I started this blog on August 21, 2012, with the release of my first book, Titan Encounter. Most of those posts are now in what I call the “Early Blog.” I’m gradually updating their format and bringing them into this new journal. Back then the sole purpose of the blog was to promote my books, but gradually that changed.
That’s how it started but, over the years, I’ve mused about other things that are important to me, such as my family, my farm, rural life, and occasionally about politics and country. However, I try to limit the politics in this journal. If you want to know more about my political leaning go to The Conservative Alternative.
The winter has been mild, and that often distracts me from my writing.
This morning, as I ate breakfast, several deer wandered into the front yard. At first, I saw only two and informed my wife. If we have apples, she usually tosses one or two to the deer. I got up and looked. There were now six in the yard. I retrieved my camera, and by the time I stepped out to take a picture, there were eight deer.
Read MoreAs chickens get older they lay fewer eggs. That’s why about a month ago, I blogged about the new chicks we were raising. However, recently a couple of our older hens have laid some tiny eggs.
Read MoreIt’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I love a white Christmas, but this is April. Yesterday I awoke to a cold, dark, house. The power had failed, and several inches of snow covered the ground. My wife had a fire roaring in the woodstove by the time I stumbled from the bedroom. After a cup of hot chocolate, heated on the woodstove, I stepped onto the back porch and measured the snow at almost six inches deep.
Read MoreAnd chickens at the back.
During the winter the deer come by our house almost daily. Sometimes when snow-covered every bit of pasture, there would be five or six deer waiting near our door in the morning. My wife would talk to them like friends as she tossed out apples for them to eat.
Read MoreMy wife is not a fan of roosters.
They can be aggressive with people, and they have sharp talons. Also, they crow, often in the middle of the night. Years ago we had a rooster that I named Colonel. He was never aggressive with me, and I easily slept through his predawn crowing. My wife never liked him. I still think she had him killed.
Read MoreThis morning I woke to the croak and ribbit of hundreds of frogs. We have a small pond near the back of our house. On one side of the pond, the grass is high and the ground is marshy, perfect for these amphibians.
Read MoreOn the last day of February, the temperature rose to about 54 degrees. That meant I could open the one active hive I had and perform a quick inspection of the bee colony. I knew this colony had survived, but I didn’t know how healthy they were. Dead bees littered the main entrance of the hive.
Read MoreWhen you live on a farm, work changes with the seasons.
Winter is a time of rest, for the soil, animals, and people, but not for bees. They collect together and vibrate to keep the queen and brood warm, but all too often, they don’t survive the cold and damp of winter. Despite my efforts in the fall, my two colonies didn’t endure the harsh short days of winter.
Read MoreEvery year we lose a few hens to illness, hawks, or raccoons and need replacements. In years past we had a rooster named Colonel and he took care of that for me. I slept right through Colonel’s predawn crowing, but it drove my wife to distraction. One day she told me that the rooster had disappeared. Yeah, sure, Colonel just decided to move. I think she had him killed.
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