Au Revior 2009...

I am ready for this year to be over with. Period. There have been some good parts, like the trip to Ireland and such, but as far as the farm goes, it has been slow going this year...though we did get the stock tank dug (which is a huge accomplishment). Being a huge accomplishment though, it seems to take a lot more to feel as though we are making progress.

That being said, we did finally sit down and get our resolutions done up for 2010. I am a huge proponent of resolutions. It gives me something to focus on and work towards. I will be posting those here (personal resolutions and farm resolutions)...in order to create a higher level of accountability.

Of course, I leave this place "post-less" for months at a time without any accountability...but I do feel bad about it. In fact, it keeps me up at night...well, for a few seconds anyway.

Bottom line, I think that we have finally got the right fire lit under our rumps to get motivated and get things done.

Let's hope we can keep up the momentum.

Where I spend my time not really giving you an update...

So...long time no see. All I can do is apologize and give you an update or at least an update on the updates I will be posting later.

We just got back from Ireland. It was a great trip. I'll have to do a post on that later but I have some other things I need to catch up on first.

We haven't done anything on the property, but we a planning on sitting down and re-working our "to-do" list so that I can have a better grasp on where we are and what we need to get done. I feel lost not knowing where we are and where we are headed. I'll give you an update on that too once I have it figured out in my head.

With that little bit of a "no real update to speak of" I will get back to you soon.

I am so happy that fall is finally rolling around to our parts. Now perhaps I can stop sweating when I breath. The other exciting part of this is that as it cools off, we will be able to get things done around the property.

Ahhh...the property...for the last few months it has been a huge source of frustration for me. Back in May, someone cut one of our gates and some cows that we had allowed to run on our property (they are not ours) got out. Of course, our non-english speaking "neighbors" saw big dollar signs when the cows started messing up the place. Keep in mind the cows were out for THREE DAYS before we even got a call from the police about it.

THREE DAYS!!

They "couldn't get a hold of us". REALLY?!?!? Then please remind me WHY WE BOTHERED TO GIVE OUR PHONE NUMBERS TO THE MAYOR OF THE CITY!!!!!!

We went out there (I with my camera to take pictures for evidence) and these people had the audacity to claim that these cows that aren't even ours damaged a lot property (some of which we know for a fact was already damaged). The cops gave us a bunch of crap about it...and were trying to tell us where they came from because we were going to need to patch up the fence and there was no damage where they kept saying that they were coming from.

So everyone left and we walked down the fenceline of the property to find that someone had cut the wire to our drop gate on the other side of the property. When we called the cops back to tell them, there statement was...get this..."we can't do anything about it because it's in another county".

I can tell already that this is going to potentially be an issue for us since the county line runs through part of our property.

So ever since that event I have not wanted to go out there and have even had thoughts of selling the place and buying property elsewhere just to not have to deal with these people that throw trash on our property, cut our fence lines, and play their music at ungoldly levels all night. My only hope is that since the weather is cooling off we will be able to get out there and get some work done, so we can get out there on a more permanent basis and can create a permanent solution.

Lets just hope the weather holds up.

Facebook Farming

So...I finally stepped into the 21st century and joined Facebook. I only signed up so that I could play a piano game that was offered on there.

That's not the amazing part.

The amazing part is that I am actually playing a game that requires some effort. Not the piano game, but another game called "Farmville". I know...you're shocked. I was too. Doug started playing it about a week or two ago and practically owns the King Ranch now. I, on the other hand, have 9 little squares of strawberries, eggplant, wheat, and *gasp* soybeans. This is not the funny part.

The best part is that you actually have to wait for things to harvest. Granted on a much faster scale. For example, strawberries have to wait 4 HOURS to be harvested.

Okay...call me crazy...but my brain just couldn't register that.

Why do I have to wait???

Can't I harvest now?

Not even just a teeny little bit?

Not one soybean??

YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT?!?!?!?

Because as disturbing as it is that this game perverts nature into growing and harvesting crops in 4 hours from start to finish, my little instant-gratification, pee-brain couldn't even wait that long.

Dear God, I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Unplayed Piano

I love the keyboard that Doug got me for Christmas! Until we got Merlin, I played it about once a week. Then it sat there collecting dust while I chased a puppy around trying to reclaim my underwear.

Over the last couple of months though I have rededicated myself to practicing. While this week, I have not had a chance to play, I am overall very happy with my progress.

Since music was never really important in my household growing up, it's a little more difficult and I truly feel as though I am having to start from the ground up. But, I am getting the hang of the Waltz, and feel fairly certain that within a couple of months I will be having a recital for a select few who are hard of hearing.

It's only fair.

The Point

I have been working on losing some weight. It's amazing how well it works when I actually get my fat lazy arse off of the couch and put down the Snickers bar. Of course, I already knew this, but I hadn't yet reached "The Point".

"The Point" of where I was completely disgusted with myself and what I had let myself become.

"The Point" where I said for God's sake STOP!

"The Point" where being that weight was really uncomfortable.

I have, thus far, lost 15 pounds and 2 clothes sizes. I have already started getting rid of those old clothes. I have to.

I pulled out a pair of Old Navy size 8 jean's and hung them on the closet door. My goal is to be able to where those on our trip to Ireland.

Oh yeah!! We're going to Ireland. Ahhhhhh...just the thought of it makes me drunk with excitement. Although not drunk enough that I forget that I still have 3 months before we go.

Unfortunately.

Hot Dog...

Well, since Satan has taken up residence in South Texas and it is hotter than, well, Hades, we haven't been able to get much done on the property this summer. Unfortunately, since we do not have a place to stay out there, by the time we drive out there, it is already pushing "hot enough to make your ankles sweat", and you can't do much before you get to "dead from heat exhaustion". If only meteorologists used this kind of terminology on the evening news...maybe I would watch...maybe.

Our lack of being able to get anything done on the property and my sheer laziness is the reason why I haven't posted much in the last month. We have been busy with other items though, namely chasing around the son of Satan AKA Merlin. He is now in intermediate training, and while I do love torturing myself, I am really ready for it to be over. Actually, I am really ready for him to be over a year old because I am telling you right now, that if I have sons I will desert them when they become teenagers. You have all been warned. Actually, I will just send them out to their father. That should do the trick.

The Downside To Getting Dressed In The Dark...

You wear two different flip-flops to work.

MY Mother Never Told Me

About this kind of love. That it is possible to love this much. That my heart could bear so much, from sadness to elation. Then to forget in the heat of battle, only to be reminded when the smoke has cleared.

She never told me that it is all about compromise. The things that used to be so important, like putting the toilet paper on a certain way, really aren't. It's about being best friends and being excited to see him at the end of a really hard day.

She never told me that even if something happens and I physically lose this love, it will hurt. God it will hurt, and I won't be able to breath for a while, but I will be okay. In fact, I will be better for having had the chance to love this much.

My New Favorite Place

I've been up the Eiffel Tower, walk the halls of The Louvre, gazed in wonder at the carvings in Notre Dame and Chartres Cathedral, and they are beautiful, breathtaking. Believe me. But I have a new favorite place. Without a doubt. It's our new stock tank. This is what the land looked like before...

That's Doug and Merlin in the bottom of the tank.

The tank was built to capture rain run-off. About two weeks after the tank was completed, we received 4" of rain.

This is what it looks like now...
This is where you will find me in the future...pondering my belly button lint...while hearing this:


It has been a year since we signed the paperwork buying this property. In that time, we have:
- Spent the night on OUR land
- Put in two gates
- Cleared 13 acres
- Purchased a tractor and trailer
- Built a stock tank
- Marked fence lines and put in posts
- Purchased auger and bit to help with the fence post holes
- Took lots of pictures. I still like taking pictures of the cows...

It's been a slow process, but it occurs to me that it is all falling into place. All of the setbacks have been frustrating, but it seems they have all happened for a reason. That's the best we can hope for.

Creepy Crawlies

Roaches...I know everyone hates them. They seem to elicit various levels of fear and reactions. Our highly OSHA compliant workplace has a new employee...it's the roach dying on the floor in the upstairs bathroom.

Here's the deal...if you have ever lived in Texas for any amount of time, you are familiar with the roaches that we share our state with. I think they have their own zip code. I think you should also know that I have damn near broken limbs trying to get away from these little buggers in the shower. There might as well not have been a shower curtain, because I can tell you right now, it did not stop MY forward progress.

Therefore, I am not a merciful killer of these creatures. I would rather let them die a slow painful death of starvation or thirst (whichever comes first for these poop mongers).

