A gaze of racoons having a midnight romp in our orchard last month.

Finished reading: The Devil Reached Toward the Sky by Garrett M. Graff 📚This is a terrific oral history of Manhattan project from start to finish. There have been a number of so-called “Manhattan” projects over the years, but none of them come close to the level of the original.

Finished reading: Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove 📚. I was scanning the new book shelves at the library and the title grabbed me. It is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year. A funny, exciting story about overcoming differences and friendship.

Finished reading: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne đź“šI enjoyed this “cozy fantasy “, but I don’t think l’ll continue reading the series now. I did appreciate how the author effectively expressed romance and passion without slipping into erotica.

I don’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 . 🔨🪚

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 đź“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 đź“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 đź“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.