Author: Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We have a 12-pound dog, Nox, who we love dearly. She has been with us since 2009. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. We bought a ranch house on a hill in the middle of five acres. 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. Reading is my favorite hobby.

Cutting Branches from Pine Tree Three

June 27, 2025 On June 10 (Monday), Bruce used his electric pole saw to cut branches from pine tree three. It was a lot of work. I helped by dragging branches out of the way. We made a lot of progress in breaking the tree down. A storm was coming, so we started heading inside. […]

Getting Chickens from Our Neighbors

June 23, 2025 On June 7 (Saturday), I got a text from our neighbor saying our ten chickens were ready. He had sent the text while Bruce and I were demolishing pine tree one. I didn’t hear the phone notifying me. After I got cleaned up, I saw the text and responded back asking when […]

All the Branches Removed from Pine Tree Number One

June 19, 2025 On June 7 (Saturday), Bruce tackled cutting the remaining branches from pine tree one. Bruce cut off all the long branches. I dragged the branches Bruce cut to the branch piles. Nox seemed interested in the tree, so I put her on the trunk and held her while she looked around. Bruce […]

And the Chipper Won’t Start

June 19, 2025 On June 6 (Friday), we had sunny skies in the evening. Perfect to try out the new chipper, or so we mistakenly thought. With a new small gas can full of gas, Bruce poured gasoline into the chipper. Then the “fun” began. The chipper wouldn’t start, no matter how many times Bruce […]

Rainy Day Tasks

June 19, 2025 On June 6 (Friday), it poured rain on and off. With all the rain, we didn’t do anything else with the chipper. Instead, we did some indoor projects. I had ordered some cellular shades for Bruce’s office. We took advantage on the rainy day to put the shades. From Bruce’s window, I […]

More Birdie’s Garden Beds and a Chipper Arrive

June 14, 2025 On June 5 (Thursday), Bruce was expecting two deliveries, large size Birdie’s Garden Beds and the chipper. We were both very excited earlier in the week to get the emails with the information about the deliveries. I had PT scheduled for the day of the deliveries, so I left Bruce at home […]

Damselflies at the Creek

June 13, 2025 On June 5 (Wednesday), Bruce and I walked down to the mailbox to see if we got any mail. Bruce checked the mailbox while I checked to see if there were any fish in the creek. The tiny fish (about 1/2 to an inch) dashed under the culvert as I watched. I […]

Random Picture

June 13, 2025 I have no idea what this picture is. I found it on my phone when I was looking at the pictures to decide what to post. It looked very artistic to me, so I decided to share it. Updated June 13: Serval of you suggested turning the picture to get an early […]

My Hip Klip Broke

June 13, 2025 I’m a bit behind on my blogging. I’ve been crazy busy with the yard work. On June 3 (Tuesday), I was out doing some yard work, when my original Hip Klip broke. I felt it swing loose and hit my thigh. I have worn my Hip Klip almost everyday since August 23, […]

Timber! Felling Pine Tree Number One

June 7, 2025 On Monday (June 2), Bruce determined the ground was dry and hard enough to take the truck into the back pasture. He wanted to use the truck to help safely take down the pine tree one. Bruce drove the truck into the back pasture and parked it. Using a ladder, Bruce climbed […]