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 […]

The Bat Is Back with a Friend! Bruce Gets the Chipper Running!

July 13, 2025 On July 4 (Friday), we had a busy day around the homestead. Bruce cut many branches from pine number two and I spent a lot of time moving them. Pine number two was the largest and tallest pine that fell, plus it had two full-sized trunks. This was a good use of […]

Married to an Older Man Now!

July 11, 2025 On June 29 (Sunday), Bruce turned 61. I am now married to an older man until November! We had a busy day on Bruce’s birthday. In the morning, I checked on the garden. I was pleased with how well the watermelons were growing. As I looked at the zucchini plant, I noticed […]

Pine Tree Number Three Down to the Trunk

June 28, 2025 On June 14 (Saturday), the storm had left Blackberry Homestead cooler. I checked the garden for potential problems and for problems. Bruce and I took advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures and sunshine to finish removing the branches from pine tree number three, Bruce used the chainsaw and the pole saw to […]