Tag Archives: Blondie

Burning five acres 2026-01-06

Thanks to Max Barzallo and Mary Clement for helping burn five acres around the house. And of course thanks to Honeybun, Blondie, River, and Sky for helping.

Now if another fire gets loose, it won’t burn to the house.

[Burning five acres, Pine fire forest 2026-01-06, With neighbor help, and dogs]
Burning five acres, Pine fire forest 2026-01-06, With neighbor help, and dogs

Here’s some video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1644259806439943/

https://youtu.be/l3fZ-Adr_3I

For those who are not familiar with prescribed burns, we live in a longleaf fire forest. Southern pine trees are fire resistant, so burns don’t affect them much, but the fire does cut back on vines and other undergrowth, as well as competing oaks, sweetgum, and other trees.

Wildlife benefits. Continue reading →

River, Sky, and Blondie 2025-12-27

River likes to clean her sister’s ear.

Sky seems to like it.

Blondie just looks away.

[River cleaning Sky's ear while Blondie looks away]
River cleaning Sky’s ear while Blondie looks away

All three are Carolina Dogs, a little-known landrace breed that was here before the settlers.

-jsq

Fuyu persimmons 2025-09-28

Update 2025-10-05: Persimmons to eat and to dehydrate 2025-10-05.

A very flavorful fruit, and sweet but not too sweet. Perfect to go with breakfast oatmeal.

[Persimmons on the tree, 2025-09-28 --jsq for OPF]
Persimmons on the tree, 2025-09-28 –jsq for OPF

These are Fuyu persimmons, a variety of the Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki.

Many moons that tree has been there since Gretchen planted it. This year it’s really bearing fruit. Continue reading →

Seepage slope and bog plants 2025-06-15

Twenty one species in a thousand feet down the Not-a-Driveway from piney woods through seepage slope to beaver pond.

Plus Canis familiaris and garden variety human. While we did not see any beaver, Castor canadensis, there was quite a bit of evidence of them.

Species identifications are by Seek by iNaturalist, which is usually pretty reliable. I do doubt a few of them.

For example, what seek identifies as Pineland hibiscus, Hibiscus aculeatus, sure looks to me like halberd-leaf rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis.

Far more species than these live in our subtropical paradise. These are just the plants (and fungi) I happened to focus on today.

BB

[Ten-angled pipewort or bog button, Eriocaulon decangulare, 2025:06:15 09:52:26]
Ten-angled pipewort or bog button, Eriocaulon decangulare, 2025:06:15 09:52:26

Continue reading →

Howling dogs 2025-05-19

Sky and River howled like something horrible was happening.

[Movie: Sky and River howling (30M)]
Movie: Sky and River howling (30M)

Actually, they saw me walk into the woods towards the garden, and they heard me calling them.

Blondie ran back to get them, and explained to them how silly they sounded.

Video:
https://youtu.be/Jyljdi-sHQk

Continue reading →

Wild azaleas and blueberries 2025-03-20

Down the Not A Driveway, over and under the Hurricane Helene deadfalls, following the dog pack, lies an acre of wild azaleas, plus wild blueberries.

[Blondie, Honeybun, Sky, River, over the deadfall into the wild azaleas]
Blondie, Honeybun, Sky, River, over the deadfall into the wild azaleas

Some of these Rhododendron canescens are already blooming. Many more are just budding.

[Wild azaleas, pine deadfall, and dog on Not A Driveway]
Wild azaleas, pine deadfall, and dog on Not A Driveway

[Wild azaleas and loblolly pine cones]
Wild azaleas and loblolly pine cones

[Closeup red wild azaleas]
Closeup red wild azaleas

[Wild Blueberries]
Wild Blueberries

[Pink wild azaleas]
Pink wild azaleas

[Pale wild azaleas]
Pale wild azaleas

[Wild azalea beneath oak deadfall]
Wild azalea beneath oak deadfall

[Closeup wild azalea beneath oak deadfall]
Closeup wild azalea beneath oak deadfall

“Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, … small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.”
—Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien

-jsq