Suffice it to say, we've been busy

It seems like "forever" since I had time to sit down and pen a blog entry. I've been busy with a project practically every day. Just this rainy, dreary morning, I finished burning the brush from when the tree trimmers were here to cut down the top of a dead oak tree. And I confess I've been busy with my new hobby - making videos of what's going on here on the manor. You can go to Youtube.com and search up Holly Tree Manor with KC Kendricks. 

I suppose I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I keep a desk calendar. It's a Day Designer, and I use it as a diary to keep track of what I did when. Looking back, it's no wonder I'm TIRED!!!!

• Today, October 13, 2025 - burned the last of the brush, ran a backup, paid my mother's bills
• October 12 - Sunday, domestic chores
• October 11 - worked in the wood yard; videoed it
• October 10 - laundry, worked in the wood yard
• October 9 - grocery run; canned carrots, baked muffins, brought in tender plants
• October 8 - burned 40% of remaining brush, set up new budget sheet, HVAC guy installed new fan motor
• October 7 - worked in the wood yard, the Internet was out, went to Trivia night
• October 6 - cousin fixed toilet, updated laptop, ordered HVAC parts, gave Deuce a bath
• October 5 - mowed grass, HVAC system fan crapped out, called HVAC tech, cousin brought topsoil
• October 4 - weed whacked, spread stone on parking area and lane
• October 3 - spread stone with the John Deere 1023, dismantled bench at shed and burned
• October 2 - weed whacked, load of stone delivered, got diesel fuel
• October 1 - made grocery run; removed shade cloth at sunroom, steam clean LR area rugs

I have no idea why I'd be tired. And that's not all of it, just the major items. But maybe it does explain why I've not been blogging, or writing, these past few weeks. 

I'm grateful I'm able and active enough to handle all the day to day here at Holly Tree Manor. With winter closing in fast, there is still much to do. It's now wood splitting season, and the cousin has mentioned it a few times. We're both set with firewood for this year, but we need to split for next year so the firewood can season for a year. That's the way it works. 

So forgive me for not blogging much. I really have been busy!

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, canning, gardening, John Deere 1023, rural living, country lifestyle, firewood, splitting firewood, shade cloth, black Labs

Working in a wintry mix - in comfort!

Happy anniversary to Holly Tree Manor! The blog is three years old and has two hundred eighty-eight posts, and nineteen pages now. I like to look back and see what I was doing a year ago, and apparently, I was amused by finding a counterfeit bill someone had donated to where I worked. 

We woke to a wintry mix this morning. Snow, sleet, and rain all fell at the same time. I gave it an hour or so to cover the ground and headed to the west forty to burn a rather substantial brush pile. 

I say "brush" but it was a lot more than that. Taking down three large trees made quite a mess. A lot of the brush from those days was disposed of promptly, but as we got into the actual cutting and splitting of firewood, we created more. This pile had some large chunks in the middle and I knew from experience this pile would burn for hours and hours. I needed snow to be on the safe side, and this morning I got it. 

Experience has taught me a few other things, too. I drove the Colorado over and parked it at a safe distance. Once I lit the fire, I hopped back in the pickup and watched the fire in relative comfort. I had a heated seat, a good stereo, hot coffee in my fave travel cup, and my dog in the backseat. That was at nine o'clock this morning. 

It's after six and after dark, and a lot of hot coals are still blazing in the rain. And it's raining pretty hard. I'm not worried about any sparks given how wet it is outside. The rain will create a cold crust over the top of the ashes and the coals beneath will continue to smolder until they've gone to ash. What's left, the potash, can be used judiciously in the garden. 

I can check the brush pile off my To Do list, at least for now. It never takes long for a new one to get started. Some rainy summer day, I'll burn again. Burning in the rain is a safety measure. And yes, we'll sit in the pickup with the AC on and watch the fire. Work smart, not hard. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Chevy Colorado, Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, work smart not hard, rural lifestyle, country living, brush, coffee, splitting firewood, wintry mix

Future tense

Future tense: a tense expressing an action that has not yet happened or a state that does not yet exist

I must confess that, so far, retirement has not been entirely as anticipated. We've been busy, both doing and planning. I thought I'd spend a lot more time on the patio with my laptop, but that's not been the case. Catching up on home & garden projects is satisfying, as is getting our ducks in a row to be able to do a few fun things. Tomorrow we're having new front tires put on the van which is the last step before we take off on a day trip.

This should have already been done, but the heat wave slowed us down. The last three weeks or so have been brutal and working outside needed to be done in small increments. After an early morning tending to the garden and/or cleaning up after the tree trimmer, it was too much like work to get the van to town for tires. The heat has passed and the time is tomorrow. 

It's actually been raining most of today - a blessing of soft, gentle rain that soaks into the ground. I spent most of my day writing which was a welcome change of pace. I need to get that story finished and out the door. It's taken far too long as it is. 

I have more canning projects on the horizon. The last of my own tomatoes went into nine jars as tomato sauce. What few tomatoes are still on the vine will go to the table. The heat wave affected the plants and they withered and stopped setting flowers, so no more fruit. When I go to the local orchards to get pears, I may price tomatoes and decide if I want to get a bushel to finish out the amounts I planned to can this season. 

Even if I don't make my canning goals, it has been a good season. Any amount of food without additives is a win. 

Now we've turned our focus to autumn chores. I've called the chimney sweep and am waiting for him to return my call. There's firewood to split and stack, and the lane needs a top dressing of gravel. Once the leaves fall, a few low-hanging branches need to be pruned. 

I'm enjoying being home even though I'm working a lot harder than I did at the day job. 

Am I bored? Nope. To a country girl, this is all play. May it continue to be so.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, home canning, country lifestyle, rural living, splitting firewood, gardening, tomato sauce, autumn, pruning trees, tires, day trips, a writer's life