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! […]

Watching for the Cows!

September 21, 2025 On September 13 (Saturday), I was out in the garden. I noticed our neighbor’s cows next to the fence. I got Nox so she could see the cows. I held her up and she was so excited to see the cows. The cows wandered off, but Nox hoped that they would come […]

Moving More Bama Dirt

August 24, 2025 On Thursday(August 21), Bruce and I got up and took advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to move some Bama Dirt into the new garden bed. Shoveling wet dirt is hard work! As the temperatures climbed and we got tired, hot, and sweaty, we decided it was time to get cleaned up. […]

A Major Mirror Mishap

August 21, 2025 On Tuesday, August 19, I took pictures of the garden featuring basil, mint, and various insects. Bruce was getting the mower, garden rake, and shovels while I was taking pictures. Bruce and I moved dirt into the new garden bed. It was hot and sweaty work. After a couple of cartloads of […]

Mulching the Blueberries with Chips from Pine Tree One and Pine Tree Three

August 19, 2025 On Friday (August 15), I got a package. I opened it to make sure it looked good and everything worked. I adjusted the straps. I am still not certain the straps are right. On Saturday (August 16), I took a picture to share of the package contents. I bought a garden apron! […]

One Month Follow-up for Cataract Surgery

August 14, 2025 Updated August 17 to add Bruce mowing and sunset picture. Yesterday (Wednesday, August 13), Bruce drove me to my four week follow-up for my cataract surgery. Dark clouds loomed to the north as we drove along River Road. Once we crossed the Singing River Bridge, we could see a wall of water […]

Garden Work, Dermatologist Visit, and Picking Out Frame Materials for “Lion Cubs”

August 13, 2025 Tuesday (August 12), Nox got me up at a very early hour to go outside. I tried to get back to sleep and finally gave up on getting back to sleep. I headed outside to remove grass from between the blueberry bushes. As I stepped onto the patio, I realized the potted […]

Butterfly, Two Caterpillars, and Pupa

August 13, 2025 On Sunday evening (August 10), we had a beautiful sunset. On Monday (August 11), I was feeling a lot better. In the morning, I went out to battle the squash bugs. I turned over a squash leaf and squash bug nymphs ran away. Ugh! Time for death by soapy water! Bruce joined […]

Butterflies, Flowers, Eggs, and Progress on the Third Lion Cub

August 9, 2025 On Thursday (August 7), I worked in the garden. I killed four or five tomato hornworms and some armyworms that had been chowing down on my tomato leaves and green tomatoes. I sprayed squash bugs with soapy water and removed squash bug eggs. I got a nice harvest of cucumbers, squash, okra, […]

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 […]