# 553 - Country House Construction in a Rural Setting

May of 2015 for Texas has been odd. Most of all, it rained and rained to the point of waters rising and swirling and sweeping homes and people away, forever. There has much to mourn about this May here in Texas. The rains were coming every day; you stepped through the yard that had become a mud pool as others took a canoe to get across their street.

But, as for us, personally, things have been going well. The best part of this month was the week we kept our grand-daughter Coraline for a straight week. The good thing was...we returned her to her parents unharmed, she still had both her arms and both her legs, proving we can do a bang-up job as caregivers!

Coraline loves being with her Pappy.



Coraline and her Pappy

The week we were wrapping up with our grand-daughter went straight into another week with our niece, Shaye. I was thrilled that she was able to come to our place and to stand in the middle of the dirt field that will soon have a house upon it, and we got a picture of her next to the apple tree that Sgt. Dave planted this past year.

And I have to share how my faithful friend Howdy looks pretty darn cute himself!

Howdy at the lake on our acreage.

Now our home-site is FINALLY cleared enough to take the next few steps needed for us to start building the house. These are truly exciting times.

The future home-site coming together...tree and stump free.

The timber clearing crew got some major help when Sgt. Dave came home with a Stihl chainsaw, an early Father's Day gift. He says that chainsaw cuts through wood as if it were butter and we have LOTS of "butter" on our acreage.

Sgt. Dave helping the clearing crew by playing, I mean, working his
own new chainsaw to take down some big trees.

I think we have learned our lesson with buying tools and such. We no longer wish to spend money on less expensive versions because the better quality tool usually holds up longer and performs exceedingly above expectations. Over the years, that chainsaw will definitely come in handy. But, Sgt. Dave is in Man-Heaven.

A rolling hot fire!

 

The bonfire got smaller and smaller, until it turned into a heap of ash. Either tomorrow or the next day, we are having several loads of fill-dirt delivered to elevate the actual homesite and pad for the detached garage along with the outdoor kitchen zone elevated so we won't have drainage issues. This week, we might actually get to put in the foundation piers and start building an actual HOUSE!

Each step is very exciting to us. The weeks and weeks of rain was a real bummer. Having good weather sure makes all the difference in the world with either moving forward or coming to a dead stand-still and it sure is great for all the people working in the construction industry who NEED their weekly pay and depend on good weather in order to work each day.

This week, I even enjoyed hikes across the acreage by myself. Of course, I had my walking stick, my three dogs, a .38 on my hip and my daughter Stefie on the phone. I was PREPARED for lions, tigers and bears!

Before the entry was widened a couple of feet
on each side. This is actually the second part of
our entry.

After the entrance was widened a bit more. We will do some more
upper limb trimming ourselves.

The above photo shows the drive toward the home-site...the forested area on each side is something we purposefully kept so that our privacy would be a priority. However, we are having about two feet on each side removed so that we can have additional space on each side to drive through the area without scraping vehicles.

This undertaking is not for the faint of heart. Our new construction of this country home is set deep in a rural area and that means we are far removed from the comforts and conveniences that come with a "cookie-cutter" neighborhood where several families are building their own new construction project, near your own. As for us, we're pretty much the only one for miles building a new home out here.

And we have discovered, the hard way, that "rural" means "I am sorry, we don't deliver to your area." I should have figured this would be our situation after we lived without any possible pizza delivery for TWO YEARS --- I can tell you that sacrificing our weekly pizza delivery was a huge initial adjustment to country life in itself. HaHa.

But, I love it. I love every bit of it.

We are getting exactly what we want. We are living a dream.

You know how there are times in your life that you savor? THIS is one of those times for me and my husband. Yes, we all have bad things happen, rough times, suffering and such, but this is one of those moments in time that feels as if it really belongs to us and that we should enjoy it to the fullest.

Sgt. Dave hosing off my rubber boots for me.

My teeny tiny corner of the world feels as if it is changing for the better. And that's a great thing and a good feeling!

# 489 - A Hike through the Woods

Today it was cold, but we went on a three-hour hike. We needed some play time. We had 12 degree temperatures last night and had to contend with three acres of plumbing pipe. Unfortunately, the one that went to my shed, in spite of it all being wrapped, burst. It was wide open, flowing into the shed for hours before we knew something was wrong. So, it was a stressful morning.

However, that hike was something we both needed to do. It's been far too cold to be outdoors that much, but we are feeling cooped up, so we decided to hike to the far corners of the acreage.

I wore sweats, boots, and one of my husband's old winter jackets. At least there aren't any fashion do's or don'ts here in the country. If it fits, if its comfortable...it works.

I'm standing in a wider portion of the creek bed that
runs through our property.

Our hike took me to interesting places on our acreage that I didn't know existed, such as being able to walk the creek bed through our property. I discovered that part of the land that I thought belonged to our never-present neighbor is property that actually belongs to yours truly.

The lake at our property...it was a beautiful day.



David is looking for ducks. Yes, it's time to eat some food that
we hunt on our own.

We live on acreage full of wild game, and it's time to start eating food that is hunted or captured on our property. Yes, I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'm wanting to utilize the resources of our land to the fullest potential.

I love the lake --- we have land to build next to the lake, which would offer GORGEOUS views, but the access to that part of our acreage is rather challenging. But, I could picture the rewards of making this area our home-site.

It's a nice size private lake, but one can only use a trolling motor on the lake.

As for our hike, Sgt. Dave uses a machete as he walks in the lead, chopping and clearing the area so that I might be able to walk through the same area with more ease...less thorny vines and low branches to reach out and grab me!

And here you see the Magic-Stick-Machete which is aided by the magnet in his pocket.

The puppy that was recently found on our acreage at about 10 weeks of age is now strong and healthy. She loves her adopted family and we love her!

Today, on our hike, we let her be goofy and run all around us as we explored the land. Eventually, we all had to cross the creek at a certain area, we all crossed, but she hesitated crossing...she was scared. After some encouraging coaxing, she finally made the leap!

Then, later in the day, Gracie explored the rabbit trap and got herself into a traumatizing predicament. She was a bit too curious and ended up being the creature trapped inside the wire cage. She's been warned to stay away from these cages, but this time her curiosity got her in a jam. She whined and cried; we hope this experience reminds her that the rabbit traps are not much fun.

 

This past week, we pulled in our first harvest of broccoli. I had actually mourned the loss of my last vegetable garden, but now we are beginning to enjoy our garden in the country. We're about to expand it further, and I'm dying to get a small greenhouse so I can always sow my seeds in advance. I don't like buying starter plants. I've always sowed my seeds and planted my own small plants in the ground.

Today, I worked in the garden to clean it up. After taking that three hour hike, it was nice to do something calming, productive. And we are committed to making our garden wonderful so that we can eat as many home-grown foods as possible.

This Spring, we should be adding pigs to the farm that will put high-quality food on our table; we will grow more vegetables to incorporate into our meal planning and to provide food for canning; and we will be getting meat-chicks which will be designated as the birds that will provide us with chicken for the year instead of having to buy the grocery-store variety. I am hoping to get a few goats as well, especially a milk goat so that I can have goat milk, cheeses, lotions and such. As much as we can do to enjoy sustainability and to utilize this acreage in meaningful, productive ways...that is the goal.

We have a lake that provides fresh fish, and the traps will hopefully help to catch small wild game that we will eat and utilize their fur hides for various purposes. We might eat squirrel, but we will be hunting deer, rabbit, and other animals might be trapped in an effort to save other farm animals, specifically our chickens. The raccoons will be dispatched, but their pelts will make a nice hat that will be treasured.

Next...today was the day that Gracie received leash training. For the first time, we attached a leash to her collar and she did not like it.

She pulled. She threw a fit.

But, I held firm. Gracie must learn to walk on a leash without acting like a wild beast.

Sometimes, caring for a young puppy can be a challenge.

Howdy tried to help guide her and to keep her from yanking me around. Finally, Gracie submitted and began to walk more normal next to me. She's a great doggie. In fact, our hike and time outside wore her out so completely that I was able to cut her toenails without any resistance. None.

I love country life. There is no way that I'd want to go back to the city, so if circumstances ever require that of me...I will always be busy trying to work my way BACK to the country! However, the best plan is to stay here, be set free from the RV and into our cabin, then keep enjoying and exploring our little piece of Earth that is ours to enjoy for the time being.

Maybe we'll be able to leave our mark here by doing good things. Since the Boy Scout troop is coming next weekend for their survival training, to earn badges. I'm thankful we have enough rural land for them to work out the survival scenario so the boys can practice their survival and life-saving techniques.

It's great that our land is able to give to youth --- the troop is thinking about having a fishing expedition out here...to teach the boys how to cook, clean, prepare and cook fish. I think that's a great idea. Anything we can do to promote the love of nature, to expose a bit of farming and maybe ranching qualities along with self-sustainable concepts...I am eager to do my part to contribute.

I am blessed.

# 426 - National Tragedies = Sadness

Having a post set to hit the blog at a certain time is nice, but I am in such a state of sadness over all of these events that have taken place the past couple of weeks, so many innocent people impacted.

There was the stabbing at the Lone Star College, here in Houston. Approximately 14 people were sliced with a blade by a deranged fellow student. This just goes to prove that anyone will lash out with an intent to hurt or kill, with any weapon.

It's more about our culture of violence that is to blame. What is causing this behavior? Drugs? Video Games? Mental illness? Lack of face-to-face socialism skills?

Anyway, then we had the bombings in Boston. We followed the events on television and Americans were sick at heart as we learned of the deaths and the terrible injuries that some people have suffered. And to know so many were hurt by the shrapnel that flew into many bodies; I believe the physicians felt as if they were treating patients in a war zone.

I was praying for the city as they called for a "Shelter in Place" which is something our area is very familiar with because of this industrial area and "regular" explosions involving hazardous chemicals. We have the siren warning system to helps us get to a Shelter in Place right away. But, to see Boston taking these measures because of a terrorist...for residents to be in lock-down in their homes...it made you realize that the city paralyzed as first-responders crawled around the city looking for the second suspect.

And good for the woman who noticed her boat being disturbed, she trusted her instincts and called the authorities. Eventually, the last hold-out was caught, taken alive.

However, yesterday morning we found out that West, Texas has a fertilizer plant in town that exploded. Since my father worked in a local fertilizer plant here in Houston, from my childhood thru my adulthood, we were always taught the extreme dangers of working in such an environment, so when we heard about the massive explosion in West, Texas, we were stunned and devastated for the entire town. There's no telling just how many people have been affected by that explosion.

It's difficult to fathom all of the emotional pain that area of Texas is experiencing.

What do we say to people who must find a way to put the pieces of their lives back together? Some lives cannot be whole again. Some lives will be forever altered or will never be the same because someone crucial to them is gone.

In Texas and in Boston, a little more innocence has left their midst, yet increasing strength has taken its place.

Typing this post from my little I-Phone pad was not easy, but I had to share thoughts with all of you because it's hard to be on track with ordinary blogging as these events take place...my focus is on the victims of these tragedies. Any one of us could have been in their shoes; we rally behind them while knowing the days to come will not give many of the victims relief because their battles have just began.

I am finally going to sleep as suspect #2 is in custody for the bombings and the torturous thoughts that can run through your mind at what the bomber could do next has been eased with this capture...well, for now that is alleviated, but our hearts are still heavy with the knowledge that these kinds of things can happen in any of our towns and that the lingering after-effects are far from over.

As for West Texas, our hearts are heavy over the devastation that came upon them so suddenly.

Maybe later I can get back on track with writing about every day "boring" things that are meaningful to us regular folks because that's what we do in America...we do our best to stay on track and to live a regular life, even in the middle of irregular times.

God Bless America and I am looking forward to making a trip to Boston, hopefully THIS YEAR!

# 392 - Coronation Day! Observations

Coronation Day! Observations of an American President's Inauguration
An American Opinion

Seeing a president come into office can bring the spectator a mixture of feelings. A new president can indeed bring a country hope. However, I am not feeling very charitable today, not after the last four years have proved the presidency is morphing into a office that is unafraid to do risky things that might not have the overall welfare of the country in mind. That said, I want to make it known that I vote split ticket, my vote is not blind, it is based on the candidate. Yes, I voted for Clinton. Yes, I have Democrat judges in office in Harris County because I was one of the people who voted for them, but I am mostly a Republican voter as it is the party that speaks loudest to match my internal voice.

Many in America are not thrilled about Obama's second term, the official inauguration being today. As a woman, a minority with a bit of Native American blood running through my veins, I can say that Obama's past four-year term failed to impress me in the slightest.

Oftentimes it appears that Obama is more obsessed with developing a legacy and making it into history books for this and that rather than noticing that our country has immediate needs that should not be ignored. Of course, there are extreme Liberals who believe "we won the election" and are incapable of seeing their "win" is not so "winning." Some people, including our President, has forgotten the map of the United States as it appeared after the election.

Perhaps Obama needs a visual-aid to reference prior to him making speeches and arrogantly making blanket-platitudes. I'm talking about platitudes such as, "I have the American people behind me." I think he needs to take another look at the division of election results to see that he is lacking much of the American people's support on many issues that he has rabidly pursued with distorted justifications.

Not all American people are behind Obama's rushed engagement of the "Executive" pen instead of sticking to our system of checks and balances, even if imperfect. It appears we have a president who doesn't really believe that the American people are behind him or he would prove it by letting Congress take care of matters that belong to the people instead of believing American people are trusting in ONE desk. All the American people can hope for, at this point, is that the President is, eventually, put in his place by our checks and balances. Many people in America believe Obama ended one term and began the next without fully understanding or respecting the American people he is supposed to serve.

First of all, as for visual-aids, take a look at the Electoral Map for the 2013 Presidential Election. However, in doing your own research, take great care to make sure that the blue/red standards are not swapped. There are several sites that have purposefully pulled a switch-a-roo to show Blue as representing Republicans to make it appear as if BLUE is the pervasive color across the map. However, the standard is for Blue to represent Democrats and Red to represent Republicans; I'm sticking with the standard in my writings.

2013 Electoral Vote map. Red=Republican, Blue=Democrat.

This President seems to have forgotten the fact that electoral votes is NOT representative of the POPULATION. The Electoral System is a beast within itself, but Electoral Votes are not a reflection of individual votes. Here is the breakdown of the "popular" vote for this second term.

Let's keep in mind that American people themselves have their voice and their individual vote recorded by POPULAR VOTE while the Electoral Vote represents REGIONS, so there can indeed be a gap, as we are now witnessing, as the country is split in half. Near half of America did not want Obama to be their top White House representative, but the Electoral system, once again, trumped individuals. And yes, I understand the reasoning behind us being leery of the popular vote controlling the country, although, I believe that many of us are seeing the faults of the Electoral system because it is, essentially, leaving half of America without representation that we can believe in.

When it comes down to it, the Electoral Vote gets the person into the Presidency, but once the campaign is over, the President actually represents individuals, NOT regions. The popular vote cannot be discarded because those votes are attached to the people of this country.

