A Short Tour of Athens, AL

October 12, 2026 On September 27, I put most of my harvest of the Thai Long Horn peppers and Thai peppers into my vintage Ronco dehydrator. After breakfast, Bruce asked me what I wanted to do for the day. I wanted to go to Isom’s Orchard and pick apples. On the way, I suggested we […]

A Hike Through Joe Wheeler State Park

October 8, 2026 On September 26, the dewdrops sparked in the early morning sunshine as I checked on the garden. With the fall weather providing a perfect day, Bruce asked me was there anything I wanted to do. I was thinking about of Blackberry Homestead jobs. Bruce was thinking of a break and he suggested […]

Jekyll Island Visit

September 22, 2026 On September 12, Bruce and I drove the 9 hours and 20 minutes to Jekyll Island, GA to meet up with Bruce’s sister. We left the house at 9:00 AM with an estimated arrival time as 7:20 PM. It took us a bit longer than it would’ve if we had gone through […]

Just Trying to Get Over a Cold and Not Feeling Like Doing Anything

September 20, 2026 On August 29, with rain expected later in the week, Bruce decided to clear the drainpipe under the patio. He spent some time trying to clear the pipe with me providing suggestions. After getting tired of watching the struggle, I went inside. About 45 minutes later, Bruce was triumphant. The drainpipe was […]

Bruce Does Not Have to Serve on the Jury

September 7, 2026 On August 28, 2026, in the morning Bruce headed back to the courthouse for the jury selection process. The jury pool was told the jury selection was almost finished. Bruce was a little bit jaded since he had heard this a few times. Bruce did appreciate the judge apologizing for the process […]

Bruce Still Being Considered for Jury Duty and Watering the Gardens

September 2, 2026 On August 25, Bruce headed out for jury selection consideration. I spent some time catching the evil leaf-legged bugs attacking my tomatoes and dropping them in soapy water. I mixed up my post for August 23 with today for watering. We’ve had a dry spell, and the pepper bucket brigade was drooping, […]

Tadpoles, Chainsawing, and Butterflies

August 29, 2026 On August 18, I felt well enough to walk around Blackberry Homestead. Bruce had been talking about frog eggs and then tadpoles in the blue half-barrel. Once the tadpoles hatched, Bruce mentioned the green layer on the half barrel was gone. The tadpoles had eaten it. In the picture, you can see […]

Close Encounter of the Skunk Kind

August 23, 2026 On August 14, Bruce went outside for the nightly check for tomato hornworms. He heard a rustling noise and shined his flashlight toward the noise. The flashlight revealed a skunk in one of the lower raised bed. Bruce was very, very quiet as he moved back several yards. He did not want […]

Finally Finished Weeding the Blueberry Ring

August 16, 2026 On August 12, I got up early and took a look at the vegetable garden. I noticed two butterflies in the garden. This butterfly was on a pepper plant. I often see it flitting about. It seems to be the only one right now. I know butterflies can stay in the same […]

Mulching Made Easier Using Tractor

August 14, 2026 Updated on August 15, 2026 On August 10, I got up and put the collapsed cardboard boxes into the wagon. I put a knife in my pocket to cut the cardboard. It was the start of mulching time. I cut and put the cardboard around the newly planted pawpaw and around the […]