Work continues…slowly but surely. Below is the back of the smoker storage area.
And here’s the front. The smoker sits well in this area, and once we get electricity wired up, will be very convenient.
And work on the second mosaic has started. This one features wildflowers in the meadow, and a pond. There’ll be a tractor in there, and we’ll have Van Gogh style swirlies in the sky once it’s all done.
Melissa and the kids went shopping the other day, and the grocery store had live crawfish. The kids decided they wanted to try them, so we had our first crawfish boil on the farnch.
They absolutely loved it. I was afraid they would get bored or frustrated peeling the tails, but they didn’t. Macy even took to sucking the heads.
As I look around the property, I see lots of stuff that still needs to be done. But looking back, I realize we’ve enjoyed many things on the 6.66 acres that is our Livin’ The 10 Farnch.
First, the sunrises and sunsets here are absolutely fantastic. You can see them all in the God’s Canvas posts.
The kids got sick right around Easter last year, and we didn’t make it to church. We still wanted to have a family celebration, so we had an Easter Egg “Hunt” here on the farnch. Melissa and I took plastic eggs, filled them with treats, then strung them on branches in the woods in the back yard. Eryk, Iain and Macy then got to go “on the hunt” for eggs…with their BB guns.
When June rolled around, it got hot. We needed a way to cool down. Our temporary solution was a cheap easy set pool. The kids loved it, and even we adults enjoyed relaxing in the cool water. In fact, one hot-but-breeze evening, I soaked in the pool for a while. When I got out, I sat in my rocking chair on the porch to dry off. The evaporative effect of the breeze against the water actually gave me a slight chill…on a 100+ degree day.
Having lived in the city most of our lives, we knew we would need to acquire some common farm-type implements. Mom and Dad’s housewarming gift to us was a commercial-grace Snapper Zero-Turn mower, and, man, has it been a blessing. We used it to cut pathways and walking trails through the front and back pastures, and to generally keep the rest of the place neat and tidy.
When we sold our home, we used some of the proceeds to get a truck, Rocky. Rocky has pulled our animal trailer to bring home Chocolate, Vanilla, Turtle and Bryan; Mocha and Chip; and Beau and Mercy. Rocky has also hauled (literally) tons of stuff for our building projects, especially the outdoor kitchen. In addition to being really useful around the farnch, I have to admit, I just like driving a big truck.
Of course, no farnch is complete without a tractor. In late October, we visited the local Kubota dealership, Ewald Kubota, to get smart on tractors. They were having a sale, with some good incentives and financing, and we were able to get everything we wanted – front-end loader, brush-hog, box blade, and grapple – for a good price.
One of the things we haven’t had to do a lot of is infrastructure. That was one of the things that was very attractive about this particular property. It was already fenced and cross-fenced. There were already several irrigation spigots throughout the property, making it pretty easy to get water to the animals. And there were several shelters already on the property – a carport, garage, loafing shed with tack room and chicken coop, and a front barn. There’s more to do…there always is on a farnch. But having a lot of the infrastructure already in place enabled us to “get farnching” a lot faster than if we’d had to build all that stuff along the way.
We started the year with one dog (Charlie) and one cat (Jayden). Over the year, we added – and subtracted – many animals. On the farnch, every animal has a purpose, although there are still a couple of animals that I’m wondering about.
Max, the Border Collie. When Max developed a taste for fresh chicken, we found him a new home with a family down the road. They have lots of kids, and lots of land, and Max is very happy with them.
Bryan, the Great Pyrenees. Bryan was a great dog. Then one day, he snarled and turned on Melissa near the kids, so Bryan had to go.
Buddy, the Spaniel. 
Buddy retired out to Livin’ The 10 from the hustle and bustle of life with my sister and nephew, and enjoyed several months with us. On New Year’s Eve, Buddy decided it was his time to journey on, and he ran away.
When my dad learned that we were looking for a good mouser, he set out to trap one of the kittens from a litter a roving mamma cat deposited in their yard. Opal was a little spitfire when he arrived, and has since become a very loving and affectionate cat as well as a good mouser.
We acquired Sapphire from our friends Mike and Sue Laprise. Well, actually, we acquired her from one of their many transient cats. Sapphire is still the runt, but she’s becoming a good mouser.
Early on, we were not very fortunate with chickens. Michael and Sue Laprise gave us our first six Red Sexlinks. Only one remains from that original six.
