Years ago when FD and I owned a little house in town, a pair of Bewick’s wrens set up a nest on our back porch. We were especially excited about this nesting since the bird house they chose for a nesting box was a small, wooden creation my dad had crafted as a young boy … More Front Porch Nursery
My work gathering and burning wood from the pecan orchard continued even as the humidity became almost unbearable by late May. On top of that, I had developed a stress fracture in my right foot. Likely, it occurred by twisting my foot while at the burn pile or by stumbling over a larger chunk of … More Hard Work and Good Thoughts
After taking the previous week off to spend time with Emily and Sidney, a niece and nephew from Nebraska, FD and I had a lot of mowing to do yesterday. Just before Em & Sid arrived, the drive shaft on the brush hog mower broke, so mowing in the orchard came to a stop. The pasture on … More Fawn Season
Last week, the previous owner of the pecan orchard began moving some of the farm equipment he had left behind after the sale of the land in August last year. Old farming implements, several broken down pickup trucks, a couple of cattle feeders, a couple of stock trailers, a brush hog mower, a broken tiller, a … More Parents on the Rocks
Lately, the weather has been favorable for continued work in the pecan orchard. There are times when I feel like I have not made the slightest dent in all of the cleanup that needs to be done on the fifty-two acres of land and, more specifically, in the orchard itself, where 142 pecan trees have dropped limbs … More The Consciousness of Mindless Work
I have found myself tired and weary lately, mostly having set the bar way too high with expectations of myself for the work to be done on Ten-Acre Ranch. Mowing and gardening has started early this year – about a month ahead of schedule. Acquiring fifty-two acres of an adjoining pecan orchard last fall added … More Surrendering to the Flow of Life
Back in 2002 when Forrest and I were in our second year of marriage, we decided to bring my dad’s 1953 Chevy Deluxe to Oklahoma so that we could give her some much-needed attention. Old Blue could still crank up and run back then, but she needed an overhaul for sure. I was quite proud … More When Push Comes to Shove…
I worked at a local accounting firm for many years when I first moved to Oklahoma. Even after I quit full-time work, I kept a position helping with taxes from mid-January through mid-April. It was tough mental work and long hours. During all of the years I worked for the firm, I remembered the thoughtfulness of a few clients who … More The Last Batch of Tax Time Cookies
One enduring thing about me, is that I always have a plan for the day – even when down with a physical injury, I still create some kind of a list of doable projects. Around here, the weather often dictates the plan for the day and, thanks to fairly accurate weather forecasts, I have an idea … More Saturday Workday Detour
Now that we have had a few good rains in our area of Oklahoma, the pecan orchard slough has lengthened and widened to the point that it stretches along the entire eastern border of the pecan orchard. I can no longer work at cutting and gathering limbs and branches along the east fence line since … More A Hoofing Good Show
FD and I have not ventured very far from home for a visit with family or friends in more than a year. Our dogs, Bear and Zoe had many health issues and, on top of that, we took on raising orphaned deer, Emma and Ronnie last spring. But with Zoe leaving us six months back and Bear’s passing only a few … More A Lot of Fence Action
