Buffalo Clover: 2011

Monday, December 12, 2011

Big News!

Yesterday was a big day here on the Clover. Our baby chicks laid their first egg!!!

Rooster Cogburn spent the day in their coop and POOF - by the end of the day we had our very first egg! 6.5 months of caring for and feeding these little guys and we finally have our first pay off!

Here's a picture of it next to an egg the big chickens laid. It's just a mini-egg, but it's a great sign!

We're pretty sure the biggest black/white chicken (Little Lee) laid it.

I have read that production will be sparse at first, so we aren't sure when we will get another egg from these little guys, but we can't be too far off now!

Let There be a New Light!

Well, I did it. I replaced that old chandelier in the dining room! My husband and oldest son almost had me convinced to keep the old "antique" and "charming" fixture that hung when we bought the house, but I just couldn't bring myself to keep it. It was hideous.

The old chandelier
I felt like it just instantly dated the house! Plus, it is one of the first things you see when you enter the house, and it bugged me that it was so glaring. I needed something more ME to greet people! So I found this, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The New One!

Here it is in the dining room

It perfectly matched my clock and my curtains!

It completely transformed the room! Not to mention, it brought in a ton more light!! I can use it with or without the lampshades, but for now - shades are on. When they are off, things are even brighter in there!

So far - the feedback is 100% positive. Even my husband who resisted the change is in love with the new light. It still matches the house, but now, it also matches us.

And in case you were wondering - yes, I do still plan to paint this room. It is #1 on my paint list which I hope to complete over the Christmas holiday.

Goat & Pig Shanty

This past Saturday, JL and I built a shelter for the goats and the pigs. They have been kinda pouty lately with all the chilly weather we have been experiencing, so we bumped this project up the priority list and took a Saturday afternoon to devote to it.

Since the chicken coop, JL and I have been a little burnt-out on building projects - but this one wasn't bad at all. We finished the shanty in just about 4 hours.

We saved some time and $ by using the black stage out of our old movie room for the floor. It was the perfect size and it was already cut and assembled!

I'm pretty sure Pancho thought we were building him and Fergus a dog house.

We added a 1/2 door to one side of the shanty so the animals had a small 4 wall section to get out of the wind and rain.

This goat decided to try it out first!

The goats love it so far! They cozy up each evening and sleep late in the morning. I have yet to see the pigs in it, but I think that's simply because the goats won't let them in!

Weather and Bucks

We have been having some very seasonal weather on the ranch lately - it is wonderful! There were two mornings last week that we woke to frost. Lots of frost! As in, ground is crunchy frost. It was neat!

In addition to the frost and chilly temperatures, we have been getting a lot of fog! It is very festive and adds to my Christmas Spirit. Last Friday, it was so foggy, the sky was blue! It was one of the most beautiful mornings I've seen on the ranch so far.

The other thing we have been seeing a lot of lately is the "Monster Buck." This guy has been around since we moved in - but I had yet been able to capture a good picture of him. He was thick and fat during the summer, but he's trimmed up some since it turned cold. But what stays constant is his beautiful set of antlers! He's a 10 point (because, you see, here in TX they count EVERY point) with symmetrical 5 points on each side.

He's been known to stop traffic around our neighborhood. Often, I'll come up on 3 or 4 cars that are stopped in the road and I know that the Monster Buck must be near. There is another big buck that floats around our area. He's got a similar set of antlers, but they are MUCH wider set apart. He's not as thick as the Monster Buck, but he's impressive. He's a lot more illusive, so I haven't been able to get a picture of him yet. We've named him the "Moose Buck" because his spread is so wide.

And then there is "One Stab." He's a spike buck that only has one antler on his left side.

Yes, we do name the wildlife. :)

Monday, December 5, 2011

Out with the BLUE

This past weekend was project weekend on the ranch. We started things off by putting Christmas lights up on the house! This is something JL and I have never done. In all our years of marriage, we have never put lights on any roof. But, this being our perfect place, the ranch happens to have a really easy roof to access. It isn't too high, it isn't too steep - it's just right. So, much to my kids (and my) delight - the lights are up and beautiful!