It is clear that Obama is out-of-touch with HALF of the American people. According to a Gallup poll, when the NRA has a higher popularity rating than the Presidency that is taking steps against the NRA, that is revealing. Actions speak louder than words and the American people are taking action that proves they are not "behind" this President on the level he has diluted himself into believing. Worse yet, he ridicules and dismisses the other half, but guess what? --- The other half is not going away. The other half is powerful, in their own right. The other half is going to make sure that Obama's next four years are spent remembering that he is OUR public servant; he is not an entitled member of royalty that can turn his back on selected subjects. We are not subjects, we are CITIZENS.

So, the President's actions have proven that he is not in-tune with approximately half of the population, and his far-reaching efforts to slap right-wring-wrists as they attempt to keep their government from running into a pit of destruction is becoming beyond irritating.

Why do discontent people in America continue to speak out? How come we won't simply sit back and be quiet as the President rules over America with increasing gall? Well, it's because we cannot ever lay down and roll over. If we do, our children and their children will become the pets of government instead of the masters of government. We The People are the masters of our government. Elected officials are our PUBLIC SERVANTS. Obama is our EMPLOYEE, our government servant. Granted, he is one very expensive servant and his constant vacations are a strong indication of his belief that he is entitled to a grand ride at tax-payer expense. For those of us who are struggling to pay our taxes already and who are struggling with the cost of living on a daily basis, we are not amused to see our President and his family on so many astounding vacations. In this regard and others, there appears to be a severe lack of sensitivity in the White House.

I actually laughed aloud when CNN reporters touted Michelle Obama's connection to the American people's financial plight by wearing the same blue cardigan yesterday and today. Hmmm...her connection is not very linked to mine as she sits with her kids, yet again, on another extravagant vacation. Forget the cardigan, what about their choices to siphon tax-payer funds for personal gain, repeatedly? Are we supposed to be impressed with the meager token of wearing the same cardigan two days in a row as some kind of display of a conservative-spending mindset? The two-days-in-a-row cardigan message has got to be a joke.

Obama's eagerness to display his latest vacation in our struggling faces is another sign that he is out of touch with most American people. While we are expected to live an ordinary life of cut-backs and as we are expected to dish out more for less, we are witnessing this President make more and more Fairy-Tale-promises to many who are learning to walk around with their hand held out. Hard-working Americans are being smothered by smooth-talking politics. CNN even stated today, after the inauguration speech, that Obama's speech embraced too much "more" because he had a "litany of agenda items." I agree with a CNN commentator that Obama's unrealistic promises are going to eventually be his own trap.

Many of us realize that such promises are going to eventually disintegrate because SOMEONE has to pay for it. Who really thinks Obama will be around to pay the piper? Part of that disintegration will take place because Obama enjoys putting down and ripping apart the top producers of this country, the ones who are producing jobs for others, for your town and mine. As many are noting, Obama is resentful of people who succeed. His contrived, distasteful tone toward those who are "rich," which means, "those who earn a buck," is quite apparent, unless, of course, they are his Hollywood pals or his favorite singer, Beyonce. I guess Hollywood "deserves" their success and are not to be despised because they wrap Obama in their red-carpet arms, but the other segment of our population that includes people in business, people who invest wisely, people who work, scrimp and save...those people just don't get the glimmer of Obama's eye nor his glorification. Obama's idea of what deserves recognition and admiration is a bit twisted.

But, back to the Popular Vote...speaking of being out-of-touch with the American populace, let's not forget that this President had a Popular Vote in 2008 that was also indicative of Americans being split in their thinking. Below you will find a Popular Vote map from the 2008 election. Since that election, think about how the Popular Vote has continued to widen and separate Obama's link to individuals in the United States of America. This second-term campaign and election proved that he has already lost a large portion of the popular backing.

I have a feeling that the next four years will be long ones for Obama. Over the next four years, the blame-game will not be swallowed as easily by this country's citizens, even as Obama continues to try to vilify Republicans, the other half, as the reason he can't dig our country out of the financial hole he's excavating faster than any other President in our history. Poor, poor helpless President Obama.

2008 Election map showing Popular Vote relating to counties in America.

2013 Election map showing Popular Vote relating to counties in America.

One massive area of discontent for many Republican, Tea-Party, Right-Winging individuals is that this president continues to stir the hot-pot of party division by his irreverent and disrespectful way of paying lip-service to bi-partisanship. When viewing the visual references above, it is extremely evident that his statements about understanding what America wants and needs is not exactly altruistic.

Lately, we are seeing Vice-President Biden take more of a lead in some major areas of politics, such as with Congress on financial issues and with the gun-control fiasco. White House public relations appears to have a dawning comprehension of needing Biden to save face for the President's inability to reach across the political aisle. Biden is simply more approachable, more diplomatic, he keeps his humor about him and is outspoken to the point of endearing people to understand he is intelligent, driven, yet able to cross party lines to get things done. A president should lead the pack in this aspect of politics, but we have not seen that admirable trait that most presidents embrace after the campaign. Obama remains on the the endless campaign trail, leaving political casualties in his wake to include approximately half of this nation.

"Seize the moment" is a phrase that was part of our President's inauguration speech. If you can't obtain what you want by going through proper channels, then SEIZE what you want. SEIZE it from those who work hard. SEIZE it from those who risk everything in the pursuit of happiness to put all that they own on the line to know the meaning of success. SEIZE control of entitlements and pay-outs and tax-payer's hard-earned money by holding abiding citizen's money hostage for Robinhood efforts...while remembering that Robinhood was still a thief. SEIZE what has been earned by others in the name of "equality."

