I’m Robin Ripley. I am co-author of Grocery Gardening and I am in love with making gardens that are beautiful as well as bountiful. I make as much by hand as possible, including cheese, bread, pastries and wine.

My paying work in life is mostly sitting at a computer or traveling somewhere to talk about what I did sitting at a computer. But hardly a day goes by that I don’t get to spend some time outdoors looking at the trees, grass, plants, birds and sky. Usually it’s because the little dogs demand their sniff time and drag me along as their chaperon. But I also spend a good chunk of time outside working in the garden and in the kitchen creating good food from what I grow.

Thank you for visiting Bumblebee. Please drop me a line.

Robin Ripley

P.S.  Since some of you have asked, here are my vital statistics

Location: Calvert County, Maryland
Zone: 7
Property Size: 21+ acres, 4-5 of them hay, ~1 house and garden, the rest woods
Animals: Two Papillons, one cat with an attitude, 8 hens and a rooster named T. Boone Chickens. I adore them all.

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Right Now at Bumblebee

February 3rd, 2012

If you’re in the neighborhood and just happen to have your paintbrush and paint clothes with you, stop on by. Harry and I are taking the day off from work to start painting the master bedroom. We figure it’ll take until Sunday. Harry does most of the rolling—no small chore with high ceilings—and I do all the tedious detail work. You, of course, can pitch in wherever you like.

We’re painting it a dove grey. So if you see some grey in my hair in the next few days, it’s paint. Got it? The grey is paint.

Robin

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February 2nd, 2012

Happy Groundhog Day! What are you doing to celebrate?

We’ll have a special dinner of NOT groundhog. Dinner will be a special pasta (TBD) and some yummy homemade yeast rolls. Then we’ll pull out the photo album of past Groundhog Days and reminisce. We will toast Puxatawny Phil by opening the first bottle of my homemade apfelwein, which I hope is sparkly by now. If it’s any good, you’ll hear more about it.

Cheers!

Robin

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February 1st, 2012

Working from a home office is not always what it’s cracked up to be. I have a lousy IT department (me). Interruptions range from barking dogs to crowing roosters. I hear my business phone ring during non-business hours.

But there is a lot good about a 15 step commute. Such as today. It’s cloudy and a bit drizzly, but the temps will climb into the mid 60s for the second day in a row. I will turn off the heat, throw open the windows and give the house—and office—a good airing. Ahhh!

Robin

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January 22nd, 2012

It’s cold here with a bit of ice and snow on the ground. The hens hate it.

There was a huge, chicken-y traffic jam at their window/door this morning. As I opened it three hens bolted outside. But they beat a hasty retreat back into the coop while other hens were still trying to get out. There was an impasse and much chicken shoving. There were no injuries—unless you count my sore sides from laughing so hard.

Robin

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