It's been hellaciously hot. I only when outside to walk them early this morning, and by the end of the journey, they were weary,I'm going to go to my primary care office tomorrow to have tes… Read More

The temps were brutal today. I'm sure our friend Bob Miller who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, would chuckle reading this because it was 113 degrees.The rain this that moved through at the en… Read More

I went to the doc today. It seems I have an infection. The bloodwork doesn't appear to be a virus. He gave me a shot with a needle as big as a kindergarten pencil. I enjoy those so much. He… Read More

In year's past, summer was my favorite month. I worked and played hard. In the last several years, that philosophy caught up with me.Yesterday, I did several projects. I thought I'd spread t… Read More

I know I've posted a lot of butterfly pictures lately, but I can't help myself. This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail looks like the one that Ol' Hook almost ate a  few weeks ago.Our niece Sam… Read More

Jilda pointed out in her blog last night that the limoncello sunflowers had bloomed. We have sunflowers that are ten feet tall with blossoms as big as volleyballs, but they are slow to… Read More

Jilda and I walked over to our niece Samantha's house yesterday evening as the sun was setting. She'd never grown a garden in her life until this year. The virus put her out of work, so rath… Read More

The gentleman that was to administer my test today has had cancer. He had a radiation treatment yesterday. He asked me to call this morning before I drove the two hours to his apiary.When I… Read More

Tomorrow I have to drive to north Alabama to take a test that's part of my journey to becoming a beekeeper. In the last few days, I've read a new book, and reread another on the finer points… Read More

The tiger lily nestles close to the southeast eve of the house. I thought it got sun only in the afternoon, but I noticed this morning that a shaft of sunlight fell on the lily and not much… Read More

While the coffee dripped in the carafe this morning I stepped down to the garden to check on things.Everything is showing out, except for the sunflowers. The picture below, I took a few year… Read More

When our elderly neighbor across the road began having health issues a few years ago, I started keeping a closer check on him. His only daughter was an attorney and lived out west. When I wo… Read More

I spent most of the day writing stories for the paper. After coffee and a short walk, I was on the screen porch under a whispering ceiling fan tapping keys. After several hours, I was brain… Read More

We woke up this morning to the falling rain. After starting the coffee, I stepped over to the garden door and looked across the garden toward the barn. A light mist hovered just above the gr… Read More

Through the years, Jilda and I have had our share of pets. We’ve had cats, chickens, tropical fish, and dozens of dogs. One thing we’ve learned is that they sometimes bring you u… Read More

It's been years since we planted watermelons. Early in the spring, we met one of our friends to give her some eggs, she reciprocated with four heirloom watermelon plants.That afternoon, I to… Read More

A few years ago, Jilda and I spent our anniversary in Fairhope, Alabama. Don't you just love that name? Fairhope is less than an hour from the Gulf of Mexico, but it's nestled on the sh… Read More

The canopy over the road to our barn is so dense that very little light finds its way through to the floor.A Google search had this to say about ferns - The ferns constitute an ancient… Read More

One day in June of 1973I was sitting in the sand at sunset.It was a Sunday. (The time and place were written on the back of the picture.)I was on an island off the coast of Panama.Home… Read More

I got an email from the Associated Press this afternoon. Last week I interviewed a local coffee house owner about them putting a student center in the shop so that nearby high school and com… Read More

It has rained on and off for most of the day. We walked between showers. The dithering clouds were ash-gray one momentand white as gauze the next.The humidity was lickable. On… Read More

Last night I wrote my blog entry on my phone. It's always a little wonky, but manageable. At 11:30 p.m., the light blinked on. The AC began cooling the house down immediately.This morning, I… Read More

We miss having people over. In normal years, we would have had a fish fry and several family gatherings by now. That all changed this year.But today, we had company. It was the first time si… Read More

I sometimes think that Jilda and I should have saved and bought a place by the water. When I was a teenager, my dad bought a small lot on the river. My older brother and I helped my dad buil… Read More

Some days the words come too fast.Some days it's more of a trickle.Some days you have to dig them outof the cranial crevices with a sharp stick. Today, the stick would have come in hand… Read More