The Original Six
Over the year, Mom Mom and Pop Pop (Pop Pop mostly) took the kids on adventures to Moore’s Feed Store in San Antonio, arriving back at the farnch with chickens, ducks, turkeys and rabbits.
I don’t recall how many chickens we’ve lost to predators. I know it’s been at least a dozen. Getting the donkeys really helped curtail the losses. Adjusting our dog population helped as well. We still lose one every now and then. Sometimes they run off, or a hawk gets lucky. But now losing one is a rare occurrence, not an everyday (or every-week) one.
Of course, chickens – once they’re old enough – produce eggs. When Pop Pop decided he would buy eggs from us, Eryk bought his own chicken (so that he would get a larger share of the profits). Then, he industriously used his birthday money to buy an incubator. It’s been a little over a month, and when we checked the incubator a few minutes ago, there’s a small crack in one of the eggs. We (we being Eryk) should have our first batch of “home grown” chickens (and ducklings) over the next week or so.
Our friends, Chris and Elizabeth Coats generously supplied our first (and third) flock of Muscovy ducks. We lost one of the original five to a predator last summer. Then we added a flock of four Muscovy’s (you guessed it – another Craigslist find). In the fall, my dad bought three ducklings, but none of them made it. Fortunately, the two that hatched here survived. Earlier this year, the Coats’ brought us another round of 11 ducklings, and 10 are still going strong – bringing the total count to 19 ducks…plus Eryk has a couple of eggs in his incubator.
Like the chickens, we were not very fortunate with the rabbits early on. The property sat vacant for over a year, and snakes and other varmints figured they owned the place. We lost a few rabbits to snakes before we reinforced the hutch. The three that have made it this far are a good, healthy bunch. The female had her first litter a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, none survived. But, we’ve learned some valuable lessons on how to better care for rabbits. Good news is that the breed like…well…rabbits.
One of the many acquisitions from Moore’s included six guineas. Guineas are an alarm animal. They will alert the rest of the flock to perceived danger – be it air or ground-based predators. They tend to spend most of their time with the chickens. And for the most part, they integrate well. Although, they do tend to get after a couple of the chickens now and then. Until Roo (the rooster) steps in, that is.
When we were looking for land, one of our criteria was that there had to be no restrictions. In South Texas, feral hogs are a big problem, so a lot of land has “no hog” restrictions. Fortunately, we found New Berlin – the last Bastion of Freedom in the U.S. – where you actually come very close to owning your own property.
For Iain’s 7th birthday, he wanted a pig. Grandma obliged, and Iain picked out Pinky. Pinky eats like, well, a pig, and has gotten rather large. But when he was smaller and cuter, we snapped a few photos, and he now adorns the Livin’ The 10 “Happy Birthday” eCard.
When Macy’s 5th birthday rolled around a few months later, she decided that she, too, wanted a pig. Grandma again obliged, and we brought home Sunflower. Sunflower is approaching maturity, so we should have our first batch of “bacon seeds” going in the next few months.
To put it bluntly, we suck at raising turkeys. Dad bought four babies, and over the course of a couple of months, they all died. One lasted a good long while, and I think that if we’d had the donkeys and dog issues fixed, he would have survived. We may try turkeys again this year. Honestly, though, I think – at least in the case of turkeys – it’s better to wait until you can focus on them and not 20 other things.
I never imagined myself a donkey rancher, but we’ve pretty much dedicated a quarter of the property to “donkeydom.” Well, to be honest, the goat is in there, too. And one of the donkeys is actually a mule. So “donkey-goat-mule-dom,” I guess, is more accurate.
We didn’t intend to have a herd of donkeys. Melissa found Chocolate and Vanilla on a ranch near Castroville, Texas. Mocha and Chip came from Melissa’s friend 
Beverly, who lives with some folks who love animals, and sort of run their own rescue program (i.e. they can’t say no). After several years, they decided to downsize, and so we’re acquiring some of their animals over time.
Since we got the donkeys, we’ve seen a dramatic drop in external predator activity. I have to insert “external” in there because Bryan and Max were somewhat of an “insider threat” for a while. Except for some rivalry between Chocolate and Beau (the horse), the donkeys get along very well with all the other animals.
Turtle the Goat came 
with Chocolate and Vanilla. He’s been a cute little stinker, and he seems to get along well with the other animals. He does find more than his share of mischief, though. He’s learned how to open (or otherwise thwart) gates, and he’s figured out how to climb fencing.
Beau came to us from Melissa’s friends who are downsizing their menagerie. I’ve never been around horses much, and so I’m beginning to understand the bond between horse and rider. Beau is like an overgrown puppy dog. He is very affectionate, and very communicative, once you learn his language.
Mercy also came to us from Melissa’s friends. She and Beau came the same day. Mercy’s mother rejected her mother, and Melissa’s friends hand and bottle fed her. She has become so friendly and affectionate around us, that there are times I wonder whether she realizes that she’s not one of our kids.
This next year, we’re looking to “organically” add pigs and rabbits. Sunflower the Pig should have her first litter this year. And, we’re hopeful that when our female rabbit has her next litter that we’re all better prepared. Beyond that, I think we’re going to slow down our aggressive animal accumulation rate this year. Although, the back pasture would work well for beef….
We’ve built a quite a few things around the farnch this past year. One of the first projects was a duck house that Eryk, Iain and I built out of a repurposed pallet and crate – plus some chicken wire and (wait for it) duck tape.
On the gardening front, perusing SlapSale.com yielded six well-used hospital laundry bins. We’re using them as raised beds in the back side yard.
In the fall, we bought a tractor.
A pond is one of the things we’ve started with it. The ducks (and the kids) absolutely love playing in “the pond” (which is about 9″ deep so far).
Of course, the tractor needed a place to sleep, so we bought a metal carport tractor-port.
Adding animals to our menagerie has required reworking some of the fencing. We elected to go the cattle-panel-and-zip-tie route for a couple of reasons. One, it’s quick. Two, it’s easy to un-do.
We’ve had our share of “not-so-fun” moments as well. Like when the water main coming into the property sprung a leak.
Our most ambitious (and still ongoing) project from this past year is the outdoor kitchen.
In the outdoor kitchen, we’re building custom cabinets, and using the exposed backs of the cabinets as a showcase for mosaics.
To me, our farmchitecture projects are very rewarding, and something I simply could not do in the city.
Although we still have a ways to go, looking back, we’ve accomplished a lot on the house. We’ve
We’ve also continued down the road of preparedness. Specifically, we’ve
Projects for the coming year include
It’s been a little over a year since we closed on the property that has become Livin’ The 10 Farnch. We closed on Thursday, February 25, 2016. Closing set in motion a whirlwind of activity, and it seems like it hasn’t slowed down much since then.
I remember picking up the keys from the realtor in Seguin that afternoon, and then going and “bug bombing” the house while Melissa and the kids packed up the popup. The next day, we took a small caravan of stuff out to the property, and – literally – setup camp. We slept in the pop up for several weeks while we were working on the early 1980’s double-wide. Once we got the walls re-textured and painted, and enough of the flooring done, we starting moving stuff.
Movers took care of the piano and furniture, and we moved a lot of the little things ourselves. Overall, it took us a little over a month to get moved out to the property, and another month to get the old place spruced up to sell. After all that going back-and-forth, it was good to “settle down” out in the country.
As I was working in the yard the other day, I just happened to glance up…and there were a bunch of the chickens hanging out on the bridge in the front yard. I figured it warranted a picture, so here it is.
Springtime is in full swing at Livin’ The 10. The other day, Melissa and the kids took some cattle panels that we were no longer using and built a mobile paddock for the ducklings. They absolutely loved being outside chomping down on the mallows.
To get the new flocks accustomed to each other, we put the chicks in tractors near the ducks, with some shielding from the rain.
In addition to new chicks and ducks, our female rabbit had her first litter. Unfortunately, one died after a few hours. Two of the remaining three died later that day. The fourth lasted a couple of days, but also died. Such is life on the farm. But we’ve learned some valuable lessons about caring for rabbits, and we should have another litter in a couple of months.
In another Craigslist find, we found this armoire at a dentist’s office and decided that it would make a great addition to our kitchen.
It’s loaded with all kinds of storage…and it even has a fold-down desk area that’s perfect for the kids as a work surface.
Melissa and the kids maneuvered and loaded the unit all by themselves…and, man, was it heavy. The kids were rightfully proud of themselves, and decided to enjoy an afternoon snack on the desk.
