Ranch Hooves

Our little ranch continues to grow and become more and more operational. Last night, we drove CLEAR out to nowheresville to pick up 2 adorable potbellied piglets.**

Since we were going out anyway, I lined up a few goats out that way too!

The kids are delighted (human, not goats.) The funnest part of the whole trip was the caravan we were pulling.... More on that in a sec.



I had decided to take the minivan because it has a DVD player. I figured the kids might as well be entertained (quiet) while we drive that long way. Well, that went bust. The players didn't work, but to my surprise the kids were entertained anyway. There were loads of animals to look at out their windows. And they were all so excited we just talked the whole way about towns we were driving through and animals we were seeing.

Anyway, back to the caravan. We have a perfectly fine pickup truck that would have done beautifully at this job, but like I said, I had decided on the van. So that meant some modifications. I put all 3 kids on the middle row and collapsed the 3rd row down. Nice, big space now for the animals. I then loaded up both dog boxes into the back. James got his wheelbarrow out, loaded up a bunch of hay, and lined the boxes with it so our new little ones would have a nice spot to lay for the ride.

First stop - pigs. Into the smaller dog box they go. Have you heard the expression "squeal like a pig?" Well, we all lived it last night. Those suckers are LOUD! :) Lucky for us, they settled right down once they got in the box and we were on our way.

Second stop - goats. The owners got a good chuckle when they saw us pull up in a van. There were a few "you are going to put goats in THERE?" But, in they went. They neigh'd for a good 10 minutes when we set off back for the ranch, but then quickly quieted down as well.

My favorite part had to be the drive back home. Listening to the kids giggle as the goats neigh'd and the pigs oinked! Even JL and I were giggling! I mean, we've got 2 adults, 3 kids, 2 pigs, and 2 goats all driving around in my van! How hilarious is that? Not to mention the stop at McDonalds drive-in for some much needed food! The drive-up lady had NO idea that in addition to the 5 hungry people she was dishing out food to, there were 4 other beings in the car! haha! Luckily the 4 legged ones were silent through our exchange. :)

Bert and Luke. Fresh out of the dog box this morning. They are settling in nicely. They are a bit skittish, but I think they will overcome that soon enough.
Eckerd is delighted at his new friends!
Fergus herded them onto the porch earlier this morning!
Our two little potbellied beauties are catching a few extra zzzzzz's this a.m. They have yet to come out of their box!
Delilah & Peggy
So there you have it. Let me just take this opportunity right now to say we are DONE getting animals for a while. A good long while. At least, I think we are.

Having trouble keeping track of what all we have? I added an Animal Tracker to the right ===================>

**Never in all my days did I figure I'd be a pig owner. :) Who knew!

How We Do It

Sunday Dinner on the Ranch. Mmmm good!

Buckin' Mutton

Our first born is now officially a cowboy. He's born and bread Texan, he lives on a ranch, and now for the trifecta - he's been in a rodeo!

Mutton Bustin is so popular, they do a lottery to choose 24 lucky kids to participate. Our little Jamesie was chosen last night to participate during the rodeo competition. Not just the pre-rodeo show that's for fun - but the actual rodeo. Points, style, the whole 9 yards.

He did great! He took 3rd place with a point score of 79!! We were SO proud! Mostly I was just proud that he was so gung-ho to do it! I can see how it could be intimidating for a 5 yr old to get behind the gate, have some stranger put you on a large sheep and them WHAMO like a rocket you're off. But not our James. He was all for it!

The cutest part was his helmet. He was SO excited all day at the thought of possibly getting to ride a sheep in the rodeo, he shined up his shark bike helmet and wore it the ENTIRE time we were at the rodeo (until his victory ride. Then he was satisfied to take it off!!) EVERYONE loved the helmet. He was getting compliments from all the cowboys. The announcer even pointed it out after his ride saying "That is some helmet! That thing is aerodynamic!" :)


He was right in the middle of telling me all about it in this picture. He described it as "feeling like a rocket" and "when can I do it again?" He told me he had a shaggy sheep so it was good to hold real tight too. And that when his hands started to slip, he had to hold on with his legs. Sounds to me like he's a natural born cowboy!
He won a T-Shirt and a bag full of candy. Talk about the cutest thing EVER!

