Aug 13
Started the Dark Bloom Farmstead website
I began the first version of the Dark Bloom site by giving the farmstead a simple home for its story, animals, products, and future ordering ideas.
Journey
How the work has changed.
Problems, fixes, new versions, and lessons, kept in the order they happened.
16 entries
Aug 13
Built the first Dark Bloom Farmstead website
I started with a public home for the farmstead, real photography, breed information, and clear wording about the move to Texas.
Aug 13
Expanded Dark Bloom into a business system
The website grew into a safe demo for orders, customer tracking, products, availability, waitlists, expenses, reports, and the owner’s day-to-day updates.
Aug 6
Expanded mixed and bulk ordering
The order flow grew to handle multiple designs, products, sizes, and quantities more clearly.
Aug 6
Improved the owner’s admin workflow
Search, filters, sorting, urgency labels, and summary filters made order requests easier to manage.
Aug 5
Built the first working Creative Lex order site
The portfolio gained a structured custom-order form, storage, confirmation flow, and basic administration.
Aug 5
Changed Creative Lex to the purple identity
The new purple branding replaced the original palette while the working order flow stayed in place.
August
Support the entire pond frame
I first considered putting pavers only at selected structural points. That would leave parts of a heavily loaded wooden frame unsupported. With hundreds of gallons of water in the pond, the better plan is to prepare, level, compact, and support the entire footprint.
August
Water depth is more than wall height
The approximately 22 in raised wall does not limit the whole pond to 22 in of water. Reusing the stock-tank excavation lets portions reach roughly 2 ft or slightly more without digging the entire 4 × 7 ft footprint that deep.
Apr 13
Published the pastrami brisket video
I published the video from the pastrami brisket cook.
Mar 21
Published the original turtle enclosure build video
I published the video from the first outdoor turtle enclosure build.
Mar 16
Published the pulled pork cook video
I published the video from the pulled pork cook.
Mar 16
Made pastrami brisket for St. Patrick’s Day
I made the pastrami brisket on March 16, 2026.
Mar 11
Completed: Building the First Outdoor Turtle Enclosure
I built this enclosure to give my three turtles more room to swim, bask, explore, and spend time outside. Version 1 started with a stock-tank pond, a homemade basking box, fencing, rocks, and a dirt area for moving around on land. I adjusted the ramp, fencing, and landscaping as I saw how the turtles used it.
Mar 7
Started: Building the First Outdoor Turtle Enclosure
I built this enclosure to give my three turtles more room to swim, bask, explore, and spend time outside. Version 1 started with a stock-tank pond, a homemade basking box, fencing, rocks, and a dirt area for moving around on land. I adjusted the ramp, fencing, and landscaping as I saw how the turtles used it.
Mar 3
Completed: Smoking Pulled Pork for a Crowd
I made pulled pork for roughly 30 people at a work potluck. I kept the pork savory, built the flavor around smoke, bark, and seasoning, and served sauce on the side for anyone who wanted it sweeter.