My plan of attack now involves setting the toilet plunger over them and coming back in about two weeks to discard their dried out, emaciated carcasses. Little bastards.

Pointless

There is no reason for this post other than to say...I am SO BORED!! I am about two head nods from a cat nap at my desk.

I hate saying I'm bored. My stepdad's mother always said "Never say you're bored, it just means your too lazy to find something to do."

We don't speak to eachother any more.

But she was right.

And as I sit here at my desk and think about what there is to do...I don't even care about being called lazy.

Biological Clock

Dear God,

Help me. Merlin had his first day of Doggie Day Camp today, and my feelings were hurt because he was too busy trying to hump another dog to even care about the fact that I was leaving him with strangers and a pack of four-legged beasts that could potentially tear his nuts off (if he had any).

Also, please don't tell me that my biological clock is ticking. I am surrounded by pregnant women and new mom's and I have to tell you I am a little envious. I was pretty sure that I traded in that biological clock for bigger brains years ago, but apparently the model I got was deffective. Please send me a new one.

Amen.

Thanks for the help...

While trying to find a subject to blog about, I came across a site that seemed to have potential...101 Great Posting Ideas. It seemded to have serious potential based on the title alone. I could make something out of this. As I read it though, I felt like I was being made fun of...specifically with #30 - Make a post that solves the problem. But what if the problem is I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO POST ABOUT???

I will be honest with you...sometime's it feels like there is just a ferris wheel going around in circles in my head...waiting for me to get so dizzy and nauseas that I just puke and move on to another ride.

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE MEMORIAL DAY!! Remeber those that made the ultimate sacrifice, for without them, we would not be able to enjoy it.

Confession

Would you believe me if I told you we were busy?

Believe it. Doug tells me not to blame it on the dog. But it's kind of hard when he requires every nano-second of our time to ensure he doesn't shred a pair of my underwear. Oh, that dog...I love him. We had a little scare with him this week and I was concerned for a minute that we might lose him. At that point it dawned on me how much he has embedded himself in our hearts.

I fully expect in the future to look out across out pasture to see Doug and Merlin standing next to each other taking a leak...synchronized...I just hope I have my camera...well, maybe not.

In the meantime, our cats are plotting our death. I'm convinced now that their hatred has moved them from causing a slow agonizing death to a rapid one due to being impaled by a stray cat toy as we precariously straddle the baby gate to keep Merlin from eating said cat that just intentionally jumped over the gate in order to get his attention. (I think that's the longest sentence I have ever written without commas...it is probably about as grammatically correct as "irregardless").

In farm related news, we had our stock tank/lake dug about three weeks ago. As we stood there looking at a very large hole in the ground, we were wondering how much it was going to cost if we had to have water trucked in, we saw water...in the bottom. Upon further investigation we realized that their was a spring filling the bottom, albeit a very small spring which would have taken about ten years to fill a hole 100' x 200' and 17.5' deep.

Before we could do the math, it rained. About 4". We went out the following weekend, expecting to see a little water in the bottom. To our absolute astonishment, the tank was full and overflowing. It was amazing.

Thankfully, as of last weekend, it is still full. It dropped about a foot, which is from saturation of the surrounding ground. Luckily, it is almost entirely clay, so the contractor that dug it was very happy and certain that we wouldn't have issues with it holding water. WHEW!! I have some wonderful pictures that I hope to post later.

We also had the rest of the acreage cleared that will compose the cattle paddocks. So...as slow as it is coming along, we are making progress.

Life

So I have a new motto.

I am determined to greet each day with “a puppy dog’s wreck-less abandon”!!!

There is one thing that damn dog has taught me. Laying in bed this morning, with Merlin jumping around and scratching himself, I told Doug I wish I could wake up each day that way (well, not the scratching myself part...that could be a sign of a bigger problem). With wreck-less abandon for the possibility of a new day.

There is no judgment, no upset, no pre-conceived anything.

Just a genuine happiness to be alive.

I love that dog!

Shoulds

My generation got away from the "shoulds". The things that have to get done. Chores. Responsibility.

Our mother's were the revolution, the bra burning era that turned their nose on what society told them they should do. In return, I think that this is part of the reason we have lost that connection with those around us. Maybe it's because things are so automated or disposable these days. We even treat people as though they are disposable...it is as though we are the "Disposable Generation".

