Tom Ruby

Splitting red oak logs today. Largest 300+lbs. I'm a traditionalist, not masochist. 13 years ago i did this with saw and maul. Took 3 months. Love technology. This'll take about 4 days to split the entire tree.

Good morning.
Try to be strong today, my friends. Just do your best and it'll all be good. Peace

Mediterranean Chicken with all 4 kids and grandkids. Joy last night before FiL funeral this morning. Cooked with son. It was great. Cabernet paired well.

Good night from Persimmon Knob

Radial followed by dendritic

After FiL's passing on Christmas Day, family is gathering for Monday funeral. First kids and grands arrived today. 2 more and families Sunday along with 4 nieces and nephews and families. Joy and love amidst sorrow. As is right and just.

Seems to be a game of chicken, doesn't it?

Granada is a great city to visit. Mountainside neighborhoods. The Alhambra. Breathtaking churches. Vibrant and safe walk appeal. Really excellent food.

You ought to be Advent maxing. You know it. Do it tastefully and in muted tones. It's not yet Christmas. It's Advent. Prepare.

Big win all around

Good story and good moral. It seems few want to deal with anything. Esp those who say screw your feelings.

Mom and daughter 1 made Serbian Pita (spinach cheese eggs in phyllo) and a phyllo cranberry brie custard pie. What a combo

@jfallows.bsky.social
I love the little Rams uniform. A little Roman Gabriel

Alta Vista was good...

if you're not carcass-maxing, you're putting food in the trash. I boiled the carcass for 7 hours. Then in fridge for a day. Total gelatin. Pulled all bones. Shocking how much meat is there. Now aromatics & veggies boil all day. Then feast.
It is *so* delicious. It'll feed us for 4 days.

I put my wild apple brew in the windows specifically to have sunlight help the alcohol.

Yes, specifically bred for blight resistance

Late season liqueurs cooking in window. 2 jars wild Persimmon. One jar Satsuma orange and one jar Georgia Pecans.
You can do this.

Man, every tear you find huge sycamore leaves. The ones who held on the longest and grew biggest.

Can't wait

Yes, Sir, ACF.
Thanks for the kind words

Thank you so much! Lots of time and effort but the grace we receive is worth it.

Fact check: plausible, but unlikely

You can do this.
Really.
Yes, you.

And a well-managed forest ensures we have wood to heat the home every winter no matter the future of the grid.

Also, there's free maple syrup.

There are a lot of people who be moan where the world is. Finding a place like ours and reforesting it is both simple and relatively inexpensive compared to most of life's activities. And it leaves something for our successors. Nothing like feeding grandkids the fruits of their future land

Reforestation also increases wildlife. Deer eat from the orchard and from increased nut production. The Meadow is now prime spot for does to birth fawns. We have quail now. More turkeys than we can count. So that also provides us with meat for the year. A real bounty.

Our small orchard produces more fruit than we can eat. So we preserve like crazy, give fruit t an neighbor who wants it in any amount. Apples, pears, plums, peaches, cherries.

What were dry creek beds for 11 months of the year now run year round or nearly so. Pond creek dries occasionally. Spring Creek is always wet and sports fish and snapping turtles after only 12 years. Reforestation makes land a water sink and retains it vice running off.