I think one of the best things about January is getting to flip through the blank pages in a crisp new calendar and writing in the stuff of life. (Yes, I’m easily amused.) I like to write things like “fly to Paris”, “sunny, warm - bees are out”, and “Bonsai workshop 10:30-12″. Blithewold members, did you get your winter flyer of education programs and events? Have you filled in your calendar? (–Have you registered for classes?) Those of you who aren’t members, don’t you wish you were? click here for a special deal and just for kicks, check out what we’re offering this winter and see if you’re inspired to fill in a page -or 9- in your calendar too.

The first to do is the Owl Prowl - sure to be a hoot and a half (am I easily amusing too?) the evening of January 23. There’s nothing like the sound of an owl - and to get to see a real Hedwig winging over Blithewold would be amazing. Fred Orwiler, former director of education at the Norman Bird Sanctuary will teach everyone how to hoot like an owl with any luck the group will get to watch one in action.

On February 9th, Julie Morris (director of horticulture here and container planter-upper extraordinaire) is teaching a bonsai workshop where you’ll get to take home your very own trainee. Anyone who loves the miniature worlds of fairy gardens and terrariums will get hooked on bonsai too - it’s inevitable. I’ll be there.

After that on February 12 (just in time for the big V day) learn all about the health benefits of chocolate from herbalist Bonnie Kavanagh. Evidently chocolate is one of the major food groups (I knew it all along) - try samples, learn recipes and impress your Valentine.

Hop on the bus to the Smith College Botanic Garden on February 23. Our own greenhouses are very cool (if I may say so myself) but I was blown away by Smith’s. There’s just nothing like house after house after house of the most amazing plants from all over the world. If you can tear yourself away from the greenhouses (I had trouble) the entire campus is a gorgeous garden too. This trip needs 30 people to happen - please oh please sign up by Feb. 6 - for my sake if not your own!

Learn about xeriscaping from landscape designer Brooke Merriam on February 27. Anyone with a garden who remembers last years drought (let’s not sugarcoat it - some of us watered a lot) should attend this class. Xeriscape isn’t about desert gardens anymore - it’s about being smart about water.

March 1 is all about (All Abuzz over) bees and honey. If you’re half as facinated as I am by bees and how important they are in the world, you won’t want to miss this. Local beekeepers will tell us all about pollination, bee culture and keeping. And after trying honey samples and different cheeses from Milk and Honey Bazaar you might never have the same relationship with regular sugar again. It’s honey for me all the way. (Hey look! - It’s so warm today, the bees are out! You’ll have to believe me - they don’t show up well in the photo.)

Our own Susan Gimblet is sharing her love of African Violets on March 19. She’ll be selling plants from her own (ginormous) collection, and will divulge all the secrets she knows about growing and grooming healthy bloomers. Look out - African Violets can be as addictive as terrariums and bonsai…

We can’t be awake in the world right now and not be thinking “green”. Bob Chew from SolarWrights will talk about renewable energy systems on March 22 and show how you can transform your home into a lean green machine.

Finally, get out your camera and learn digital garden photography from a real pro on March 29. Barbara Bourgette, an organic gardener and artist will show examples of her work and critique yours. This is a camera’s-on workshop. Just think - you and I might find ourselves using some of those mysterious bells and whistles on our fancy cameras!

I don’t know about you but my calendar is filling right up. Anyone else as gratified as I am to fill fresh pages with what’s going on?

I was crouching on the pond bank at 8:00 this morning trying to get a frog shot (cute little guy, isn’t he? A pre-teen, I would guess, in that awkward phase between polliwog and voting age) when I became aware of a hum over my head. The Button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) was already full of bees!

Bees have been in the news a lot lately because of Colony Collapse Disorder and everyone has a different theory for the cause. Beekeepers in a couple dozen states and a few other countries have reported huge losses in their bee populations. Bees are susceptible to various mites and occasionally go through periods of die-off but the weird thing about the current problem is that bees have been disappearing. (Normally during a die-off, bees are found dead around the hive). Some say it’s caused by cell phones, some say pesticides, some say mites and so far no one has definitively hit the nail on the head.

I don’t know much about bees aside from what I’ve read in Robbing the Bees by Holley Bishop and what I’ve found online (click here for a to-the-point article). But I have been paying attention to one very active wild hive near the greenhouse and to me (and I freely admit to knowing absolutely nothing) - the bees look healthy! The only thing I’ve wondered about is why we haven’t seen them swarm. Normally when the hive gets too big for its britches, a new queen is crowned and the hive splits and they relocate to another castle. So far these bees are staying put.

One of the good things that has come out with the doom ‘n’ gloom news is that people are learning to be solicitious of bees and a lot of our visitors, rather than looking frightened when they hear a plant humming and see all the bee activity, look really reverent instead. There’s also been more press about planting for the bees and creating healthy habitats for them which involves a non-manicured approach to gardening. The recommendations are to plant a riot of flowers, avoid using heavy mulch, just say No to pesticides (avoid non-organic chemistry altogether), and let your garden “go” a bit. I’ve noticed too in terms of habitat, they also appreciate having a place to drink. We leave a little water in pot saucers for them but they also dip into the pond on a dry day. If you build a bee garden, they will come! And with a wild bee friendly garden, you’re likely to get other wildlife too - like hummingbirds and dragonflies… (and wasps… Sometimes, you’ve got to take the good with bad. And carry a sting kit.) Check out this video about planting a bee garden (it’s in Berkeley, CA - but full of good advice and info no matter where you garden).