Next, we replaced that icky old (and totally ugly) blue cabinet pulls in the kitchen. This project has been on my radar even before we moved in. I just did not jive with the existing knobs. For one, they fell off ALL the time. And you know what bounces better than a rubber ball? A blue cabinet knob that hits the tile from a high place. Those suckers bounce and bounce and bounce! For another, they were super LONG so they stuck off the cabinet face about 2 inches! And what was between the knob and the cabinet for those two inches? A really tarnished inch of BRASS! EEK! And lastly, they were so old and worn, most of them were loose and wobbly and pulling free from the cabinet.

So I hit the home improvement store for some inspiration. 20 minutes later, I was back home and the blue was on its way out! An hour after that - the project was done and I was one happy kitchen owner. I love the new knobs. They are more my style, tight, and they feel solid when I open my cabinets. HUGE improvement, if you ask me

After the knobs, we hung curtains (finally!) in the living room! The pictures aren't that great, but you can get a hint of what they look like. I'll try to take some better pictures once this weather clears out a little bit and we get a bright, sunny day.

Once the curtains were hung, we did a little of this:

And it is possible we ended the day with a little of this:

A Blessing

Something wonderful has been happening here on the Buffalo Clover over the past few weeks. We have received RAIN! Not just a passing shower, but a good, soaking rain that lasts over many days! JL has recorded at least 1 or more inches EACH weekend for the past three weeks!!

Suddenly our brown dirt is becoming a carpet of baby grass, clover, wild flowers, and weeds (hey, at least they are green!). Also, our trees have come back! Of the forty two that we thought were a complete loss, I'd say the more accurate figure is more like 5. We won't be certain until spring, but at least we aren't talking about 42 anymore!!

It is so nice to look out my windows and see green for a change! The other person that has noticed the new green is June Bug! We've let her out a few days here and there to graze. She is a huge fan - but we're trying to preserve some of it for future growth. So, for the most part, June is on Hay until Spring.

A foggy morning on the ranch. It is beautiful here.

Horsepeople

When it comes to June Bug, we all get in on the work/fun!

James. Our resident Cowboy.

Izzy at ease on the saddle. She is our future Barrel Racer

June showing off her new saddle and tack.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

June Bug

Two days ago - we welcomed a new addition to our Buffalo Clover family. She's a 12 yr old Appaloosa Mare named Raiders Little Girl. She's beautiful - and she fulfills a life-long dream of mine to own a horse!

Isabel and I went to check her out at noon on Tuesday. A few walks around the track and Izzy was hooked! The previous owners were very nice, and gave me a lot of information about her. I thought she was the prettiest horse we had seen! I loved that she was spotted and had a mohawk main!

Her previous owners offered to deliver he to us, but she wouldn't get to us until about 6:30pm. The five of us rushed through dinner and then went outside to wait for her arrival. Unfortunately, they were delayed, so once it got dark, the kids had to go to bed. Somehow - they bottled their excitement and went without much complaint!

8pm arrived and I received an e-mail that they were just down the street! I opened our gate and stood outside of it waiting for them. I could hear the diesel as it came around our street and my heart just started to race! She was so close - it was like Christmas morning for me! I was so excited, I was shaking!

Once she was off the horse trailer, JL got to see her for the first time. I could tell he was just as taken by her as I was. :) We walked her around a bit and then lead her back to her new home. She was a bit uneasy (it was pitch black outside at this point) but she went without a fuss.

Love at first sight
I remember that night was so long! I couldn't wait until dawn!

Once the sun was up - JL and I were outside visiting her. Without about 10 minutes, James came running out (in his PJ's) yelling "Is the horse here? Is the horse here?" After 2 seconds later, Wyatt was out the door doing the same! It was sooo fun to see their excitement!

She's a super sweet girl who likes to kiss Isabel (our horse whisperer!) She's only been here a few days, but already she is warming up to our family. I can tell she's a big fan of kids, which is exactly why we got her. She walks right up to them when we enter the corral and stands very still for pets and loves. :)