We sat on the deck before sunrise this morning and drank coffee. Jilda lit some incense to keep the skeeters at bay.When the sun came up, it painted the clouds to the south, subtle hues of p… Read More

After lunch, Jilda and I stepped out onto the deck for an analog weather report. I leaned back in the wrought iron chair, closed my eyes, and turned my face to the sun.A shadow flitted… Read More

Our pomegranate bush has been hit or miss over the past several years. This year we pruned it in early spring and dug in compost and horse manure around its roots. It didn't take long for it… Read More

Today was decoration day, where my folks are buried. I was there before 7 a.m. to collect donations from visitors. The money we collect on decoration day goes into a fund to keep the cemeter… Read More

There is not a lot of lawn management in our front yard. It stays in the shade most of the day. Early on, we had to decide on a manicured lawn or tall trees. We opted for the latter. So one… Read More

It was still as a photograph outside this evening as we ate dinner. We did a trial subscription to Netflix and were watching a program when the power went off.I have the power company on spe… Read More

Today was like a scripted from an enchanting story. The sky was cerulean blue with clouds that look like they were pulled from bottles of aspirin. The humidity was lower than yesterday… Read More

Cristobal made landfall on the gulf coast today and the atmosphere here in Empire has been excited all day. One thing about getting older is, my knees can predict changes in the weather… Read More

I lost another beehive yesterday. I checked it last week and while it wasn't robust, I felt it would endure.The weather this spring has not been bee weather. It's been cold and rainy WAY mor… Read More

The Bougainvillea started blooming today. It made it through winter on the screened porch that doubles as our greenhouse when the weather gets cold. I kept it watered, and it bloom… Read More

Today was busy. Jilda and I walked early, but when we returned, we got the baskets and went back out to pick blueberries. After about an hour, we drank all the water we'd taken with us… Read More

I hear people from time to time say they don’t like coffee. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around that statement. It might seem like a twisted judge of character, but I’m… Read More

I had an opportunity to work a little in my shop today. The old place serves as a honey house and a woodworking shop. The latter is where I build beehive components and so forth. In the last… Read More

Driving home this evening, I rolled down the window.  There is something hypnotic about the sound of the wind as it rushes by my window.Pulling into my drive, I knew the gardenias were… Read More

I wrote on the screened porch today. The ceiling fan whispered overhead pushing a cool breeze that madethe environment feel blissful.Even when the world goes crazy,there are peacef… Read More

I've always loved stained glass. When I was in Panama, there was a small shop tucked between a place that sold cameras and electronics, and rug emporium was a tiny shop that sold intricate s… Read More

We have a yoga friend we haven't seen since early March. She and her husband love fresh eggs. This morning we had to deliver eggs to the produce stand and pick up some fresh veggies. Our yog… Read More

Glancing at my Fitbit band this evening, I have 13,000 steps. Too bad, the band doesn't measure lifting, stretching, digging, cussing, and so forth.Jilda cooks practically every meal we eat… Read More

My walking view today. One of the elderberry bushes we planted several weeks ago bloomed today. I had no idea we'd have berries our first year, but Jilda says the blossom is a good sign that… Read More

It has rained on and off for most of the day. After coffee, I moved the laptop to the screened porch to write my column for this weekend. When the clouds moved off to the north, the sun… Read More

I ran by the Riverside Fly Shop this week and had a long sit-down talk with Randy Jackson. He has been my fly-fishing mentor for years. When I first met him, he asked me what I fished with… Read More

I usually work on Monday, but I took the holiday off. I don't feel comfortable saying happy Memorial Day, because it's a solemn holiday. I've spent time thinking about family and friends who… Read More

Our garden is doing great. The last few nights, it has rained. When I went outside early this morning, you could almost hear stuff growing.This evening, Jilda and I walked over to her brothe… Read More

Every high school in the county held graduation ceremonies last night. It's still not safe to do them indoors, so all of them were held outside on the football field at 7:30 p.m.Photographer… Read More

Our nephew Haven surprised me today with a great gift. He was working at his dad's house next door and called me to come over. I was cutting grass, but a break sounded good.Call me lazy, but… Read More

This spring has been wacky. Warm, cold, cool, hot, frosty, cold, warm, cool, hot, and so forth. The bees are kind of analog. They are either ON when it's warm or OFF when it's hot. Ther… Read More

