#sequim

Lembrar de você, do seu sorriso largo e marcante que irradiava qualquer lugar ao chegar.

Lembrar da sua personalidade típica de ariana, expansiva, cheia de si, vestida de uma bravura inspiradora (que despertava invejas).

Lembrar das conversas que varavam madrugadas, do colo e do afago que recebi — e que nunca mais terei enquanto ainda respirar.

Dói lembrar dos sonhos compartilhados que viverei sem você — e como dói.

05.22.26

Afternoon of the Wedding!

Dad and I went back to the barn for the final touches on the ceremony space as well as the reception area. Ingot sunburned on the back of my neck helping him prep the live ferns for the tables... A true redneck 😭

The second picture is of my sister, the bride to be, walking the path toward the ceremony center, checking our work! It's was so beautiful and romantic and well designed, she clearly had been working on this for eons.

It was early afternoon when everyone was finished and the bride, groom, and party needed to start getting ready and performing their traditional pre-wedding rituals lol. My brother was one of the groomsmen, but they had far less prep to do than the ladies, so he had free time as well. He offered to take me out to Port Angeles, to try and find my hero beekeepers, Olympic Wilderness Apiary.

They keep bees as I do, chemical free, with survivor stock 'feral' honeybees. I also spoke to them on the phone a few years (!) ago, looking for opportunities. Sadly they are a small, family run business, and don't hire out often. I completely understand. But they sent me a lovely letter and I have always wanted to meet them and check out their operations!

They didn't have an address for a storefront listed, or even public hours for their Apiary available on their website, so I knew they weren't going to be available and the likelihood of meeting them was practically non-existent, but my brother is truly my blood and always down for a random adventure regardless of the outcome. I love our wild family lol.

He drove me up there, about an hour out into the peninsula, with his two good dogs in tow. We reached the official address of the Apiary... And it was certainly a private residence lol. The only photo I got was of the old dog house/package container at the front gate, with a few hive stands visible in the background. But no bees, and no beekeepers.

Just as we were preparing to take the L and head out, a car blocked us in the driveway. It was the poor owner, just trying to get home from a bee yard! We moved out of his way but I flagged him down, and we had the most exciting and friendly but tragically brief conversation. He's an older guy, incredibly friendly, and clearly quite knowledgeable. Most surprisingly, he remembered me!! I was so honored. We talked shop and discussed varroa treatment and management, and he told me about a new practice he's working on, using reishi mushrooms and making a sugar syrup feed tincture with them to feed the bees, because of the mushrooms natural antiviral properties 🤯 He learned about it from the Washington State University Bee Lab researchers! It was so cool of him to share that info and his time with me.

I had to let him go eventually, and my brother took me into town for some lunch and tourism. We stopped by a local market, and there on the shelf was the Olympic Wilderness Apiary Fireweed Honey 😭 I snatched it up so fast!

We had an amazing meal at a small local restaurant, and wandered around the waterfront and through the historic shopping district. Two ladies asked us to take a picture of them in this silly cutout, and we asked them to return the favor. My brother is an expert silly picture artist; those are his sunglasses in the crab!

Eventually it was time to get dolled up for the wedding ceremony, so we wandered back to Sequim. I am so grateful and elated to have been able to catch my beekeeping hero on a whim. I swear, other beekeepers give me faith in humanity.

K12 Sequim: 1972-

Probable daughter of K4 Morgan

Mother of K22 Sekiu, K28 Raven, K31 Tatoosh, K37 Rainshadow, and K43 Saturna

Grandmother of K33 Tika, K41 Vega, and K39 Corvus

Bee Landing on Lavender

What an invigorating trip visiting Olympic National Park for the first time! The nearby town of Sequim, known as the lavender capital of North America, has a profusion of fragrant lavender crops that successfully thrive thanks to the rain shadow created by the Olympic Mountain Range, and their delicious scent draws hungry honeybees for miles!

World Sparrow Day

World Sparrow Day, observed annually on March 20, is a day to raise awareness of the protection of sparrows. We are particularly excited about this holiday because we just can’t resist the cuteness of these little birds and we know at the end of this article, you will be as excited to join too.

