Deborah S. Tukua

A is for All-American road, the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway. Travel the alphabet and pick your favorite spots to visit. Color the full-page...

At Home on Holly Creek

Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies Beautiful, orange-and-black monarch

Beautiful, orange-and-black monarch butterflies flitter from flower to flower, foraging for nectar each summer in the USA and southern Canada. The milkweed plant is vital to the life cycle and survival of the Monarch butterfly. It serves as the host plant through the monarch’s developmental phases and is the caterpillar’s sole food source. Common milkweed grows wild in fields, along rural roadsides, and in sandy coastal soil.

As milkweed plants have dwindled in abundance, so have the monarch...

Coconut Pecan Pancakes On Saturdays, we like to change the breakfast menu

On Saturdays, we like to change the breakfast menu and have something different, something special. I find the taste of plain pancakes boring unless some flavorful goodies are added to the batter. So, when I make them, I want a gourmet version. This week we enjoyed scrumptious Coconut Pecan Pancakes.

One thing I’ve been doing for many years in my cookbooks or recipe cards is to write the date beside a recipe the first time I make it. I’ll also include the occasion. If we really like it, I’ll...

Fireflies, Nature’s Night Lights Summer is synonymous with

Summer is synonymous with fireflies–nature’s quiet, light show. Fond childhood memories often include catching fireflies on summer evenings, while running barefoot in lush, green lawns. I hold these memories dear as our family sat on the porch and in lawn chairs conversing after dark, while us kids ran around the yard chasing lightning bugs. Wanting to keep mine a while longer, I put them in a glass jar to sit atop my bedside table. With my parents’ help, we poked holes in the jar lid, giving...

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Latest Updates

August Updates  In our neck of the woods, saying that literally, we

In our neck of the woods, saying that literally, we celebrate David Crockett’s birthday every year. His birthday is easy to remember because we have a son, David also born on...

July is Filled with Family Celebrations Happy 250th Birthday, America, the

Happy 250th Birthday, America, the Beautiful.The fireworks were fabulous this year, weren’t they?! Neighbors in several directions went all out. We watched two firework shows,...

June is Wild Kingdom Habitat June  2026This month at home on Holly

June 2026

This month at home on Holly Creek feels like we’re living in the Wild Kingdom. Truly. Baby rabbits nibble on our grass. If only they ate more. With all the recent rain,...

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