Bee Time

In the last couple of weeks I have started to see bee hives placed along the edges of the almond orchards.bee hives, almond orchards, california, central valleyThis picture is a from a little bit later in the year, but the blooms are not far off.

White Flowers, Bees, Pollinators, Honey Bees, Australia, Royal Botanic GardensBees are a vital worker in agriculture. Without bees we would not have a lot of our crops.

Honey bee, Pollen, Nectar, Orange BlossomsMany of our fruits and nuts are pollinated by honey bees.

Bee - Purple Flower - First Day of Spring - California - Tracy, CaliforniaBees also pollinate the beautiful flowers around us.

Honey bee, roses, spring, pollinationI don’t often see honey bees in my rose garden, but saw one while getting ready to prune my roses at the end of last month. I felt a bit bad cutting back a potential food source for the bees, but then I looked at all the dandelions in the yard next door and realized they had a large feast prepared for them.

Honey Bee - Peach Blossom - Spring Blossoms - Orchard - BeesI will be keeping watch as I always like to try and get good bee pictures.

Steven

Posted in Animals, Blog, California, Culture, Flowers, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

231 Years Ago

Do you know what happened 231 years ago on February 4, 1789?

President Washington, Washington's Birthday, President's Day - Marx Presidential FigureThe first Presidential election was held and George Washington was unanimously selected by the electors.

North Carolina and Rhode Island did not have any electors voting as they had not yet ratified the Constitution. New York also did not have electors as they were not appointed in time.

The electors each voted for two individuals, and the person with the  highest number of votes was named President and the second highest as Vice President.

George Washington, Washington's Birthday, Presidents' Day, HolidayHere are the results of the first Presidential election:

  • George Washington – 69
  • John Adams – 34
  • John Jay – 9
  • R. H. Harrison – 6
  • John Rutledge – 6
  • John Hancock – 4
  • George Clinton – 3
  • Samuel Huntington – 2
  • John Milton – 2
  • James Armstrong – 1
  • Benjamin Lincoln – 1
  • Edward Telfair – 1

You will probably recognize most of the names of those who received votes, but some of them are not as well known.

Washington's Innauguration, New York, Washington's BirthdayPresident Washington’s inauguration was then held on April 30, 1789 in New York City.

Washington was also unanimously selected for a second term four years later.

Elections are not quite as simple today.

Steven

 

 

 

Posted in Culture, History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment