Rural Revolution

Greener grass

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:27:44 +0000

Last year, you might remember, we subdivided our larger pasture.

This allowed us to add additional rotations for cattle grazing. It also allowed us to have the garden fences down while we worked on strengthening and raising the fences against deer (the garden is carved out of a slice of the pasture), since the cows were restricted to the upper portion while we worked.

As a result of last year's garden-fencing efforts, we didn't release the cows into the larger pasture until late June. While the grazing was certainly great, it was past its peak.

This year we had no such restrictions. As a result, we opened the gate to the larger pasture last week, and let the cows into their little slice of bovine paradise.

We started by opening the gate (translation: peeling back some of the field fencing right at the corner of the garden) and giving our "Bossy bossy bossy!" call. Maggie was the first to investigate.

Romeo and Stormy soon followed. "Hey, look at all this grass!"

Maggie looks at the garden. "Hey, can I get in there?" No, you can't.

This time of year, the pasture is at its peak lushness.

Don has a theory about pasture quality. When cows are grouped together when grazing, it means the pasture is lush. When they're scattered apart, the quality is less. Right now, the cows are always grouped together.

A couple hours later, the cows were bedded down, chewing their cud, looking about as happy as cows can look.

Speaking of Maggie, our Jersey cow, she's looking more and more ponderous.

She was bred on September 8, so according to an online bovine gestational calculator, that means her due date is June 12, a month from now.

Unlike last year's unexpectedly early birth of Stormy, however, this time we're ready. We have the milking stall and calf pen built and all the quirks worked out. As her due date grows closer, we'll take the animals off the larger pasture and restrict them to the small pasture right below the house, so we can keep an eye on Maggie. Fresh milk soon!

"How is your father?"

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Mon, 11 May 2026 22:40:00 +0000

I called my dad yesterday (Mother's Day). I can't talk to my mom anymore since she's in a nursing home, and so I called my dad instead.

As it turns out, he wasn't home when I called. That's because he was with two of my brothers and sisters-in-law, all of whom were visiting my mom, so that was nice to know. Dad called me back this morning and we caught up.

He told me that Mom hadn't seen one of my sisters-in-law ("V") in quite some time. The moment V. walked in, Mom said – clear enough that even Dad could hear it (Dad is quite deaf) – "Hello. How is your father?"

Dad was ecstatic.

V. is from Russia, and her father had suffered a stroke a few years ago. V. had to travel all the way to Moscow and then on to Siberia to care for him in the immediate aftermath. Mom's mind was sharp enough to remember V's struggles, and to ask V. how her father was doing.

Dad confirms that Mom's brain, underneath the symptoms of her own stroke and serious bout of pneumonia over the New Year, is still chugging along bright and alert. We agreed it must be intensely frustrating that she can't always communicate her thoughts.

Still, Dad admitted that Mom is receiving not just excellent care in her nursing home, but far more socialization than she would have gotten at home, so he's come to terms with it. I'm grateful he only lives a couple miles away from her facility.

The dying art of writing

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sat, 09 May 2026 15:50:00 +0000

Back when I was seven years old, I wrote a story about Glinda the Fish. I don't remember anything about it beyond a few vague watery adventures Glinda had. Certainly the story rambled, had no story arc, and lacked a conclusion, though I did include crayon illustrations of a very pretty and feminine fish decked out in glittery scales. Hey, I was seven.

Obviously the writing bug bit early, and I've enjoyed practicing the written word ever since.

Perhaps for this reason, the artificial-ness of writing done by artificial intelligence drives me nuts. I'm complained about this several times (here and here).

Oddly I'm conscious of times I use turns of phrase that might be misconstrued as written by AI. I submitted a magazine article recently, for example, concerning the honey hunters of Bangladesh (people who harvest wild honey in the coastal areas of that nation). In the second paragraph, I set the scene by describing what the mangrove forests are like, which included this line: "It is a moist, humid, and unforgiving ecosystem that straddles land and sea, and protects the coast from erosion during high tides, tsunamis, and cyclones."

It was the term "straddles land and sea" that I almost took out because it sounded like AI, even though it describes perfectly the placement of mangrove forests.

Similarly, one line from our recent trip to Italy also triggered my AI radar. In this blog post, I described some Roman ruins we saw, including the impressive brick work, as follows: "The fact that the brick work has held up so splendidly for thousands of years is a testimony to the skills of Roman craftsmen." It was that word "testimony" that tipped the line over into the realm of sounding artificial. It's bugged me ever since.

