CAN DODGE SPOON BE CONSIDERED A SPORT?

Hi, Delbert here.  I'm still trying to report about the sporting events in Thimblewyck.  But we don't have a very well organized sports program.  Maybe that will happen some time in the future.  Today I want to tell the story of the night tiny Lina had to do a bunch of dodging, all over the supper table, of a wooden spoon her Aunt Sara was using.  It was like this.  Sara had just arrived and hadn't really met Lina yet.  She had been busy getting herself and her family to Thimble Farm before the baby, Tamara, was born.  That all happened in the nick of time.  Then Sara asked if she could cook supper for the family.  She hadn't been able to cook in a real kitchen on their whole trip.  Gerda and Tom understood that it would help Sara feel settled in at her new home if she could cook for everybody, so they agreed.  Lina was used to finding a place to sit on either Gerda's shoulder or Tom's shoulder and talk to them.  When she ran down from where she was visiting to move to the other parent she ran onto the table, where everyone was sitting.  Sara saw her, but didn't know that Lina was tiny and assumed it was a mouse.  She started screaming and hitting at her with a wooden spoon.  A mouse on the supper table was a horrible thing to Sara. Lina was startled and did a pretty good job of running this way and that, dodging the big spoon.  Tom stood up, and taking a hit on his arm, rescued Lina before she could be hit by the big spoon.  Then he told Gerda to explain things to Sara and went outside with Lina, to make sure she was not hurt.  It was decided that Lina would come back inside, but sit with the swallow Adar, on the window sill, to eat supper.  That would have let Sara get over her embarrassment and let Lina feel safe.  The only problem was that the evil frog, Croadine, jumped up on the window from outside, and kidnapped Lina.  That started a long adventuresome Fall and Winter for everyone.  I will tell you more about that later.  Let me know if any of you have ever had to dodge a spoon.  Buzz at you later.  Delbert Bee.

The Li Su Fairies versus The Petra Fairies

In regular sports teams gather and play against each other.  One team may throw more balls across a line or something.  Then that team is said to be the winner.  In the band of fairies that live in Thimblewyck there are parts of two different clans.  They are kind of different so they are sometimes against each other.  I wish they would have actual sporting events.  Then they might be better friends.  The different clans are the Li Su clan and the Petra clan.  Li Su stands for life sustaining.  That means they work to help things live.  It can be animals or plants.  That's why Binar was so good as the Prince of Flowers.  I used to ask him to enourage the flowers around the hive to be especially full of nectar.  He would help out us bees that way.  Petra is a name for rock.  The Petra fairies love rocks.  They are good at finding things like rubies and diamonds.  I think the Petras and the Li Su will eventually be able to get along.  It is better for everybody when they do.  Here's to teamwork and sportsmanship.  I'll buzz you later.  Delbert the Bee.

IS COOKIE THROWING A SPORT?

I am not always sure if the events I report would be scored as a sport or not.  The night Gerda threw a lot of cookies at a frightened cat was full of action.  Some of the cookies did hit the cat.  But we haven't had any contests since of "hit the cat with cookies" so I don't know if it would be called a real sport.  But it was interesting.  Tom and Gerda had come home from the crossroads where they had received the seed that was to get them a child.  They had planted it in a pot of good soil.  Tom was nervous at the wait so he went out to milk the cow.  A cat jumped in the open cottage window, trying to snatch Adar, the swallow.  Adar flew out of the way and the cat landed on the table where the pot was, knocking it to the floor, where it broke.  Gerda had already started throwing things at the cat to chase it away.  Most of what she could grab were cookies from a very big plate of cookies she had baked.  When Tom came back it was to a huge pile of cookie crumbs, a frightened cat streaking out the door, Gerda in a state and the pot in shambles on the floor.  He put his big farmer's hands around the soil and lifted it all gently into a wooden bucket he had.  It was not very long until a flower sprouted, bloomed and opened to show the teensy, tiny creature that was Lina.  So tiny that the fairies actually gave her a growth spurt so that it would be easier for Tom to hold her in his hand. Well, sport or not, it was an action filled night.  Lina has been a delight to us all ever since, so however things happened, we are glad they did.  I'm off now to visit more flowers.  Buzz at you later, Delbert the Bee.

The Great Chasing Dog Race

The winter that Lina spent living with the little mouse Clarissa was very adventuresome for the people she left at Thimble Farm.  I've been telling you about sporting activities so I think today I will tell you about a great race that happened then. It was in early winter, while everyone still lived at old Thimble Farm.  The fairies were worried about the way a river, that had been a small stream, was backing up near the farm.  Tom had been thinking that he might have to move the farm the following spring.  The fairies had come to the farm to tell Tom he should move the farm, and all the extra refugees as well, as quickly as possible.  Many people had been coming to live with Tom because of fires and floods in the area that had ruined their own farms. While they were talking about the move, the little baby, Tamara, who had been born the day Croadine kidnapped Lina, came by riding in a small dog cart.  She was now old enough to sit up well and it had been safe when her brother Karl had been walking by her to balance her and keep the dog walking slowly.  But suddenly Heinz, the little dog, spotted a rabbit.  Something about the yellow-green tinge on that rabbit's fur drove him wild.  He started to chase the rabbit. It was an evilly enchanted rabbit, but he didn't know that.  Little Karl was chasing for all he was worth but he couldn't stop the dog and cart.  About twenty people were now living at the farm and they all started to chase that dog and cart for all they were worth.  But the way the cart was actually stopped was by one of the swallows.  That bird had not left for the South yet.  He darted in the face of the little dog until he started going in circles and people could reach the cart and Tamara.  The cart turned over and the baby fell out.  She didn't hit her head and didn't cry.  But later she had a lot of trouble walking and that accident may have been the cause of that. It was a hard day for everyone but people did learn they were all pretty fit and could run a good race when they had to.  Stay fit and I will buzz you later.  Delbert Bee.

Frog Wrestling is Not an Approved Sport

Like I told you earlier, Lina learned a thing or two about wrestling by watching Karl try to get away from Tom. Once Karl knew Tom was a friend he wrapped his arms around his neck and let him carry him.  But later that night, while everybody was eating supper, Lina was kidnapped right off the windowsill.  She was sitting with Adar, the swallow, and all of a sudden she was snatched. Lina didn't have much chance to resist at first, it was so sudden.  But later, when Croadine, the evil frog, wanted Lina out of the way while she fixed up the muddy room she wanted Lina to live in as the bride of her son, Lina put up a good fight.  Croadine wanted to set her out in the middle of the pond on a lily pad.  She wrapped her long tongue around Lina and started to swim out to the lily pads.  Lina thought about how silly that must look and started to laugh.  That tickled the frog's throat and she started to cough.  At first Lina was scared because she thought the frog would drop her and Lina didn't think she could swim.  But Croadine just wrapped her tongue around Lina a bit more tightly and kept on swimming.  But when they reached the lily pads they got into quite a tussle.  At first Lina just wanted to reach into the water to wash off because she felt yucky from being in Croadine's mouth.  But Croadine though she was trying to swim away so she grabbed her again.  Lina did things like flipping around and changing the way she held her arms and legs.  She even tried to get Croadine's long tongue tied in a knot.  But then Croadine did something that Lina thought was super yucky.  It was unfair I think.  Croadine hacked up a bunch of sticky frog phlegm and glued Lina to the lily pad.  In sportsmanlike wrestling one of the wrestlers gets pinned to the mat.  Lina got glued to it.  But it all worked out in the end.  Croadine swam away and before she returned the fish rescued Lina.  They splashed water on Lina to loosen the goo and then chewed the stem of the lily pad so it could be a boat to carry Lina away from the pond. She had more adventures, of course, but she never had to wrestle a frog again.  Let's hear it for good sportsmanship.  Buzz you later, Delbert the bee.

The Sports Scene at Thimble Farm

Hi, it's Delbert, the inquisitive bee here.  Today I think I will call myself a sports reporter.  About the only sports bees take part in is racing.  But I've noticed that other creatures throw things, run and wrestle.  I want to talk about how Lina learned to wrestle.  This took place the day before the evening when she was kidnapped by that awful frog, Croadine. That was a very busy day.  Farmer Tom's sister-in-law, Sara and her daughter-in-law, Bettina came to live at Thimble Farm.  Bettina was in the middle of having a baby and things were hectic.  It was discovered that Karl, a very energetic boy was also with them.  When Tom tried to lift him out of the luggage where he was riding, he tried to run away.  He really had some wild wrestling moves.  Eventually Tom got hold of him, gentled him and took him in to supper.  Lina watched how he would make himself big by the way he would hold his arms, then shrink and twist to get away.  Finally Tom had to grab hold of his sturdy clothes to make sure he was safe. Karl and Lina liked each other right away.  Karl called her a doll lady, because she was so small. That was such a busy day.  I will investigate some more and share the sporting events with you. May the home team win.  I heard that's something a sportswriter might say.  I'll buzz you later.  DElbert.

