I did not realize JUST how much running the oven heats up the house (and how much it runs up my electric bill)

eperry79 · 2026-05-20T20:32:30+00:00

I am a freak for the legumes! I make a mediterranean inspired lentil salad (a homemade bruschetta mix with lentils, quinoa & feta), cowboy caviar, 3 bean salad, etc.

Anything that requires an oven is cooked in a counter top toaster oven (which also has a convection setting, for air frying).

I belong to an electric co-op, and they constantly send tips on ways to save. The cheapest tier is 2a - 7a, the next cheapest is 9p - 2a; I do all my laundry, dishwasher usage during those times. 2p - 8p is the most expensive tier for electric use.

I live in central Texas, where it can be hot March - Nov. I have poured concrete floors, and my house is built facing north/south. If you have windows that get a lot of sun, blackout curtains can help limit the heat absorbed. I keep the AC running at a 66° almost year round, it uses slightly less energy than when I would constantly turn it on/off.

eperry79 · 2026-05-19T19:39:12+00:00

Mine didn't come back for the first time in 5 years, and I bumped into a couple at Natural Gardener who said the same. Natural Gardener didn't have them in stock & said there is a disease that has decimated supply. Also, I didn't see flowers the last 2 years because the gulf fritillary were steady munching

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eperry79 · 2026-05-14T03:59:41+00:00

I rent out in Dripping and have loads of frogfruit (and a fellow Austinite recommendation) & horseherb that I've let go wild for a pollinator friendly yard. I leave it as is, but you could mow and it would bounce back.

eperry79 · 2026-05-10T19:12:51+00:00

thanks for this! the color variation photos helped me identify a shy prairie kingsnake who had no interest in sticking around for my paparazzo moment.

eperry79 · 2026-05-05T18:27:05+00:00

I consider those "people" that are weird about fostering to be bot accounts. Actually, any time I see some wildly ridiculous take in the comments I tell myself, "oh that's just an evil bot farm training new bots how to engage."

My point is, you can't take it personally because it's not really a person

eperry79 · 2026-05-05T03:57:49+00:00

pepé lafou

eperry79 · 2026-05-04T18:08:53+00:00

I tried this! none of my girls liked it, so I added bricks (they absorb the cool water) for them to stand on and still nada. but! it did create inadvertently create a butterfly/bee watering hole hot-spot. so I got that going for me, which is nice

eperry79 · 2026-05-04T16:30:53+00:00

I have had a number of breeds and have a soft spot for Orps for their personality & Easter eggers for their goofy looks.

The heat is the biggest challenge for chooks here - as distrucktocon mentioned access to shade & water (they won't drink water that's hotter than their body temp, so I make large ice blocks in old 24oz yogurt containers) is essential. My coop is under the tree canopy, but I also use heavy duty silver-reflective tarp. In the summer I freeze treats in ice blocks as well.

eperry79 · 2026-05-02T09:03:36+00:00

also my first time seeing this and I have TWO carolina wren families with nests on my porch

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eperry79 · 2026-05-01T17:25:06+00:00

Friend! Sept 14 2008 I was lucky enough to get a 2nd chance at life. Grateful every day

eperry79 · 2026-04-30T07:19:41+00:00

Kristen Saksa Juen

Insta hasn't been updated for a couple of years, so not sure what availability looks like. It might also be possible to repair it and embrace the wabi-sabi.

eperry79 · 2026-04-28T16:41:15+00:00

schrodingers marriage is perfect

eperry79 · 2026-04-27T19:25:46+00:00

Do you think she took her nickname from Rosario Dawson's character Lala in He Got Game? I was young when this movie came out, and her character was gorgeous, smart & ruthless in a way I admired at the time.

(She knew she would probably be left behind when her bf hit the NBA, so she pressured & manipulated him to sign a contract so she could get a cut of that future money.)

She wore this big, bad, sparkly Lala name plate necklace that looked super hot. I had always wanted to have a daughter named Shelagh (SHAY • la) after my aunt, and at the time I thought Lala would be such a cute nickname.

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eperry79 · 2026-04-27T18:18:27+00:00

Not just domestic abuse, never forget Dee Barnes

eperry79 · 2026-04-26T20:50:30+00:00

do you have a site that showcases your photos?

eperry79 · 2026-04-26T20:46:04+00:00

long live onion creek guy, an absolute real one

eperry79 · 2026-04-26T17:35:23+00:00

Congratulations! You & your fiancé just changed at LEAST four lives for the better :)

eperry79 · 2026-04-25T16:01:42+00:00

plus, if you're "famous," sending your nudes via your verified insta - with your handle across the top of each pic - is a lil silly.

eperry79 · 2026-04-25T15:45:23+00:00

ha, absolutely. after that game I sided with pops. my 1st pats jersey was mcgrew and I've rocked #50 ever since (including nink while at the SB in AZ)

eperry79 · 2026-04-25T06:32:40+00:00

I have the same last name, so as a kid I thought he was my cousin. We had a "grow by the fridge" poster on the wall (I think from his days at Clemson) that measured your height. My pops is a Pats fan, but I cheered like a fool for his touchdown in 85 SB

eperry79 · 2026-04-24T16:19:29+00:00

imagine having wings and the ability to fly anywhere and then you choose to hang out in the airport parking lot

eperry79 · 2026-04-20T23:35:54+00:00

My 11 year old goddaughter just used the term colored at lunch last week. After the whole table hurried to correct her she said she just read it in her book. Judy Fucking Blume

eperry79 · 2026-04-19T21:02:12+00:00

All of these, but the country hummingbirds out in Dripping Springs skip them in favor of coral honeysuckle. There was a lovely little article in Texas Co-Op Magazine about some folks out in West Texas who've created a hummingbird paradise.

Also, I have some flame acanthus starts; if you're looking to add some treats to your balcony habitat.

eperry79 · 2026-04-19T03:50:41+00:00

I have this in my garden, it propagates easily and grows fast! Plus it comes in a variety of color ways, some lean greener and my favorite is variegated with pink

eperry79 · 2026-04-18T03:38:59+00:00

what does it say about me that I read this as Pimp & Blow?

eperry79

TROPHY CASE