Wyda Ranch & Aristos Soma

Frederick the frog, doing the frog thing☺️

This morning while making sure the new hives accepted their new queen, I spied a worker bee, heavy with pollen doing the waggle dance….of course my phone was inside😆
🐝❤️🐝

The Waggle Dance, Apis Mellifera's (Honey Bee's!) High-Tech Navigation System The waggle or round dance of honey bees consists of a series of movements that form a figure-eight pattern.

One is NEVER too old 🥰

"She was 78 years old and too poor to buy Christmas presents—so she painted pictures instead. The art world called her 'amateur.' She became a millionaire anyway."

Her name was Anna Mary Robertson Moses, but you might know her as Grandma Moses. This is the story of how a broke farmer's wife became one of America's most beloved artists—and didn’t start until most people are planning their funerals.

Eagle Bridge, New York, 1938. At 78, Anna had already lived a life filled with hard work. Born in 1860, she had spent her days farming, raising children, and surviving. She had ten children, though five died in infancy—just part of life back then. By 78, her husband had passed, and her children were grown and scattered. Arthritis had crippled her hands, so even her once-beloved embroidery was impossible.

She was poor, lonely, and running out of ways to feel useful.

Then Christmas came. Anna wanted to give her children and grandchildren gifts, but she had no money. So, she did what poor people often do: she made something. She painted.

Anna wasn’t an artist—she’d never taken a single art class. She didn’t have any grand vision. She just needed gifts and had no cash. Using scraps of wood, old canvas, cheap house paint, and whatever brushes she could find, she painted scenes of snow-covered farms, children sledding, and maple syrup festivals—simple, nostalgic depictions of rural life.

Her family loved them, hanging the paintings on their walls. Anna kept painting—not for fame, just to keep her hands moving. Eventually, her daughter suggested trying to sell a few at the local drugstore. The pharmacist agreed and hung the paintings, priced at $3 to $5 each.

They sat there for months. No one bought them.

Then one day in October 1938, Louis Caldor, an art collector from New York, drove by the store. He stopped, intrigued by the untrained, “primitive” paintings. He bought every single one. Confused, Anna sold them for $3-5 each. Caldor drove back to New York City with a trunk full of paintings from the unknown 78-year-old widow.

Art galleries weren’t interested. The New York art scene in 1939 was focused on Abstract Expressionism. Anna’s cheerful farm scenes didn’t fit.

But Caldor persisted. In 1939, he convinced the Museum of Modern Art to include three of her paintings in an exhibit. They barely caught the critics' attention, but regular people connected with them—seeing memories of their own childhoods and simpler times.

In November 1940, Galerie St. Etienne gave Anna her first solo show, and Grandma Moses became famous. People loved her warm, optimistic paintings, which reminded them of a more innocent America.

By age 80, Grandma Moses was a household name. Over the next 21 years, she painted over 1,600 works, becoming a millionaire artist. She appeared on the cover of Time and even met President Truman. Her paintings sold for thousands of dollars, and her works are now in museums worldwide.

Grandma Moses proved that talent doesn’t require credentials or youth. She didn’t wait for permission. At 78, she picked up a brush and changed the art world forever.

Her paintings now sell for $100,000 to $1 million.

Grandma Moses was 78, broke, arthritic, and "untrained." She painted anyway.

And became a legend.

So, here’s my question for you:
What dream have you been putting off because you're "too old" or "too late"?
What would you start today if you stopped waiting for permission?
Grandma Moses didn’t wait. She painted, and she became a legend.

Thirsty girls, gathering pollen and nectar is hard work and “they’ll do it all again!” thirsty

Please vote for my photo in the America’s Favorite Photos competition 🤩

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I love that as far back as 1625 bees were amazing people, just like they do today!

Did not know!

SHE ISN'T A "BIG FLY." SHE IS A CIVILIZATION OF 400. 👑🐝
It is February. The Queen Bumblebee has emerged from 5 months of underground Diapause. She looks invincible—big, loud, and armored. The Reality: She is trembling on the edge of death. For the next 4 weeks, she is the sole architect, builder, heater, and hunter for a colony that doesn't exist yet.
The 6 Secrets of the Solitary Empire:
1. The Disconnected Engine (Thermogenesis) 🌡️
The Science: Insects are usually cold-blooded, but the Queen is effectively "Endothermic" (warm-blooded) during flight. To take off, her thoracic muscles must be 30°C. If it is 8°C outside, she uncouples her wings from the muscles and vibrates them in neutral.
The Observation: If you see her on the ground buzzing but not moving, she is not stuck. She is pre-heating the engine. Do not touch her.
2. The Ground Scanner (The Zigzag) 📡
The Science: She flies low, weaving back and forth over the lawn ("Prospecting Flight"). She isn't looking for flowers; she is looking for real estate. Unlike honeybees, she cannot build a hive from scratch. She is an Obligate Cavity Nester.
The Target: She hunts for the scent of old mouse urine. An abandoned rodent burrow is her only option for a waterproof, insulated palace.
3. The Fuel Crisis (Hypoglycemia) ⛽
The Science: Thermogenesis is metabolically expensive. A Queen is often only 40 minutes away from starvation.
The Crash: If she doesn't find a Mahonia or Crocus within that window, she runs out of Glycogen. She lands on the pavement, cold and motionless. She isn't old; she is empty.
4. The "Honey Pot" (The Insurance Policy) 🍯
The Science: Once she secures a mouse hole, she performs a feat of engineering. She exudes wax from her abdomen to build a thimble-sized pot. She fills this "Nectar Pot" with regurgitated fuel.
The Reason: This is her pantry. It allows her to survive rainy UK nights without leaving the eggs.
5. The Brood Patch (Avian Behavior) 🥚
The Science: This is her most "bird-like" secret. She lays her first ball of pollen and eggs. To hatch them, she must keep them warm. She possesses a "Brood Patch"—a bare, vascularized spot on her abdomen. She presses this hot skin directly against the eggs, shivering all night to transfer her body heat to the developing larvae.
6. The "Spoon of Resurrection" (The Fix) 🥄
The Science: If you find a grounded Queen (cold/still), she doesn't need a vet. She needs simple carbohydrates.
The Protocol: Mix 50% White Sugar + 50% Warm Water. Offer it on a spoon or leaf near her head.
The Result: Watch closely. You will see her proboscis (tongue) unfurl. In 5 minutes, she will vibrate (warm up) and fly. You didn't just save a bee; you saved a lineage.
The Verdict: Respect the zigzag. Leave the "messy" corners of the garden (where the mice live). And keep the sugar handy. The Empire rests on her wings.