Stop On Over To"Thy Hand Hath Provided"(a blog recommendation)

Dateline: 10 July 2013

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I'm pleased to announce that Jane Bryan, over at Thy Hand Hath Provided, has recommended my newest book to her readers. She is also doing a give-away of the book this week. You can read all about it here: Idea Book For Gardeners Giveaway!

Even if you already have a copy of my book, you'll still want to visit Thy Hand Hath Provided, and stop back often. That's because it's a wonderful blog. It's a wonderful blog because Jane writes about her Christian faith, her family, and the active, home-based, hands-on rural lifestyle they pursue on their little 1.5 acre homestead (I think I have that acreage right). Jane and her husband, Jamey, remind me a lot of my wife and I fifteen to twenty years ago, when our kids were much younger. Those were great times as a family (and they have passed by way too quickly).

Some shiitake mushrooms that the Bryan family recently grew. (photo link)

Thy Hand Hath Provided is inspiring and instructive. Take, for example two posts about raising shiitake mushrooms...

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

And We Finally Have....Mushrooms

Jamey, tending the bees (photo link)

If you have any interest in keeping bees, I'm sure you will find the continuing series of photo-essays at Thy Hand Hath Provided to be interesting and inspiring too. The Bryan family is new to beekeeping and are learning a lot. I think Jamey must be something of a natural-born beekeeper because, as you can see in the picture above, he is wearing shorts while working an active hive.  Here, for your instruction and reading pleasure, are the beekeeping links (thus far) from Thy Hand Hath Provided...

Beekeeping Preparations: Emotional

Further Preparations & Why Top Bar Hives

Transferring Langstroth Nucs to Top Bar Hives

Hive Inspection #1

Into The Hives! (Inspections 2 and 3)

Bearding & Marking The Queen

Dividing A Hive & Grafting A Queen

Small Hive Beetles & A Homemade Trap

The Week of The Swarms

To be continued (at Thy Hand Hath Provided)...

The Bryan family grows and sells sunflowers at a roadside stand (photo link)

There is also a down-to-earth entrepreneurial side to Thy Hand Hath Provided. Check out How to Plant & Grow Cut Sunflowers To Sell

And it so happens that Jane has self-published a cookbook! I'll have more to say about that at a later date. For now, suffice it to say that it's my pleasure to add Thy Hand Hath Provided to the list of other fine, agrarian-themed blogs on my sidebar!