We’ve had the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets lately. Below, the trees are waking up with the sun…
…and here things are quieting down with a fiery sunset…
…and another beautiful morning on the property…
…followed by another fiery sunset.
Category: Adventure
Natural Beauty
In springtime, the property “springs” to life with all sorts of wildflowers in the fields. Here’s a sampling. Not sure what each of them is called, but they’re beautiful nonetheless.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a sign of good soil, and we were amazed to find mushrooms growing wild all over our property. Since then, we’ve found all kinds of edibles growing wild on the property, from amaranth to chile pequins, to grapes…all zero effort on our part. Part of God’s generous provision.
Rocky
This is Rocky, our Melissa’s truck. He’s named Rocky because, well the kids have named every vehicle we’ve had, and they decided on Rocky. Over the years, we’ve had
- Christy, the gold Chrysler Town & Country
- Filomena, the black Chevy Suburban (Filomena is a character from Little House on the Prairie)
- Azula, the blue Toyota Sienna (azul is blue in Spanish)
- Jack, the black and grey Ford Econoline Conversion Van (they named it Jack in honor of my grandfather – we bought the van to drive to my grandfather’s funeral in Ohio)
- Poppy the popup camper
- and, of course, Rocky, the silver Ford F350
When we moved out to the country, we knew we were going to need a truck. We found this 2004 F350 Lariat Diesel on Craigslist – pristine condition, and only 91,000 miles on it 12 years later. So when our house finally sold, we bought the truck, and it’s been a tremendous blessing to our family.
Kubota Sunset
Picture doesn’t do it justice, but there’s a beautiful orange sunset perfectly framed in the equally beautifully orange tractor’s ROPS.
Spider Webs
The other morning, as I walked to open the gate for the day, I saw some amazing spider webs dotting the front pasture. The morning dew bathed them, and when the first rays of sunshine crept across the horizon, the pasture lit up with these beautiful creations.
In addition to being prolific with their webs, I’ve noticed country spiders spin webs with a much higher tensile strength than their city counterparts. Accidentally walking into one of these instantly reminds me of that scene in Lord of the Rings where Frodo gets stuck in Shelob’s lair…very…difficult…to…get…it…all…off…of…me.
Livin’ the 10
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
Posts, Rafters & Furring Strips…Oh My
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.
I Think Her Tractor’s Sexy
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.
Sunrise…Sunset
Just another beautiful day on the property, from sunrise (above) to sunset (below).
