Photos arranged into collages with good words/ideas in between. The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately. Seneca
I’ve been making soap for years now. I’m not too fancy about it. I usually make this basic recipe with
The weather is shifting to blazing, summer hot. The nights aren’t cooling down enough to offer much relief. In summe
Dave & I made a video of him creating his spicy coleslaw. You can check it out HERE. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this coleslaw. It&
In December 2019 we loaded the truck camper and hit the road headed for Mexico. After a leisurely drive down the Baja penins
Pancakes. We don’t eat ’em often but every now and then there’s nothing like pancakes for breakfast (or even
Dave and I are in Mexico. We’ve been here since December 2019. (We still own property in Texas.) As of this posting,
El Conejo – “The Rabbit” – Baja California Sur Thanks to the work of these Pescaderos (fisherman)
This is the first skull I painted. A whitetail buck deer skull I found beside a country road. Most likely it was hi
Dave & I spent this summer in Texas. I’m glad. This past spring, we went on a trip. That was enough to s
I’ve been spending time making things. Some of it art. The picture: It’s a weathered skull I found years ago
I make this recipe over and over. It’s that good. This recipe was in an issue of Country Living that was given to me i
Marfa is the seat of Presidio County. We rolled into town on day 2 of our travels. The first night we met up with an old fri
We’ve been through Arizona several times. Definitely a state we’d like to explore more. &
The bathroom situation in different countries can vary quite a lot. I’ve driven the length of Baja (actually 2 states:
*Sold*
I’ve minimized my participation in Christmas. I used to be way more “into” Christmas. Oh my gosh. At one
Grey skies. Rain. Cool temps. That was today. Dave made a fire. Warm house. Also, I painted for several hours. Skull
Mexico is a colorful place. It almost seems wrong to do a post of Baja images solely in black and white. But the light cre
I found this recipe in a publication that my electric cooperative sends out monthly. Great Recipe! A wonderful comfort foo
YouTube Video I started painting skulls several years ago. I love animal skulls. It is fascinating how bones linger on.
This year we’ve done a lot of traveling in our truck camper. We’ve made quite a few videos about the camper. In
I didn’t watch the super bowl. I grew up in a small, football-loving town. I participated in football season at my s
Yall ever hear of Chris Hedges? I appreciate his skill in discussing various societal issues. Hedges has provided me with
There’s a propane shortage in the USA. People are paying over $5 per gallon. People are complaining about it. WHY
I’m mending things, gardening, and tackling the never-ending projects around our place. Cutting firewood, making art,
Dave and I went to town yesterday morning. There’s a community rummage sale being held at the courthouse square. For
I live where roads are more often dirt than paved. Rural living. It’s what I wanted. I went into town today. Got a
“When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which
All around Is quiet. Close, quiet dark. Thick and soft Nothing but this space. Meanwhile in the world Everyone is staring. No
I’ve been reading Derrick Jensen’s Endgame volume II, Resistance. Slowly. I’m reading it. Slow because i
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” – Henry David Thoreau Mornings
We continue harvesting greens from the garden. We couldn’t survive off the yield but a meal here and there with fresh
This morning it was 30 degrees F. Brrrrr! Somewhere in northern Wyoming I saw it was 3 degrees. Well….. 30 isn’t s
Last night the winds were strong. Fiercely screaming through the trees and around the house. The sort of weather that make
I’ve been getting up earlier since the time change thing. My internal clock remains the same. I haven’t set an
Maybe a better choice than the two primary candidates for president. Tomorrow it’ll be over. All the build-up to the e
Pictured is a copper still for making moonshine. It’s from the late 1800s and was made by my great great grandfather.
I’ve indulged in hippie dreams, Swirling like smoke in cedar groves. Those backroad corners of my mind. The dreams my up
Yesterday I saw a video of a reporter covering what’s going on in NY city since storm Sandy blew through. People were cl
Today was a golden day. Sunshine aplenty. I wish I would’ve spent more time outdoors. But I was busy working at
Today we drove to Colorado Bend State Park. The Colorado River (the one in Texas) cuts through the land near where we live.
Full Moon. Today was cool and sunny. It was a real nice day. My parents visited and we cooked hamburgers on our little cha
“Also it is commonly believed that happiness depends upon leisure; for we occupy ourselves so that we may have leisure,
Sometimes I stay up late and sleep later in the morning. Other times I become an early riser. I rarely wake up to an al
If work were so pleasant, the rich would keep it for themselves. (Mark Twain) In my small-town Texas, USA upbringing I was t
The bigger you build the bonfire, the more darkness is revealed. – Terence McKenna Today the female goats in a neighbori
SQUIRREL. First squirrel into the stew pot. I liked it. The Other Half liked it. Worth repeating? Definitely. How
A Forbes article about the Shadow Economy….a.k.a. Underground Economy, Black Market, System “D”. http://ww
Utah: Online Porn Capital of America? – article at PC World Hmmm… the more conservative and religious a person i
The Westerner by Badger Clark (1947) My fathers sleep on the sunrise plains, And each one sleeps alone. Their trails may dim t
The temperatures have been 20s-30s at night and early morning. Fifties during the day. Perfectly wonderful in my book. I&#
These items were retrieved from the craw of a turkey that lived on my farm. I raised poultry for many years. When left to ro
Friedrich Nietzsche offered these bits: 1. People who have given us their complete confidence believe that they have a right t
Jacob over at Early Retirement Extreme – blog post – Garbage and excessive spending from the post: “The U
“My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibilty has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced freedom f
I’m back after a month off. I accomplished a lot during the blog hiatus. We are officially living inside the straw bal
I have been defiant. Stripped bare to the bone. Where I became no one, No one but myself.
