President Trump and the Bee's Knees by Karla Stover

 https://bookswelove.net/stover-karla/

     For those interested, i.e. when inquiring minds want to know, Wikipedia has a list of  animals who lived at the Whitehouse during the various administrations. Lots of horses, dogs and cats, of course, but others that are more unexpected, such as Thomas Jefferson's sheep, two grizzly bear cubs and a number of mockingbirds. James Madison, Ulysses S. Grant, and Andrew Jackson had parrots while John Quincy Adams had silkworms and alligators. A pair of elephants sent to James Buchanan arrived when Abraham Lincoln was in office and he politely refused them. Interestingly enough, Lincoln also had a dog which was assassinated shortly after he was. Grover Cleveland was gifted goldfish. The first Siamese cat in the United States was given to Rutherford B. Hayes. George W. Bush had a longhorn steer and the list goes on and on. Which brings us to Donald Trump. He had no pets during his first term but now, thanks to the Obamas, he is in charge of the White House bees. 

    It all started when Michelle Obama decided to create a kitchen garden. Its purposes: to provide fresh produce to the Obamas and Whitehouse guests, to educate children about healthy eating, and to encourage people to eat healthy, locally-grown food. 

    White House vegetable gardens go way back, though the most unique may have been Hillary Clinton's which was constructed on the White House roof. More traditionally, the Obamas and a group of 5th graders broke ground on a portion of the south lawn in 2009. Of course, what's a vegetable garden (or any other kind of garden, for that matter) without bees to pollinate it? 

    Bring on a bee keeper. 

    According to bee keeper Charlie Brandts, "on a stretch of grass where helicopters, where thousands of children enjoyed Easter egg hunts, and where a Portuguese Water Dog frolicked daily, there were concerns." The job had to be as error-free as possible, requiring coordination with the National Park Service gardeners, the Secret Service and the Office of Communications. Eventually, things fell into place and Brandts came up with an easy device for quickly closing the hives' front door, designed for use by any of the staff, if necessary. He also designed and placed a special ventilation box on the hive so the bees wouldn't become overheated during those times when they would be closed in.

    And all the careful work paid off. "It is not unusual for the single hive on the South Lawn to yield 200 pounds of honey a year. This harvest has reached wounded warriors, school kids, the President’s table, the G-20, and even the Pope. When the Make-A-Wish kids visit the Oval Office, they get some honey. Hundreds of school kids who visit the garden (including the children of White House staff on “Bring Your Kids to Work Day”), as well as participants in the Easter Egg Roll, have received information on bees and beekeeping, as well as the clear personal message that bees are important wherever you find people and food."

    The president has duties that get little recognition: directing the minting of commemorative coins; controlling the national Christmas tree; naming national monuments and approving all states' flags and seals; (I live in Washington State where the legislature wants a new flag. Washington State is extremely liberal so I say, "Good luck with that.) And serving as the honorary head of the Boy Scouts. And, thanks to the Obamas, managing the White House bees. Possibly another sticky situation for the president to be in.

Signs of Spring and Birthday Musings - Barbara Baker

 

This year, the official first day of spring happens on March 19^th when the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight.

Albertans experienced a taste of spring during the last two weeks of January and then again, the last two weeks of February when temperatures broke records and people ran around in shorts. Leslie Horton, meteorologist on Calgary Global News, coined the phrase of those phenomena as fake spring. Yup, Mother Nature loves to play Guess What Season It Is.

My first true signs of spring appeared on March 6th. Fuzzy pussy willows. A robin singing from the top of a spruce tree. But I'm still waiting to spot my favourite, the first crocus bloom.  

     

My birthday follows the arrival of spring, and I typically spend it on the ski hill. But this year, the snowfall has been dismal so it’s hard to say what Old Mother Nature will have in store for me.

 

2022 Spring Ski Day in Fernie 

Thinking about my birthday made me wonder when birthdays came to be such a big deal. Down the Google rabbit hole I go.

• Birthdays started with the Egyptians. Scholars state the earliest mention of a birthday was around 3,000 B.C.E. and was in reference to a Pharaoh's birthday. Further study implies this was not the day they were born, but rather the day they became a god or goddess. I’m not a goddess, but that will not stop me from enjoying my day.

