The Shade Tarp

This was one of those projects i knew i needed to do but i had so much going on i just couldnt make it to Kerrville where the hardware store was and then when i finally did go they were so busy i only got half of the things i wanted purchased…they told me it …

104 * F

For the past couple of days it has been extremely hazy. The air has been especially thick and humid. It is hard to see past 100 ft and everything looks as if it is concealed in gray fog. I suspect we are being visited by some of the smoke from the wildfires in Canada that …

Losing Petunia

Losing Petunia brought on a very painful realization for me. I couldnt look at my chickens as children. I mean, to a certain extent, i could, but i needed to plan for the reality that these birds weren’t going to live forever. Chickens get sick. Chickens develop various health problems. Chickens succumb to predators. I …

Life Rolls On

I didn’t have a full weekend off from work, only Sunday, because I had to go in Saturday to make up for Thursday when i had to stay home with a critically ill chicken. I nursed her back from the brink of death only for her to give up, refusing to eat or drink further. …

Two Dogs, a Sick Chicken, and a Tornado Watch

We are in the middle of a tornado watch tracking a thunderstorm due to arrive within the hour. I have moved the car underneath the big cedar tree that holds the laundry line in anticipation of predicted hail. The thunder is creeping closer over the hills and the dogs are getting restless as the distant …

Why Cashew Doesnt Come to Work with me:

Because it is my job to rehabilitate patients when i am on the clock. My company does not pay me to train my dog. For me this is a no brainer. Training a dog is a very focused activity. You have to tune into the way in which your animal is thinking….their motivating factors, their …

Surprise Winter

So, after we were visited by an arctic storm the weatherman actually said on television, “Folks it looks like that will be it for the winter weather. We’re going to have a very mild rest of the season with warm temperatures expected through to spring.” Winter having just begun, i thought their statement might have …

“Why?”

Upon learning that i wake up four hours before i need to leave the homestead in order to get myself and all the plants and animals ready for my departure to my day job at 4 am most people laugh at me and call me ridiculous. They think it’s overkill and i must be there …

Cackling Coyotes

It was Sunday evening. I was trying to get a bit of work done on each of my projects before i started a new work week at 1 am. Thus is the schedule of a healthcare practitioner/homesteader. One must be awake at all times to fit in all the things that must be done. Strewn …