by Texas Homesteader
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A few years ago Northeast Texas was hit with a whammy of a winter storm. Some areas got snow, some got sleet, still others got rain. We got ICE. And lots of it.
Our homestead was hit hard and the ice accumulation was so heavy that we listened fearfully in the dark while many trees came crashing down all night long as the storm raged on. The next morning at first light we tentatively stepped out into what looked like an icy war zone.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Here we are once again at the end of one year and the beaming threshold of a brand new one. I’m the eternal optimist by nature and look forward to each new year with anticipation of exciting things to come.
Last New Year’s Eve was no different as my excitement of planning fun new directions for our Homestead danced in my head.
But we could have never known the breast-cancer diagnosis that was in store for me only a few short weeks after that hopeful new-year’s celebration.
by Texas Homesteader
The weathermen predicted there would be a winter storm hit our part of Northeast Texas, and they even predicted it would include hazardous ice accumulations in our area. But you know how weathermen are, they ALWAYS predict it’s going to be disastrous.
My motto is: hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
RancherMan & I spent the days preceding this winter storm making sure the animals were properly cared for.
We set out fresh rolls of hay in all of the paddocks, even the vacant ones in the event they would be needed.
And we made sure the goats also had plenty of fresh hay & even packed soft hay into their shelter as well to give them a warm place to sleep.
We filled a secondary large feed bucket with fresh hay & stored it in the feed shed so we could easily top off the goats’ hay if the wintry weather lasted longer than expected.
by Texas Homesteader~
While RancherMan & I were volunteering for our local Food Pantry recently, I overheard a small group of people talking about a client that sometimes picks up food there for his family. Something to the effect of “So-&-so picks up food for his household and I KNOW they must have money…”
This bothered me so much that although I certainly didn’t want to offend anyone, I felt the need to speak up. I hope in my voice some seed of understanding was planted.
by Texas Homesteader ~
When my children were growing up and wondering what they would do for a career after they were out of school, I advised them not to follow the money but instead to do what they love for a living and they’d never ‘work‘ a day in their lives.
But what does that mean? Come see what it meant to me.
by Texas Homesteader ~
“For Better or For Worse, In Sickness Or In Health…”. I remember speaking those words to RancherMan as my husband-to-be on our wedding day. And I remember him saying those same words back to me. But what do they actually mean?
by Texas Homesteader~
As I’ve mentioned many times before, our area of NE Texas is currently suffering through a third consecutive year of drought.
Like many of our neighbors we’ve been forced to feed hay to our cattle for months due to the pasture grasses burning & dying in the below-normal moisture coupled cruelly with the above-normal heat.
While nervously eyeballing the amount of hay remaining that we’ve been able to put back for those lean winter months, we’re trying to look forward in making sure we have plenty to feed our cows until spring.
Even after being hit with these hard knocks we’re still optimistic about the small amount of moisture promised in the next few days.
Continue reading by Texas Homesteader ~
During a particularly stressful time in my life I deal with restless nights. When a worried mind keeps me from sleeping, I’m comforted with assurance that I’m not alone.
