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!