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.

Tater Tot Breakfast Burrito

This recipe was something I threw together to use up some leftovers from toco night along with some fresh items. It was delicious! Serves 2

Finishing Assembly of the Tall Garden Beds

January 16, 2025 I did want to share this picture I took on Saturday night (January 11). The moon was between Jupiter and Mars. Mars is circled in red at the bottom of the picture and Jupiter is circled in red at the top of the picture. On Monday (January 13), the ground was sopping […]

Things We’ve Done Lately on Blackberry Homestead

January 12, 2025 With the snow coming and trees ordered, it was time to do some sheet mulching to get ready for the pecan trees. On Wednesday (January 8), I took two large cardboard boxes from the barn and flattened them. I carried them out to the front yard. I also brought some large rocks […]

A Scene Straight from Colorado in my Alabama Backyard

January 10, 2024 Last night, I woke up at 4:30 AM to go to the bathroom. I looked out the window to see if it had snowed since the winter storm warning started at midnight. Snow was coming down in large flakes and it looked like a half inch to an inch of accumulation of […]

Checking on the RV and Ordering Topsoil

January 9, 2025 In the early afternoon on January 4 (Saturday), we drove to the Florence Alabama RV Park to make sure the RV was OK. While we were there, Bruce replaced the RV’s propane tank regulator. It had been acting up, so he wanted a new one installed before the cold weather arrived. The […]

Winter Storm Watch Warning for Friday

January 8, 2025 While we got a few flurries of snow on and off earlier this week, we didn’t get any real accumulation. This morning, I woke to an alert for a winter storm watch. The polar vortex is about to arrive. The National Weather Service is predicting snow to start at 12:00 AM on […]

It IS Snowing Right Now!

January 6, 2025 Just after my previous post, Bruce took Nox outside for a potty break. It was lightly snowing! Nox was ready to get inside after her potty break. Snow, no thank you! She wanted to get up on the people bed and enjoy the massage feature. She can be very clear she wants […]

What?!!! Snow?!! In Northern Alabama!!!

January 6, 2025 I received an alert from the National Weather Service just a short time ago. Noooo! I didn’t escape the snow! If it does snow, it should be a very light and pretty snow.

Seeds on the Way

January 5, 2025 I love planning my garden at this time of year. I was busy ordering seeds online from Southern Seeds, when by chance I looked out my office window on Friday (January 3). The moon was a beautiful crescent with Venus nearby, brightly shining. I took a picture through my window, then I […]

A Busy Couple of Days

January 2, 2025 On New Year’s Day, Bruce noticed a couple of flickers in the backyard, fairly close to the house. We walked over to the sliding door and watched them for a while. The wind calmed down and Bruce decided to use his chainsaw to cut the branches off the fence. He also cut […]