Author: Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. After deciding to stop RVing, we bought a ranch house halfway up a hill on five acres. After Bruce and I talked about names for our five acres, we settled on Blackberry Homestead as a homage to the wild blackberries on the hill. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist, and I’ll share my current projects. Gardening and reading are my favorite hobbies.

Rain Chain Installation on the Front Long Gutter

October 5, 2026 On the afternoon of September 24, Bruce decided it was time to install the rain chain. Let me back up here. Several months ago, we looked at various rain chains on Amazon and found one with a basin. We ordered it. We left the box unopened until September 22. When Bruce decided […]

When I Close My Eyes

I have somehow got tangled in the quiet web of your memories, where you still live somewhere within my heart… . When I close my eyes, the memories slip in like an old familiar habit, and for a while, the distance feels like a dream, whether it is day or night… . But the moment […]

A-tisket A-tasket, A Pepper Filled Basket

October 4, 2026 On September 20, most of the scorched plants had recovered. Some had been scorched to death. I lost more of my Alpine strawberries, sorrel, and my Longhorn pepper plant. I caught up on laundry and Bruce went out to mow. On September 21, Bruce continued with his mowing mission. I looked through […]

Quick Post, Everything Is Ok

October 2, 2026 This is just to let you know everything is okay. The last half of September was just a hard month for me emotionally. I just didn’t feel like posting. I kept thinking about posting, but just couldn’t do it. I know friends worry if they don’t see a post. I’ll plan to […]

Bruce’s Sister and Lola Visit Us

September 24, 2026 On September 18, Bruce’s sister spent the night at Blackberry Homestead on an air mattress in the odd room. Lola slept on the carpet next to the air mattress. On September 19, I got up early, just after six, and headed out to water the garden. Blackberry Homestead, the entire time we […]

Jekyll Island Visit

September 22, 2026 On September 12, Bruce and I drove the 9 hours and 20 minutes to Jekyll Island, GA to meet up with Bruce’s sister. We left the house at 9:00 AM with an estimated arrival time as 7:20 PM. It took us a bit longer than it would’ve if we had gone through […]

Remembering my Mom

September 21, 2026 My mother passed away on September 21, 2024, from complications of Alzheimer’s. It was a hard day for us. It is sometimes hard to remember her before Alzheimer’s caused us to lose her bit by bit. People think Alzheimer’s is just a problem of forgetting. It isn’t always. Mom’s dying brain made […]

Just Trying to Get Over a Cold and Not Feeling Like Doing Anything

September 20, 2026 On August 29, with rain expected later in the week, Bruce decided to clear the drainpipe under the patio. He spent some time trying to clear the pipe with me providing suggestions. After getting tired of watching the struggle, I went inside. About 45 minutes later, Bruce was triumphant. The drainpipe was […]

In Remembrance of 9/11

September 11, 2025 It has been 25 years since the terror attacks on our nation. It made such an impact on me and everyone around me. It feels surreal to know there are adults who weren’t alive when 9/11 happened. They don’t know the terror and how we pulled together as a nation. Many of […]

Bruce Does Not Have to Serve on the Jury

September 7, 2026 On August 28, 2026, in the morning Bruce headed back to the courthouse for the jury selection process. The jury pool was told the jury selection was almost finished. Bruce was a little bit jaded since he had heard this a few times. Bruce did appreciate the judge apologizing for the process […]