DO BEES GET TIRED?

It might seem that bees never get tired.  They never seem to stop gathering from the flowers and going back to the hive to help honey get made.  But there is a lot of work in all that.  Then a bee has to stay up with the daily details of planning where they will go.  We have to spend some time visiting with each other as well.  Friendship is very important to bees.  I guess friendship is important to everyone.  Today I got out of the hive early and headed right to a special patch of flowers near a field of corn that Farmer Tom Thimble had planted.  All the creatures of Thimblewyck seem to like to visit that field.  I did some happy visiting there today.  I flew over a peaceful stream on my way and gave a special buzz to a grove of trees near the field.  Camber, the wood sprite, is a friend to us all and he makes sure the trees near and on the farm are well taken care of.  I have been worn out learning all about the events of last winter, when a terrible flood caused the move of the whole farm to take place.  Today I just rested by flying and gathering.  I did a bit of visiting as well.  Being around friends is always a good way to rest.  I watched Farmer Tom walk behind his horses that were pulling a plow.  They do the work and he does the guiding.  Soon there will be more growing things for me to visit.  If you ever visit Thimble Farm I will give you a buzz.  I will buzz more to you later.  Delbert.

D

THE CLUE THAT WARNED OF DANGER AT THIMBLE FARM

Delbert here, still doing outstanding investigative reporting.  I have really been fascinated by all the events at Thimble Farm over the last winter.  While we bees stayed in our hive great changes were taking place on the farm.  So great that the whole farm moved to another location.  I've talked about it a lot lately.  One thing I wanted to know was why the fairies knew danger was coming to the farm.  Marus, one of the main fairies, talked to me a lot about it.  There were several things they were watching, all around the countryside, not just at the farm.  But he said that one big clue was the presence of ugly and stinky, yellow grey smoke. It was later discovered that evil creatures had been doing dangerous things in the caverns under Windom Castle.  Thimble farm was very near the castle at the time.  When the fairies would smell or see that kind of smoke they would investigate.  They looked around the farm and discovered that the river that ran by the farm was blocked up with burnt trees and other debris, and about to burst forth with a big flood.  So I guess the main clue Marus and the other fairies always looked for was that awful smoke.  Bees don't like smoke that much. It makes us go to sleep.  I guess we are lucky we were up so high in that old oak that we escaped a lot of all that trouble and danger.  That is one adventure I don't mind escaping.  Well, I'm off to visit some roses.  I'll buzz at you later.

WHY HANS DIDN'T GET ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH

As you know I have been investigating the events at Thimble Farm the winter when Lina was more or less lost.  Eventually the fairies knew where she was but it was decided it would be safer for her to stay with Clarissa, the little mouse.  There was just too many signs of evil around the farm that winter.  Then I told you about the farm having to move, because of a massive flood.  I even mentioned the little swallow, Hans, and how he insisted they give the new farm cottage a blue roof.  His mother, Adar, and the other swallows had already left for the South, but he had delayed his flight to hunt for Lina.  One thing led to another and he was still at the farm when the move had to take place.  He was very insistent that the new farmhouse have a blue roof so his mother and the other swallows would notice it, and learn that it was the new Thimble Farm.  All that took place and then he started to fly south.  But it was late in the year, he flew too near some thorns and injured his wing. Because of the cold and the injury, he fell out of the sky near the burrow when Lina was living with Clarissa, the mouse.  He actually fell into a place where the tunnel to the burrows was weak.  Lina found him and thought he was dead. She didn't recognize him but couldn't stand to just leave him there without honoring him in some way.  So she covered him and gave him a loving kiss. Later she came back to honor him again and he had warmed up and she discovered he was alive.  He was weak and so she nursed him all winter.  When she left the burrows in the spring it was with the mole, Gordon and Hans. So Hans spent the winter with Lina and helped her get back home in the spring.  I'm going to keep up with my research and will share more with you later.  Buzz at you another time.  Delbert Bee.

HOW COULD FAIRIES MOVE A WHOLE FARM?

