One day i arrived home from work to find Charlotte back on the porch. At first i was very concerned because i liked the thought of her being some place the praying mantises didn’t know to look for her. But then i realized, it was not Charlotte. The spider was smaller than Charlotte. Who was …
Tag Archives: homestead
The Weed Eater
On one of my trips back from austin i stopped at a hardware store to pick up something i’d been meaning to get. The grass right against the shed and the house had become long and unruly. Also, there was the grass in the area that i’d let go uncut so the thistles would not …
Trimming the Trees
Cedars were known for their rapid growth. Their branches were reaching out at me when i walked along the paths myself and the dogs had worn in the dirt. It was time to just trim things up so that no branches were hanging down over the laundry line, snagging clothing when i walked along the …
Fixing the Thermometer
One day i came home to find the outdoor thermometer tube lying on the porch. I glued it back up of course but it never worked again. Something had broken internally and the mercury was no longer contained in the chanber it was meant to be. So i got online and began searching for a …
Bambi’s Teeth
For the longest time Bambi’s skull had seemed kind of incomplete. It just didn’t look like a deer skull when i pictured one in my mind. I didn’t even realize what was missing until the dogs brought it to me. All of a sudden Cashew ran across the yard proudly carrying her prize in her …
Removal of the Cone
I kept Cashew from ripping her stitches open for 3 whole weeks. I had to carry her up and down the stairs every time she went outside each day and watch her like a hawk, as she had figured out how to crane her neck to use the edge of the cone like a fingernail …
Dreams of Chickens and Tomato Plants
Year one was not the time for big projects. Year one was the time for saving. My mortgage payments were pretty reasonable during year 1 but the banks wouldn’t do a fixed rate mortgage on a tiny house so i had to account for the fact that my mortgage payment was subject to a notable …
The Sumac Harvest
The berries ripened while i was on my week-long trip out of state. They weren’t red yet when i left and they were almost brown when i came back. For maximum sour flavor i should have picked the berries when they were bright red because when the berries turn brown the flavor is gone. I …
The Dog Days of Summer
Cashew continued to grow. Sili learned to share my attention. As Cashew grew into her role of alpha, Sili began to look to her, not me, for what to do and where to go in the face of a threat, whether it be a howling coyote or a falling acorn in the yard.
The Wind Storm
Over time i grew very fond of the bougainvillea for its vibrant color and abundance of blossoms. The day of the wind storm we were scheduled to receive a cold front. Of course, it was summer in Texas so all that meant was it was going to drop from 100 degrees to 80. When i …