“It’s easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.” Leonardo da Vinci
“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” -Jackie Frenc
Exercised this morning. Drove into town after lunch to run errands and acquire supplies. The fridge was looking pretty ba
Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – r
Sometimes existence is overwhelming. It helps to find particular coping mechanisms. You can’t depend on the biochemical
“Keep in mind how fast things pass by and are gone — those that are now, and those to come. Existence flows past us like a
My Kombucha. A fermented tea ….GOOGLE it. Fizzy…sort of tastes like cider. Easy to make once you have a SCOBY.
Like a child stripped of all knowing told Run away into the dark Where losing yourself You will find You are a billion stars C
Triple-digit degree temps are here. We felt some relief here for a few days. It WAS in the upper 80s during the day. The f
Oh what a pity Sitting here sucking on the gov’ment titty. That’s what they tell ya… You middle class sitt
Last week and over the weekend we gave away and sold some things that we did not use or need. This lightening of the load is
Here I find myself Cast into this dimension or is it dementia? I digress, Here I was….I am here Like it or NOT? In a swi
“Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring ent
Some things I started doing differently to: 1.) Decrease my consumption/impact/amount of “life dander” & 2.) Save
“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” “The eter
Buzzard ladies, I salute you. You are the topic of the hour, The fodder of gossips, And the inspiration for a thousand questio
“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that
Since it is raining and raining and raining I decided to spend a little time baking some cookies. I made these Spiced Molass
Crepes are kind of like fancy smancy pancakes. We love to have them as an occasional treat for breakfast on weekends. I’
Yesterday evening was an adventure. Around 6 pm our area began being hit by a large storm. Wednesday we experienced a huge s
Today while Dave was taking Shorty for one of her mandatory walks around HTF, they spotted a rather large lizard. I was going
I’ve been finding lots of bits of broken glass in the garden and certain areas on HTF. I am considering using some
The chick count is now up to 25. Unfortunately, this number may soon be down by one. The reality of having animals is not
Paradise Found. Every time I step outside at the Caradan place, this is what I think. I also recently discovered a book w
Today the chick count is up to 14 and I hear peeping noises coming from inside the incubator…so I expect more eggs to ha
Lots of progress in the hatching department here at Happy Texas Farm. Chick on the way Our first chick finally made its way ou
FINALLY. It appears that one of the eggs in the incubator has started to hatch. I noticed it this afternoon when I was turni
Happy Texas Farm is located in an area that used to be a small settlement. Like so many of its kind, the little community h
This is cause for celebrating on HTF! The fence is finally up. Hooray- Hooray! I still need to paint everything- including
Often when I look around HTF I see ALL the work I want to do and I am inspired! Other times I feel overwhelmed. Aaaahg!
Here is the latest goings on at HTF. CHICKENS We experienced a loss- (see this post). One of our roosters bit the dust. New
Huey – 04/2008 thru 05/2009 Our Light Brahma Rooster, Huey passed away on 5/12/09. He literally dropped dead. Weird, b
We are back online as of yesterday. Last Friday a big storm came through our area. I haven’t seen lightening of
Today acquisition of a new wheelbarrow is on the “to do list”. We actually already have a wheelbarrow. No way (in our wo
No sign of them yet….potatoes planted in old tires filled with soil I have heard from more than one source that this is
Wildflower Things are really getting green around Happy Texas Farm. The land is bursting with color. These are some pictur
What I wouldn’t give for a old fashioned general store right out of a western movie! A place where the stuff of l
Garden Gate Latch This is the latch Dave made for the gate. We’d been thinking it over for a few days. I still didn’t
Dave has been designing and building the gate for our garden fence project. HE is happy to report that this endeavor is nearin
Two loads of Sandra & Dave laundry have now been washed using the Homemade detergent. I am happy to report that it works.
Ingredients and supplies I made my own laundry detergent today. We finally got to the bottom of the giant sized thing of det
Roses The rose bush in the “front” yard is blooming. This is the first flower….but it shows promise of many more. I
A common sight in Texas. This one is in our neighborhood. This old truck is also near HTF. Squash- ready to soon go in the gar
We have begun our hunt for materials. In building our house we are hoping to use salvaged material as much as possible.
Completion of the Fence is the priority right now. We might have been much farther along on that project, but mother nature
In the early morning hours we were awakened by thunder shaking the house. Texas thunderstorms can do that. Because the house
I’m interested in architecture. Structures can be works of art. A lot of old buildings in small Texas towns are
I believe this year marked the 12th Annual BBQ & Goat Cook-off in Goldthwaite, Texas. Dave & I went and checked it o
Some seedlings on the porch. Due to the recent move, we are getting a late start on garden projects. Even so….I’m just g
We are putting a fence around our garden spot. It was never a question of whether we’d need the fence. Only when and how.
Things left behind. We had to remove these items from the garage and small storage building in order to clean them and make
Our new place was vacant for some period of time before we purchased it. When we had our first look at the property it was
When I went to college I moved a few times. My load was a bit lighter then. When I met Dave, I made my biggest move to tha
On the last day of February 2009 Dave and rose early. I filled a green metal thermos with coffee, gathered the dog gear, and
An ode to January 1, 2000 In case you missed it, today is predicted to be the end of the world. I’ve made it through sev