Photo via idua_japan.

The weather has been glorious here the last few days. The birds are in full nesting mode, flying hither and yon with bits of twig and string and whatever else they can find to cram together into a loving little nook for egg-laying. And eating like hogs at the Smith family bird feeder trough.

Which has made for some intriguing birdwatching for the kitty and the blogger alike.

I'm hoping to get some more gardening done this weekend. I'm trying dmac's surefire thistle cure -- here's hoping, anyway, because those buggers hurt when you step on them. And I've got a few more spring veggies to get into the ground along with more herbs and some companion marigolds that will hopefully help ward off the nastier buggers.

Because I can't help but giggle, I must pass along this tidbit from Pharyngula: NCSE is sponsoring a contest to see who can identify the daffiest claim from Ben Stein in Expelled. That could be a fun read when they start posting them, eh?

I ran across a cool website that allows you to enter information about when things are budding in your area, so that the folks maintaining the database can keep an eye on climate change. It's called Project Bud Burst, and I think it's a great idea for ordinary folks to help keep track of what's going on in their own world.  Some opportunities for purchases that also net you some carbon offsets at EarthMoment.  There is some interesting information available on climate change from the "we can solve it" website -- you may have seen their adverts on FDL here and there (and hopefully you clicked thru -- thanks, if you did, for keeping the server hamsters happy!)

I also saw this week that Haagen-Dazs has started an initiative to help honeybees, because so many of the natural flavorings on which they depend for their ice cream come from sources pollinated by bees. We've talked about the honeybee crisis before, and it's still something that hasn't been resolved. In fact, there are a number of reports which say that the colony collapse problem is getting worse.

What can we do? For one thing, insecticides should be a last resort -- they still aren't certain what the cause of this die-off is, but killing off any remaining bees with bug spray isn't exactly helpful. Try planting native plants -- the USDA has put together a helpful list of flowering plants that help to attract honeybees. And support your local beekeepers when you can by purchasing your honey locally -- they need all the support they can get at the moment.

Since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought I'd mention that the holiday was initially begun as a way to promote what mothers desire most of all for their children -- peace. So instead of some tacky knick knack or short-lived cut flowers, I'm hoping we can come up with something a little better. Mother's Day For Peace has some ideas. So does Heifer International. Around this time every year, I like to go through my drawers and my closets and make a donation to the local battered women's shelter and the homeless shelter, for folks who are starting over.

I always plant some flowers in honor of my Granny, who beautified my world -- and anywhere else she was -- with her laughter and her green thumb. This year, I'm going to pick some off that USDA list, to help out the honeybees while I'm at it. While I may never be the gardener that she was, I like to think that by trying, I at least bring a little of that same beauty into the lives of passers-by and to my own family. And that's reason enough to keep that gardening tradition going another generation. What are you doing to beautify your world? Pull up a chair...