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.

The Sound of Sandhill Cranes

December 16, 2026 I decided to share the short video I took of the Sandhill Cranes on December 12. It was in the observation building, so the sound was a bit muted. Two of the Whooping Cranes flew past while I was recording. Look in the left corner of the video when it is almost […]

Doing Some Minor Work on the RV

December 14, 2025 On Saturday (December 13), Bruce and I went to the RV. Knowing the polar vortex was arriving the next day, we wanted to make sure the RV had enough propane. After checking the propane levels, Bruce moved on to some maintenance tasks. Bruce screwed in some replacement screws. We had missed two […]

Drawing Little Pink Flowers on Textured Paper Is Not Easy

December 14, 2025 On Wednesday (December 10), when I brought “Juneau in Wild Sunflowers” to be framed, the part-time framing expert admired the picture. She loved the sunflowers and realized just how much work went into them. She was so impressed that she asked me how small I could draw flowers. Bruce being very proud […]

Seeing Whooping Cranes Among the Sandhill Cranes

December 13, 2025 Yesterday (Friday, December 12), we were meeting friends for lunch in Decatur, AL at Big Bob’s BBQ. We agreed to meet at 1:00 PM for lunch to avoid the lunch rush. Bruce and I left early so we could see the cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. The volunteer at the desk […]

Treats Arrived for Nox

December 13, 2025 On December 11 (Thursday), Nox got a surprise in the mail from Tom (and Reiko) of the https://reikos-journey.blog fame. Tom was also infamousfor the blog https://withinthekstreets.wordpress.com/. Nox was very upset to find out that Reiko didn’t like bacon. She just couldn’t fathom a dog not liking bacon. Tom suggested Nox could eat […]

Getting the Drawing of Juneau Framed and Buying a Car

December 10, 2025 Today (Wednesday December 10), we went to Florence, AL to get “Juneau in Wild Sunflowers” framed. I brought the stunning glass picture, my friend, Jeanne from aneanneinthekitchen.com, gave me for Christmas. I wanted a small frame around the glass picture with chains so it can be hung in front of the window. […]

Warmer Temperature Made for a Busy Day

December 10, 2025 Yesterday (Tuesday, December 9), the temperature got up to 50°F. It was sunny, so Bruce and I removed the mulch covering the greens and radishes. I opened the shed door to let the peppers get some sunlight. I plan to put grow lights in the shed. I am not sure how warm […]

“Juneau in Wild Sunflowers”From Start to Finish

December 7, 2025 Since I finished “Juneau in Wild Sunflowers” today, I thought it would be interesting to share the drawing from start to finish.

“Juneau in Wild Sunflowers” Is Finished!

December 7, 2025 Today, I used one of the cards from the set of cards my friend, Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com, had made with her beautiful photos. I (and Nox) put the print of Possy the Possum in with the card to send to Tom (and Reiko). After lunch, I started working on “Juneau in Wild […]

The Winter Art Market at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art

December 7, 2025 On Saturday (December 6), Bruce dropped me off at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art for the Winter Art Market in Tuscumbia, AL. He went off to do Bruce things. While Bruce enjoys art fairs, he doesn’t enjoy them as much as I do. I almost always want to look at the […]