The bees are dead, long live the bees

I had a 100% deadout this year. I know a couple of the things that I did wrong, but I don't know all the factors that contributed to it. This is really sad. Now, I have to try to figure out what the reasons were, and if there was anything I could have done differently.

The learning curve on beekeeping is pretty much a vertical wall.

Scaling up my gardening

I've had a veggie garden of some kind since I moved out of my parent's place when I was 19, but it's never been a very big garden. We were always temporary. We moved a LOT. Except when we lived at the housing co-op while Abby was young. My community garden plot there was larger and much more productive. I gave away a LOT of tomatoes. I never supported myself from it.
I've been reading these how-to market gardening books, and dreaming, and thinking, and planning... but never doing. This year my plan is to grow as many veggies as I can and try to grow all of our produce for the months of July and August. Fruit isn't possible yet, so that can be a plan for next year. Herbs are completely possible. I'm going to be able to grow all of my mint tea for the year, and hopefully a good portion of my chamomile.

Getting back into knitting

I've had the wool that I used for these socks since my daughter was about seven years old. That's a decade ago, now, scary to think. I had intended to make it into 'elven' slippers for her, but I never got around to it.
Ever since I hit my head a lot of things have gotten harder for me, but oddly enough knitting has gotten easier. Before, I had this issue of my brain 're-setting' or 'flashing' and I would lose whatever I was doing for half a second. It made hand writing, knitting, anything that needed a constant stream of concentration... difficult. The one silver lining, and the one thing that has gotten easier is that. I don't have the constant 'flash' re-setting of my concentration. I have massive daily migraines that need medication to control, and I can't drive for more than half an hour because of the visual processing issues... But now I can knit. It's finally relaxing for the first time in my life. So. Here are some socks for my daughter. The yarn is sparkly and reminds me of a night sky with stars.

Seedballs/ Seedbombs- getting into some guerilla gardening for good

I bought a bag of clay from Curry's Art Supplies last year with the intention of making seed bombs, but life, and head trauma, got in the way. Then two weeks ago I was buying groceries, and saw this bag of mixed wildflower seeds in the vegetable section, of all places. It promised being able to cover a huge area with flowers for $20, so I bought it. I mixed a handful of the seed mixture with some composted manure and a light potting soil to spread the seeds out even more, and then made little pockets of clay and filled them with this mixture. Like dirt ravioli.