Jammin'

It's been a good year for Blackberries.

Time to make jelly.

I found three grandkids to help pick the berries.

The berries are washed,

Warmed to get the juices flowing and then crushed,

and placed in a jelly bag to strain out all those nasty seeds.

Then the juice is boiled with sugar and pectin

And, whah lah, we have jelly!

YUM!

The Twins

Dew Laden Webs

A foggy morning highlighted the spider webs.

Community table

A few diners at the birdseed buffet this morning.

Trash Pandas!

This momma raccoon is teaching her kids how to raid the birdfeeder!

Thieving in broad daylight!

The nerve...

Snapper

While walking along the creek, I almost stepped on this snapping turtle.

She had dug a crater behind her and appeared to be laying eggs.

I left her alone and checked out the spot the next day.

She had covered her nest and tamped it down.

Now to watch for hatchlings.

Prairie Roses

I have an app on my phone called iNaturalist.

It helps me identify lots of natural things I find on the ranch.

For instance, these pretty wild roses are called Prairie Rose.