I am so amazed at what I am learning about the move of Thimble Farm.  When I first found out about it I didn't realize all that was involved.  I, along with our whole hive, was just happy to find the farm, move our hive, and get on with loving our flowers.  Some of our hive just wanted to stay where we were, in that big oak.  In fact a second hive was set up there, in the oak.  But our main group wanted to be where Binar, the flower fairy, was most likely to spend the most time.  We knew that he liked Thimble Farm a lot. We did too.  So we moved.  But when I studied what had happened to get the farm moved I really saw that it had been a big deal.  If Marus, and his sisters Non Ton and Hilda, hadn't had the gift of being able to twist time all would have been lost.  Marus sensed the great wall of water was about to hit and he stopped time right then.  Then he, and his sisters, manipulated it in a variety of ways.  Speeding it up, stopping it, slowing it down, all kinds of ways.  A new location was found, a farm house was built, animals etc were moved.  It was all very complex.  Everyone and everything helped.  By the time Marus was ready to release the wall of water to do its worst, the farm, with a blue roof on the cottage, was a well established farm in another location.  I think some of the plants must have been transplanted but maybe Binar can influence growth cycles.  I will have to check it all out. This story isn't over yet.  Buzz you later.  Delbert.

More Mysteries of the Move

Hi All.  I talked about the move of Thimble Farm and a lot of the creatures of Thimblewyck found me and wanted to discuss all kinds of things.  I really had to do a bunch of investigating.  Someone wanted to know how and why New Thimble Farm had a blue roof.  They said Adar the swallow's son, Hans, would probably know.  I found him and he said that since the move happened after the other swallows had flown south he was very worried about Adar being able to find the farm when she returned in the Spring. Tom asked him for suggestions and Hans said that if the roof was blue Adar would be sure to notice it.  But making it blue was a problem.  They would have to travel to get blue pigment for paint and it was costly.  But Binar, the flower fairy, had such power over plants that the fairies made the roof blue easily and quickly.  It was actually winter, but still Binar caused it all to happen.  It did help Adar find the farm.  That swallow was Gerda's special pet.  It all worked out.  I'm sure there are a few more mysteries I shall have to report.  Buzz you later.  I do have a nose for news.

The Mystery of the Move

Bees aren't out and about that much in the winter.  We stay in the hive in a cluster, keeping warm and keeping the hive warm.  Lina was kidnapped near the end of the summer and we all spent the winter, pretty much staying warm, but worrying about her.  However, when we came out things had changed, a lot.  Our hive was in the top part of a big old oak tree and we hadn't realized that a great big flood had swept by the tree.  Some of the smaller trees had been uprooted. There were traces of the flood all over the place.  Lots of  dried mud coated everything.  The biggest change was that the farm was gone.  The farm buildings were all messed up.  I had to do a lot of investigation.  I finally found out that the fairies had helped Tom and the others move the whole farm to a safer place just in time. Some of the fairies can twist time and that made it possible for things to get taken care of.  They made time stand still until they had things all packed up and moved.  I flew around until I found out where Thimble farm had moved to.  Then our whole hive moved as well.  I'm so glad we survived the flood.  That oak tree is a wonderful tree.  I still visit it from time to time, just to say thanks for saving us from the flood.  More adventures to tell you about later.  Your friend, Delbert Bee.

TOM THIMBLE IS A HERO TO BEES!

Another bee just asked me why I prefer to gather nectar at Thimble farm.  I told him that if I could I would have a special award ceremony for Farmer Tom Thimble.  I think Tom really cares about nature.  It shows in the way nature returns that caring.  I think nature cares about Tom Thimble.  His farm looks nice, everything grows well, and it feels good to be on the farm.  For instance he is good to bees.  Bees aren't big so they can't drink a lot of water.  But they do get thirsty.  We can always find a bit of fresh water here to drink.  Tom allows the ordinary plants, the ones some might call weeds, to flower in the corner of the fields.  Bees can go to nearly any flower.  But butterflies prefer special plants.  I see butterflies at the farm all the time.  Tom doesn't swat or holler at bees.  He knows we really try to never sting a human. Farmer  Tom has allowed a couple of dead trees to remain standing.  They help many creatures, birds for their nests, and bees for their hives especially. He knows the value of wind but he also knows wind can be destructive.  He has planted bushes and trees to protect the farm from the strongest winds.  Even on the windiest days I can still gather my nectar at Thimble Farm.  Now that the evil fairies are gone, at least I hope they are, Thimble Farm is a great place to be.

I Was Told To Buzz Off!

