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.

Progress and Knocked Silly

May 5, 2021 On Monday, we had a structural engineer come and look at the house. There were some cracks in the sheetrock along the stairs that worried our realtor. I know we have shifting soil in this area, so her worries were catching. The structural engineer looked at everything and said there had been […]

A Polish Feast — A Jeanne in the Kitchen

The other day, we got together with Julia and Bruce for lunch. As much as Julia and I both love to cook, every now and then we like to take a break from our own kitchens to see what’s cooking in other kitchens as well. And we love trying new ethnic and exotic foods too. […] […]

Early Morning at the Dakota RV Park

May 1, 2021 This morning, as we took Nox for a walk up the ridge, we were serenaded by meadowlarks. I love their flute like song. One of meadowlarks perched on top of the rock ridge and I was able to get a few pictures before he flew off. I was looking around the outside […]

Things to Do to Get Ready for the Retirement RV Dream

Getting ready

Backyard Visitors Excite Nox

April 28, 2021 This morning, as Bruce was walking by the French doors on the way to the kitchen for coffee, he happened to look into the backyard. What he saw caused him to freeze. He said, “There is a duck on the outdoor kitchen.” I got my phone ready to take pictures and I […]

Relaxing at the RV

April 25, 2021 Just a very quick update as the countdown to retirement continues. Since Bruce discovered Facebook Marketplace, we been downsizing at an amazing clip. Our barrister style bookcases are gone (two were bought by my friend Jeanne), the kegerator is gone, the two futons are gone, as well as a bunch of other […]

Julia Has Been Busy Cooking Again

My friend and fellow blogger, Julia Sculthorpe, from https://retirementrvdream.com/ is a FABULOUS chef! She loves to cook all kinds of delicious, … Julia Has Been Busy Cooking Again

Morning Visitors – Ducks

April 14, 2021 As we drove up to the house around 6:30 AM this morning, we saw a couple of ducks landing in the yard. The white in the pictures is a light dusting of snow.

Sprouted Wheat Naan

I modified the nana recipe from Joy of Cooking. The sprouted wheat makes a slightly sweeter naan. The yogurt provides a bit of tang, so if you know a tangy/sour plain yogurt, use it. I served this at my dinner party last Saturday. Serves 12

Bakewell Slices Made At Home

Bakewell slices or Bakewell tarts are very popular all throughout the UK. They were named after the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. The tart is a … Bakewell Slices Made At Home Jeanne was kind enough to bring this delicious tart to my dinner party.