Up Goes the Snake, Down Comes the Snake

May 8, 2026 On April 25, we decided to sit out on the front porch. Bruce headed out first to set up the mosquito repellent device. As I came out he said, “Be careful and don’t step on the snake.” I stopped at the top of the steps to see where the critter was. I […]

Butterflies and Blackberry Flowers

April 14, 2026 I didn’t do much for a few days except for the doctors’ appointments. On Thursday (April 9), we took the car to the dealership for a recall for a ground wire on the transmission possibly not being connected. (By the way Rieko, we named the car Little Red Hood with the nickname […]

Bagged “Topsoil” from Lowe’s Delivered

April 11, 2026 On April 1 (Wednesday), Bruce was out mowing while I was cleaning house, when the Lowe’s dirt arrived. I didn’t realize we had the delivery until I saw the pallet lift in the backyard. I thought what the heck? I stepped outside and Bruce excitedly told me our Lowe’s dirt had arrived. […]

Topping off Raised Garden Beds

April 11, 2026 I realize haven’t posted in a while. I will try to catch up with a few posts to let you know how Bruce and I have been and our activities. On March 31 (Tuesday), I made a dent in the Bama Pro Mix dirt pile by shoveling it into two raised garden […]

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 […]

Ladybugs Swarming the House

Ladybugs are swarming the house in early November to find shelter from the cold weather.

Back to Blackberry Homestead Days

November 2, 2025 On October 24 (Friday), I stopped to look at the red pineapple. I noticed some damage to one of purple basil plants. There was a minor windstorm the night before. The Japanese mustard, radishes, and garlic looked good. I need to mulch the garlic. Some sweet potato vines are still growing under […]

Taking It Easy

October 1, 2025 Bruce and I slept most of Sunday (September 28) away. We did go for a walk around Blackberry Homestead in the late afternoon. Sunday night to Monday morning (September 29), Nox decided to keep me up most of the night with her whining and fussing. I don’t know what was wrong with […]

More Chipping and Dirt Moving

September 28, 2025 On September 21 (Monday), we headed out to work in the yard. From the barn, Bruce towed the chipper with the lawn mower to the large pile of branches from pine 2 and pine 3. Once he had the chipper in place, Bruce drove the mower back to barn and hooked up […]

Chipping Away at the Large Branch Pile

September 25, 2025 On September 17 (Wednesday), Bruce and I used the mower and trailer to move enough Bama Dirt Pro Mix to cover the small flower bed. We covered the bed with four to five inches of dirt. Bruce used the mower to tow the chipper out back. He chipped branches from the big […]