I find it mildly humorous that some media outlets and the President himself loves to lay the blame of indecisiveness on Republicans. How long will ineffectiveness continue to be blamed on others? I thought our nation was moving past blame-game tactics that wreaked havoc upon us. However, there is an underlying current of right-wing thought that is becoming loud and strong...it knows that some motion can be destructive. Motion does not equate productivity. Sometimes, true movement comes in holding your ground until the motion can indeed be forward and toward our collective benefit.

If the lack of motion is something that Republicans must take as their burden of holding back destruction, then I am all for it. Put the finger in the spurting hole of the political dam that is threatening to burst open and consume all of us. Put pressure on it and don't move until a valid solution can be provided or we will all sink.

# 372 - Ignorance is Not Bliss

I am in disbelief over events unfolding with the CIA.

Most of us know that military decisions demand that the ranks of military be able to make life-saving decisions at the right time. If some of these decisions are on hold until Washington politicians get involved, then we will probably continue to see our fellow Americans, who are putting their lives on the very line of danger, be killed.

This is a terrible issue for our country to confront. The question of HELP being requested by Americans working in government positions, on foreign soil, and the desperate request being stamped, "DENIED." So, the ones in need end up dead.

As a citizen of the United States, I cannot be quiet over this topic, especially not after what happened today. There's no doubt, I've been appalled at the Benghazi, Libya situation.

Moreover, I am disgusted that General Patraeus, the Director of the CIA, handed in his resignation today to President Obama, over a marital affair, even though Roosevelt, Johnson, Kennedy and Clinton had affairs and continued at their posts. How does a CIA Director end up confessing such a thing only days after the presidential election? Does anyone else find this timing to be HIGHLY suspicious for the White House?

Does anyone else highly doubt that a CIA Director, a man who is an Army General, would be issuing such a painfully personal reason for their resignation? If you've been around military, then you know this is likely a lame excuse to get rid of Patraeus. Even if he had been involved in an affair, it is not a reason for an Army General/CIA Director to RESIGN from his post. If he had an affair, then it was a stupid move, but this man has served his country as a military icon and this is not an acceptable reason for a resignation, except for an administration that appears to be escorting him out the door very quickly after the election. I wonder what will happen to Hillary?

This smells very foul.

And just so you know, I vote split-ticket. Yes, I voted for Clinton. I felt that his personal actions were not a reason to hang him out to dry professionally, but I do admit the Oval Office abuse involving the cigar was over the top. I don't think this was digestable for Americans picturing the Oval Office as a place of boundaries. Check it at the door Mr. President, please.

So, this concern I have today for our country revolves around highly questionable acts that should not be walked by with closed eyes. What will be next?

Is this the best reasoning that could be contrived for a resignation of such a high-ranking official? Is this supposed to make the political "right" accept the General's situation as proof that he should not be our CIA Director or a future political candidate?

It is even more questionable that the House of Representatives and Senate were to have closed-door intelligence committee meetings NEXT WEEK with Patraeus testifying on the Benghazi fiasco. Does this timing strike anyone as disturbing?

I cannot imagine being a family member of a Benghazi victim.

Can any of us imagine heading toward a major intersection and a massive chase is underway, going through that intersection before our eyes...with a car full of passengers, we must turn right to avoid the accident, so we must hit the "red button" to call Washington to get permission to make that right turn...and to our horror, they deny us. The button worked, but the person in charge of giving the approval decides that our life is not worth granting permission to do what is necessary to save lives. We have no choice but to plow ahead and be massacred.

None of us should feel we are too far removed or immune from such government induced tragedies. The people in Benghazi hit that red button. It was met with a denial.

This Benghazi tragedy is a sign to me that our government is out of control and consumed with other priorities beyond security of its citizens. What is another sign of a government out of control? It's also a government that has spending that cannot be met by the tax-payers. The national deficit is basically like us having a bank account that is devastatingly negative...tax-paying American citizens own that bank account...it is us people who are going to have to pay to get that deficit paid off. Of course, it's not likely that we'll see it paid down in our life-time at this rate of growth. It's unlikely our children will be able to do it either, unless they pay, pay, pay, pay in higher and higher taxes. The past four years have not shown that the deficit is being reduced, it's being increased more than ever. That deficit sure isn't going to disappear on its own. It takes us people to pay it down to make it go away OR the government must get its spending under control. I vote for the government to get itself under control, but that option looks bleak.

Then, we have a Harvard educated, lawyer-professor President who seems to have little understanding for so many Americans who are suffering. As we struggle, he is entertaining Hollywood and the family is taking more vacations to dream destinations than any of us could imagine. First of all, none of us could imagine living in the White House and being catered to at every turn...maids, secretaries to answer our phones, cooks, entertaining specialists, wardrobe provided free of charge...not much to do other than make public appearances and try to do the right thing with your time. Therefore, if I were in the position of living in extravagance, on the country's dime, as the country endures massive unemployment, I think I'd pass on any vacation photo opportunities because it's a bit like spitting in the face of people who can't even pay their rent or mortgage.