Every writer develops his own unique voice when mastering the craft, and I guess you could say the same applies to artificial intelligence. In a piece entitled "The Rise Of AI Writing And The Decline Of Human Voice," it states:

"New research suggests that widespread use of large language models is making language more uniform. A study conducted by University of Southern California found that after the release of ChatGPT, diversity in writing styles declined across several forms of communication, including scientific publications, local journalism, and social media posts. Researchers observed fewer differences in vocabulary choices and sentence patterns, pointing to a growing preference for polished, formulaic language. ...

"Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development analyzed more than 740,000 hours of spoken and written material and found that certain words commonly associated with ChatGPT responses are appearing more frequently in everyday communication. Words like 'delve,' 'meticulous,' 'boast,' and 'comprehend' have become increasingly common, suggesting AI-generated language may be shaping human speech habits as well. ...

"Not everyone sees that as progress. Alex Mahadevan of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies argues that AI-generated content often feels empty despite being technically sound. He described it as noticeably 'soulless' and 'mediocre,' adding, 'There's no art in it.'"

Or, as I'm fond of stating, AI writing is a lot of "blah blah nothing."

At this moment in time, we are straddling (that word!) the cusp of human-generated writing and AI writing. But the handwriting is on the wall, and the latter will become the norm. Not only is it easier (give a command, and hey presto! your essay or advertising copy is written), but the younger generation will grow up unable to discern between the real and the fake ... especially since AI shows every indication of becoming indistinguishable from the human voice. Personally I find that very sad.

I don't know how long I'll be able to cling to a career as a writer, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Happy birthday, Sir David Attenborough

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Fri, 08 May 2026 20:59:00 +0000

The incomparable Sir David Attenborough turns 100 years old today!

Tributes are pouring in from all over the world, the world he saw so much of.

• Sir David Attenborough: A century of storytelling - BBC

• David Attenborough at 100: A Special Birthday Message From King Charles (this had a cute and unexpected twist)

• Inside the wild life of broadcasting legend Sir David Attenborough | 60 Minutes Australia

• Sir David Attenborough at 100: A Century of Wonder | 9 News Australia Documentary

...and on and on and on.

From all accounts, the man is a true gentleman on and off the screen.

Happy birthday, Sir David!

The Three Stooges

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Fri, 08 May 2026 04:23:00 +0000

Larry, Curly, and Moe.

Happy birthday, Younger Daughter!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:10:00 +0000

Today is Younger Daughter's birthday.

She'll be coming stateside (after her decision to leave the Navy) in June. She'll first go to Southern California to visit her grandparents, then come up to see us before heading to the West Coast to start her new job.

Happy birthday, dear daughter!

"Keeping up with the influencers"

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:15:00 +0000

You know how once in a while, you stumble upon a video that rivets you in horrified fascination, and subsequently it takes you down a rabbit hole of binge-watching similar videos? This just happened to me.

To back up somewhat: Most readers know something about our fiscal history. (If not, a synopsis can be read here.) In our younger years, we got ourselves deeper in debt than we were comfortable with, though never to the point of not being able to pay our bills. We always paid our bills, but there were times we were very, very tight financially. This is one of the reasons we're huge fans of thrift stores and a cash-only lifestyle. The debt we had was all for "legitimate" cost-of-living expenses as we raised our girls, but it was still debt.

The result of many years of financial uncertainty has left me with something akin to a pathological fear of debt. The peace of mind that comes with not owing any money is hard to describe.

So when I came across a random video entitled "Let's Watch 25 Minutes of People Living Above Their Means & Going BROKE" by someone called Zac Rios, I clicked.

Oh my.

All this guy does, as far as I know, is trawl around social media, gathering up videos of people confessing (or bragging) about how much money they've spent that landed them in astronomical debt, how hard they try to justify it, and apparently why they refuse to change their ways.

Mr. Rios admits one of his reasons for posting these videos is to get viewers "scared straight" about their own spending habits. He says if he were to don a suit and tie and stand in front of a white board giving an economics lesson, most people would tune out. But this – these naked, raw, real testimonies of people who are ruining their lives through financial illiteracy – is eye-opening. Watching clip after clip after clip after clip is like watching a train wreck. I couldn't look away.

Make no mistakes: The people putting these videos on the internet are not lamenting their poverty or the hardships they're experiencing due to medical expenses, job loss, disability, or other unavoidable factors beyond their control. Instead, the clips profile people who simply spent too much on every passing "want" and either don't know or don't care that they'll never get out from under the resulting crushing debt.

Among the factors involved in these irrational decisions:

• YOLO (You Only Live Once) or "doom" spending

• Social media fueled by influencers

• The "image is everything" mindset

• Instant gratification

Influencers seem to be a major factor in this overspending trend. Having watched a number of these videos, it's clear the host focuses on living beyond one's means as a lifestyle choice, rather than genuine economic hardship. Mr. Rios explains how some of these people make staggering amounts of money, and then spend to keep up appearances. But for most, the length of time an influencer actually influences is very brief. They think it will last forever and it doesn't. As a result, many current and former influencers are economically in way over their financial heads, let alone those who watch them.

Viewer comments could be blunt:

• "Truly a case of 'Buying stuff you don't need with money you don't have to impress people you don't like.'"

• "What a world. Having $1.26 in your bank account and no debt makes you richer than 75% of the country."

• "Lots of people claim they're just living in the moment and don't understand the piper must be paid at some point."

• "The weirdest part of it is how they believe massive debt is a flex."

The incomparable Amy Dacyczyn, author of "Tightwad Gazette," once said that if you write down every single penny you spend, you can skip buying her book because you'll already know what you're spending your money on. This simple piece of advice seems to elude those mired down in YOLO-fueled spending.

Look, today's uncertain economy – with elevated prices for everything from food to property – is tough enough as it is. It's getting more difficult for ordinary Americans to scrape by on incomes that used to be adequate.The younger generation is facing an uphill battle when it comes to achieving the milestones their parents and grandparents were able to achieve. No one denies this.

But ... this level of self-inflicted financial sabotage is hard to grasp. Kudos to Mr. Rios for attempting to "scare straight" those who need it.

Moving out

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Mon, 04 May 2026 22:16:00 +0000

Goodness, what a busy few days this has been! Older Daughter has officially moved out. She started her new job today. Nursing school doesn't start until late August, so she has several months of full-time work before classwork begins.

She called us last Friday night, having picked up the keys and seen her studio apartment for the first time. She was thrilled with it. "It's much bigger than I thought it would be," she said. "The window is huge, and it has a very wide windowsill for sitting. The kitchen is large for a studio apartment."

She drove home Friday evening. All weekend, she was engaged in packing, sorting, and discarding. On Sunday, we loaded up our car and hers with some basic furniture, clothes, kitchen things, and other assorted necessities, and went to see her apartment.

She's right: It's a charming studio overlooking a charming street scene. The only disadvantage is the thirty – thirty! – steps to ascend to the second floor.

This apartment is not handicap accessible, so it has no elevator or other means of transporting worldly goods upstairs except sheer grunt-work. (The building is well over a hundred years old, so no surprise.)

But that's okay. Most of the heavy lifting is already done, and we'll all be gradually moving whatever didn't fit into the first load into subsequent trips. Her cat Frumpkin is with us for a few days until she gets things more established.

Things are a lot quieter here at home, but a lot more exciting for Older Daughter.

Yellow-flower season

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sat, 02 May 2026 13:16:00 +0000

Now that "cotton-candy season" (consisting of wild plum blossoms) has come and gone, we're now in the midst of "yellow-flower season." We have yellow flowers blooming everywhere.

The most noticeable are arrow-leaf balsamroot, a large and showy flower that favors sunny south-facing slopes with shallow soil.

This time of year, they light up hillsides all over the place.

If you peer closely, you can see the balsamroot blanketing this hillside.

A field of mustard, planted as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop.

This is Oregon grape. As the name implies, the plants produce tart (almost to the point of being inedible) grape-like clusters of fruit in the fall.

This is nine-leaf biscuitroot. They can be found scattered all over roadsides and sunny slopes.

These, too, can blanket hillsides.

The beloved daffodils. Often these escape from gardens, so to speak, and grow wild.

Dogtooth violets, also called glacier lilies. These are all over shady sections of our pasture, and are among the first flowers to bloom in the spring.

I'm not quite certain what this is. I photographed it hastily from the window of the car, so I wasn't able to examine it closely. It might be false lupine. If anyone knows, please chime in.

Another unknown flower, also photographed from the car window.

This time of year, tulips are on display in many yards.

And, of course, who can ignore the ubiquitous dandelion.

Next up in the blooming cycle are apple blossoms. Stand by!

Wanted: Perfection

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:57:00 +0000

There is a website entitled "Where Should I Live?" which narrows down one's ideal city (it's always a city) based on various criteria such as nature, climate, demographics, transportation, politics, food, size, and cost of living. For those looking to relocate, it helps narrow down what part of the country would be most amenable to one's particular preferences.

But always remember, perfection isn't possible. When we bought our property in late 2020, it was the height of the pandemic lockdowns and rural properties were being snatched up fast. We knew our new place wasn't perfect, but it hit many of the marks we had on our bucket list. We decided to bloom where we were planted, and have been very happy here since.

These factors came to mind recently when Don spotted a post on a "Homesteaders for Beginners" page in which a woman was looking for ... perfection.