Williamson County Sheriff's Posse - Muttin' Bustin 2011

Check out his ride:

Eckerd: The Fathers Day Rooster

We couldn't help but get this little guy on Saturday. We were at the feed store - innocently buying a few random items when WHAMO JL spotted him. A poor little rescue rooster.

The story that went along with him pulled at our heart-strings. Apparently his fellow roosters at his old home would pick on him because he was smaller than the rest and so beautiful. So, he had to find a new home. We couldn't refuse, so they boxed him up and we took him home. :)

JL named him before we had made it back to the ranch. Not sure where the name came from - JL says Eckerd whispered it to him. So, there ya go.


He's currently in the hen house. When the chicks get big enough to be moved outside, we'll have to find Eckerd a new spot. But for now he is settling in nicely. He crowed for the first time yesterday evening. It was awesome.


He's like an attraction right now. I could sit outside for hours and just watch him move around. He's got quite a personality on him!

Dust Bowl

Never in all our years here have we cared about the weather as much as we do now. Having a ranch in a severe drought is tough stuff. There is just too much land to water. Some of it has to be neglected. We've been focused on trying our best to save the trees and the landscaping around the house. The grass is on its own!

Perfect example of our forecasts lately. Ugh.



They are saying we should get rain tomorrow. We sure hope so.

The Changeling

Ewww. These things have hatched out all over our place. They are harmless, but super duper ugly. They leave these nasty little body shells all over the place. What are they? I don't know the official name, but we call them buzzy bugs. They sit in the trees and buzz like crazy during the hottest parts of the day - which lately is any time the sun is up.

In Bloom

Summer is turning into a scorcher! We are currently in a severe state of drought. It is painful to watch the land shrivel up in the heat. JL did an excellent job a couple weekends ago and painstakingly fixed every one of our drip-line heads. We had a few that had stopped working and a few that were leaking and still a few more that were gushing out water.

As the drought progressed and our time here has gone on, it has become obvious where the issues were. If a plant was dead: the drip head was broken. If a plant was doing great: the head was leaking too much water. If the plant was ok but the grass around it was flourishing: the head was broken and gushing water into the lawn.

Since his work, we have seen a major change in the landscaping. First, the lawn has stopped growing now that the breaks have been repaired. :-) But the plants are doing great! The trees in the front are greening up, the flowers have blossomed, and the plants are growing!

One of my favorite things about all the plants is that they are native to this area. I think it gives the house a very natural look. It's just beautiful around here lately!

Our beautiful Crape Myrtle
We didn't even know what color it was going to be when we first moved in
Beautiful red and yellow flowers surround the chicken and greet you at the door
The roses have exploded in the last week!

This bed is my favorite right now. It's right as you enter the gate and it is full of color! Plus, I can see it easily from any of the front windows.

The grass speaks of the drought, but even still the place is looking lovely! Plants I didn't know were here have bloomed out! The ones that were here, but looked small and sickly are now providing beautiful green coloring to the beds.

Our first summer on the ranch is bringing some high temperatures, but a lot of surprising color!

Yard Art

One of the very first things I did (after the boxes were unloaded and life looked like it was returning to normal) was make plans for my yard art! I've been dying to get some for year, but somehow the city just didn't feel like the place for it. Now I have oodles and oodles of outdoor space to decorate!

My secret little out-of-the-way place is called Pottery Ranch. I love it because it has a lot of funky, fun pieces that are unique and colorful. All of us made a trip out the weekend after James' birthday party. I found a LOT of stuff I wanted. Most of it had to stay behind for this trip, but I came away with some great pieces!

A Rooster, An Armadillo, A Roadrunner, and 2 Bluebonnets!

Where did I put it all?

