BettieO on Uke

My new passion, the Ukulele. Thanks for putting the bug in my ear, Mom!

After having more or less dropped the guitar for years out of a mysterious loss of interest, I am finding the uke a whole new and fresh musical challenge . . . like the hi G sound, the size, the portability, and being able to play up and down the neck.

Note: this is a Kala Tenor travel Uke. It has a beautiful clear sound.

Bettie finally joins the bee count!

I read an article in the Merc about a "citizen scientist" project called "The Great Sunflower Project."

Actually, it's a study of urban bee populations, with participants all growing the same type of sunflower, Lemon Queens, then choosing a blossom and counting the number of bees who visit it during a 15 minute period starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings.

I got a late start, and it's been a cool summer, but this week my sunflowers finally started popping blooms and this morning I did my first count. 4 bees on one flower in 15 minutes (a bit above average as it turns out).

Can't wait until next Saturday, when all the bees have found the flowers.

It's an amazingly gratifying experience. Here's a shot taken during the observation.