Caramelized Onions, Rice Plate, Sunset and a Cardinal

April 21, 2025 On Friday (April 18), I pulled out my food processor. I put some butter, 1/4 cup, into my large Dutch oven, put a piece of parchment paper down on my induction stove top, moved the heavy Dutch oven onto the large burner and set the temperature setting to 3 (medium low). While […]

The Return of the Snake (Warning: Pictures of Snake Included)

April 21, 2025 I was taking out my compost scraps on Friday (April 18) to the compost bin. When I opened up the sliding back door, I looked down at the step and noticed the snake was back. I called out to Bruce, saying the snake was back. Bruce came over to see the snake. […]

If You Don’t Like Snakes, Don’t Open This Post Since It Is About a Snake Visit

April 11, 2025 On Saturday (April 5), Bruce noticed a fairly long rat snake (a little over 4 feet) near the garage. It was coming into our yard from our neighbor’s pasture. Bruce was mowing at the time when he first spotted the snake. When Bruce brought in two of the mower batteries to be […]

Before the Storm

April 6, 2025 On Thursday (April 3), after my physical therapy, we checked out a salvage store and purchased 4 metal chairs at $35 a piece for the blueberry circle. We just need a table for the circle now. We also bought two end tables at $45 a piece. I like the shape of the […]

Planting Beets

March 7, 2025 This morning, Nox went with me as I headed out to plant beets in the garden beds. I planted these beets: Detroit Golden, Detroit Dark Red and Chioggia. Chioggia is a “candy striped beet.” It has red and white alternating rings with a bright red skin. I noticed the field pansies are […]

Bluebird Checking the House Out

February 2, 2025 I was eating a cucumber, tomato and yogurt salad when I happened to see a bluebird. It was on top of the post the bluebird house is on. I have a clear view of the post from the dinning room’s south window. While I can’t see the entry, the bluebird appeared to […]

Early Morning Fog and Bird Pictures

February 1, 2025 Where did January go? It was here and gone in a flash. Yesterday, we got a lot of rain throughout the day. I got to see the new gutters and downspouts in action. It had stopped raining and the night sky was spectacular. I was lying in bed with Nox snoring next […]

A Picture of Our Aggressive Mockingbird

January 25, 2025 I’ve been meaning to share this picture of our aggressive mockingbird. He chases other birds around. I am most annoyed with him when he chases the blue birds. I’ve seen him chase sparrows and wrens. He rested on the pump house roof and I was finally able to get a picture of […]

Eastern Meadow Lark Flock in Our Backyard

January 23, 2025 On Tuesday (January 21), it was bitter cold. We stayed inside and watched the birds in the yard. Bruce happened to notice an eastern meadow lark in the backyard. As we watched, we realized there were more. We counted seven in the flock. I wasn’t able to get good pictures of them […]

Branch Sawing and Pulling Down a Branch

January 19, 2025 Yesterday, it rained on and off during the day. During a break in the rain, I got out and took some pictures of the tree branches Bruce cut up the day before (January 17). I spotted the mocking bird on the pump house. We also decided to go ahead and remove a […]