Mr. Chicken went by the front door as a happy hello
The bluebonnets went on the other side of the sidewalk from the chicken. They can been seen from the front of the yard and I liked that. They look very welcoming!
The Armadillo went in the flower beds along the sidewalk to the front door. He's one of my favorites! I think mostly because he reminds me of those first few nights we spent here on the ranch.
But my favorite was my last pick. I saw this guy just as we were leaving Pottery Ranch and threw him in my wagon as an after though. He's happily living in the front bed as you first enter the property through the gate. I thought he made a great greeter! Plus, the two real Roadrunners that are living here with us often times can be seen standing right next to him!

On Duty

Fergus has surprised me. I worried about him before the move. We had to keep him in the kennel so he wouldn't dig and as the months of trying to sell wore on, I stressed that he wouldn't live to see the ranch.

Thankfully, he made the move with us. And now, after just a short time, he's starting to be the young dog again!

He spends most of his time (especially in this HEAT!) on the porch. He lays by his water dish and watches. Keeping an eye peeled for any movement. Neither a squirrel or a rabbit or a bird dare show their face while Fergus is on watch. If he's awake - he'll muster the energy for a good chase!



I love to drive up or walk up to the house and see Fergus' head pop up from behind the bushes. Always in my mind, ranches had a good dog laying on the porch. On duty and ready to defend their turf.

Something surprising about Fergus as a ranch dog is his loyalty. I call it that, but really it's probably just age and a hint of laziness! I can leave the front gate open for hours and he wont' stray. Pancho (on the other hand) watches for it to be left open so he can go on an adventure! Apparently, 5 acres isn't enough for him! Fergus will just sit perched on the porch. Waiting for a visitor to lick to death.

Up Early

Get up early on the Buffalo Clover ranch and you are bound to see a bunch of fun wildlife! Besides the usual Cardinals, Mockingbirds, White-wing Doves and Squirrels, I've seen a few new players the last couple of mornings. Often times, I sleep past all this fun, but I've been up before the kids lately and I'm finding that time to be most enjoyable.

The last couple of mornings, I have seen these characters...

Downey Woodpecker
Roadrunner. We have a pair of them nesting toward the front of the property. They come our early morning and early evening to hunt. I love to watch them!

Poop Factories

Chickens grow extremely fast. They really, really do. I had always heard this - but now we are living it. I feel like every morning I go out to feed and water them, they've doubled in size! Not sure how long our little container will be home for them....

CHICKS!

If you buy a chicken coop, you must fill it. :) We now have farm animals! All of us are very, very excited!


We bought them at Callahan's. Along with chicken starter, a food dish, and a water dish. These little guys don't require too much! (They are in the box) James got to hold it all the way home - he was so gentle with them!

We got 2 of these: Americanas

And 2 of these: Plymouth Rocks

They are adorable! When they get bigger, they will look something like this:


Americana : Green Eggs

Plymouth Rock : Brown Eggs

They're Coming...

Chickens are in our very near future! Our little ranch is about to become semi-operational!

We've been watching Craigslist waiting for a deal on a great coop. Found one last night at dinner time. We called the guy - he had already had 7 calls on it, and one lady that looked at it but then decided it was too big for her needs (lucky!). I originally told him we were going to come out tomorrow (which would be today) and buy it from him. Not 5 minutes after I hung up with him, he called me back to say someone else wanted to come and buy it tonight, so if we wanted it, he needed a for sure that we were going to buy it.

Did I mention this guy was about 60 miles away from us? Did I also mention that by now, it's probably a little after 7. Wy Guy goes to bed at 7. The other two follow before 8. BUT, being us, we quickly decided we'd make the drive and go get it right now!

So we loaded EVERYONE in the truck and set out. Just over an hour later, we were there. It was 9pm, dark, and 2 of my 3 kids were fast asleep. We meet with the family (they were really nice) and JL started to load the coop in the truck. In the meantime, their 12 yr old daughter (a proud FFA member!) gave me and James a brief education on chickens and their care.

