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 […]

The Sound of Sandhill Cranes

December 16, 2026 I decided to share the short video I took of the Sandhill Cranes on December 12. It was in the observation building, so the sound was a bit muted. Two of the Whooping Cranes flew past while I was recording. Look in the left corner of the video when it is almost […]

Seeing Whooping Cranes Among the Sandhill Cranes

December 13, 2025 Yesterday (Friday, December 12), we were meeting friends for lunch in Decatur, AL at Big Bob’s BBQ. We agreed to meet at 1:00 PM for lunch to avoid the lunch rush. Bruce and I left early so we could see the cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. The volunteer at the desk […]

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 […]

Planting Garlic, Greens, and Radishes Before the Rain

October 13, 2035 On Monday (October 6), I took a few pictures of the red pineapple. For breakfast, I made baklava muffins. These were so good; I’ll share the recipe in a different post. In the short garden beds, A1 and A2, I turned in the dirt and compost Bruce put on the beds with […]

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 […]

Preying Mantis in the Front Yard

September 23, 2025 On September 15 (Monday), instead of working in the yard, I spent most of day inside cleaning. Bruce was outside doing some mowing underneath the pine trees, when he noticed this female praying mantis. She blends right in with the lichen on the pine trees. After taking pictures of the praying mantis, […]

Around the Yard

September 22, 2025 On September 14 (Sunday), during my daily walk around Blackberry Homestread, Bruce moved the burn barrel to see the results of the fire. The stump had burned completely away. After admiring the hole, we talked about filling it. We walked over to the wild passion fruit vines and discovered three passion fruits! […]