The image is a little hard to see, so I transcribed the wish list. Her requirements include:

• Affordable housing
• Lots of jobs to offer

Bonus for:

• Pagan-friendly/accepting
• More small-town feel
• Generally kind respectful people
• Homeschool friendly
• Homestead friendly

She absolutely did NOT want to consider the following states:

• Washington
• Oregon
• California
• Florida
• Arizona
• New York

Later, she added more information as follows (edited slightly for grammar, spelling, punctuation):

"I grew up Mormon and don't mind church folk, but as an adult I'm more of a closet pagan and rather keep to myself anyway, so again not a requirement. Would just be a nice bonus. To get on my feet, I need to be able to find a job and find affordable housing. But the end game is buying land to start a homestead. I just don't want a place that's miserable dying heat like six months out of the year. I have a mixed stepdaughter, so want her welcomed in whatever place we make home. I already barely socialize due to social anxiety, but it would be great to find an accepting community to be a part of, but again more than happy to stay on our land and ignore our neighbors if needed. I've grown up in Washington and lived in Idaho [and] Oregon, and just plain sick of the PNW [Pacific Northwest]. I have always wanted the small-town farm life and I just want to find a place to make that happen."

Ironically, it sounds like her ideal community would be somewhere in Western Oregon or Western Washington (west of the Cascades). However given the states she absolutely does not want to consider, I'm a bit stymied where she might settle that would fill all her other criteria.

I sincerely hope what this nascent homesteader realizes is perfection doesn't exist. Some places might get close, yes; but most of us do better by blooming where we're planted.

A new career for Older Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:49:00 +0000

I've been making a few oblique references to some exciting developments with Older Daughter, so here is what's happening.

You might remember her accident on New Year's Eve in which she touched the router with the tip of her index finger, which mangled her fingertip. This resulted in a painful and lengthy recovery (you don't appreciate how often you use your index finger until you can't). The incident effectively put an end to her woodworking career, especially since the business was no longer as profitable as it once was.

Now let's go back to a year before that, during a couple of months bracketing late 2024 and early 2025. At that time she was attending the necessary coursework to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). She aced the coursework, the practicum, and the final exam, but didn't start work as a CNA at a local facility until March, after she had finished up a few wholesale orders with the woodcraft business.

Her new job was part-time, since she was still running the woodcraft business, but she got enough experience to know she's both good at, and thoroughly enjoys, the profession. She has a gift she inherited from Don; namely, the ability to emote with patients to know what kind of approach to take. Sometimes she has to be tough, sometimes funny, sometimes sympathetic, sometimes firm.

A true story from when she was working the week-long practicum at a rehab facility in another city: A woman had just entered the facility who (to put it mildly) didn't want to be there. The other CNAs were treating her very kindly and patiently, trying to settle her into the routine.

The first time Older Daughter went in to assist the lady out of bed, the other woman snarled, "I hate it here! I don't want to be here!"

Older Daughter started with the trite surface-level empathy. "I understand..."

But this lady was having none of it. "No, you don't understand."

Older Daughter realized this lady was right, so she said (pardon the language), "You're right. I don't understand. It sucks that you have to be here, doesn't it?"

Startled, the other woman replied, "Yeah! It does suck! You're right!"

And from then on, she and this other woman were friends, and the lady was able to start establishing herself in the facility. What the woman needed was affirmation and sympathy, but not the syrupy-sweet kind she was getting from the other staff members. She needed something hard-hitting and truthful.

That's what I mean when I say Older Daughter has the talent for knowing what kind of approach to take with individual patients. Whether it's belting out the lyrics to "Rawhide" with an old cowboy as she pushes his wheelchair down a hallway, or gently untangling knotted hair for a woman who takes pride in her appearance, the patients absolutely adore her.

After seeing the way the CNAs work in my mom's nursing home (they run the place!), I told Older Daughter, "You're doing a good thing." Sometimes she would come home discouraged or even in tears about something that happened, but I tell her, "Think about what you're doing. You're giving these people dignity at a time in their lives when their dignity is at a very low ebb."

Anyway, bottom line, working as a CNA has awakened an interest in going further and getting her nursing degree. For the last year or so, she's been thinking about this possibility (becoming a CNA was the first step), but she was stymied because she wasn't ready to give up the woodcraft business yet, and moving closer to nursing school while trying to drag an entire shop of power tools in her wake was turning into a logistical nightmare.

That's why injuring her finger may have been a blessing in disguise. She was able to graciously exit the woodcraft business and turn fully to health care as a career.

This was reinforced by an extremely interesting and almost amusing thing that happened while she was getting patched up in the emergency room on New Year's Eve.

Understand that she came in directly from the shop when she injured her finger. She was covered in blood and sawdust, and as she and Don walked into the emergency room, she was trailing sawdust like the character Pigpen in the old Peanuts cartoons.