Just over an hour and a half later (we had to drive 45mph), we arrived home. It was now 11pm, super dark, and 3 of my 3 kids were fast asleep. We quickly transferred them to bed then sat in the driveway admiring our new coop. I do think it is fantastic!

It has a coop and a chicken run that is all enclosed. That is one of my favorite features. Can't have the little darlings being snatched up by a hawk, can we. (Or one of our kittens, for that matter.) Or our armadillo killing Malamute, for another matter!



Can't wait until we can fill with chicks!!

Top 10 Current Loves

Already a month has passed! I'm pleased to say that life on the ranch is spectacular. The land is everything I had imagined. The kids have a park right here all the time. They explore, they run, they experience nature, they spend time outdoors getting dirty, James rides his bike safely behind the gated yard, we all play basketball, and the list goes on and on.

I've noticed there are a few things that I have come to particularly love about our ranch too. Things I didn't really think that much about in the beginning, but now can't imagine not having. The house just seems so intuitive! If I need it, it's there. If I think it, chances are it's already been done! I love it!

Behold my top 10 list of things that I am currently loving:

10 The beautiful trees!


This is our first home to have mature trees on it. And boy, they make a huge difference! One of my current favorite past-times is to lay in the hammock under this beautiful tree!

9. The well


Well water? It is fabulous! It tastes like the water I remember from my youth! It's fresh and pure and FREE!

8. The 1980s intercom system


This awesome thing plays the radio and ipod tunes! Makes a PERFECT house-wide stereo system. It even pumps music to the patio and decks!!! I LOVE it!

7. The Chandelier


This item is growing on me. It looks very dated, and down the road I may replace it, but for now it's homey and strangely wonderful. It puts out a LOT of light which is great for the dining room. Plus, James and Daddy have kinda adopted it. They both are terribly fond of it, so for now it hangs happily above our table.

6. The Overhang Cupboards


Originally I thought I was going to remove these. But after a months time, I have discovered that I love them! They hold a LOT of my food! Each one is like a little pantry - holding specific items that are easily within reach!

5. The Stove


This love was a surprise to me. I thought it would be hard adjusting to electric after cooking on gas for so long. But, my fears where for nothing - this stove is really nice! Plus, it is a flat top, so clean up is a snap! And it doesn't even bug to be on the island. When I'm not using the stove, I just throw my groceries up there anyway!

4. The Mud Room


This almost should be my #1 - it is fabulous! The kids come in from playing outside, take off their muddy shoes, take off any muddy clothing (which then goes straight into the wash) and THEN they enter the house! Brilliant! Plus, at this time, it is housing the kittens too. It's a large room, and I'm a huge fan!

3. The desk in the kitchen


There use to be one of these in the house I grew up in. I didn't understand it then, but I do now - this area is one of my favorite spots in the house. I put all the kids' craft supplies in the desk. It's SO nice! All the markers, and paper, and scissors, and stickers and pipe cleaners, and google eyes that the kids want constantly are in one place! What's better - it's just next to the breakfast table, so they even have a place to sit and craft away.

2. The Wet Bar


With a little out-of-the-box thinking, the wet bar has been transformed into the family fun center!! Full of popcorn poppers, milkshake makers, board games, FHE materials. You name it. Centrally located in the living room - ready and waiting for any family fun we're about to have.

1. The Kitchen


Compared to my previous taj mahal kitchen, I thought I'd never survive in such a small space. Credit to my Mother In Law for setting it up! Everything is so intuitive! I don't even have to think (or reach very far) for things I need. Making a sandwich? Great, just reach above your head. Gonna bake cookies? Even better, just reach to your side. Need to open the fridge? Stretch your right arm out and there ya go. It's cozy, but smart and I enjoy it! Plus, the kids can get along better in it. For whatever reason, it just works! (Plus it has the most amazing custom cabinets! They pull out and swivel and have secret cubbies just for cookie sheets!

So there ya go. Simply put:

I The Ranch