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.

Movers Canceled and Deposit Refunded (Hopefully)

October 15, 2024 Bruce and I decided to cancel the movers. My blog pal Leslie, from theadventuresofbiteydog.com, had mentioned that a friend of hers had her property held hostage until she paid the movers twice as much as quoted and this was after the movers had taken a month to make a three day move. […]

Bruce Arrived in Golden, CO

October 14, 2024 Bruce made the trip to Golden, Colorado safely. He’s got a hotel room near the storage units. He’s being very industrious, already looking for the items I wanted him to bring home. (Art, crystal, stemware, china.)

Busy Day at Blackberry Homestead

October 14, 2024 As soon as I had Nox settled, I put more items in the fridge and a couple of things in the freezer. On the top shelf, you can see the clear bins I bought to help keep the fridge better organized. This morning I finished picking up sticks and rocks in the […]

Move Rant, Feel Free to Skip

October 14, 2024 Since I hadn’t heard from the movers, I called them today. Either the man I set the move up with doesn’t understand several things or he is just an outright liar. First, I was told that we would talk again before the move. It didn’t happen. I called the number he gave […]

Missing Your Comments on the Blog

October 14, 2024 I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose. I just discovered many comments from several of you in the Jetpack pending comments section. Why I didn’t see them in my notifications, I don’t know. I know this happens, but I forget to check the pending section as often as I should. I have approved […]

Bruce on the Way to Denver, CO

October 13, 2024 Yesterday, Bruce drove me to the rental company at the airport. I rented a car to drive while he is traveling to Denver, Colorado and back again. Bruce made up lists of things to take and to pick up. He also made a list of things to do in Denver. Bruce headed […]

Flower of the Day

October 12, 2024 We have some sky blue morning glories growing by our fence on the north side of Blackberry Homestead.

Purchased Induction Range Today

October 12, 2024 I received a coupon in the mail from Home Depot for 15% off up to $200 dollars. Home Depot is currently running a special on appliances as well. After looking at gas ranges and considering that we would need gas plumbing added to the stove location, we decided to consider induction. I’ve […]

First Bill Arrived in New Mailbox

October 12, 2024 The first bill, the utility bill, arrived in our mailbox yesterday. It felt like a milestone. I spent a few minutes downloading the utilities app, paying the bill, going paperless and setting up autopay.

Front Yard Mowed and Nox Takes Another Ride

October 12, 2024 Bruce finished mowing the front yard. The grass was knee high, so a little over a foot tall. Here’s the last bit in the front that needs to be mowed. Here is a picture of the front yard completely mowed. He started mowing the back pasture, which is full of broom straw […]