The nurse said, "I need to take your vitals. I forgot to grab them earlier because we usually have an ER tech, but she's not here tonight."

Older Daughter mentioned that her blood pressure tends to spike when it's being measured (she inherited Don's "white-coat syndrome"), and when she practiced blood-pressure readings in her clinicals, everyone got wildly different results.

The nurse was a little startled and asked "In what context?" That's when Older Daughter explained that she's a CNA.

The nurse said, "A real CNA? As in, licensed?" Older Daughter said yes.

The nurse said, half-jokingly, "If you need any more work around here, let me know." Older Daughter said, "I might. I'm not getting many hours in my current job."

Then, I kid you not, the nurse disappeared and returned with the staffing manager, who came over with a big smile to introduce herself. Now remember, Older Daughter is covered in blood and sawdust, and in a considerable amount of pain. She apologized for her appearance, and the head nurse said, "Oh no, that's fine! So you're a certified CNA right now?" Older Daughter affirmed this, and the head nurse said, "They're currently looking for CNAs in the emergency room. We could train you to be an ER tech and teach you to do IVs." She handed Older Daughter her business card and urged her to stay in touch.

We got a chuckle over this impromptu interview, but Older Daughter couldn't follow up on the offer until her finger had healed sufficiently. Later she applied for the position, but learned that it paid less than she was getting at her original CNA job, so she declined it.

However the incident sparked a series of events which culminated this past week with some exciting developments:

• She applied to an extremely respected nursing school and was accepted. The acceptance happened about a month ago, and last week she met with an academic adviser to map out the appropriate coursework.

• She applied for a job as a CNA at an upscale facility in the same city and was offered a full-time job, with the understanding that her hours will need to be worked around her class schedule. (Apparently the facility deals with nursing students all the time, so this was nothing unusual.)

• She took the math placement exam and was deemed qualified for college math (this one had her worried).

• She found a beautiful studio apartment in a safe and enviable part of town, with beautiful trees outside her huge window. The apartment comes with a dishwasher, refrigerator, and washer/dryer. The price isn't bad, either, and it's only about half a mile from campus.

In short, it's been a tremendously exciting time for her. She's starting to pack and sort through her things, deciding what to keep and what to sell at our future yard sale. She'll be moving to her new apartment after May 1, when the current tenants vacate the premises. She'll work full-time over the summer until school starts in late August.

She's so excited about this new chapter of her life!

Writing matters

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:39:00 +0000

Whew. Thank you for your patience, dear readers, as I coped with multiple writing deadlines. I was able to boot my latest Love Inspired Amish manuscript out the door at about 8 pm last night.

Meanwhile, I'd like to direct your attention to an interview I did with a lovely woman named Elise Cooper, who reviewed two of my titles: "An Amish Marriage Agreement" and "The Amish Baker's Redemption."

"An Amish Marriage Agreement" is the story that, rather surprisingly, hit the New York Times Bestseller List. "The Amish Baker's Redemption" is its better (in my opinion) sequel. Her interview can be seen here.

Writing deadlines up the whazoo

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 21:44:00 +0000

If I've been unusually quiet on the blog lately, it's because I've had writing deadlines up the whazoo. I'm finishing up a manuscript (due Monday) and have been either outlining or writing a number of articles.

Additionally, Older Daughter has had some exceptionally exciting developments in the past week. I'll be posting an update on those developments shortly.

In the meantime, sorry for the silence!

Four-legged weed-whackers

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:01:00 +0000

Three years ago, you may recall, we participated in a county program to reduce underbrush in wooded areas as part of fire-mitigation efforts.

The portion of our property cleared by the crews was wildly overgrown and very, very steep (this section later became our "sacrifice pasture"). The crew did a beautiful job of clearing out the underbrush. After that, we were contractually obligated to maintain the property in a cleared condition.

During this process, we mentioned to the county official that we planned to do this with livestock. She was delighted and said it's one of the best ways to maintain a cleared area.

So here we are, three years later. The other evening, we walked below the sacrifice pasture and remarked how beautifully our four-legged weed-whackers are helping in this endeavor. (That's the corner of our barn on the center-right edge of the photo.)

By contrast, there is a half-acre parcel immediately adjacent to our sacrifice pasture owned by an absentee owner. This parcel hasn't had the benefit of either the county program or livestock maintenance. As a result, his section of land is still a tangled mess of underbrush.

Fortunately, for fire mitigation purposes, this tiny parcel is literally the only overgrown area in our isolated little valley. Everyone else either has open fields and/or grazing livestock, so it all evens out.

My new favorite broccoli recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:34:00 +0000

As many readers know, I love broccoli. I mean, I seriously love broccoli.

