**This is a repost of a piece that I shared WAY back in 2018 when these wonderful, winged friends first appeared. That it is still relevant here in 2022 really says something!**

I was delighted to have Tom Gibson step into my office this week with a completely wonderful and totally unexpected update from the permaculture garden, which he and some other industrious volunteers have been tending to this week. When he lead me down to the garden, he introduced me to a colony of burrowing, Great Golden Digger wasps. This unique species makes its nest underground rather than building a nest like other wasps and hornets. And it brings back prey to its burrow in order to provide sustenance for its offspring. But it is such an unusual thing to see and the workings of the wasps was so easily seen for what it was, I felt like I was watching a national geographic documentary up close! The wasps are harmless if they aren’t handled, but they have set up shop on the Southwest corner of the center path of the garden. You’ll probably be able to see their burrowing holes when you are walking through the garden. 

One of the benefits of a permaculture garden is that it creates a rich and diverse ecosystem that invites all kinds of plants, animals, bacteria, etc. to make their home there. But, no matter how deliberate one might be, you can’t PLAN on having such a specific insect show up and make its home. It’s one of those miraculous little nature things that we are just lucky enough to see. So by all means, come and observe the show!

Allan T. Georgia, M.Div., M.T.S., PhD

Sometimes it is hard to tap into our spiritual selves or find time to nurture our intellectual curiosity. Here is a section that reflects on some nourishing materials from around the web and related media channels in order to get us thinking, get us feeling, and get us reflecting on the lives we are living in this big, beautiful world. **Some Adult/Mature Themes May Appear in Links and Other Attached Material**