Catching up on the details

Between birthdays, Mothers Day, and hanging out with friends, I have had little time to blog about all the small details of everyday life.  So, today I will be catching up on all these details.

1. Village in the woods:  Our four children have been cooperating together to build a village in the backyard woods of our property.  They have spent countless days and hours sawing, raking, collecting, piling, rolling, building, and playing in order to create the perfect place for adventuring and hanging out.

2. Roosters:  A friend of ours had a rooster, named Big Bird, that they needed to find a home for and asked us if we wanted him.  The kids became very excited about the idea and we accepted the offer.  But after only a few days of being with us, the rooster developed a major limp.

After our best efforts to help Big Bird recover, our friends told us that they would take him back.

Instead of Big Bird, they offered to give us a younger rooster they had, which we named Ebony, Ebon for short.  This rooster has been getting along well with the ladies and has helped our hens to get along with each other in a way that was not happening before he came.  He is now one of the family.

3. The Garden:

One of my greatest joys living here on the farm is watching the daily changes of our garden.  We have begun harvesting tomatoes, which we keep on our kitchen window sill after we pick them.  We have also pulled all our garlic.  We can see bell peppers, cucumbers, and cantaloupe starting to develop as well.

Unfortunately, a week and half ago, our garden suffered greatly after a Texas summer hail storm wreaked havoc on all our green plants. Thankfully, the plants are springing back and we are seeing growth again. (Some of the harvest/garden pictures above are from after the hail storm, so not all is lost.)

This week, we expanded our garden’s planting space by 3 times after borrowing a friend’s two-wheel tractor.  We now have much more space to plant!

4. Fun

Don’t be fooled, we don’t only work all day.  There is plenty of time for some play and recreation here too.  Last Saturday, we woke up early and the boys went fishing with friends.  Asher was the first of us all to catch a fish and we finished the day by catching three fish.  I caught two fish and Caleb caught one fish.

Also, our neighbors had another batch of puppies.

5. Business: Though I do not have a “normal” paying job in Texas, I have found a few ways of creating revenue without spending much time doing so.  Since we have moved into a home and are not currently using our motor home, I have found a few families to rent it and get some extra spending money.

Also, I went to a foreclosure auction with my friend who I have been helping at his woodworking shop.  After learning a little about how the auction works and attending a few more, I purchased my first investment house at the auction this month.  It is a 3 bed, 2 bath mobile home on 1 acre.  After talking to a real estate agent about it, I was told I can fix it up and sell it for a favorable profit.

So life goes on and we continue to find new ways to learn, grow and discover life on a farm in Texas.  We pray all our friends and family are staying safe and healthy.