Tag Archives: Gretchen Quarterman

Fire in wood stove 2024-10-12

It was 53 F this morning.

So cold after Hurricane Milton, that I lit a fire in the wood stove, using deadfall from Hurricane Helene.

[Movie: fire in wood stove (5.8M)]
Movie: fire in wood stove (5.8M)

Here’s a video:
https://youtu.be/JKSSZLMf6lw

-jsq

Tree on corn crib 2024-09-30

Turns out we do have one tree on one roof after Hurricane Helene.

[Tree on corn crib]
Tree on corn crib

Fortunately, it did not break through the corn crib roof.

[River and Blondie under the roots]
River and Blondie under the roots

The dogs think the tree roots are a great cool play place.

-jsq

Small saw and little dogs on a log 2024-10-03

Small saw path, or big saw path?

Small saw, she said.

[16-inch Ego electric chainsaw on water oak deadfall]
16-inch Ego electric chainsaw on water oak deadfall

In her defense, we did saw a bunch of smaller stuff before we came to this deadfall. And that EGO 16-inch electric chainsaw will saw bigger logs than that. But I prefer the bigger saw for that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, on another log, the pale dogs were doing their circus act. Continue reading →

Hurricane Helene 2024-09-27

Howling and bumping from about 11:30 PM to 2 AM. Hurricane Helene made Debby and Idalia sound like nothing.

And the morning light showed it was worse than that.

When we moved back here in 2007, old timers told us they remembered this oak on the back driveway from when they were young, early in the 20th century.

[Ancient oak]
Ancient oak

This other oak just missed the red-iron building we were in. Continue reading →

Tiny canebrake rattlesnake 2024-08-17

This timber rattlesnake was crossing our front driveway. Four dogs walked past and didn’t notice.

[Tail and Head, canebrake timber rattlesnake 2024-08-17]
Tail and Head, canebrake timber rattlesnake 2024-08-17

In their defense, this snake was only maybe a foot and a half long. Still, a nice canebrake, Crotalus horridus.

Eat mice and get bigger, snake. Continue reading →

Rat snake Black racer and dogs 2024-06-06

Update 2024-06-16 The snake experts say it’s a black racer (Coluber constrictor). I’ve come around to that identification, because it doesn’t have the narrow neck and wide head of a rat snake, and its body is round in cross-section, not loaf-shaped. Also, it struck like a cornered black racer. See this reference. I was just surprised it didn’t run away fast like a typical black racer. Maybe four dogs made it think cornered. Anyway, black racers also eat rodents, so happy munching, snake.

All four dogs didn’t like this rat snake at the workshop door, although only Blondie and Honeybun feature in these pictures.

[Dogs, snake]
Dogs, snake

It appears to be an eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis), with the white under its chin and side of head and otherwise black body.

It did try to strike at the dogs when they got close, but once I called them off it slithered back under the bench, and onwards.

Here’s a video:
https://youtu.be/e5AvoYPQmTE Continue reading →

Yellow Dog’s rosemallow, three years later 2024-06-09

This is Yellow Dog’s Halberd-leaved rose mallow (Hibiscus laevis).

[Rosemallow, Yellow Dog, three years later]
Rosemallow, Yellow Dog, three years later

Three years ago, on June 12, 2021, it was the last one she saw. She was fourteen years old. Continue reading →

Skeeter hawk and blackberries 2024-06-05

We were picking blackberries when this skeeter hawk landed on me.

[Dragonfly and blackberries]
Dragonfly and blackberries

The dragonfly just sat there for many minutes while I picked with my right hand.

Eventually it flew away.

The blackberries are very ripe and tasty.

-jsq