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.

Beignets

I was craving donuts, so I decided to make beignets as they are an easy donut to make. I made a modification to the Classic Beignets recipe from the King Arthur Baking site. I was pleased with how the beignets turned out. The beignets satisfied my donut craving. Makes about 30 beignets

Torreya State Park in Florida

February 6, 2024 On Saturday (February 3), we rode the motorcycle to a nearby Florida state park, Torreya State Park. As we rode into the park, we passed a trailhead warning the pay station was ahead. So we continued to the pay station. They had pull offs for vehicles to stop at to be out […]

On to a New RV Park in Florida

February 3, 2023 On Wednesday (January 31), we started running through our check list in preparation to move on February 1 (Thursday). Later in the day, we walked around the campground and said goodbye to our fellow travelers at Trails End RV Park and wished them safe travels. The work campers and owners wished us […]

Historic Marker on FL 48

February 2, 2024 On January 25, we were coming back from Bushnell, FL to Trails End RV Park when Bruce pulled into the driveway of the Wahoo Community Park along FL 48. It is a small community park with a historic marker. There is primitive camping in the park.

Wildlife at Trails End RV Park in Florida

February 2, 2024 I always enjoy seeing the wildlife at Trails End RV Park. Two baby alligators started hiding in the water plants beside the dock. Many people enjoyed walking down to the dock to see the baby alligators. We meet two different couples who had dogs that decided baby alligators would be fun to […]

Regular Living Task – Eye Appointment Results

February 2, 2024 On Tuesday (January 30), my doctor’s office called to let me know my glaucoma is stable! I don’t have to have any treatments yet. All three of us have finished with our doctor visits and are ready for the new year.

Regular Living Task – Nox Dental Visit

January 27, 2024 On Thursday (January 25), we drove the truck to Bushnell, FL to the vet’s office to drop Nox off for her annual dental visit. Nox was delighted to get in the truck and go for a ride. She was unhappy to discover the ride went to the vet’s office. As soon as […]

Blueberry Scones

This recipe is modified from the Milk Street recipe from Tandem Bakery’s Briana Holt. Makes 12 large scones Ingredients 455 grams (3½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 67 grams (5 tablespoons) white sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg 2 teaspoons kosher salt (1 1/4 teaspoons […]

Regular Living Task – Bruce Colonoscopy

January 26, 2024 On Wednesday (January 24), Bruce had a colonoscopy. It came back completely normal, with no polyps even. This was such a relief! I always have a nagging worry they will find a cancer again. Mentally, I know it takes a long time for a polyp to turn into cancer, but emotionally, I […]

Regular Living Task – Eye Doctor Visit and New Tires for Truck

January 21, 2024 After the dealer told us we needed new tires, Bruce did a lot of research to determine the best tires to put on the truck. He didn’t want to continue to put the less than great tires that were original equipment onto the truck. (Two tires threw belts, one shredded in a […]