Jilda and I have planted a garden every year since we married in 1974. Some years it was only a row of sunflowers and a few tomato plants. This year we have the biggest garden we've ever had… Read More

When Jilda and I first moved here in 1980, the bank next to the road had gnarly weeds that grew on it. I spent hours using a weed eater clearing that bank.Apparently, my efforts only annoyed… Read More

The weather today has been tropical. I'll never forget the day I stepped off the plane in Panama. I remember thinking, I have to get out of this jetwash. The weather was like that for almost… Read More

While walking, Ol' Hook is the scout. He's out ahead looking pirates, bear, aliens, or other ne'er-do-wells lurking ahead. His job is to clear the path, and he doesn't fret the small stuff… Read More

As Jilda and I drank our coffee this morning, the sun peeked through the canopy and cast a golden light on the citrus trees just outside our great room windows.  Jilda was telling me ab… Read More

I don't have much to say today except that the oak leaf hydrangeas are blooming. Some people call them seven bark. I've always called them wild hydrangeas. It's a beautiful pl… Read More

Jilda and I walked down and picked blueberries this evening when the sun dipped below the tree line to the west. A cool breeze came up as I picked. I could smell the freshly mown grass from… Read More

I've interviewed a half dozen high school seniors within the last few weeks. They all feel cheated by the coronavirus. The final weeks of the senior year are iconic. The prom, signing yearbo… Read More

This week is the seventh anniversary of my little friend's death. Ol' Buddy was a piece of work. I've written about him several times, but when my calendar dinged to remind me, I looked back… Read More

I came across a plant this morning as I walked. It was at the edge of the yard. I wish I knew its name. I read once that to become a better writer, one should learn the names of trees, birds… Read More

The weatherman said we could have frost last night. Honeybees like warm weather. When the weather is warm, then cold, then warm, then cold, they can collect much nectar and pollen.I fretted… Read More

I've walked over 13,000 steps today. The garden got tilled, beehive boxes were built, the grass was mowed, at so forth. Kodak made every step I made and more.I wish I had a Fitbit on him bec… Read More

Walking yesterday, I heard Kodak barking. He seemed to be really interested in something in the tall grass. When I walked over, I saw that he was trying to get a Box Turtle to play with him… Read More

It's been chilly at night, but the day warms up nicely. The see-sawing temps have the bees confused. I have no idea how it will affect how much honey they make. Time will tell.I will say thi… Read More

I've been reading in the news for the last few weeks about an insect from Asia that somehow made its way to the state of Washington, and it's causing concerns among beekeepers. It's called a… Read More

One year ago today, Jilda and I were sitting on the bench pictured below. It was our 45th anniversary. As we sat the listening to the eternal whispering surf, we decided where we would for o… Read More

The indigo treasure hunt begins.Last week, Jilda and I bothplucked ripe berries as big as our thumbs from our bushes.They were harbingers.Today, Jilda picked a handful, the birds picked more… Read More

My nephew showed up before I finished my coffee this morning. I hit the plumber's lotto when he pulled my ticket. He works hard and I hate to ask him to do work for me, but this was importan… Read More

It's been beautiful here today. These last several weeks, it has been remarkable. By mid-afternoon, the temperature was in the low 80s.The back deck is our starter garden. We have tomatoes… Read More

I'm not sure how I missed it, but I did. A few weeks ago, had I remembered, I would have celebrated my 10 anniversary of my retirement from AT&T.I started out with the phone company as a… Read More

Several weeks ago, I interviewed a gentleman about gardening. He was a wealth of knowledge. His words were measured. His knowledge came not only from experience but from a degree in horticul… Read More

A lite mist fell as we walked this morning.The first wave of rain had moved off to the northeast,but a second wave was less than an hour behind.We walked with a purpose...The purpose was to… Read More

Lasts week, while driving back from an assignment, I got behind a pickup truck pulling a trailer. I saw something small on the edge of the road, and the next few seconds played out in what s… Read More

I wrote three stories for the paper today. I'd done the interviews over the last several days, so today I tapped keys.Mid-morning, I took a break and went to the bee yard to put the swarm I… Read More

