by Texas Homesteader ~
Mama and new baby – Love At First Sight!
~TxH~
Wordless Wednesday: Love At First Sight
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Tag Archives: Small Town Living
Wordless Wednesday: Work To Be Done
by Tammy Taylor
There’s work to be done, good thing I LOVE my job!
~TxH~
Safety From The Storm – Part I: Seeking Shelter
by Texas Homesteader
When RancherMan & I built our home here on the homestead, I was pretty adamant that I wanted an underground storm shelter. I mean, I was born in & spent much of my childhood in Central Oklahoma.
Although I loved it there I considered it tornado ally. I remember many stormy tornado-warning nights that my parents would awake me and my siblings and place us in the hallway for safety from the potential hazards should a tornado come too close.
And it’s funny how those emotions carry with you into adulthood. Even today although I absolutely love the rolling thunder and am awestruck by thick dark clouds. But when the wind kicks up I nervously pace. And if it kicks up a lot I’m almost inconsolable.
Thankfully RancherMan can soothe me most times. But when you hear your tiny city mentioned on that radio followed by the words “Take Cover IMMEDIATELY”… Well, I needed more than soothing – I needed SAFETY from the storm!
Wordless Wednesday: COWopotamus
by Texas Homesteader
While strolling through the pastures RancherMan & I discovered a new form of life – a hybrid hippo & bovine – COWopotamus!
~TxH~
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Failed Fences, GOOD NEIGHBORS!
by Texas Homesteader
Panic sat in when RancherMan came rushing into the house saying he found the pasture gate open and the two weaning heifers were missing. We frantically searched the barn paddock and the south pasture, tree lines, creeks, etc. but they were nowhere to be found. Apparently they had nosed the chain enough to unlatch the gate. Then they simply walked down our driveway, out to the road and disappeared.
With our hearts pounding we jumped in the car and started down our county road, quickly looking in the open pastures as we drove along. As my head throbbed, visions of potential outcomes were going through my mind. What if they went toward the highway? Or they got hit by a car? What if someone got hurt? Where do we even start to look? What if we can’t find them?
Use What Ya got – MYO Tractor Canopy Cover
by Texas Homesteader
We have two tractors, a 55 hp Mahindra for the big jobs and an older and smaller 32 hp Ford 1910 tractor for mowing, disking, etc. RancherMan usually hops on the newer big-boy tractor with the higher horsepower and front-end loader to do the rough stuff. And I happily allow him those tasks.
My preference is Ole Blue, a 1983-built tractor that purrs like a kitten & is as reliable as the day is long.
Recently our Mahindra dealt us an unpleasant blow by having a deteriorating gas tank, rendering it USELESS. So much for the reliability of a fancy-schmancy tractor that’s only 5 yrs –OLD! (Mahindra’s certainly seen the last of us as future customers)
So RancherMan went to work playing tractor mechanic for the Mahindra. But it was the ever-faithful Ole Blue Ford tractor that pulled the load.
MYO Reclaimed Wood Vintage Wall Feature
by Texas Homesteader
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I’ve been revamping our guest room lately. Last week I shared with you the headboard that RancherMan & I made from repurposed barn wood pulled from our 1880’s barn when it was refurbished a few years ago. I absolutely LOVE the way it turned out! But now what to do with that wall? RancherMan & I don’t like much visual clutter so I was in a quandary. Do we just leave the wall blank? Well, maybe, but I think it looks a little TOO bare. What to do…
Then I remembered a great piece of old aged wood that RancherMan had to cut off the original boards we were using for the headboard because it was split. But I loved the split. And the ridges. And the knot-holes. It was a beautiful piece of aged wood. So I asked him to save it for me. My mind was spinning on ideas to make a meaningful pictorial wall feature.
MYO Reclaimed Lumber Barnwood Headboard
by Texas Homesteader
When RancherMan & I moved to our NE Texas ranch we outfitted our home to suit our new lifestyle. We were now empty nesters so our needs only included one guest bedroom for the occasional overnight guest.
But we were basing our probability of overnight guests on the number of overnight guests we typically entertained when we lived in the city. Back then there were only sporadic overnight visits during the holidays and maybe an occasional weekend. For the most part our family lives very close to each other. Although we get together often it’s seldom necessary to spend the night.
Murder In The Barnyard: Chicken Predators
by Texas Homesteader
It’s loads of fun raising hens so we decided to give chicken-raising another go. We purchased four young hens early this spring. Soon they were into the free-range routine and providing plenty of eggs for us.
Because we live in the country there are all manor of predator dangers present for our free-range chickens. Predators such as coyotes, bobcats, feral cats, foxes, skunks & more. But with a secured coop and by locking them safely inside each night we were spared any deaths.
Then one night when we went to lock them up we noticed the black hen was nowhere to be found. Although we hated it, we understood that there are predators out here and that it was just one of those things. We never found her. Then a week later we noticed the white one was missing, but this time we knew exactly what happened to her.
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Family Reunion RANCH-STYLE!
by Texas Homesteader
Our family enjoys a very close relationship. Although one of our children lives on the east coast (unless I can guilt her into moving back to Texas, eh hem…) our other children and all of our grandbabies reside in northeast Texas. My parents are close enough for a visit and my siblings are all Texas residents as well.
Although we all get together often ‘just because’, often vacationing together and of course ganging up together during holidays, one of my favorite gatherings is an event that we’ve named RanchFest. Every spring RancherMan & I host our version of a Family Reunion.
