Chimes at Purgatory
The tiny windchime the previous owners left behind inspired more chimes around Purgatory.
Category: Every Day Things
Strange Noises
Some of the amusing noises our house makes.
Today’s Log
A productive few weeks: the teak floors refinished, the crawl space re-insulated and the house exterior painted.
Up in the Air (video)
Winter mornings at Purgatory often look and sound like this.
Bonus Post: Bird Herding
The laundry basket and the new remote-control truck, our tools for herding the boys.
End of an era
Our little blue remote-control truck, used for herding the boys since 1999, retires to a shelf in the guest room.
Summer Cleanup
Our last major cleanup event: two more dumpsters of the previous owners’ debris, and a crew of four getting a lot done.
The Extent of Damage
Video of the extent of the fire damage.
Post-Fire Wrap-up
Drone footage of the post-fire conditions.
Yesterday
A downed power line started a grass fire just below our south pasture. We packed our go-bags, and CalFire responded quickly.
Dead Cows
Someone dumped a dead cow on our road, with its ears cut off, and County Animal Control is involved.
Purgatory Printing
Finishing the guest bedroom, and the north hall, with prints of photos taken here at the ranch.
View from the Studio Roof
The view from the studio roof: the pool, the arbors, the tile lines for laps and Silicon Valley a thousand feet below.
People Come and Make Things
Our posts now auto-publish to Facebook, and summer visitors make things here, like a little jointed stega.
Fires to the North, Fires to the South
With fires burning across California, smoke fills the valley below us.
Purgatory got an upgrade
A closer tower takes our internet from 10/4 to 85/43 Mbps, and the tech removes the old satellite dish and coax while he’s at it.
How to safely remove a skunk from your cat trap
A step-by-step guide to safely releasing a skunk from a cat trap. And we’re back to posting after a long hiatus.
Third Christmas @Purgatory
Our third Christmas at the ranch, and a new oven on the way.
Bird + Water bottle + Underworld
A bird, a water bottle and Underworld.
Blooms Around Purgatory
Flowers blooming around the ranch.
Tree Removal
Agent Smith and his dad take down a dying gum tree, and the stump ends up in the Pit of Sarlacc.
Another Appliance Story
Our sagging dishwasher door finally gave out, so now we have a Miele.
The End of Jury Duty
Jury duty is over, and I celebrated like any ranch girl would, by moving a few tons of rocks.
Dogs gone a tad crazy? (Weekend Bonus Video)
The neighbor’s dogs meet our new dinosaur, and lose it.
Something Wonderful Arrived
Our first dinosaur arrived: a fiberglass Brontosaurus that once lived in the garden of the late Carrie Fisher.
Mystery Plaque
A mystery plaque from one of the driveway lights, plus plans for new glass in the smaller lights.
A little birdy…
The little kookaburra sculpture we saw in Melbourne in 2009 finally arrives.
Now Open: Purgatory Heavy Equipment School
Visitors get to try out the excavator and other toys at the Purgatory Heavy Equipment School.
More with the Administration
Cleaning up and tagging some 1,500 images on the site’s backend.
Birds and Windows: New Contest @Purgatory
Our many windows are hard on the birds, and that’s the theme for our second contest.
Owlets
Seven owlets in the stables. They hiss, but almost never at me.
The Blooms of Purgatory
Spring flowers.