Things I Love: There’s too many to count…

A bee was out on a warm evening, and found her way into my beer. Poor thing! We gave her water and a drop of honey to help her sober up (hopefully) and find her way home. Look how hard she’s breathing (her flexing rear-end) – poor little bee. #bees #bees #ilovebees #drunk #pixiespocket

A post shared by Amber Shehan (@amberpixiespocket) on Feb 28, 2017 at 9:38am PST

There’s been a warmth in the air which has been equally pleasant and  terrifying.  The birds are singing and courting hawks have been soaring in wide circles above our home. Bradford pears and willow trees are budding and growing hazes of green leaves, which always makes me joyful – except that this is all three weeks too early for this area. Even the poor bee in my little video above was out seeking food and had to drown her sorrows in my Ninja Porter.

I wish I could just shrug it off and enjoy the sunshine, but I know the dangers of plants budding too early. Our last frost date here in Western North Carolina is May 15, and we often get small cold snaps and snowfall up through March. If the apple trees and blueberry bushes get too big too soon, those cold snaps could kill off their flowers and essentially ruin the crop for this year…no joke to those farms and orchards that supply the area, and the U-Pick forms that I so love to visit!

The twitterpation of spring has been tickling my innards despite my concerns, though. I’ve been plotting out our cottage garden for this year.  I even went ahead and put some seeds in dirt. Some of them are seeds I’ve had for years and others are also brand new experiments, so I will be happy if anything comes up at all!

I’ve made new friends in my area by posting about where to find bulk soil in Asheville. Three different folks live within 5 minutes from me, and now I’m working with one of them to split a big load of dirt! Once we fill the raised bed, it’s going to be sown with carrots, radishes, and onions. I’ve already got a stack of tires ready for the potatoes that are sprouting in my cabinet. So overall, I’m getting excited for everything coming up in the next few months!

First of all, don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win a pound of Traditional Red Miso from Miso Master! 

The Festival of Legends is celebrating its 6th year this April!  Eric and I have been at every single one, first as patrons and now as vendors and volunteers who help the event tick along smoothly. We run a tarot-reading tent with a small booth for herbs, honey, and other goodies we bring to vend. If you are in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina in April, come and see the wonders! (Facebook event page)

Some of our buddies from the Festival of Legends are Greybeard and Dawn. Dawn is an herbalist (Tree of Life Apothecary) and crafter of natural goods, and Greybeard is a talented artist who crafts in wood. Knives, wands, tankards, and much more can be found on their new website: Greybeard’s Wand Shop, Wood Crafts and Ritual Tools

Wooden Tankard Mug, Mahogany Wood, Elk Antler Handle by Greybeard

One of the favorite ways that I use to relax my sore muscles (and tired mind) is to sit down with a hot rice bag over my shoulders and watch something with my sweetie, kitty, and puppy. So when I saw “Make Your Own Full Back Rice Bag” from a Chick in her Garden, I immediately put that on my to-do craft list!

On my wishlist – a Big Berkey water filter.  I first encountered one of these amazing water filtration devices when we went camping with a large group of friends (20+ adults, 10+ kids, a few dogs!). When we had camped together in the past, everyone had to bring their own water, which resulted in a ton of empty plastic containers that we had to discard or recycle.  The following year, a clever friend brought along a Berkey filter along. While most people still brought in some water for their personal drinking use, we were able to use the creek water to supplement our camp kitchen water needs…ahhh…enough coffee for everyone makes the morning brighter!

Aaaaand last but not least: There’s new art in my Zazzle shop!