a steep price when landfill space, biodegradation rates and sheer volume are taken into account.
Second – plastic is not an eco-friendly product. And, by eco-friendly, I am talking people-friendly, Continue reading
We recently took a short family vacation to eastern Washington where the sun shines bright, the thermometers approach scorching and the orchards are overloaded with apricots, cherries and peaches.
On our way out of town at the end of our road trip, we hit up an organic fruit stand that has become one of my favorite stops on this annual trip. The “Rest Awhile” has been organic for years, but their certification just came through this past winter and now they are “certified organic”. Well, the Ferry family loaded up and took home as much produce as our jampacked car could hold.
Reason # 216 to buy produce at the peak of its season: 16 pounds of certified organic apricots for $18. And, my oh my – were they ever delicious…
We are blessed to have a huge lot with a very big vegetable garden. There is a lot of area to work with and I am able to switch up experimental newbies with my old standbys. But, I am always looking for clever ideas and new ways to try growing vegetables, flowers and fruits.
I was skimming one of my favorite blogs, Keeper of the Home, and came upon this ingenius idea. The “gutter lettuce” growth method takes repurposed household gutters (or another item with a similar shape/purpose) and uses the side of a shed/building/house to grow lettuce. The gutters are installed at a slight angle to allow for water run-off and a sunny or part-shade location would work perfect. Lettuce needs very little root room, so a shallow tray like gutters is a great growing method. I also think that edible landscape is an awesome way to go when it comes to landcaping and is such a unique option, beautiful and functional. Hey, Jacob, can you say “honey do list project”!?!?
Camden has found that the drawers in the kitchen are filled with a wondrous array of goodies – cloth napkins, tupperware, spoons, you name it… Oh, and then there is the drawer with a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread!
I took the picture of Camden exploring the kitchen drawers and spotted the cameo appearance of the DKB loaf after I uploaded the pictures. I sent it off to my contact at DKB and it went viral, well viral-ish, on DKB’s facebook page. That Camden is one cutie-patootie!
I really embrace each of the seasons when they arrive, but summer might just be the one dearest to my heart. It could be endlessly long days with gardening into the wee hours of the evening or the good ol’ fresh air that fills my lungs and works the wiggles and energy out of my rambunctious three year old. The one thing I know I love about summer is the abundance of fresh food that our county provides. For the June 2012 Co-op newsletter I put together an article of my favorite family stops around Whatcom County. It’s a great read (if I do say so myself) and a wonderful reminder of why summer is just the best. Happy summer solstice to you all!
Click for the PDF article here. Worth a look if you want to see some great pictures of Beckett and a visually appealing spread.
Click for the entire June 2012 newsletter here
Below is the article in it’s entirety. Enjoy!
The long days of summer warmth have been teasing as we transition from spring into one of the best seasons in Whatcom County. In summer, this beautiful corner of the Pacific Northwest is overflowing with an abundance Continue reading
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
~Frederick Douglas
If you are a regular around here, you know that things on the blog get a bit sporadic come late spring and summer. Family fun is in full swing and we are enjoying the Washington sun while it’s here. The blog is my outlet for writing and where I share what we are doing, so it’s a place that I always come back to.
Over the past three weeks, my musings have been really absent due to a wrench that got thrown in our plans. Our wrench is Jacob’s back. Last week he had a microdiscectomy – layman’s terms: back surgery. Continue reading
Our garden is in full swing and it’s really looking like we are going to pull in a great harvest this year. My May freelance article for our local community co-op newsletter focused on how and why I rely on the co-op for keeping my garden plan organized, affordable and most importantly – organic and local. The article is targeted towards shoppers in my neck of the woods, but has some excellent points to take with you the next time you shop for your garden. Enjoy!
Click here for the PDF version of the article
Click here for the the PDF version of the entire Community Co-op May Newsletter
Below is the article in its entirety for your reading enjoyment! Continue reading
The Sacred Bee is me, Kate Ferry, the author of this blog. I am a beekeeper in Custer, Washington. My family lives about 10 miles south of the Canadian border and right smack dab next to the Pacific Ocean, in beautiful Custer!
I am the wife of my husband, Jacob, and the mother to three children; my young daughters, Beckett and Camden, and our dog, Tucker, who is 11 years old.
Where's the name ‘Sacred Bee’ come from?
Honeybees are incredible insects. They are responsible for the pollination of over half of the food that makes it onto your table and the chief pollinators for many foods, including almonds and raspberries.
I became fascinated with honeybees while studying anthropology in college and learned more about these amazing creatures after taking an intense six-week course on beekeeping in Surrey, B.C., Canada.
My love and respect for the sacred bee has grown and intensified as I have watched my own two hives bear hundreds of pounds of honey, my garden flourish with the bees' pollination, and through the trials and tribulations of watching my girls (a.k.a. the honeybees) live and die.
Sacred Bee. Honoring the honeybee, one of nature’s gardeners, and practicing beekeeping in Whatcom County, Washington.
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