• In 100 BC ancient Romans celebrated birthdays for male friends and male family members. It was acknowledged as the birth of the common ‘man’ and enthusiastic festivities marked the occasion. But for men only.

 

• To mark the momentous occasion of a Roman man making it to 50 years old, a special cake was baked from wheat flour, olive oil, grated cheese, and honey. Blech.

• Female birthdays were not acknowledged until the 12th century – 1200 years later. And it’s about time. 

• The tradition of celebrating birthdays with sweet, elaborate, multi-layered (and covered with icing) cakes originated in Germany in the 1400s. Thank goodness they made cake for both men and women by then. And with sugar and icing.

 

When I was a kid, I thought people who were older than sixty were ancient - like they had one foot in the grave already. Now that I’m in that ancient category I decided to ask AI what it thought of people my age.

AI stated that people who are now in their 60s are considered to be in their "mid-life". Apparently, this is because people are living longer and healthier lives. What was once considered "old" is now seen as middle age – how cool is that? Maybe AI isn’t as awful as we think it is … given the context.

So here I am, continuing to bask in the warmth of the season and ready to eat sugary cupcakes on my birthday. Fortunately, my new mid-life status doesn’t rob me of my senior’s discounts. But I possibly need to look into getting a cooler, faster, prettier mid-life crisis car. 

Have a fabulous day. And let me know if you find a crocus because I'm still looking.

St. Patrick's Day Contest at Books We Love, Ltd.

Win a basket of Digital books plus this gift basket!

Link to Enter Contest: https://www.bookswelove.net/contest-entry-from/

 

 

Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net) 

bbaker.write@gmail.com

 

Don't Take Tomorrow for Granted by J. S. Marlo

 

Undeniable Trait

is available now!

Click here

   

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

There's a quote that says Blood is thicker than Water but I strongly believe that Love is thicker and stronger than Blood.

Last week I lost a dear friend and an amazing sister. We raised our children together. We were each other's listening ear and shoulder to cry on. We shared so many dreams—some we realized but many were still on our bucket list to do together. We thought we had at least another fifteen years to empty that bucket, but in the blink of an eye, she departed on her last voyage without even a goodbye.

We met twenty-five years ago as young women. We didn't grow up together, we didn't speak the same first-language, and we weren't sister at birth.

Not all families share the same blood, and not all blood-family are worthy of the term family. One has no say in which family one is born, but one can choose which family one can love and trust.

She was more than a friend, more than a sister. She was my chosen-sister. I loved her and I knew I would miss her one day in the far, far future. I never expected that it would happen now—and that she would leave such a giant hole inside my chest.

So, here's the one last thing she taught me: Don't take tomorrow for granted.

Hugs!

JS

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Meet Louisa and Vivian by Eileen O'Finlan

 

Click here for purchase information

Last month I began introducing the new Cat Tales characters with Buster Parker. This month I'd like to introduce Louisa and Vivian.

Louisa is a great blue heron and Jasmine's business partner. If you've read the first book in the Cat Tales series, All the Furs and Feathers, you'll know that Jasmine is a Russian Blue cat and Smokey's best friend, and you may remember Louisa who made a very brief appearance as part of Jasmine's web design team for Oneness Park. In All in the Furry Family, Jasmine and Louisa have teamed up to form Blue Landing Web Design. Smokey's not sure how she feels about Louisa. She finds her standoffish, but if she's being honest with herself, she's really a little jealous of Jasmine's growing friendship with Louisa and worries she'll lose her best friend.

Vivian is a flamingo and an old college friend of Louisa's. When she stops by to visit Louisa on her way to meet her dance troupe for a competition in the Canary Islands, Louisa brings her to a Hunter's Moon Night party at Smokey and Autumn Amelia's cottage. 

In this excerpt from All in the Furry Family, Louisa and Vivian regale their hosts and the other party guests with tales of their college exploits. Vivian has just described a prank Louisa pulled on one of her professors. The guests ask for more stories and Vivian obliges:

"Well, there was the time she had a huge test she was not ready for. So, on the morning of the test, instead of studying, she made a huge banner with the words, 'All classes canceled this afternoon' and flew over the campus with it tied to her tailfeathers, hoping no one would show up for class and the test would have to be rescheduled."

