Michelle Obama Watch

@AJ Ain’t that the truth. Grow food and cook. I’m getting a crock pot this weekend. Taking it back to the olden days.

I wonder if she can keep up this pace. At the end of four years she might have met half the students attending school in DC.

This woman is just too much. I know the world was blown away when President Obama was elected, but we have not seen the likes of a Michelle Obama in a long time. I know this much if I know nothing else whoever is the next First Lady has some big shoes to fill-literally and physically-because Michelle has raised the bar. Of course the next one may have to wait 8 years.

@regina gurl stop with the honey bees. Its all fun and games until they sting you in the eye and your face swells shut for three days.

She had me all the way up to the point where she said bees. But yes, I am going to plant something this weekend.

Couldn’t wait to read the posts here…knew it would be worth a laugh. What a practical gardening outfit! Can’t wait to see the bee keeper’s hat…I’m sure it will be all the rage. And next, I hear, the White House will build an outhouse…to make genuine presidential compost. And SKYE, you think it would be a privilege to work in the garden? You sound like a good neo-comrade citizen already. The way Barry is destroying our country and economy, setting up a big soup kitchen is smart.

I’ve been stung on my eyelid — swelled up the whole side of my face. I don’t know if it was a bee or a wasp. And once I grabbed a soda I had left sitting on the ground while playing frisbee, took a swig and got a yellowjacket sting in my mouth.

Mostly it’s wasps that sting, not honeybees. They can sting, if pushed, but they’re really not at all aggressive.

Wow! I really connected with First Lady Michelle Obama and the Fifth Grade gardeners. My Fourth Graders have been gardening for about six years as part of the curriculum. They are growing some of the same kinds of vegetables such as: beans, peas, beets, corn, broccoli, spinach, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes. We also make our own compost using a tumbler located on campus. The students are growing a verity of lettuce in their hydroponic garden as well. It’s awesome! I hope their garden is as beautiful as ours. Good Luck!

We would love to connect with this group. Is it possible?

Honey Bees at the White House! What a great thing! Honey bees not only provide pollination for many of the foods we eat every day, they are truly the canary in the coal mine for the environment. Having bees at the White House will drive discussions about the use of pesticides, organic care of the White House grounds, etc. It’s a great thing.
And, for those of you that have been stung, likely it wasn’t a honey bee, and, regardless, that’s a small price to pay for an insect that brings so much value to our lives.

Not only does gardening provide exercise, but also fresh food that doesn’t cost as much as the supermarket.

I really like this First Lady’s emphasis on good health and practical living.

Goodness, this is so great!

I’ve really enjoyed reading the comments here, too; it’s time for me to invest in a slow cooker, too, like Jackie, and it’s heart warming to know that Margaret Ingram’s class(es) have been gardening for a good number of years.

At some point I’ll give vegetable growing a go, but, to start I want to kick off with trying to grow sprouts, like mung bean, aduki, alfalfa, chickpeas, lentils and soya beans. I’ve bought bags of organic sprouts to put into my lunchtime salads; they are little nutritional powerhouses, and it’s time to try growing some for myself. It should (hopefully) be an easy start for a baby beginner like I am; no soil or sunshine needed, it’s done indoors, and the sprouts are ready to eat in 3-5 days…apparently!

Well, re: the bees, I’ve read that in both Britain and the U.S. there’s been a mysterious decline in their numbers over the past number of years. All kinds of reasons have been given including mobile telephone signals, but, I’m not sure whether anyone’s close to finding an answer. Oregonbeeman has it right re: the environment and the importance of bees. We need ‘em!

Looking forward very much to getting an update in due course on the White House garden.

The beehive is fantastic and incredible. We’ve got one here within 50 feet of the house. No problem at all. In fact, it’s common the bees are around outside water sources… birdbaths, garden hose, etc. and they don’t bother anybody. In fact, my father will take a chair and sit within 10 feet from the hive to watch them bring in pollen and do their work.

Don’t forget, these bees have jobs to do and the only time they become aggressive is when they feel threatened, as in you opening the hive to take their honey! But when guests come over, they will go and check it out, kids play within 20 feet… and we have no problems.

Said earlier by a writer… they weren’t sure what stung them. Of course you CAN get stung by a honeybee, but I believe the odds are high it was something else.

The h-bees are too busy and too domesticated to sting when not provoked.

Long live the bees!