Planting an Asparagus Bed for Blackberry Homestead

March 11, 2026 On March 8 (Sunday), Bruce and I walked around Blackberry Homestead to see how things were growing. I took pictures of the work Bruce did with his chainsaw. He cut up more of the tree trunks than I realized. The peaches and blueberries are blooming. March 9 (Monday), I went to see […]

What Did I Do While Bruce Was Gone?

January 30, 2026 After we moved into the house at Blackberry Homestead, I unboxed the books we kept, mostly my cookbooks. As I opened the boxes, I put the books in the rotating bookcases that I had put together. I sorted the non-cookbooks as I unpacked the boxes. I put my cookbooks in any which […]

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2026 I wish everyone a healthy, happy New Year! May 2026 be a great year for you! I realize my last few posts have been full of worry about the ups and downs of my father-in-law’s health issues. I thought I would share more positive items from December 28 onwards. On December 28, […]

Harvest Before the Bitter Cold

December 18, 2025 December 14 (Sunday), was an overcast day, with the polar vortex expected to arrive by Monday morning. With temperatures expected to get down to a low of 17F, I needed to get the garden prepared. Harvesting the garden was a high priority!! I harvested all the radishes that were ready. I harvested […]

Cold and Cloudy with Gifts to Brighten the Day

December 5, 2025 Today (Friday, December 5), we got up around 8:00 AM. After getting ready to face the day, we headed to the RV to put in the 40-gallon propane tank; the one filled at Ace yesterday. While Bruce put in the tank, I vacuumed the floors. Once he had the tank in, connected, […]

New Birdbath Bowl

November 3, 2025 On Wednesday (November 3), my new birdbath bowl arrived. I wasn’t able the replace the bowl with a similar one. I really liked the fish. I found this sunflower bowl that is pretty to me. I liked the crushed glass; it looks like water drops. I haven’t put water in it yet […]

Cold Weather, Here for the Rest of the Year?

December 1, 2025 For the past few nights, it has been getting down in the low 30s and high 20s. We covered the greens and radishes with dried grass in the short bed and using a hoop and a row cover, covered the tall bed. The weather has also turned rainy. This morning when I […]

One Month Follow-up for Cataract Surgery

August 14, 2025 Updated August 17 to add Bruce mowing and sunset picture. Yesterday (Wednesday, August 13), Bruce drove me to my four week follow-up for my cataract surgery. Dark clouds loomed to the north as we drove along River Road. Once we crossed the Singing River Bridge, we could see a wall of water […]

Butterflies, Birds, and Flowers

July 29, 2025 On July 28 (Monday), Bruce and I headed outside to see the results of the woodchipping Bruce did the day before. As we stepped out of the sliding door, I noticed a Variegated Fritillary on the red clover growing in a pepper bucket. Bruce had parked the cart full of woodchips next […]

Chipper Up and Chipping Plus Some Wind Damage Later

July 20, 2025 Bruce got up this morning and decided to get the chipper running. He had to remove the belts driving the drum and let the engine run for a while. Once the engine was hot, Bruce turned off the engine and replaced the belts. He was able to start the chipper up and […]