I am not sure that Karl's dog, Heinz, is all that polite.  Possibly I wasn't that polite to him just now.  But I didn't like that he was digging in my favorite flowerbed.  Here's what happened.  I was busy gathering pollen, as near the cottage as I could so I could overhear anything for my gossip column, and Heinz, who is a couple of years old now, and his little brothers started digging in Gerd'a flowerbed.  I buzzed down and told them that wasn't a good idea.  I even offered to show them a better place to bury a bone.  The smallest one just looked up at me and barked out, 'Buzz off'.  I was insulted.  I got him back.  I went to find Karl and told him what was going on.  He came and stopped the destruction.  Gerda saw Karl save her flowers and gave him some cookies.  Gerda always has cookies.  Karl knew I had helped so he let me land on a cookie crumb that had some gooey syrupy sweet stuff.  I am so glad that the fairies enchanted Thimble Farm so everybody can talk to each other.  Buzz at you later.  Delbert signing off.

THIMBLEWYCK HONEY THE BEST IN THE WORLD

You know I travel.  I travel a bit more than the average bee.  It's because I am so curious.  Recently I overheard Gerda, Lina's mom, tell Tom, Lina's poppa, that she had got a better price than usual for honey she had sold at the fair in Montrachet.  The storekeeper told her that his customers were willing to pay double for honey that they knew came from Thimble farm.  He said that he was going to put some with a traveling merchant who goes all over.  Maybe even across the border to Chaga, a whole other country.  Imagine that.  I know that our honey has to be good.  We are happy bees around here.  Gerda and the fairies do all they can to make sure the flowers are happy.  We help pollinate the flowers and that helps everybody, fairies, humans, flowers and bees.  Plus honey is more than just sweet.  It really does keep people healthy.  I wonder what it would be like to travel with that caravan to Chaga. Maybe not.  Things around here are in a very good balance.  If people over there have to buy honey they may not be treating their plants or flowers just right.  Besides that I might miss my friends.  I don't just mean my hive.  I really do like visiting everybody on Thimble farm, or Thimblewyck, as we call it now.  Here every creature can talk to each other.  It is a very friendly place.  The news of the day is that we also have the best honey in the world.

BEES REMEMBER THAT AWFUL FIRE YEARS LATER

Hi, this is Delbert.  It has been a good spring.  A lot of flowers.  Plenty of nectar to take back to the hive to make honey.  We bees have even been able to be a bit lazy.  We are still "as busy as a bee" of course.  But it's good to be able to sit on the edge of a flower and chat a bit from time to time.  Yesterday several of us were sitting on some very bright red flowers and someone mentioned that it was a fire red.  Right away we all got quiet.  We remembered that awful fire that burned in Montrachet a few years ago.  The smoke was so bad that some of us passed out.  It put us right to sleep.  That fire was miles away from our hive but it was dense and strong.  Kind of weird actually, kind of yellow gray and a worse smell than usual for smoke.  Of course we later found out that a bit of evil had been involved in that fire.  Very bad time for all of Thimblewyck.  Yes,we all sat around and remembered that fire.  It caused the death of Lina's parents.  Very bad.  People think bees just fly around and work, work, work.  We do a lot more than that.  We know what's going on.  We talk about it too.  Well, I have been sitting a bit.  Better get to work.  Buzz at you later.

What Is Fairy Time?

Hi, It's Delbert here.  I've been busy in the hive.  Been telling a lot of stories about things I know to while away the winter.  In the stories about Thimblewyck some of the fairies, Marus especially, can twist time.  It's very useful.  He can put off things quite well that way.  He can also speed things up to bring wonderful things to one sooner.  Once his sister, Hilda, rescued some people by making time speed up for some goblins, so they worked themselves into exhaustion.  When they fell asleep their captives were able to simply walk away, out of the cavern.  I kind of go back in time when I remember things, and forward when I anticipate things.  But I can't actually twist time.  When I go back or forwards in time I usually have some emotion connected with all that.  Sometimes that's good.  Sometimes it's not so good.  Fairies seem to be able to fly above bad times.  I suppose you could call fairy time the ability to be light, airy and happy.  I can do that, I guess.  When I'm out among the flowers I feel that way.  Right now, remembering my Summer of flying from flower to flower makes me feel light, airy and happy.  So I guess I hooked into fairy time a little bit.  Happy times to you all.  Buzz at you later.  Delbert.