A speech cannot take the place of actions.

Today, I am severely disappointed in the going "Forward" message that includes Patraeus resigning at a time that raises more questions than ever.

If anyone is sick of the Benghazi situation, then they need to think about it from the perspective of anyone having a loved one in the service of their country. I admire the people who take a risk to take jobs in foreign countries, especially as an American in the Middle East. If they ask for help...Why would they be denied? Why?

General Patraeus is resigning at a time of great turmoil with Libya and other Middle East troubles. This resignation is getting the attention of many in our country. I hope that people will not ignore such things --- I hope disaster doesn't have to come to our individual doorsteps before we start paying attention. We cannot pretend that disaster is not happening, it is. How far does it have to go?

Now, supposedly, Patraeus is not going to testify at the hearings. Since he is the CIA Director, I doubt that any replacement can even cover the Director's first-hand knowledge, maybe that's the entire point.

Ignorance is not bliss, it is our destruction.

# 289 - Country Road Consideration

First off the bat, an update on the sale of our home...we are having showings just about daily right now. We had some good buyers come through the house yesterday they seemed liked potential new residents. I could picture them here in this house. AND, they weren't afraid of the chickens or the dogs. How about that?

I love it when I meet fellow country-loving people here in the suburbs. We have another showing appointment set for this afternoon...it's staying busy and the National Associaion of Realtor statistics have shown a marked increase in real estate sales for our area, the best stats since 2008. That's reason to celebrate! I guess the market is indeed picking up, but I'm not clear if it's for houses at our price-point. Regardless, I can see it happening and am doing EVERYTHING I can to not have to turn away a potential buyer. In the end, I leave it in God's hands. I guess we're doing our part and He'll do the rest...He'll be behind-the-scenes orchestrating all that I ask him to guide us in. I must keep faith that everything will be in His perfect timing and remind myself to remain patient. For me, that's a TALL order.

Who knows? Maybe one of these potential buyers will be moving us outta here very soon!

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A major concern and a hefty expense for acreage owners is their need to put in roads and driveways. Trying to decide upon the kind of materials you need for your acreage, your climate, conditions and for your land purpose is a challenge. Personally, I'd like to lessen the side-effects that a world of concrete brings to those having to live around it. It is not permeable, so runoff from concrete must go somewhere and having too much hard surface means a lot of water is having to flow off the hardened surface to find a ground surface to absorb it. Sometimes that puts a lot of absorption stress on natural areas surrounding concrete zones.

Going into our property, toward the location where
we set up camp. During the Spring and Summer, it
is luxurious and full of greenery.

Often, you see people in the country using crushed rock as a driveway product or they might be using remnants of recycled tires, which offers a low-impact driveway that looks good and supposedly is affordable in bulk, others might have a driveway with crushed limestone; then crushed seashell is another option we see frequently in our area. On our land, there will definitely be areas where we will need to have a concrete surface for our vehicles since a solid surface is needed for vehicle maintenance and for ease of cleaning vehicles so we can make sure it rains the next day.



Here is our country road when it needs a good mowing and
we can see that someone has trespassed during wet
weather to leave us deep rivets that we'll
need to shovel flat. The same road is below,
after it is mowed.

I think I've ruled out having a road surface that would simply transfer more dirt and dust back onto the vehicle. That probably leaves me with crushed shell and recycled tire material. We have many friends who have crushed limestone and crushed rock for their private road, we've often seen them wet down the road so the dust won't kick up so bad as they're driving down it. Nope, I don't want to be forced to wet down my road to avoid dust for incoming company --- I can think of other things I'd rather be doing. However, I don't want to get recycled tire material only to discover that it absorbs heat more readily than all other surfaces.

Then again, our acreage has this awesome benefit called "shade" from a multitude of beautiful trees. In our current area, we don't really have any area near us with such heavily wooded zones because we are a coastal town. Many seafaring communities aren't exactly forested due to coastal storms, regular strong coastal winds, and hurricanes that blow down more trees than can be replaced.

Deputy Dave walking toward the front
of our property, on our country road, toward
the front entrance with the trellis.

I don't want to create the problem of having increased runoff on our land trying to find its way to our ditches and creek. I'd rather have large permeable road surfaces play a part in absorption than playing a part in creating issues with runoff.

This is an entrance lacking a culvert, but the dip to
get onto the property is minimal. However, you
can see the country road ahead on our property.
It's grass and dirt with some limestone material
mixed in from a few years back. However, it's
still unstable during the winter months.

Our property has two sections with two entrances. That means we will have to maintain two entrances. At our 2nd entrance, there is already a new culvert, built about two years ago, and it is very nice. I'm thinking we'll build another just like it at the other entrance.



Having a solid culvert that is wide enough to take on the Dodge
is nice. It is appealing as well, looks solid and long-lasting.
I'd like to put one of these in on the other side of the
property, at the other entrance to our land.

Our frontage is narrow and the land opens up HUGELY, which I love. From
the position I am standing to take this photo, we will need to put in front
fencing and run it all the way to our culvert, which is nearly 400 feet away.
Frontage fencing with gates will need to be addressed rather quickly.

