Planning For My Future And A Little Gift For Myself
Bumble Bee
What are my favorite insects? Bumble bees and ants are tied in first place. Spiders are a close second. Although you cannot tell from my shot this bumble bee is huge. I took about fifty shots of it yesterday. I’ve seen this one around a lot. It visits daily. It does not mind when I take the time to explain to my daughter the amount of work they do throughout the day.
Perhaps the bee thinks we don’t count since we aren’t bothering it? Regardless of why it has important things to do and it does not involve checking out the two of us. We watch as it collects its nectar, and pollen from the flowers (I tell my daughter the pollen coating its legs reminds me of the worlds smallest legwarmers) taking it’s time to gather as much as possible from the surrounding flowers before it flies off.
How much nectar can they carry? Up to 85% of their body weight with one trip. We chat about where it might live and how many bees might be in the hive. Did you know that honey bees will collect nectar up to 8 miles from their hive? Do you know what? Bee watching is a ritual we do every day while the bees are out and about. We actually miss them when they are gone.
My daughter has a healthy respect for all living things and she has come to love bees almost as much as myself because she knows a lot about them. She appreciates them and yes she regularly thanks them for the contribution they make to our garden.
I’m hoping to have a few hives next year. I’ve been planning on having them for several years but after my daughter was born I decided to wait until she was older. I think she is at the age where she has a healthy respect and can fully appreciate seeing an increase in our bee population.
I’ve read numerous books about them over the years so I’m fairly knowledgeable about them. I can talk about them for hours if I can find someone to listen. As a child I would spend hours watching them. I always admired their hard work. Here is another cool bee fact…
One mouthful in three of the foods you eat directly or
indirectly depends on pollination by honey bees.
Do you want to know more? Read the full article Bee Benefits To Agriculture.
Naturally I love taking pictures of them but I’m always disappointed with my shots. Why? I’ve want to get a closer view. Today I purchased a Raynox 25o macro lens that will tide me over until I upgrade to the Nikon I’ve been writing about. Yes, I’ve already checked out the Nikon lens so I know I will get it. Although I could spend the money on the Nikon now and not miss the money. I’ll hold off and play around with the Raynox 250.
Bumble Bee getting ready to fly
Outside of my business related items I don’t spend too much money on myself. According to Cath Lawson’s post It’s Official - The Average Millionaire is An Aggressive Tightwad I’m right on track for where I want to be later in life, lol. It’s true I budget everything. The Millionaire Next Door by Paul Stanley did a great job of really emphasizing this point. The majority of the millionaires aren’t “partying like a rock star” they live below their means. I know I live well below mine although I don’t have to.
Although I do have money to purchase things like Halo 3, the Nikon 105mm right now. I won’t purchase it until I’ve made extra money to compensate for it. You see I think those things are “wants” not needs. I’m knowing my world is not gong to end if I don’t purchase them. I budget everything. Over the years, that mentality has saved me a lot of money.
My parents were always good at managing their finances. My brother