Highlights that I forgot to mention

How could I have forgotten to post my blooming Cattlaya?! I've had it for years, gave cuttings of it to many people including my sister. Then the parent plant died -- I think I drowned it. My sister sent me cuttings from the plant I sent her! This year, my plant put out not just one, not just two, but FOUR huge corsage-quality blooms.  When I was tying it up to photograph it, I noticed for the first time that it's fragrant! All these years, I never knew it had a scent. I didn't think cattlayas had scent, but you see, I am a self-taught gardener. Sad news: I drowned the variegated phalanopsis by repotting it in the wrong medium. It was blooming too, 3 spikes. I wanted to replace it with a Brassia Rex but boy are they hard to find, and expensive! I also tried to buy Vanda Cerulea but as you know, Thailand is having problems (and do you believe this, they have an annual week-long holiday when the post office is closed. What a gift to courier services.) Anyway, I got from a group in Florida 2 tiny Vanda Panchera Delight that are 2 years from blooming size. Vanda should be easy to care for. "They" say just wire it to an orchid basket, no medium, and water and fertilize it. We'll see.

Another highlight that I forgot to mention is I received two cans of Orchard Mason bees for Christmas. It had never occurred to me  to keep bees and I know nothing about them other than they sting and pollinate. Well, Orchard Mason bees are also known as blue bees. They don't sting, they don't make hives, they don't form communities. All they do is pollinate, and pro-create. My bees came in a can full of tiny tubes. I am told that each tube contained bee lavae and food for them during hibernation. Yeah, I was surprised that there are hibernating bees. I had to keep the can in the 'fridge because they like 38 degrees to hibernate in. When it got to be consistently over 50 outside, I put opened the cans and put them out. Here's their own little house: After a few days, I looked in the tubes and they're GONE! Out working! I hope they were able to fly the quarter mile or so the the apricot orchard although it's finished flowering.

When I pruned the citrus, it was blooming and there were lots and lots of bumble bees, carpenter bees, yellow jackets, humming birds, ... but I did not notice any blue bees.  Maybe they're the smaller carpenter-like bees that hover?