Most days after FD takes off for work, I enjoy my second cup of coffee on the back porch. I read a little from my iPad and watch the woodlands wake up. The Cardinals are always the first to begin chirping and flying about. Soon chickadees, titmice, and mockingbirds join in, while a few of … More A Different Approach
Late one rainy afternoon in early September, I was putting dinner in the oven and thinking about how productive my day had been. I had managed to do some house cleaning, ironing, and a good bit of cooking and baking, and was finishing up a few dishes at the sink when something caught my attention … More A Trip Worth Making
The first times I remember hearing the nighttime yips, wails, and howls of coyotes in the night, was back in the early 1980’s when I did a lot of tent camping. Back then I was scared of them and had all sorts of thoughts about these wild dogs coming into camp and attacking me. But, … More Nighttime Howler – The Coyote
One morning back in 2013, I spotted a bobcat at the very edge of the woods just south of the house. It was moving quickly and heading north through the grasses. This was the year Daisy deer delivered her first babies – a doe and a buck. Alarmed at the close proximity of the bobcat … More Bobcat – An Elusive Hunter
For more than a year we have been watching a pair of yearling, sibling deer frequent the area. We call the doe, “Split-ear”, since she has a deep split running down her right ear, and her brother we call, “Splilt-ear’s Brother” because, well, he’s her brother. FD and I have often wondered if “Mama” of … More Woodland Headdress
One day while visiting us this summer, my niece Sarah wanted to try her hand at running the Hustler zero-turn mower. I take advantage of help when I have it so, after a short lesson on how to operate the mower, I sectioned off an easy area for her to mow. Once she aced that, … More Operator Malfunction
Back in June, we learned that an old friend of FD’s had purchased the farm ground west and south of the pecan orchard. We heard he would be putting in wheat for winter cattle grazing on the upper south fields, and would sprig Bermuda grass on the lower river bottom fields. We were thrilled about … More The New Neighbors
Our nephew Sid, from Nebraska, was spending a week with us when this all started. Well, that’s not exactly correct. Maybe I should preface this by admitting that the “brains” of our upright freezer was acting up a bit in the last few weeks. Whenever opening the freezer to get something out, the temperature would … More Chain Reaction Cleaning
The other day, I was walking down the lane rather quickly and shouting for Oscar and Lollipop to “C’mon you two! Get over here NOW!”. Those two are trouble with a capital T. Each day I take them walking with me to the mailbox at the street, and almost always I have to yell for … More Ambush in the Weigela
The early morning cool greeted me as I bumped along in the electric buggy, cruising down the path into the woodlands. Recent rains made for a muddy slide down the sloped pathway, as most of the soil in this area has a lot of clay in it, which really makes for slick travel, especially by … More A Quiet Time
Late one afternoon in April, I ventured across the yard to toss a bowl full of vegetable scraps to the chickens. As I neared the chicken yard the hens began their usual routine of following me the length of the fence, with some running to stay in the lead for the best pickings. My normal … More Baby Gopher
