This is Sapphire, our teeny-tiny Siamese cat. She was the runt of a litter from our friends the Laprise’s cat. She has the most beautiful sapphire blue eyes, which you can see in the picture below. Sapphire has survived being a chew toy for Max and Bryan, as well as a hawk attack that left her near death’s door. But much love, cuddles, and lots of heavy whipping cream helped nurse her back to health. She’s very friendly and affectionate, but hasn’t quite figured out that claws aren’t always necessary.
This is Jayden, our Calico Cat. Like Charlie, Jayden came with us from the city, and has adjusted well to country life. Jayden tolerates people, but cannot stand other cats, and certainly not any dog…except her best friend, Charlie. She loves lying around during the day, and faithfully executing rodent patrol at night.
Ms. Dorothy (Dorothy Guerra) gave us a bunch of pinto beans, and Melissa and the kids planted them along the fence. Amazing to me that they’ve grown up so fast – from single bean to finished plant in about 4-6 weeks. They taste great fresh, and we’re planning on drying some for soups as well as planting for next year.
Got a favorite pinto bean recipe? We’d love to try it. Share it in the comments below.
I took this picture some time in those first couple of days on the property. Peaceful. Relaxing. Tranquil. Truly, an answer to our prayers…and evidence of the benefits of striving to live a thankful life, no matter the circumstances.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7
Our weekend project…more work on the outdoor kitchen. This weekend, we were able to get the remaining cedar posts up as well as the remaining two rafters. Finished out the rafters with spacers for extra stability, then began on the furring strips (below). Thirty-three more furring strips, and we’ll be ready for the metal roofing.
Kubota L2501 with a rotary cutter and loader from Ewald Kubota in Seguin, Texas. We also bought a box blade to help cut in some swales, and a grapple to deal with a lot of brush we have lying around the property. Unfortunately, there’s a backlog on the grapple, so we don’t have it just yet. Of course, that hasn’t stopped us from breaking in the new toy…I mean tool.
This is Mocha, our female Jerusalem donkey. She came along with her daughter, Chip, from some friends of ours who breed and rescue all kinds of animals.
When Mocha and Chip first arrived, we put them in the same paddock as our other donkey family – Chocolate, Vanilla, and Turtle (the goat who think’s he’s a donkey). As soon as Chocolate realized that he had two new female “friends,” he started singing. Well, at least it looked like he was trying to serenade them. He started “hee-hawing” and “getting really friendly” with the new girls, if you know what I mean. (Sure wish we had the video camera running. It was quite entertaining.)
After a couple of minutes, Vanilla, Chocolate’s life-long female friend – who happens to be at least a foot taller than Chocolate, making certain activities darn near impossible – let out a groaning song…sort of as if to say, “How dare you!” And then she lit out after Chocolate – who was chasing Mocha and Chip around the paddock.
At that point, I guess Turtle felt left out, so he joined in the fray…and we had a galloping, singing, groaning train of donkeys (with a goat-caboose) running around the paddock for a good 10 minutes. Again, wish we had the video camera handy.
They eventually all settled down, and are getting along quite nicely. Vanilla is still stand-offish, but Chocolate, Mocha and Chip are friendly and affectionate, and love to eat treats right out of your hand.
Just another beautiful day on the property, from sunrise (above) to sunset (below).