The picture below shows how beautiful the land is during the growing season. You can barely see the truck for all of the branches heavy with leaves.

However, in the winter months, the land can almost seem eerie with barren trees. A few conifers give some evergreen beauty, but winter months definitely make it seem like the wilderness has been stripped of life. The good side of this equation is that winter months on acreage will mean that we get a huge break in maintaining the property because there will be much less to cut and nothing will be growing out of control. It is cool, peaceful and will be time for us to handle other things that can't be done in the hottest summer months, such as building structures and fences.

You can see the growth or the lack of growth by gauging the electrical pole as your landmark.

We will only be able to do one thing at a time on our land, but I have a feeling we'll do what we always do...try to fit in taking care of 15 things at one time.

But, I also remember the words of one of my best-friends, "If you do too much at one time, you end up doing everything half-ass."

Yep, that's what I'd like to avoid, but I doubt it will be avoidable, at least in the beginning years of us living in the country. Once we're living on site, it will be so wonderful to finally start doing all the things we've wanted to do out there. But, today I'm doing more research on road materials. Non-dusty road materials, permeable road materials, long-lasting road materials.

If I had to decide upon a hard surfaced road for our property, I do think I'd go with asphalt. It's not as harsh looking as concrete and it is rather inexpensive to have put in, to patch and to repair. I'm still weighing the options for this big undertaking. Gotta have the ability to drive to the barn and to the cabin, even in the soggy winter months.

For anyone with details or opinions on this matter --- also, if you have experience with any of these road surfaces, please pass on what you think with the pros and cons. Don't be short and sweet, be clear and take as much room as you need to let me know what you think about road surfacing materials for this acreage.

Maybe, sometime this year, Deputy Dave and I will have roads on our property that will be more than dirt, a bit of limestone and grass. It sure would be nice to not have to mow the long driveway and to not worry about getting bogged down in the muck!

# 284 - Getting on the Ball

For those of you who are diligent followers, I have great news. My term of service for Grand Jury is almost over! I am Foreman of a Harris County Criminal Courts Grand Jury. Yes, that's a mouthful.

It's my second time to serve on a Grand Jury, and I can promise, nearly 100%, that it will be my last time to serve. Three months, two days per week of hearing every kind of felony crime committed in our huge county is enough to last me a life-time. Only, I've been crazy enough to do this twice.

Needless to say, my jury service has interrupted the attempted sale of our home. I'm gone a couple of days per week to the courthouse and the dogs are left on duty at the house. No real estate person is going to be able to gain access into our home with these dogs standing guard. Then, I'm so worn out lately.

Having to dash around to get this house ready for a showing has confirmed that we really need to unload ourselves of this monstrosity. I have four bedrooms to tidy up, two living rooms, three dining areas, three bathrooms, a study and walk-in laundry room. It's TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want ONE living room, ONE dining area, THREE bedrooms, and just enough space to keep us comfortable, but not so much as to make maintaining it all a disaster. Less is best.

I'm very irritated with the people who scheduled a showing this afternoon, they didn't show up during the scheduled time and were not courteous enough to call with a cancellation notice. I scorn you mean people!

Regardless, today I put on some classical music and began cleaning everything around me. I was a mad-woman I tell you...every nook and cranny got my fingers into its business. I want it to stay ready --- in a state of perfection, ready for the next showing, but that seems impossibly since we must actually do some LIVING in this house. It's our only house. So, things have a tendency to get messy every now and then.

Truthfully, I'm nervous about leaving this house and all of the conveniences, but I'm aching to get moved to the country. In the city, we have city water, city sewer services, trash pickup, street cleaning, and gas connections to the house for the furnace and stove. In the country, I guess we'll be figuring all of that out in a different way.

However, once we get moved to the country, I'm positively convinced that we will be delighted by having the biggest vegetable gardens we've ever been able to grow. Deputy Dave and I have been growing our own tomatoes and bell peppers and more for most of our marriage. It's not for hobby or recreation....we simply thrived on not having to buy those items at a grocery store. Frankly, there were times when we couldn't afford to buy those tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and onions, so it was great to be growing our own. Each item that we can successfully grow, we free ourselves from a bit of corporate America. Feels good. The chickens have helped us to take it a step further, no more store bought eggs in over one year! Our future is assured to include fresh eggs daily and perhaps fresh organic chicken, later on, at the farm.

We keep at it. It's important to us. It's not for recreation. It's food for our kitchen. Food that we grow on a serious level. We're not at self-sustaining level, but we are at supplemental level and that's good enough for me, at this time. Once we get moved to our land, we'll start the fully self-sustained mode. For now, we take care of our gardens, which requires a lot of work and balance, so the gardening doesn't become a hardship. It's give and take.

Anyway, I guess we'll see if tomorrows buyer appointment shows up. I hope so. Maybe we're getting closer to getting a contract on our house. Sure would like to move soon. I guess the weather will be good for construction. We might very well find ourselves living in that tent as they build the barn...I just don't know. I might feel adventurous, like Katherine Hepburn, if we were brave enough to do such a thing. Who says we must live in luxury as we are building the barn? Heck, we like our new tent. If Deputy Dave could rig up some electricity and a air-conditioning window unit, we just might be a step above homeless for a bit. We'll camp out and love every minute of it.

