Well, much of it anyway. Many of you know that I live on a small farm. During the winter I make up a long list of farm chores to work on during the summer. This year’s list includes repairing the greenhouse and henhouse, fixing fences around the orchard, and building a new raised bed garden for my wife.
Read More
During this time of year, there is a great deal of talk about the reason for the season. I often hear people say Christmas is about family and friends, love, peace, sharing, or hope. All those things are good and should be a part of this time of year, but they are not the reason for Christmas.
Read More
I confirmed my position on the farm pecking order one morning a couple of years ago.
For my city readers, pecking order refers to birds, often chickens. They establish their rank in the flock by pecking on another bird, lower in the social order without fear of retaliation. The pecking order rank establishes who is boss and who gets what food and when.
Read More
Debby Lee, my friend, fellow author, and Inklings critique partner announced today that she’s starting work on her fifth anthology with Barbour Publishing!
The Mountain Christmas Brides, Courageous Brides, and Pony Express Romance Collection have all been released and are available on her Amazon Page.
Read More
What is it about an eclipse that brings out the child in us?
I know it was a rare event, the last one like it occurred in 1918, but several of my friends traveled hundreds of miles and camped out in farm fields just to experience the eclipse totality.
Read More
I put on a new chain on the saw, filled the gas and oil tanks, and went to tackle a large pile of logs and limbs in the backyard. My tendency to procrastinate had allowed the pile to grow all summer, but my son James had offered to help and this needed to be done.
Read More
I’m reading Stephen King’s book, On Writing, and came across a passage that I shared with my wife.
“If she (King’s wife Tabitha) had suggested that the time I spent writing stories … was wasted time, I think a lot of the heart would have gone out of me. Tabby never voiced a single doubt, however.
Read More
I decided to build a patio on a shady knoll beside my home. However, due to my writing schedule and other commitments, it took a couple of months to gather all the materials and find the time to construct it. Finally, on the evening of July 2nd, I had everything I needed.
Read More
There is a saying that people in the northwest don’t tan—they rust.
The coastal region of Washington is well known for ample precipitation. However, most of the rain falls in late autumn and winter. By the time the crops, garden, and orchard are really growing in the late spring and summer the rains have faded to a trickle. That means we irrigate and water.
Read More
Spring is bee time on the farm.
We prefer driving to the delivery site in the farm truck. We can put the bee boxes on the truck bed and drive home, but because today was so inclement we took the car for the forty-minute drive. Have you ever driven with ten thousand bees in your car? Our bees were inside two boxes, but it was still an experience. Some always find a way out.
Read More
In most ways yesterday didn’t stand out from the normal. Dreary and wet are what you get in the northwest this time of year. But living on a farm with forest all around means that you’re going to interact with animals and they often make the day interesting.
Read More
We had a week of cold and snow on the farm.
The weather made for some beautiful pictures, which you can see on the Facebook page, but it got very cold. On a mild day this week, my wife came in from outside and said, “There’s no activity in the apiary.”