I've had this veggie prepared in endless ways, but Older Daughter introduced me to a method of roasting it which has become my new favorite recipe.

It starts with cutting up the heads...

...until you have enough for the meal's requirement.

To this, add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Panko bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese (shredded, not grated).

Add these ingredients in whatever proportions you prefer, and mix thoroughly.

Then spread the veggies on a baking sheet. Some of the mixture will have sifted to the bottom of the bowl, so spoon this over the top of the broccoli.

This particular baking sheet belongs to our toaster oven, which I use for roasting.

Set the temperature to 400F for 20 minutes.

And voilà: The best roasted broccoli I've ever had.

Bon appétit!

Wow! Eighteen BILLION!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:56:00 +0000

I received an email the other day as follows, with the subject line "Are you still alive? Please reply":

Headquarters: Valley National Bank
Address: 1455 Valley Rd, Wayne, New Jersey, United States
Phone: +1 (973) 223 6098

Congratulations! This is the third email I am sending to you. You have been randomly selected to receive US18,400,000,000 and the latest Tesla Cyber Truck from the ongoing Elon Musk raffle draw. Many people around the world have benefited from this raffle. This bank has been entrusted by Elon Musk to process and deliver your winnings to you, therefore, don't sleep on this opportunity.

Kindly provide the following information to proceed:

- Full Name
- Residential Address
- Contact Number
- Email Address
- Occupation
- Date of Birth
- ID or Driver’s License

As of March 2026, Elon Musk, the CEO and owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, is the richest person in the world, with a net worth frequently exceeding US600–800 billion. He leads billionaires like Larry Page and Bernard Arnault by a significant margin. According to scripture, blessings are given not to encourage greed but to empower us to help others kindly and generously. Those who give with a joyful heart receive even greater blessings.

Additionally, please confirm if you have authorised Mr. Gordon Williams, an attorney claiming to be your close friend, to pay the US500.00 fee for paperwork, shipping, and customs clearance. He also claims you gave him the power of attorney to receive delivery of this money and the Tesla Cyber truck to his address.

Please respond promptly to clarify this matter.

Mr. Ira D. Robbins
CEO and President
Valley National Bank

Golly. I'd better not "sleep on this opportunity"! Think what kind of farm we could buy with this kind of money! Think how much this "blessing" would "empower" us to "help others kindly and generously"! Think how stylish we would look, driving around our dirt roads in a Tesla cyber truck! Elon Musk is certainly generous to bestow $18 billion on "randomly selected" plebeians like myself.

Pass.

Planting potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:46:00 +0000

I'm slowly getting various things planted in the garden, notably the cool-weather stuff that can handle spring temperatures. Last week I planted potatoes.

Unlike last year, when I planted eight beds and harvested 230 pounds of potatoes, I'm limiting our potatoes this year to just three beds. That's because we are still swimming in potatoes and don't need eight more beds' worth.

I had already layered compost on the beds from a couple weeks earlier, so all I had to do was turn it over (which takes just a couple of minutes per bed).

Lots and lots of worms, always a nice thing to see.

Now let's briefly digress to last October, when I harvested all the potatoes from last summer's garden. We ended up storing them in burlap bags in the "cool room," a small unheated room Don built off our bedroom as extra storage space.

We were pressed into using this space as an impromptu root cellar, and to be honest it's worked out amazingly well. In previous years, without a dedicated place to store potatoes over the winter, they were ridiculously overgrown by April – fine for planting, but not for eating.

But last year's potatoes – and remember, we still have lots – are still in excellent shape, even after six months in storage.

For planting, I brought out the burlap sack that contained the smallest potatoes, which I used as seed potatoes.

I arranged three rows of seven potatoes each, for a total of 21 potatoes per bed, or 63 total potatoes.

Using a trowel, it doesn't take long to bury each potato deeply.

That's as far as I got last week, and ever since then we've been dodging some fairly major rainstorms.

With more rain on the way, the one thing I hadn't yet done was put straw mulch on the beds.

Mulching takes no time at all.

Mr. Darcy supervised the process.

Except for a little light weeding (notably, of the volunteer wheat that will grow from the wheat-straw mulch) – and watering, of course – that's all I'll need to do to the potatoes until October, when I'll harvest them.

It's a good thing I got the mulching done when I did, since we had a dramatic bit of rain move through today.

A wedding reception

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:17:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I attended the reception of some friends whose 30-year-old son just got married.

I've known this young man since he was seven years old, and when I was invited to what I thought was an engagement party, I was happy to accept. But as I was chatting with the mother, I asked when the wedding was going to be. "Yesterday," she said, and chuckled.

