Bee Controversy in Denver

There's a story in the Rocky Mountain News about how bees are a big controversy in Denver. Like there's nothing more important.

Here's the link: http://m.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/17/to-bee-or-not-in-denver/

Basically, a women with three bee hives in her yard was fined and threatened with jail. A councilwoman took up her cause and now there's the issue to be decided: to BEE or not to BEE. Some people realize the bee population is decreasing (Colony Collapse Disorder) and we need as many bees as possible. The other side says but what about everyone who is allergic to bees? It's not fair to them!

People need to understand bees before taking up one side or the other.

Remember, if we don't have bees, we don't eat. They pollinate most of our food crops.

10/08: Our Dream

IMAGINE ... ... a secluded several acres at the foot of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, near Denver.

A small section of woods shelters deer, rabbits and other woodland creatures. An orchard we've planted produces beautiful apples, cherries, pears, almonds... and more! Walnut trees tower over the bayberry bushes and berry brambles. Honey-bees buzz on by, intent on their mission to create a loving elixir of nutrition and sweetness. The sound of goats, miniature cows and chickens permeate the sounds of children's laughter. Small fields of cotton, corn, and wheat wave in the breeze. Bright red dots dark green of gardens where tomatoes grow prolifically, surrounded by squashes, greens, peppers, beans, and more. Greenhouses produce organic and fresh produce, even in the blustery Colorado winter.

In the midst of these greenhouses is the common building made from energy-efficient straw-bale or monolithic dome where our family and guests gather for fellowship, huge homegrown meals, dances, musical jams, game-time, and where we and our guests enjoy green living.

Nearby, an herb-and-meditation garden creates a calming atmosphere where one can sit and think, listen to the breeze, and enjoy a partner's company.

A homemade playground provides our children with hours of shaded fun, fresh air and exercise. It's obvious we and our guests love and care for our children, believing strongly in guiding them to live the core values of honesty, awareness and responsibility. We also encourage them to BE themselves, and to explore their gifts and interests.

This is our dream. What about you ... do you also have this dream? Of living with the land and providing for basic needs? Of running an off-the-beaten-path retreat for like-minded people? If you are interested in making this dream a reality, e-mail us for more information. We will need people with all kinds of gifts: weaving, farming, animal husbandry, carpentry, etc.

Vikki http://www.newviewgroupllc.com/

7/5: Getting It Up To Code

A Bee.


Yesterday, the Fourth of July, we rested, grilled out, and took stock of our goals and how to accomplish them (esp with the new problem of lawn care code). We spent about an hour reading the city's code online this morning. Amazing that there are so many rules about the kind of grass, the percentage of grass to cement/rocks/pavers to house to trees and decorative items.

We spent over $200 today for just grass seed, weed and feed, compost/potting soil, seeding soil, and sprinkler attachments. Doug pruned one of the dying trees, thatched the front yard, sprayed Revive, distributed weed and feed, and weeded. I worked in the backyard as I watered the garden - pulled weeds, moved empty garden boxes around, pruned the tomatoes and more. All of this activity has exacerbated my carpal tunnel and other major problems.

Tomorrow Weslee will aerate the soil (front and back) and help me pull more weeds, I'll use Roundup on more weeds, and Doug and I will do more about those dying/dead trees. IF it doesn't rain.

It got up to 98 degrees today but was down to 88 by 5 p.m. Scorching hot. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain. We'll see.

Meanwhile, as much as we hate to say this, we are choosing to leave this home for another. It is our strong intention that this house will sell quickly once we put it on the market, and that our perfect home in an unincorporated area will show up. Please please please please.

BYW... lots of tomatoes on our 19 plants! One was orange this morning and began turning red by this afternoon. One plant has a ton of little bitty tomato clusters on it - can't to figure out which plant is which! (All of my labels/markers faded in the sun so NO CLUE!)

We'll be uprooting our blackberry plants by the end of summer so we can take them with us - give them a chance to acclimate themselves in a pot before wintering inside. Then we'll work on that part of the backyard.

Guess that's it for now. We appreciate your support as we go this upheaval. Oh, and I guess we won't be the "Thornton Williams Family" at some point. Ah... will cross that bridge when we come to it. Vikki

7/2: Lawns and Code Violations

I gotta learn to keep my big mouth shut. Met with code and zoning people earlier this week about getting a variance to keep chickens and bees, and that must have started something because all of a sudden the Thornton Code Compliance officers came a-knockin' on our door because we have a few too many weeds, no grass, and we're using tires as planters! Get real! Here's what they said:

1. "Please cut weeds from property - includes rock area. Please remove tires - these cannot be stored outside." HUH? Deadline: Jul 9. Uh, yeah, right. THEY should try to get rid of the weeds because I have tried everything I can think of. I pull weeds constantly. As to the tires - I don't consider using them as planters as "storage". I called the code compliance office - they said as long as we make them not look like tires, we might be able to keep them. Duh... gee... thanks.

