Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

Burning five acres 2026-01-06

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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

Tis but a scratch 2025-11-26

Whilst mowing up some privet that had grown up since Hurricane Helene, the 18-inch Ego electric chainsaw fell under the tractor mower.

[In a bucket]
In a bucket

Turns out if you shatter a lithium battery, the pieces get very hot.

After I put out the several grass fires, in the bucket is what we collected.

I think the black knight said it best:

“Tis but a scratch.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs Continue reading →

Banana plants after the freeze 2025-11-23

Banana plants do this when frozen.

[Gretchen with her banana plants]
Gretchen with her banana plants

Not to worry. They’ll come back in the spring.

Meanwhile, Gretchen will lop their heads off with a machete. She says that makes them grow back better.

We did get some bananas to eat with breakfast.

-jsq

Cutting Sugar Cane 2025-11-09

A freeze is predicted for tonight, so yesterday we cut the sugarcane and bedded it down for the winter.

That means we buried it a few inches deep to keep it from freezing.

But we kept some cane for squeezing juice to boil to make cane syrup.

River helped. The other dogs thought it was boring.

[Cutting Sugar Cane, Some to squeeze and boil for syrup, Most to bed overwinter, to plant in the spring 2025-11-09]
Cutting Sugar Cane, Some to squeeze and boil for syrup, Most to bed overwinter, to plant in the spring 2025-11-09

Gretchen explains:
https://youtu.be/Pk1unm9K1nU?si=6R49ymVJQ-O4jEqf Continue reading →

Garter snake 2025-10-09

This small snake was in the front driveway.

You can tell by comparison with the pine straw that the snake is quite small, maybe 8 inches long.

[Snake with pine straw, sand, and pebbles]
Snake with pine straw, sand, and pebbles

I think it’s an Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

What do you think?

-jsq