"Did it work?" asks Rivet.

Vivian snorts and Louisa groans.

"No," says Vivian. "But she did get out of the test after she flew straight into a tree and spent the rest of the day in the infirmary."

"Louisa!" Jasmine exclaims.

"Don't remind me," says Louisa, covering her face with her wing. "That was the worst headache of my entire life," she tells Vivian. "You were at that party, too."

"But I did not have a test the next day."

"Oh, yes, the model student. But what about the time we went to the Bahamas?"

Vivian sits taller. "We had a lovely time."

"Sure, until the last night. Remember the beach party?"

"Oh. That," says Vivian, trying to stifle a giggle by wrapping a wing around her bill.

"What happened?" asks Sam.

If you'd like to know what happened, you'll just have to read All in the Furry Family, but let's just say when you party on the beach with drunk iguanas things can get out of control quickly.

If you'd like a chance to win a signed copy of All in the Furry Family, go to the "Giveaways" page on Goodreads to enter anytime before March 30, 2025. Winners will be chosen in April.

Click here for purchase information (just the book, not the cat!)

The Unexpected Gift Inside a Book by Eileen O'Finlan

 

                        

                                           

Click here for purchase information

I grew up hearing family stories and reminiscences from both of my parents, especially my mom. She told many of them so often I eventually knew them by heart. My mom often spoke of her old friend, Carleton Carpenter. They grew up together in Bennington, Vermont. She talked about how close they were as youngsters and the many things they did together growing up in the 1920s and '30s. She would reminisce about how Carleton used to write plays and get all the kids in the neighborhood together to put them on, directing everyone with authority. This is no surprise when you realize that he went on to act on Broadway and in several movies, often playing opposite Debbie Reynolds.

One day, several years ago, when my mom (and Carleton who was the same age) were in their 90s, I found out that Carleton Carpenter had written a memoir called The Absolute Joy of Work: From Vermont, to Broadway, Hollywood, and Damn 'Near Round the World. I bought a copy for Mom which she loved. 

Then I got the idea of trying to see if I could reconnect these two old friends. They'd lost touch after high school so it was a longshot but worth a try. It took a while, but I finally tracked him down and got an address. He was living in New York. I wrote to him, explained who I was, and hoped he'd remember my mom. He was, after all, in his 90s, and I had no idea what he might or might not remember. I was so excited when I got a letter back from him saying that he certainly did remember his old friend, Barbara, and was so glad that I had contacted him. He included a letter for my mom in the envelope. I don't know who was more delighted, Mom or me!

I had given Mr. Carpenter our phone number in the letter I sent to him and he put his in the letters he sent to us. I set up a date and time with him to call my mom. After that call, she spent the day looking like she was in a blissful daze. She just couldn't get over the fact that she had been reconnected with a dear old friend who she hadn't seen or heard from in over 70 years. They continued to write to each other and talk on the phone frequently. She caught him up on her life, who she'd married, her kids, where she'd worked and lived. And he told her all about her acting career and his close friendship with Debbie Reynolds and how sad he was at her recent passing.

It was only a few years later that Mom slipped so suddenly and deeply into dementia that she had to be moved to a nursing home. I learned that Carleton Carpenter passed away on January 31, 2022. I chose not to tell Mom because by then she thought she was living in Vermont and he was her neighbor. It would only confuse and upset her. Mom passed away almost one year later.

Recently, I came across Mom's copy of the memoir he'd written and decided to read it. It begins with his childhood in Vermont. As I read, I noticed that Mom had underlined the names of several people and places he mentioned. Obviously, these were people and places she remembered. Now, as I read it, I imagine what it must have been like for her to read that book and be taken back to her childhood and the happy days she spent with Carleton and their friends and neighbors in Bennington.

I have also found that it is a gift for me because I feel as though through the underlined passages she is pointing things out to me, once again telling me her stories and sharing her childhood with me. I am so glad I found this book and decided to read it. I had thought that there was no way I could ever have that experience again and yet, here it is. I've always found books to be a great gift, but this one has given more than I could have hoped for in a way I never would have expected.