2. "Please remove the dead trees in yard. Landscaping needs improved - area by corner is mainly weeds and rock area mainly weeds. Yard needs water and weeding." Deadline: Jul 31. Uh, let's see, I water daily but with no results, I've reseeded three times. No luck. Our soil doesn't grow anything but weeds. The code compliance office said the county extension office can do a free soil check for us. As to the weeds, I've used roundup three times and pull weeds DAILY but do they care? Nope. As to the dead trees, I explained that the person we wanted to help us wasn't available until the end of August but nope, that's not good enough. Fine! Instead of doing it nice and nearly, we're gonna hack them up and NOT replace them with walnut trees like we'd planned.

I mentioned that we have already spent a lot of money on this place and redoing the sod and doing the kind of landscaping Officer *** mentioned would cost a lot of money we don't have. Her response: "that's the cost of homeownership". BULL!!!

Can you tell I'm furious? Doug is too. After work, Doug moved the tires from the front yard, and got out there with the weed wacker and brought down everything that was more than a couple of inches taller than the ground, and used the push mower. Weslee will get out in the morning, before errands, and sweep the walk. This weekend we'll all get out and rake the dead grass, broadcast more seed, rake it in and water. AGAIN. And roundup the weeds. AGAIN.

Actually, now's as good a time as any for this little bit of news.... we thought this was the house where we can live out the rest of our lives. Where we can raise our children, and grow old together. We specifically bought this house because there is no HOA and therefore, felt like we'd be ok to plant and landscape to our whims. Not that we planned to do anything completely unusual but we wanted the freedom. The option. Obviously, we were very sadly mistaken.

So we're thinking that maybe, instead of doing all of the improvements like finishing the basement and adding a couple more bathrooms, extending the kitchen, adding a sunroom, attaching solar panels, and central air, we'll continue fixing the basics and the lawn as best we can, and sell it. Yep, we'll move! We've already made a lot of improvements, fixed the roof, got the squirrels out of the attic, banned the foxes from under our back patio, and replaced ALL of the appliances. Surely all of this work, and the required landscaping, will bring a decent asking price in the Spring.

Questions: this property was a VA foreclosure, in holding by Fire Incorporated. Since it was laying empty last year, surely the weed and lawn problem was bad last year. Was Fire Inc given a violation notice? If not, why? If so, why wasn't anything done about these problems?

Once we get this house ready to sell and probably on the market with our favorite real estate person - Kris - then we'll research to find (probably) an un-incorporated area near Doug's work. We'll find a house with a bit more land. We'll be able to have chickens and bees. Where we can use old tires as cheap planters. Where the soil isn't quite so bad that 90% of what we plant will die. Where Weslee can run with the dogs, chickens and goats, and he can build a treehouse. Where he can participate in 4-H.

Good thing we haven't started adoption proceedings yet. Hopefully when we move in the Spring. And get settled.

Yep - look what my request for chickens and bees started. Of course, it's highly possibly (maybe even probable) that one particular neighbor who is quite anal about his yard, might have turned us in. Vikki

Zoning Update for Chickens/Bees

Met with Lori at the Thornton City Zoning Dept. While it's not possible to request a variance so we can have chickens and bees, it is possible to write my councilwomen to request a change to the code and/or ordinance. She gave me some great suggestions and I'll work on the letters as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, she reminded me that we can have 2 ducks (huh?), so I started researching about keeping ducks in a backyard. So far it looks like it would be possible, especially while we're waiting for clearance to have chickens. Eggs similar to chicken, still good pest control and weed control (doesn't like lettuce as much as chickens which is a major plus!), and somewhat docile. We'd have to fill a plastic pool daily but 10+ gallons should be enough, which we can re-use to water the garden the next day. We'll look into ducks further.

On the way home from the meeting, I squished my left foot in a door, tearing a chunk off the toe next to the big one. So I'm hobbling around, and in major pain. Thus, today's blog entry is short with no pics. Thanks for reading! Vikki

Our First Harvest!

Yahoo!! Get a load of this picture - our first real harvest from our "land"! Top left, rhubarb across a bowl of our first clippings of black-seeded simpson lettuce, beside heirloom pink beauty radishes, beside our 8 blueberries, beside a beet thinnin' (yummy) and then a few of our tree's cherries.

Dinner tonight consisted of salad (bag of greens from grocery to which we added what we picked). Weslee tried a teeny bit of radish - too spicy for him. But he sure gobbled his share of the blueberries and lettuce! I nibbled on the beet greens - yum! The rhubarb, cherries and 3 of the radishes went in the fridge.

We have cabbage worms attacking our greens, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Need to research what to do about them. They somehow found their way under our tulle netting - must have a hole somewhere.

Still looking for a book to help me figure out how to be a self-sufficient gardener but my local barnes and nobles only had John Jeavons "How to Grow More Vegetables" - kinda ok but looking for Jackie French's "Self-Sufficient Gardener".

Have a meeting tomorrow morning with my local zoning office to see about getting a variance for us to keep a few chickens (no rooster) and a hive of bees. Wish me luck! V