Splitting red oak logs today. Largest 300+lbs. I'm a traditionalist, not masochist. 13 years ago i did this with saw and maul. Took 3 months. Love technology. This'll take about 4 days to split the entire tree.

Good morning. Try to be strong today, my friends. Just do your best and it'll all be good. Peace

Mediterranean Chicken with all 4 kids and grandkids. Joy last night before FiL funeral this morning. Cooked with son. It was great. Cabernet paired well.

Good night from Persimmon Knob

After FiL's passing on Christmas Day, family is gathering for Monday funeral. First kids and grands arrived today. 2 more and families Sunday along with 4 nieces and nephews and families. Joy and love amidst sorrow. As is right and just.

Granada is a great city to visit. Mountainside neighborhoods. The Alhambra. Breathtaking churches. Vibrant and safe walk appeal. Really excellent food.

You ought to be Advent maxing. You know it. Do it tastefully and in muted tones. It's not yet Christmas. It's Advent. Prepare.

Mom and daughter 1 made Serbian Pita (spinach cheese eggs in phyllo) and a phyllo cranberry brie custard pie. What a combo

@jfallows.bsky.social I love the little Rams uniform. A little Roman Gabriel

if you're not carcass-maxing, you're putting food in the trash. I boiled the carcass for 7 hours. Then in fridge for a day. Total gelatin. Pulled all bones. Shocking how much meat is there. Now aromatics & veggies boil all day. Then feast. It is *so* delicious. It'll feed us for 4 days.

Late season liqueurs cooking in window. 2 jars wild Persimmon. One jar Satsuma orange and one jar Georgia Pecans. You can do this.

Man, every tear you find huge sycamore leaves. The ones who held on the longest and grew biggest.

Thread on reforesting land. In 2012 we moved to new house on 15.5 acres. ~6 acres old growth forest. Rest hayed pasture. Started transplanting saplings first year and every year for 6 years. Now The Meadow is a forest. 3 species Chestnuts including 25 15/16ths American. 70 species of trees

Sunset from the creek stand at Angel Hill Farm this evening.

Boccadasse, Genoa, Italy

Inside the bato of this dead Sycamore to the left of the stand I'm sitting in rn is a healthy clump of Chanterelles. They're about 15 ft up the tree. Too bad. They look so good.

Annecy and Lyon are delightful, off the beaten path places to visit in France. Here are pictures of Château Menthon and the island castle in Annecy. Also some doors of Lyon and the interior of Notre Dame de Fouvriere. I'm leading an intimate small group (6 guests) Excursion in May. Hope you'll come.

Here is a piece i wrote back in Jan 2020 with some modest predictions of what we can expect in 2030. I think i hit some nails on the head and I missed perhaps the biggest issue, the TFR collapse. What do you think? bgcts.com/what-to-expe...

Truth isn't good or bad. It just is. Truth doesn't change based on the rank of the recipient. If you can't state the evidence that would change your mind, you don't care about truth. Love your neighbor; no caveats. Goodness breeds goodness. Travel is fatal to bigotry & prejudice.

If you don't already, I recommend following @jfallows.bsky.social and reading his Breaking the News substack. Here is a podcast discussion we had back earlier this year as the first of two discussions. I'm thankful for our long friendship. fallows.substack.com/p/america-is...

The entire world and all activities are an interconnected venn diagram

This is so true. Any bit and any non practitioner can tell you what to do. But you have to actually do it and most that tel you what to do aren't practicing. Follow those who show you how to do something for yourself. Keep it up Sim.

Forests mimic cathedrals. Cathedrals mimic forests. God created one. God inspired the other. We should ponder the similarities. We should give thanks for both. We should regenerate our great woods. We should build great churches anew like our forebears did. Together.

Serbian village life 100 years ago. Children tended livestock. They were poor relative to today. It was like this in Italy, Lebanon, Japan, and Argentina. Could we relearn to live this way if circumstances necessitated it? bgcts.com/restored-film-…

Made Mugolio this fall. Fermented pine/spruce syrup. Packed green cones in sugar and let sit for 2 months. Makes intense syrup. Used a few tablespoons in chicken goulash tonight was delightful. 10/10 simple. Free cones everywhere in spring/summer. Win win.

Adrian Ahlquist of Lepanto Media telling you why you ought to come on a Cultural Debris Excursion. Message me for details. Oct we're taking 6 guests to Genoa and Bologna. Limited space remaining. youtu.be/k5RLP4NZuNw

Random dinner picture, Genoa

Lunch at Ostaia du Richetto above Genoa built into medieval wall protecting the city and run by same family since 1890. Caterina is a wonderful hostess and so gracious. Recommend.

Santa Maria delle Vigne, Genoa. Built 10th Century

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Who wants to go to Genoa in May? Exquisitely curated small group Excursion. 6 guests, 2 hosts. All included plus airfare. Stay in 15th C B&B. Trip of a life time. Two spots remaining. Contact me ASAP. See CulturalDebrisExcursions.com

Let's say you lived through a historic event. Let's say that shortly after a narrative begins to form about the event that's different from your experience.

Strasbourg Cathedral , France 🇫🇷 📸:@ChouettePhoto

Family gathering yesterday was outstanding. Son in law asked to assist in prep. Sister made potatoes. Mom made Mac&Cheese. Gravy was as good as it gets. We're all gonna make it.

World's longest portico is in Bologna. Goes up hill to shrine of Our Lady of St Luke. After the Holy Land fell in Middle Ages and pilgrims could no longer go local shrines became pilgrimages. This one has copy of St Luke's icon of Mary&Jesus. 3 mile walk. Mass on Feast of St Luke yesterday. Awesome.

Walking along a portico this morning. A door is open to our right. I sense strong presence. Go inside. Church of St Caterina di Saragosa. No lights but dim rain light through windows & candles. Place was filled with presence. Thin space. Hair stand on end. Holy Tiny parish church. Bologna

Modena,Italy. Palazzo Ducale

Me: where's the trail? Park service: follow arrows Me: ????!??!!!!???!!??? Park service: take stairs

Also, I saw this bald eagle eating a deer today. For real

Passion flower and passion fruit growing wild in our reforestation acres

Our ceiling paneling project is coming along. Started by cutting down trees 2 years ago. Milled the wood. Dried the wood. Cut to fit. Now finally going up. White Oak. Red Oak. Pine. Poplar. Black Walnut. Sycamore. Ash

Hey friends. Work your tail off while you must so that you can see waterfalls and flowers while you can. Peace to you all

There are two spots open for the trip of a lifetime to Italy in Oct. Small group of 6 guests and 2 hosts, exquisitely curated, and wholly affordable. Come with us. 2 spots left. https://bgcts.com/discovering-cultural-debris-paying-deep-attention-to-people-and-place/ https://youtu.be/q5zvdoYLHV0

The Continental Divide Trail above Wolf Creek Ski Area from the Divide marker on US160 to the top of Alberta Peak is as fine a trail as you can find in N Am. Very accessible. 6 miles out/back. 1k' gain. Follows the Divide. Water on the left > Pacific, right > Atlantic. Stunning.

Excellent interview of Dale Ahlquist, President of the Society of GK Chesterton by Alan Cornett on the Cultural Debris Podcast. They discuss the Cultural Debris Excursion to Genoa which we're leading in Oct. Come with us! https://youtu.be/0en91gofxS4

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Anniversary dinner tonight

Went simpling (old English word for foraging for wild herbs) this afternoon to make a summer batch of Angel Hill Farm Herbal Liqueur. Look at that color after only an hour of soak!

This, my friends, is a very tall, very healthy, Shagbark Hickory tree