As it turns out, the couple went to a Justice of the Peace in a nearby town (the county seat) and had a small private ceremony with just the family members present. The bride wore a tea-length casual dress. The groom wore a kilt. (The family are of Scottish descent, so everyone already owned kilts and plaids, which was the theme of both the wedding and reception.)

The reception was also small and held in a local community hall with just family and close friends invited, maybe 30 people in all. It opened with a prayer by the groom's father. There was a small buffet and tea (all made by family members), and two store-bought sheet cakes (one chocolate, one white) for guests, with a small round cake for the bride and groom to cut. No music (except a Celtic playlist softly broadcast on speakers), and no photographer except the groom's talented older sister. Afterward, all the family member pitched in to wash dishes and put the community hall to rights.

It. Was. Wonderful.

Seriously, what this couple wanted was a marriage, not a wedding. They didn't go into debt and spend thousands of dollars on an elegant wedding dress, tuxedos, cake, a DJ, a wedding photographer, catered meal, or any other of the usual trappings of a wedding and big party. Instead, they were able to have a chance to accept the congratulations of their closest friends and family members in a casual and stress-free environment. Now this young couple can look forward to building their future together without debt.

(Here's a blog post I put up a couple years ago with my take on weddings, frugal or otherwise.)

I was privileged to attend this reception. I wish this lovely young couple every happiness in their future together.

Taxes, whee!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:58:00 +0000

As with almost everyone else in the nation, we filed our taxes last week. I do our taxes by hand, as I have for the past 30+ years. However these days taxes don't take nearly as long to do, since (a) we retired our woodcraft business, and (b) I lost my online job a year ago February. Less money means less taxes, right?

Last year, despite a vastly reduced income, we still had to pay quarterly taxes based on the previous year's (higher) income. We had set the necessary funds aside, so this wasn't a hardship. This year though, when we met with our tax preparer, we made sure to stress our reduced income.

In the tax preparer's office, we saw this notice of "Respectful Behavior Required."

When our tax documents were prepped and ready to sign, we weren't altogether surprised to learn we're getting a modest refund. However, we still have to pay some (reduced) quarterly taxes. But here's the ironic thing: Our quarterly taxes, added up, equal the amount of our federal and state tax returns.

Seriously, they equal out almost to the dollar. What we're getting back is almost exactly what we will owe. Therefore, everything we get back will go into the account for paying the quarterlies.

Taxes, whee!

Cotton-candy season

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:22:00 +0000

Around here, April is what I call "cotton-candy season" for the simple reason that the wild plum trees explode with blossoms, making the hillsides look like they're covered with bits of cotton candy.

Get the sun involved (either early in the morning or late in the afternoon), and the effect is magical.

Closer up, the trees are no less enchanting.

I took some shots of the blossoms on the plum tree in our driveway.

Then we had one day of brisk wind, and that was the end of that. Without the wind, normally the falling petals coat the roadways. This year, they were mostly whisked away in shimmering showers of white. The petals were too small to photograph during this process (I tried), so all that was left was bits of petals caught in road ruts.

Cotton-candy season doesn't last long, a week or two max (which reminds me of the line "Gather ye rose-buds while ye may" from the poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time").

Because everything is early this year due to our freaky-mild winter, I'm hoping it wasn't too early for the insect pollinators to do their job.

Update from Younger Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:44:00 +0000

Some readers have been wondering how Younger Daughter (our Navy daughter) has been doing in the wake of recent events. In fact, late last year she made a monumental life decision. I asked her to write an update, which is as follows.

_________________________________

Hello Mom's Blog Readers:

Mom's been asking when I can pass along a status update for you guys, so here goes – I'm separating from the Navy in a few months!

This was not an easy decision to make, as I have very much enjoyed my Naval career. I was selected for a special duty that I worked very hard to achieve, and I recently was also selected for board for advancement to E-7 (note that this is NOT the same as being promoted to Chief – just saying that I passed the first screening. I just can't pass off one last opportunity to brag about how good I am at taking tests).

However, in the past year there have been many, many military decisions that are beyond my comfort level. My beliefs may not align precisely with the demographic most likely to follow my mom's blog, and I am definitely not going to attempt to justify the specifics to anyone here, but my ethics and personal philosophy will not allow me to support acts I believe to be immoral. At the same time, as long as I stay in the Navy, I am under an oath to obey the orders of those appointed over me. Those two things don't go together.

(It's worth noting that this decision was made well in advance of the war in Iran, which consequently did not factor into my decision to cancel my reenlistment.)

Anyway, on to the good news! I was recently given a great job offer and will be moving to Washington State in July. It seems like a really interesting position and I'm extremely enthusiastic about it. I am particularly looking forward to being able to let my hair down (literally) and wear cute clothes at work.