History of World Sparrow Day

World Sparrow Day is an initiative started by the Nature Forever Society of India (founded by Mohammed Dilawar) along with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation of France and many other organizations around the world. Though the holiday carries the name Sparrow, it was mainly created for awareness of Sparrows but also includes the beauty and biodiversity of other common birds that may share the same space as us.

Mohammed Dilawar, a dedicated conservationist, started the campaign to provide special care for house Sparrows in Nashik. The idea to make the campaign official was born during an informal discussion at the office of the Nature Forever Society. Thereafter, the first World Sparrow Day was observed in 2010 all around the world.

It created a platform for bird conservationists to network and exchange ideas to improve conservation. It aims to provide a point of contact for people around the world to come together and create awareness of the necessity for the protection of common biodiversity or species of lower conservation.

Sparrows or house sparrows have been known to live in green patches and backyards chirping away in urban areas though, during the harsh summers, they require cool shades and water. They’ve always been quite common in residential areas but are currently on the verge of extinction due to noise pollution, lack of nesting sites in modern buildings, pesticide usage, and non-availability of food as reported by ornithologists.

The awareness created led to the house sparrow becoming the state bird of  Delhi in 2012.

As the years go by, more people are joining the campaign to conserve these birds as a way of giving back to nature. Some have gone as far as creating bird nests for sparrows and other common, birds in the community.

World Sparrow Day timeline

1863 Introduction of the House Sparrow

The house sparrow is introduced into America, parts of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand from this time, such that it is now the most widespread urban bird in the world.

2008 Heroes of the Environment

The founder of the Nature Forever Society, Mohammed Dilawar is named one of the ‘Heroes of the Environment.’

2012 State Bird of Delhi

The efforts of the Nature Forever Society, a conservationist group, lead to the declaration of the house sparrow as the state bird of Delhi.

2019 I Love Sparrows

The theme for World Sparrow Day in 2019 is ‘I Love Sparrows.’

World Sparrow Day FAQs

Why is World Sparrow Day celebrated?

It is a day celebrated to raise awareness and protect the common house sparrows.

What does a sparrow symbolize?

The sparrow symbolizes simplicity, creativity, community, power, and empowerment. The sparrows are not independent birds but they are neither needy nor desperate.

Are sparrows the smartest birds?

Sparrows are smart and sharp birds but research has shown that parrots and the corvid family of crows, ravens, and jays are considered the smartest species.

How to Observe World Sparrow Day

Care for a sparrow

Organize walks and hikes

Create awareness about sparrows

Make nests, put water for sparrows during the summer season, and put bird feeders in gardens or any open area to protect the adorable bird. They’ll surely appreciate it.

Organize a sparrow-watching trip with your family and friends, feed the birds, take pictures to document, and create beautiful stickers or posters. You can create beautiful memories on this day.

Host a sparrow event and organize teachings that create awareness and enlighten people about sparrows. Also have entertainment like sparrow poetry, a photography contest, and a sparrow treasure hunt.

5 Interesting Facts About Sparrows

Once upon a time in Britain

A movement to the grain fields

The first day in the world

Sparrow Awards

Making of the World Sparrow Day

Sparrows were once one of Britain’s most common birds, however, their population has declined in recent years.

Although house sparrows are non-migratory birds, the urban flock had traditionally moved to the countryside to feed on ripening grain fields.

The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world.

The Nature Forever Society instituted the first Sparrow Awards in March 2011 to encourage the efforts made towards the cause and to selflessly conserve the environment.

The idea to mark World Sparrow Day came up during a discussion at the N.F.C’s office where the idea was to earmark a day for the conservation of the house sparrow and other common birds.

Why World Sparrow Day is Important

It’s a day to admire nature’s beauty

It is a time to spread  awareness on biodiversity conservation

It is a fun event

World Sparrow Day is a day to celebrate the conservation and protection of sparrows. It is also a day to admire the beauty of biodiversity and nature.

This day provides a meeting ground for people from different parts of the world to come together and play an important role in advocacy and spreading awareness of the need of conserving common biodiversity. We love this!

Various kinds of campaigns, events, and activities are organized on this day to encourage people to participate and contribute to the cause. See what you can do to help!