Who knows what we'll do. I want to do it cheaply! Doesn't everybody look for reasons to save money? At least the adventure will be exciting.

So, let's hope tomorrows buyer is ready to be that perfect, qualified buyer who is easy to negotiate with so we can all walk away happy.

Until then, I keep trying to keep the house looking good. Mopping with Pine Sol to give the house a clean, fresh scent and trying to keep all surfaces dust free. I feel like passing a rule in the house..."Don't Touch Anything." Well, that might amount to, "Go Live Elsewhere."

I guess I will start tomorrow morning anew, with my three dogs and six chickens, doing our best to make this house a diamond in the rough. I'll remind the buyers that this house has seen many wonderful times, lots of laughs, gatherings and contained the delicious scents of the best Southern home-cooking for miles around. I'll tell them that there's a vegetable garden in the backyard with many weeks of producing food for their own family still in the ground.

Yes, I will start anew with my attitude tomorrow and hope the buyer comes a-calling. Country...we are doing all we can to stand in your midst and be overjoyed by your beauty. Your untamed beauty is appreciated, but we are eager to get out there and to garden on a scale we've never before been able to enjoy. We're eager to have trees for neighbors.

Waiting. Hoping. Cleaning. Packing.

# 283 - Acreage Good Times

Over the years, our family has had great times on our acreage. When the kids were young, we'd spend many weekends at our property and most of the summer there as well. Deputy Dave would often catch dinner from the lake at the back of our property.

My father-in-law had run electricity to a pole for our RV hookups. A few years later, during a long spurt of us being absent from the land, someone stole everything.

Sometimes I forget about how young Stefie had been as we were wandering through the woods. The girls would go on hikes together, after they learned the land, and it was such an adventurous task for these girls to take. But, they did live with adventure, that is for sure.

Of course, if we would have allowed the girls to stay in the lake all summer, this would've worked for them. We always had some kind of boat for them to take out into the lake. Again, they had a lot of freedom while I constantly drilled them about water safety. This lake is NOT a swimming pool! But, our kids were allowed to be kids. This body of water comes from a spring, it isn't dormant water or a reservoir with stagnant water, it's moving water that stays cool and fresh due to the spring bubbling forth its goodness.

Deputy Dave would always catch our dinner at our private lake. This little beauty is about to be re-named to "Delicious."

Here I am with my girls. These were times when my health was precarious since I was in the middle of having two cardio-thoracic surgeries (one year apart) that would be brutal and with dire consequences that would require prolonged recovery. Going to our land seemed to offer huge healing benefits. There were times I couldn't make the physically demanding trek to the lake, but I always tried. Along the way, we had to cross the creek which could get deep at certain points...my girls enjoyed quite a few laughs at my expense as I fell into the creek. Then, I would start laughing so hard myself that I couldn't move a muscle to get out of the water.

On the times I couldn't attempt the hike to the lake, I'd be content to sit and to watch the beautiful birds feed off the seed I'd toss into a grove of trees.

My girls have such GREAT memories of pulling up dead roots, picking up dead branches and throwing it all into a huge pile that would later become a bon-fire. Creating the pile of branches to burn wasn't such fun, but the times we had at nightfall, while gathered around the fire, were priceless. I think it served to teach them that some of the best kind of fun will often follow hard work. Their efforts also confirmed that this land belonged to all of us, as a family. Regardless, we enjoyed a few screams and dodging action while sitting around the fire because dive-bombing bats were going after bugs drawn to the fire-light. Yes, the bats definitely provided thrilling moments.

Stefie and Heather were always so tan! I don't know if Stefie has seen her legs this tan since these days of working and playing on the acreage.

We always had scrumptious food while staying on our land. For some reason, the food always tasted better when in the country, maybe it's because our appetites were so ravenous.

The girls and a friend out on the water.

Stefie and her friend take their turn at playing a game of horse-shoe. You can see the beginning of my daughters' TEEPEE in the corner of the photo below. We always had a Teepee for them to use as a retreat. Throughout their years growing up, my girls have taken so many naps in Teepees. I hope they will teach their own children, one day, once they have children, to build Teepees.

Me and my lemon tree. It's still there, but kind of straggly looking. I hope we get moved to our property this year and get to plant many more fruit trees throughout the property. These are the days when I would dye my hair a dark brown...don't ask me why...I also tried to go with straight hair, a true battle when you have naturally curly hair...again, don't ask me why.

Stefie and her little traveling buddy, Liyla...she's still a young dog in this photo. This dog has been a beautiful member of our family.

And what's a trip to the country without shooting a few targets in the pit? My brother, a former Marine who served hard time in the Middle East is so cute while plugging his ears.

The area above, once cleared out by a bull-dozer, is now over-run with thick growth and towering trees. Nature has already reclaimed most of the land that we had worked so hard to clear about ten years ago. That's how it goes.

Once we move to our land, I'm sure it will be amazing for us to see the difference that our constant presence as residents will finally make to its landscape. I can hardly wait.

But, most of all, I can hardly wait to get our cabin built so that we can start having more wonderful family moments together in the woods.