I know I talk about the weather a lot, so feel free to scan past the first paragraph. But, today was like the first time Jilda and I stood at the Golden Gate Bridge and looked across the bay… Read More

It's been an exciting week at HomeFolk Honey. Back in December, we had four healthy hives. At the end of March, we had three. I ordered a new package of bees, but the delivery date wasn't fo… Read More

The rain moved off to the east yesterday. The clouds moved out just in time for a beautiful sunset. Today has been stellar. Walking this afternoon, I came across an old bottle next to t… Read More

Not much to reportExcept, that todayWas mostly cloudy.The sun came out late in the day.The flowers were thankful,And so was I.Life stories, writing, music, advice, southern, Alabama Read More

It was cooler today than I thought it would be. The sun was shy. We walked, but I had to go back inside on the second lap for longer sleeves.We did see some interesting grass growing. In yea… Read More

Today was a workday here. I had a webinar on writing this morning and two interviews with high school seniors after lunch. All these assignments left me hopeful.When I got home from the inte… Read More

NOTE: This is an update on yesterday’s post.I put on my bee suit this morning as the coffee dripped and walked down to the apiary. Standing behind, I placed my hands on the sides to fe… Read More

It's been an old rainy day here. We did have a short reprieve in the morning so Jild and I took advantage and walked the dogs.  Once down at the peach tree, I saw that the swarm of bees… Read More

Jilda and I made a run to the coop today to get feed for the chickens. I donned my masks and headed in. There were only a few people there, so keeping a safe distance was easy.Once home, Jil… Read More

I plucked another photo from the archives. This one is from the day after Thanksgiving, 1968. Jilda and I had been dating for about six months.Her daddy didn't trust me as far as he could th… Read More

I played baseball until I graduated from high school. Each spring, I gathered with a group of my friends to practice on a dusty field. I wish there had been a counter on my bat because I mus… Read More

This weekend, I was looking for senior portraits for Jilda and me. The idea was to post them on Facebook. I started to ignore it, but the idea was to share things that lifted spirits. T… Read More

My Army bunk the first week I was in Panama in early 1972 seemed like the loneliest place on the planet. It felt as if I were a million miles from home. Thankfully, a pair of headphones teth… Read More

I came across a cache of old pictures I hadn't seen in years. I came across a picture of me that was taken on Easter Sunday.I didn't dress up much, but Easter Sunday was a special day. After… Read More

I've lost count of the days. My blog, buddy Joy has been keeping a daily journal. Since I write here each day, it's kind of a journal, but there are things I don't write here.Pulling my priv… Read More

Jilda and I walked early this morning. It was chilly, so the kids next door opted out to spend a little more time under their warm quilts.On the first lap, I noticed the trees that line both… Read More

Social distancing. I know it's a new concept, but it wasn't hard for me to grasp.Keep a distance between each other or risk dying a horrible death.I was born and night, but not last night.&n&hell…Read More

It's been an old gray day today. The rain moved out in the early morning hours, but it didn't take the clouds with it.Even though it's been cloudy, the air was heavy with humidity making it… Read More

I had to cover a city council meeting today. It was closed to the public, and all the people that attended were spaced at least six feet apart. I wore gloves and a mask. It looked as if I wa… Read More

When our niece Samantha was about five years old, the coal company that owns the property down behind the barn decided to cut timber.We had no right to that property, but we'd treated it as… Read More

Jilda and I worked outside for most of the day. I've tried to order potting soil from our local provider because I can pay with a credit card over the phone, and the crew will load it in the… Read More

Some days my brain feels like a fishing cork. Not a new spongy one, but an old one that's spent too much time in the river. Hard around the edges. Fish make fun of it.Tha… Read More

I've written stories for the newspaper in the last few days about how COVID-19 impacts our community. The people I interviewed were friends. Two have the virus and are in quarantine. The oth… Read More

I saw a thread on social media today bashing journalists. As a journalist, it bothered me. When I sat down a while ago to write, I wrote my thoughts on the situation.After several paragraphs… Read More

When the rain moved out during the early hours of the morning, it left a cold front in its wake. It was over 80 degrees f one day last week, but today a warm sweatshirt felt good.Jilda walke… Read More