Fire and Flowers

Yes, it is I, intrepid Explorer Sandy Bear... wandering through the wilderness of the backyard. Someone really needs to mow the lawn!!

Whew... pooped! Time to rest and...

Have a campfire!

And no campfire would be complete without smores... I know some little bears in the American Midwest you might be drooling right about now.

It's so nice to sit in front of the fire in the warm spring sunshine. Speaking of which...

Our primroses are doing great!

As are the Grape Hyacinths...

Our bush peas are coming up - first year trying the bush variety.

We might need to protect them with egg shells as it looks like slugs have had a nibble or two...

And the mesclun is coming up...

And some baby kale too...

No sign of the parsnips yet...

How is your garden doing??

In the greenhouse we have some mesclun and radishes growing... as well as some tomatoes from the store...

Here we have some leeks...

and garlic...

With more leeks and then some scallions planted in front...

And tiny baby kohlrabi popping up...

 Are you planting any veggies this year?

Seedling Status

Hello! Our little seedlings that we planted a while ago sprouted!

That's a sunflower heading for the sun...

 And those are cukes, the big ones... the tomatoes are a bit slower.

Cool!

And here we have another project... new window casing trim... getting painted on the kitchen counter?

Well... yes... because the saw horses are holding up the seedlings!

Goodness... this is a busy place!

And... these are the old window casings...

And this will be the new ones...

Going for a simple look...

Passport Unveiling

Hello again, it is I Alexander M. Bear, official Passport Issuer of the Republic of Bears. I have been working beary hard on my own passport which expired more than a year ago (eeks)...

I am a bit limited in supplies given the pandemic and stay-at-home orders... but... I am making do.

That's what you do during a pandemic (or a world war)... Stay Calm and Make Do! (Or something)...

Hmmm... coming along nicely I would say...

And... here we are... the unveiling of my new passport... ready?

Are you sure? Ok!

Positive??? Ok!

Ta-dah!!!! Here we have it... the official new passport from the Republic of Bears...

Let's see...

Mel, Salmo et Exploratio... should be self-explanatory - Honey, Salmon and Exploration...

In the upper left quadrant we have a honey pot with bees on an Emerald Green background. The honey and bees are beary important for all bears. The green background signifies the meadows and fields where bees forage for flowers to make honey.

In the upper right quadrant, we have a sockeye salmon on an Ocean Blue background. The salmon is the primary food source of bears everywhere. The blue background signifies the oceans where the salmons swim and little bears frolic on its beaches...

In the lower half we have Ursa Minor on a Midnight Blue background. Ursa Minor (the Little Bear) is an important constellation in the northern hemisphere. The North Star lies at the tail tip of the Little Bear and is beary important for explorers navigating by the stars. The midnight blue background, obviously, is the nighttime sky. As a Little Bear and Explorer, I have a strong affinity for Ursa Minor! You may wonder why Ursa Minor has a long tail... me too... According to myth, "Two bears saved Zeus from his murderous father Cronus by hiding him on Mount Ida. Later Zeus set them in the sky, but their tails grew long from being swung up into the sky by the god." Cool...

And, in Metallic Gold, we have the official inscription of Republic of Bears...

Pretty good, eh?

And... with its completion, we got a couple of official Little Bear stamps to seal the deal and the photograph.

C'est Fini! Oh... and this is an entry in Beanie Mouse's First Inaugural International Stuffies Art Expedition!!! Cool!!!

New Passport

Ah-hem... as some of you may recall... I got a new passport last year when I was in London...

I even got an official stamp in it!

But... er... there was only one small problem...

The, um, cover is completely blank still...

Still!! I know...

And the interior is not much better...

It's amazing I was able to come back here from England!

 But we are going to remedy that today... first up... official passport photos.

 Wait... how are my ears?

Noooo... not like that!

That's better...

These passports have beary strict particulars about how big the photograph can be...

And I'm going to need some supplies...

Yes... I am the official Passport Issuer for the Republic of Bears... if you must know...

Supplies... what are my options...

Some fine-tip markers and pencil crayons... excellent.

Official passport photo paper...

That looks pretty good on the screen, doesn't it?

And now... tweak it to the right size...

And print... the printer is making whirring and clicking noises but...

Ah, there we go!

Looks good...

I certainly am a handsome little bear!

And double-check the measurements... 1.5" wide by...

2 inches tall... perfect.

Now... it's to produce the passport...

Photograph goes in first...

 Looking good!

And then the particulars got filled out...

One step closer to a legal passport!