This has been an extremely chaotic time for me and a very bittersweet one. I am sad for the circumstances that have led me to this decision, but I am excited for the new opportunities that civilian life will hold. I also haven't lived in the U.S. since I was 20 years old, and re-adjusting will be a whole new experience. I'll miss the espresso, but Italy just hasn't figured out how to make hashbrowns yet, so perhaps it will all balance out. – YD

Spring projects

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 01:48:00 +0000

Now that the weather is breaking, Don and I are sort of coming out of our winter hibernation mindset. In the spirit of taking advantage of increasingly good weather, we have a number of projects we're either working on or planning to work on. These include:

• Improving the fencing around the blueberries and peaches. As these plants have flourished, two things became apparent. One, the deer are still able to nibble leaves off the peaches, so we need to secure them in higher fencing.

And two, as the blueberries become more productive, I need a little more space around the back side to reach all the fruit. For this reason, we're going to redesign the enclosure to have upright fencing rather than angled fencing.

• We're going to hold another yard sale. Yeah yeah, I know I said "never again" after the massive sale we had three years ago. But we realize we have a lot of things we honestly don't need or use cluttering up corners of the house and barn, so why keep them around?

• We're going to finish building out the garden. Don is halfway through the process of building the last seven beds we need, after which we'll install them and fill them with soil.

• We're going to install the drip irrigation system we had pre-planned for the garden. We'll also install a drip system for the blueberries and peaches.

• Don is nearly finished building a permanent ladder for one of the lofts in the barn. The space is too narrow for a staircase (since we need to leave room for the tractor to get in and out), and up to this point we'd made do with just a regular extension ladder whenever we needed access to the loft. But about a year ago, while attempting to pull something down from the loft, the ladder I was on slipped out and crashed beneath me. Thankfully the base hit some things behind it so I didn't fall all the way to the floor, but I fell about four feet down, enough to bang up my shoulder and terrify me. This new ladder system can be folded flat against the wall until needed, and it's secure and won't ever slip.

• We're going to convert a shed room into a guest room. The shed below has two sides, and the right-hand side will become the guest room. Right now we literally have no where to put overnight guests. When Younger Daughter visited three years ago, she had to bunk on a foldout bed in Older Daughter's room, which made for cramped quarters. Younger Daughter is coming to visit us in June, so we want to outfit the shed into comfortable quarters for her stay, as well as for any future guests.

This is just a start. Doubtless we'll have more projects spring up as spring turns to summer and summer turns to fall. But for now, this is more than enough work to keep us both busy.

Surest sign of spring

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 03:51:00 +0000

Right now, spring is everywhere. The plum trees are blossoming, the birds are singing, the grass is greening up. We've even had a couple of days with temperatures above 70F! (Those won't last; we're slumping back into the 60s and 50s later in the week.)

But the surest sign of spring?

I can finally hang our flannel sheets outside to dry after washing.

Don and I use flannel sheets for all but the hottest summer months. I drape them over the drying racks indoors in winter, but it's always much nicer to hang them to dry in the fresh air and sunshine.

Yep, it must be spring.

He is risen!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:58:00 +0000

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.

If you want to listen to a fascinating discussion about the Shroud of Turin, watch the first video at this link.

A blessed Day of Resurrection to you all.

Four degrees, 150 feet in elevation

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice Lewis) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:14:00 +0000

Since our return from Italy, Don, Older Daughter, and I – and Mr. Darcy – have been engaged in walking for exercise. We could all stand to lose a few pounds (including Mr. Darcy), and since we're walking the dog morning and evening anyway, we chose the morning routine for "power walking."

To do this, we use the road that runs along the edge of our lower property.

This road slopes down, so it's the uphill climb that we've been turning into our daily power walk. Don calculated it out. We walk this section (down and up) three times. The length of each section is about 850 feet. Multiply that by six (up and down three times) for a total of about a mile. The slope is nearly four degrees. The change in elevation is 50 feet. For the three circuits, that's a rise of 150 feet.

Since this is Mr. Darcy's morning walk to encourage him to do his "business," what we do is walk downhill at the dog's pace, letting him sniff and explore. I have the leash at this stage.

When we hit the bottom, we turn around and power walk up the hill.

Don takes the leash at this stage and keeps Darcy at a heel so he doesn't get distracted by interesting smells.

When we get to the top of the hill, we turn around and let Darcy sniff and explore on the way down until we hit the bottom of the hill. Rinse and repeat. By the time we complete all three circuits, we're shedding our outerwear.

It's working. We're tackling three circuits without a problem and will probably add a fourth next week. Coupled with some light weightlifting and watching what we eat, we're all losing pounds.

Ah, the joys of getting older.