Friday, August 01, 2008

My Report on Slumgum

Today was the day to deal with the Slumgum. A rather messy process. Sticky too.

Before that however, I needed to clean out the freezer. (no, these two things are in no way related, just had to be done.) I know one finds strange things, sometimes unknown things when one cleans out the freezer, but I have to say I was rather surprised to find, well, a bird. Not the eating kind. The kind with feathers. Must talk to the Birdchick about that, can't possibly belong to anyone else.

(I was going to post a picture, but looking at it, I think not. It will go back into the freezer until such a time as it is needed for , well, whatever it is needed for)

Slumgum. Right. It is what is left, wax, and Stuff, after the honey has all been strained out.



That's it still wrapped in the cheesecloth. Here it is out of it's cheesecloth. Lovely, isn't it?



There are many methods of extracting the Beeswax from the Slumgum (I love that word!) My favorite (and the only one I know) is to heat it in a big old pot (the operative word being OLD pot, you will not be using this pot for anything else. Ever. It looks like this melted:



Mmmmm.....Dinner anyone?

After it has melted, you strain it thru more cheesecloth, and a strainer, which we have no photos of, as it is a two handed process, and quite impossible to let go with one hand and try and take the shot with the other, with a camera that has no screen. I know this.

When it cools, you have wax:



Pop it out and you have this:



Now, this big question: What do I DO with it?? Make a candle? Something else? Anyone know?

I put the rest of the Slumgum (She says to use the word one more time) out for the Bees, who love it. I should also mention that the Oysterband makes a lovely soundtrack for a day of Slumglumming (she says, making up a new word)

Just about perfect.

Love and Bees,
Lorraine

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Last FM and the Fair!

Let's talk about LastFm for a bit. I am still really new to it, and I thank the 12 of you who have become my friends, as I still don't know how to make more friends, tho some of you have TRIED to explain.

I can't seem to find the "Add as Friend" tab you all seem to have.

It gets a little weirder. My page is always different. And I am pretty sure I have only the one identity. Tho I was pretty sure I only had one on Blogger, and we all know that story.

When I click on someone ELSE, it will pop of their page and what they have been listening to all day, which I always thought was fun. On mine, today, I finally found that again, sort of. And sometimes it will only give me an option for "Your Library" and not "Your Neighbors" or "Your Recommendations". If I dig around a while, I can find them, but not always, and I like the My Recommendations listening thing.

Which also gets weird...This morning, it seemed to think that all I wanted to hear was music from Film scores, which I like ok, but wasn't the thing, and then it moved on to female pop, which I also liked. I had to go and find the Oyster Band, and play music LIKE the Oyster Band and rate the songs I like to get it back on track.

Of course, I just gave a Heart to the "Unicorn Song" Paul, I am SURE will have something to say about it. And Fod knows what Last FM will start thinking I like....

There is also a new (to me anyway) tab called "Paint It Black" I don't even want to GO there, as I am sure it will wipe me out of existence. It sounds fairly ominous doesn't it?

Anything anyone has to say on LastFM would be great. I want Hera to be my friend, and tried so hard to ask her....(And anyone else out there if you want to be my friend, I know how to ACCEPT your friendship, just not how to GET it)

This is getting surreal...

Great News! I got our Entry Tags for the X County Fair! Now we must select the most perfect jar of honey and comb and take them on in. Since I already showed you the most recent honey, here is an exciting photo of what Bee Hives look like on a Summer's afternoon....



Ok. So not so exciting. And since I neither got stung, nearly stung nor went in them, we can move on. Sure did smell wonderful down there tho, all like honey air, kind of...

I'll leave you with a picture of "First Time Dog Tries the New Bridge" The outcome was successful..

Hope your day was too!



Love and Music and Bees,
Lorraine

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

End of a Long Day....

Hello all,

This will be a short post, as I want to get home and see my Kitties, and perhaps clean the darn place up a little. WHO gets it that messed up??? I mean, I live alone...Could this be the Bengals???? It seems beyond them, but you never know....

I did some agility with Cabal, then came in for a bubble bath which went completely out of control when the jet things came on. I had to kind of dig my way in and out, and thought that this was perhaps a fitting end to a day when so many things went wrong, it was beginning to feel like a Comedy of Errors.

And my intentions were so good....

I did get a lovely package from Spacelaw, which I think has lovely herbs for making tea, which s JUST what is called for tonight. And maybee a little Bat Watching Bengal Walking.

And I am certain there will be adventures tomorrow, promise!

Blogger seems not to allow me to delete comments anymore, I've asked Malena to fix that, and I am certain she will. I am sorry for the nastiness, but until it is fixed,which will hopefully be shortly, let's not feed the Trolls.

Love and Nighttime, Lorraine