About Our Storage Situation for Yard Equipment, the Barn

July 29, 2025 A nice-sized barn was already on the property when we bought Blackberry Homestead. It is a three-bay barn. Each barndoor is 1/3 of the length of the barn and fully opens to reveal the bay. Each bay is large enough to hold actual farm equipment, such as a mid-size tractor, bushhog, or […]

Butterflies, Birds, and Flowers

July 29, 2025 On July 28 (Monday), Bruce and I headed outside to see the results of the woodchipping Bruce did the day before. As we stepped out of the sliding door, I noticed a Variegated Fritillary on the red clover growing in a pepper bucket. Bruce had parked the cart full of woodchips next […]

Nox Waiting for Pills, Bats Flirting with the Moon

July 28, 2025 On Friday (July 25), I did my daily fight with the squash bugs. I picked off the eggs, sprayed soapy water on the nymphs, and squished any full-grown squash bug. It was cool enough in the evening to sit outside on the front porch and watch the sunset. Nox was sitting outside […]

One Week Follow-Up for Cataract Surgery, All Good

July 25, 2025 On Wednesday (July 23), Bruce got up and put on his coveralls. He cut up one of the branch piles with the electric pole saw so the branches would fit into the chipper. After coming in and cooling off, Bruce headed outside and moved two cartloads of the Bama Dirt into the […]

The Driveway Project Is Complete!

July 23, 2025 Yesterday, Tuesday (July 22), barely after 7 am, the driveway work commenced! The truck at the bottom of the driveway is bringing in the first load of crusher run gravel, which the driver dropped off in front of the garage. Bruce and I watched most of the work from inside the house. […]

Goat Cheese, Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil Galette

This recipe is a modification of the Savory Zucchini Galette from King Arthur Baking site. I have lots of zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and basil from the garden. I wanted to find a recipe that would be delicious and make a great lunch with the lovely produce from the garden. Since Bruce has digestive issues with […]

Our Next Big Project, the Driveway

July 21, 2025 Tomorrow, we are having our driveway repaired. The big flood we had on March 15 of this year caused a lot of gravel to wash off the bottom of the driveway aka the section by the road. We also have gravel from the driveway at the top of the hill washing away […]

Chipper Up and Chipping Plus Some Wind Damage Later

July 20, 2025 Bruce got up this morning and decided to get the chipper running. He had to remove the belts driving the drum and let the engine run for a while. Once the engine was hot, Bruce turned off the engine and replaced the belts. He was able to start the chipper up and […]

Mostly Indoor Day

July 19, 2025 With it raining all morning, I didn’t go outside. I spent some time working on my picture of lion cubs. I work from top to bottom, left to right to avoid smudging the picture. After it stopped raining, we walked to the mailbox. I admired the crepe myrtle blooming. Here is a […]

Butterflies and Dragonflies in the Back Pasture

July 19, 2025 On Thursday (July 17), we had another spectacular sunset. I was intrigued by the dark shadow above the cloud edged with sunlight. On Friday (July 18), Bruce got up early and put on coveralls. He went out to cut up branches into logs with the chainsaw. He wanted shorter logs to fit […]