Finished reading: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne ๐Ÿ“šI enjoyed this โ€œcozy fantasy โ€œ, but I donโ€™t think lโ€™ll continue reading the series now. I did appreciate how the author effectively expressed romance and passion without slipping into erotica.


I donโ€™t know why, but autumn is a time for beautiful sunsets (and sunrises) around here.

A vibrant sunset fills the sky with hues of orange and red above a rural landscape featuring a barn and trees.

I picked up our poultry feed for the next year.

A large white bag suspended by chains is being moved near a pickup truck in an open garage.

Fire in the sky late this afternoon.

A vibrant sunset casts orange and pink hues over a rural landscape with bare trees and a few buildings.

I got tired of all the piles of scrap lumber around the shop, and built a storage cart (from some of the same scraps). I based it on the cart described here . ๐Ÿ”จ๐Ÿชš

A wooden storage unit with shelves is positioned on casters in a workshop setting.A wooden cart is filled with various sizes of wooden planks and boards in a workshop setting.


It didn’t last as long as last evening’s aurora, but this sunrise was pretty nice.

Sunrise reflecting off clouds

Finished reading: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle ๐Ÿ“š. Pretty gory, but a good story.


I came across a meme the other day that rings true for us, “If the house is clean the garden must be dead.”


“X” marks the spot over our farm.

A contrail forms an X shape in a clear blue sky over a rural landscape with a house and open field.

Finished reading: So Far Gone by Jess Walter ๐Ÿ“šSecond chances, dysfunctional families, good humor. It was an enjoyable read. I recommend it.


My granddaughter asked me to show her how to use a slide rule. I still remember 50+ years later. Old guy stuff.

An old slide rule


We got up early this morning and paddled our kayaks across the Snake River to pick blackberries. We picked a couple of gallons, paddled back, and were home by noon.

Two blue kayaks are resting on the shore of a calm body of water, with a dog wearing an orange life vest nearby and a scenic background of trees and hills.


Finished reading: The Notebook by Roland Allen ๐Ÿ“š. I very much enjoyed this survey of all kinds of note keeping throughout western history. It is one I will be going back to.


I was digging out an old concrete border around a tree in the yard. The cement was probably poured about a century ago. The farm cat who lived here then left their footprints in the cement.

Cat footprint in old cement sidewalk

Spouse: Did we get any mail today?

Me: Do you want to buy a Ford or go to the circus?

Spouse: Uh, no.

Me: Then we didn’t get any mail.


There was a beautiful complete double rainbow late this afternoon.


I put some of our abundant supply of rocks to good use today.


Another bed has received its Spring cleaning.


Finished listening to : Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison ๐Ÿ“š๐ŸŽง. It was okay. This is a new series starter from the author of The Hollows series, which I enjoy. The protagonist kept making bad choices and the pacing was uneven.


Finished reading: CABIN by Patrick Hutchison ๐Ÿ“š. This is a funny memoir about a guy who buys a remote dilapidated cabin that enriched his life. I enjoyed it.