Chipping Away at the Pile of Branches

August 6, 2025 Yesterday (Tuesday, August 5), after we heard Bruce’s dad was out of surgery and in recovery, Bruce and I headed out to chip more branches. While Bruce was moving the chipper with the mower, I was checking the garden. I noticed several medium-sized black bees pollinating watermelon flowers. Based on my bee […]

A Giant Comes to Visit

August 5, 2025 Yesterday (Monday, August 4), Bruce and I moved three cartloads of Bama Dirt into the new long garden bed. This finished covering the wood in the new bed. Bruce was zipping around the yard on the mower, cutting the grass at high speed. Last time he mowed, he tried something different out […]

More Chipping Piles of Branches

August 4, 2025 Late Saturday morning (August 2), Bruce hitched the chipper to the mower and drove to the back pasture. He unhitched the chipper next to a big pile of branches and got it set up to chip. Bruce put the cart so it could catch the chips. In two different sessions, we spent […]

More Mulching and Butterflies on Blackberry Homestead

August 2, 2025 On July 29 (Tuesday), I was able to finish mulching around the pecan tree I had surrounded with cardboard. We moved dirt from the Bama Dirt pile to the new garden bed and Bruce added the bagged dirt on top of the Bama Dirt. It was a hot day. For supper, I […]

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 […]

Nox Waiting for Pills, Bats Flirting with the Moon

July 28, 2025 On Friday (July 25), I did my daily fight with the squash bugs. I picked off the eggs, sprayed soapy water on the nymphs, and squished any full-grown squash bug. It was cool enough in the evening to sit outside on the front porch and watch the sunset. Nox was sitting outside […]

One Week Follow-Up for Cataract Surgery, All Good

July 25, 2025 On Wednesday (July 23), Bruce got up and put on his coveralls. He cut up one of the branch piles with the electric pole saw so the branches would fit into the chipper. After coming in and cooling off, Bruce headed outside and moved two cartloads of the Bama Dirt into the […]

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 […]

Butterflies and Dragonflies in the Back Pasture

July 19, 2025 On Thursday (July 17), we had another spectacular sunset. I was intrigued by the dark shadow above the cloud edged with sunlight. On Friday (July 18), Bruce got up early and put on coveralls. He went out to cut up branches into logs with the chainsaw. He wanted shorter logs to fit […]

First Post-Op for Cataract Surgery

July 17, 2025 Yesterday (July 16), I had my first post-op doctor’s appointment for my cataract surgery. I’ve got a second appointment next week. Bruce drove me to my appointment in Florence, AL. The doctor’s office was full of patients. With a renowned eye surgeon here to clear the backlog of cataract surgeries, the doctors […]