And the Jungle Is Less Wild

August 1, 2026 On July 30, in the late afternoon and early evening, Bruce used the leaf sweeper mower attachment for sweeping the hay from mowing. Bruce used his soaked water vest to keep cool. While Bruce was sweeping the yard, he saw a mouse. He said the mouse ran away from him and stuck […]

And Now, Back to the Present

July 30, 2026 On July 26, we started to try to tame jungle Blackberry Homestead had become. We had an overnight thunderstorm that knocked down an old branch from the oak. Bruce mowed at the highest setting on the mower deck. There was no speed mowing that Bruce normally enjoys. It was slow going and […]

Still Back in Time, and Stopping at LaMar’s Donuts Before Coming Home

July 29, 2026 On July 23, weleft Jeanne’s (from A Jeanne in the Kitchen) to head home. We made a detour to stop at a LaMar’s Donuts. I have missed getting LaMar’s Donuts as a special treat since we left the Denver Metro area. If you like donuts and have never had a LaMar’s Donut, […]

Tractor Used to Move More Dirt and Attack the Grassy Knoll

June 9, 2026 On June 26, while I was out in the garden, Bruce was playing using the tractor to move dirt. He put more dirt in the holes left in the south side yard from digging out roots. See https://retirementrvdream.com/2026/05/23/watching-bruce-enjoy-the-new-toy-tractor/ for the removal of the roots. Bruce smoothed out the dirt with the front […]

Getting Ready for Friends to Visit

June 22, 2026 On June 13 and 14, Bruce and I focused on getting Blackberry Homestead ready for our friends to see. Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry were coming all the way from Westminster, Colorado to visit. We were meeting them in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, June 15. After seeing some famous spots […]

Bruce Is Busy Doing More Clean Up

May 26, 2026 On May 18, Bruce took his electric Greenworks polesaw into the back field aka back pasture to remove low-hanging branches. For Tom from Reiko’s Journey, in picture one, you can see the shed from a previous post. In picture two, you can see another shed. The spineless caper bush started blooming. The […]

Resting after Overdoing It and Big News, We Sold Cliff the Big Red Truck

May 24, 2026 On May 16, since I stupidly overdid the day before, I spent all day resting with only one walk outside. Bruce took advantage of the cooler temperature to finish the cleanup of Pine Tree Two. He came in and got a shower. Afterwards, Bruce wanted me to see all the work he […]

Stupidly Overdid Again, Just What Is Wrong with Me?

May 28, 2026 On May 15, I was feeling great. My wounds from my gallbladder removal surgery didn’t hurt unless I moved wrong or had something pressed on them. Bruce headed out to use several of his toys to work on removing the trunks of Pine Tree Two. Pine Tree Two had three large trunks […]

Back to Walking in the Yard after Gallbladder Removal Surgery

May 22, 2026 On May 10, when I woke up, I felt better after taking it easy the day before. Last night, Bruce gave the pill bottles to me. I thought it would be more efficient for me to get the pills. In the morning, while in bed, I knocked over my water bottle while […]

The Final Resting Place of Pine Tree One’s Broken Stump

May 19, 2026 On May 5, with my gallbladder surgery the next day, Bruce and I worked hard to finish up with the yardwork and gardening tasks. Bruce used his minion to move the broken stump of Pine Tree One to the burn pile. Bruce happily used the tractor to carry and dump the remains […]