When we do do something out of "our ordinary", we expect much ado. When we don't get that we feel unappreciated and unloved.

In reality, consistent contribution is what is truly needed. Not a once in a while "look I care enough about you to bake a cake once a year".

We have forgotten that the contribution of every family member on a consistant basis is crucial to the success of the family as a whole. It's about holding up your end of the bargain and once in a while taking a break. Not the other way around.

A Dog Named Satan...I Mean Merlin...

I case you are wondering, Merlin is doing fine.

I, however, am not.

That dog definitely thinks he is the pack leader, and up until this point he has been.

Our evenings have revolved around him. Staying outside all night trying to tire him out, trying to distract him in order to keep him out of the vegetable beds, etc.

I ordered the training video and collar from The Perfect Dog. I am looking forward to getting started on it. I was little nervous when I ordered it, because it is a type of pinch collar, but it is made out of plastic, so it is more uncomfortable than painful (I know this because I tried it on...I'm kinky that way).

I know that he is a very intelligent dog...he just needs some training...rightthisminutethankyouverymuch. For example, if he gets into trouble once, he proceeds to do everything you have ever told him not to do...in...order. He also knows full well that barking in the cab of a truck with the windows rolled up makes your head explode. He likes that game.

Don't get me wrong, I am truly looking forward to many wonderful years with him...we just have to get passed this phase and we have to get him in the correct mind set, because I refuse to be one of those owners that allows their pets to walk all over them.

Wish me luck when I have kids...

Potty Break

I had to run to the store today, so I put Merlin in his cage so that I could run out. I made it home with everything...I thought. In reality I had forgotten something and had to go back to the store. When I got home I had to pee so bad that I let Merlin out of his cage and ran to the bathroom. He followed me and decided that I looked like I was having so much fun, he had to join in. Needless to say...I couldn't stop in order to stop him. I think we bonded in that moment. Now please excuse me while I go clean up the bathroom carpet.

I Can't Handle It...

Dear God,

Please send wine.

Love,
Melissa

Update...

We leave on Friday for TCOOPS (the annual Texas Organic Farmers and Grower's Association's Conference). I am very excited. I hope to learn a lot of things. I have not forgotten about posting the pictures of the property. But I don't like the pictures I took, so I am going to have to take some more before I will post them.

Contradiction...

I was standing at a TV yesterday watching Obama's inauguration speech, feeling hopeful and ready to pick myself up and dust myself off. Twenty minutes later the co-worker next to me was let go. By the end of the day, close to twenty. To say it was a very exhausting day would be an understatement.

I have the best hope for Obama. It's like a fresh start. It seems to me that during the last election (Bush/Kerry) we really were just trying to choose the lesser of two evils, and we knew we just had to get through the next four years with as little embarrassment as possible.

I can actually watch news clips of Obama without a cringe factor of 9.5 and worrying that he is going to continue speaking.

More importantly, I hope.

I hope that we can stop the pettiness that we see so much of in the news.

I hope that can better ourselves and our country. Period. When we clean up our house...then we can help others clean up theirs.

I hope that we can stop pointing fingers at each other and work together to fix this.

I hope that they do decide to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. What kind of example would that set to the rest of the world? I am very excited about his choice for Agriculture and am very hopeful that we can correct our relationship with our food and our land.

I hope...

No Turning Back Now...

The large pasture has been cleared, all thirteen acres. It's amazing. I almost cried. I do not have pictures because we were not sure anything would be done, so I just didn't think about it. But I will soon.

It took my breath away. For the last 8 months or so we have been looking at a field that we couldn't even see across because of all of the mesquite trees. Now...we can see all of the way across. I feel bad that we have taken away habitat areas for some animals (although we have left 4 acres uncleared). However, I know that what we are doing is a very good thing and responsible use of the land versus it just sitting there as a mesquite field. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Once I get pictures, I will post them up.

Bulldozing...

Property Update:

The bulldozer should be getting out there in the next week or two and start clearing the rest of what needs to be cleared. I can't wait to stand at the top of the hill, look down and imagine what it will look like when it has beautiful grass, a garden, a house, animals our children, and animals. I will be posting pictures once it is completed. I can't wait.

Auld Lang Syne

Regardless of whether or not you set resolutions this year, or decide to be a rebel and fly by the seat of your pants. I wish all of you a very wonderful year full of...enough...

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

Bob Perks

Happy New Year!!