If That Mockingbird Won’t Sing…

August 7, 2026 On August 5, I put together the garden kneeler and seat I ordered from Amazon. It was mostly easy to put together. It was hard to push the buttons in to release the extendable feet for extra stability. One button worked just fine and the other was a struggle. Using a chopstick, […]

Butterflies, Dragonflies, and Hummingbirds and Flower Bed Weeding Done

August 6, 2026 On August 3, I spent the cool of the morning pulling out the last of the weeds from the flower garden. The flower garden jungle is tamed. In the early afternoon, I took a walk around the garden to determine what should be done next. First task, kill the Harlequin bugs on […]

Pictures of Pretty Red Okra

August 3, 2026 Updated August 7 to correct grammar errors. This is what happens when I write a post as I am drifting off to sleep and posting it. Vero, from https://verosverbiagevisuals.com/ and I were exchanging comments about okra flowers. I happen to mention that I was growing red okra. I asked if she wanted […]

And the Jungle Is Less Wild

August 1, 2026 On July 30, in the late afternoon and early evening, Bruce used the leaf sweeper mower attachment for sweeping the hay from mowing. Bruce used his soaked water vest to keep cool. While Bruce was sweeping the yard, he saw a mouse. He said the mouse ran away from him and stuck […]

And Now, Back to the Present

July 30, 2026 On July 26, we started to try to tame jungle Blackberry Homestead had become. We had an overnight thunderstorm that knocked down an old branch from the oak. Bruce mowed at the highest setting on the mower deck. There was no speed mowing that Bruce normally enjoys. It was slow going and […]

And…Here’s the Front Garden

July 12, 2026 On July 3, I took some pictures of the incredible sorry state of my front flower garden. The weeds have found the perfect place to grow! My vegetable garden was my focus while I was recovering from gallbladder surgery. I really couldn’t do much, and even then, I overdid it a few […]

Pictures Around Blackberry Homestead

July 8, 2026 On June 26, I took a lot of pictures of the vegetable garden as looked it over. The bee bums’ pictures are back! Tomatoes look great. I love the squash blossoms. The watermelon is getting bigger. The okra flowers are beautiful. Maybe next year, I’ll plant some in front. The asparagus is […]

Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle Things

July 6, 2026 On June 20, we picked blueberries. I am so glad we selected early, mid, and late-season berries. This has given us a steady crop of blueberries. The mid-season has produced the most berries. I picked some ripe tomatoes. The Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red is a delicious variety. The cherry tomatoes are very […]

Sunset Over the House

June 22, 2026 On June 12, we did several errands in town. When we got back home, we walked down to the mailbox. The daylilies along the fence were blooming. I did some housework and Bruce did some weed whacking. In the early evening, while it was still light enough, we toured the orchard and […]

Continuing to Walk Around

May 23, 2026 On May 11, I continued walking around Blackberry Homestead to help my recovery from the gallbladder removal surgery. I enjoy looking at the garden, so my walks mainly focus on the garden. Later in the day, I walked into the back pasture. Bruce had cut logs from Pine Tree Two in the […]