Bad Acre

06/14/2026

This is not blight, the pattern isn’t right and the look is off. Unfortunately I’m leaning toward this being my first big casualty of the drought we’ve been experiencing. I’ve been focusing on watering the most vulnerable, and limiting how much I am, because of our well. I’ve never had an issue with running it dry but this drought may be the worst I’ve seen. Hopefully I can prevent a full die off. It’s the only tree of this variety I have and I have yet to get a pear 🍐 😭

06/10/2026

A small upgrade with a lot of history behind it.

After many years of faithful service, across several homes and family members, our old folding chairs have finally reached retirement. They were well loved, shared through countless conversations, sunsets, and times together.

Their replacements have arrived, and I've created a dedicated hanging spot to keep them organized and ready for guests to enjoy. Here's to many more years of relaxing, gathering, and making memories.

05/20/2026

Mulberry season!

Both purple and white mulberries grow around the property, and I absolutely love them. The problem is I’m apparently competing with birds that have a highly organized harvest operation. They usually beat me to... well, all of them.

For several years I’ve been trying to propagate more trees around the property with very little luck. Groundhogs and deer treat the leaves and tender new branches like a sought after delicacy. I also haven’t had success with cuttings so far. My next experiment will be air layering branches to give them a bigger head start because I’m determined to have more of these trees.

I haven’t purchased any nursery trees yet. That might be the easier route, but I suspect these are, or are at least closer to native varieties. If anyone has insight on that, feel free to reach out.

A couple of years I harvested enough berries to make jam, and that’s still the long-term goal: enough each season for a small batch. Right now there’s one growing in the fenced backyard and another waiting in a pot for the future extension area. If air layering works this year, the bigger vision is adding mulberries throughout the back conservation area.

Slowly but surely, the edible forest keeps growing.

05/18/2026

What. A. Season. This has already been.

I let Belmont Butchery know earlier last week that we’d be ending deliveries sooner than expected. Simply put, there just isn’t much there. This has been the worst asparagus season I’ve experienced in ten years.

Between the wild temperature swings early this spring, a frost right on our last frost date, and now a drought, this season has been a tough one already.

That lonely pear in the second photo tells part of the story. This tree started producing a couple years ago and should have a few dozen pears set by now. This year? Just one. Several of the younger trees don’t have anything at all. A frost at the wrong time while trees are flowering can damage blossoms and drastically reduce fruit set, or wipe it out entirely.

For now, all I can do is keep tending everything, let nature do its thing, and focus on what I can control while setting things up for a better season next year.

05/13/2026

Pruning up the peonies I noticed this yellow spot. Low and behold I came across a freshly emerged adult ladybug. The wings will slowly turn their characteristic red and black as they also harden.

Did you know they didn't start out as the red little bugs you're familiar with? They start out as a black and orange alien looking larval stage before attaching itself to a leaf to form its pupa. The pupa form protects the ladybug as it undergoes metamorphosis into an adult. 🐞

05/11/2026

My favorite asparagus season treat made its annual appearance while making brunch for my mom yesterday. Flaky puff pastry wrapped around brie and fresh asparagus, baked until golden and finished with a drizzle of thyme honey butter. Spring on a plate.

Mom hadn’t tried these before, which made the surprise even better.

05/10/2026

05/07/2026

Many people never see the back half of the property. Over the last 14 years, I’ve intentionally maintained it as a conservation and wildlife habitat. What was once a wide stretch of grass has slowly transformed into a lush reforesting area filled with birdsong, shade, and life.

The walking path winding around it has changed too. What used to feel open now feels tucked away, almost hidden. Moss creeps across the ground, young trees arch overhead, and when Iris and I head back there for a walk, we disappear.

This isn’t some massive tract of land. It’s only a little over an acre. But it’s proof that even a relatively small space, given time and intention, can become something vibrant and alive again. 🌿

Last photo is from approximately 12-13 years earlier.

04/25/2026

Here they come! 😍🥰

04/22/2026

Nothing like getting the last frost ON your actual last frost date.