Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th...  Deb & I were just chatting on Face Book yesterday morning and declaring that we were going to have a happy, lucky Friday the 13th. After our chat we went on our merry little way and made the mistake of leaving home. ha ha ha

Actually it all turned out just fine, but it was a bit adrenaline filled for a while. 

We went first for a second look at a trailer we had found in the local swap sheet and confirmed that we found a good deal on a trailer that will serve us multiple purposes and will hold up for years to come. We had intended to purchase a cargo trailer. We want a trailer to retrieve our belongings from Iowa and one that we can use to haul treasures from flee markets and thrift stores and one that we can use to move just about anything anywhere. Well, moving onto an acreage where we intend to raise animals, we had not really figured in the need to move animals.  When calling on one trailer in the swap sheet we stumbled accross a stock trailer on the same property. This stock trailer is 16', has tandem axles, is made of thick welded and riveted aluminum construction and has very narrow side air channels that could be covered to use the trailer for cargo.  After looking at it once we came home and did some research on line. We confirmed that he was offering a very good deal on a very solid trailer and so we went back yesterday and made arrangements to buy it. I forgot to get out the camera for it but this is what it looks like:

She's a beauty and I'm sure she will serve us well for many years.

After we made our deal we were headed back through town and planning to stop at the big Goodwill stoor to see their furniture. Proceeding down a one way street which is one of the major streets cross town we encountered a 24' white straight truck that felt the need to come into our lane before we felt the need to leave it. They collided with us on the passenger side just behind the cab. As accidents go we came out with the least amount of damage expected. We were blessed that we happen to be driving a heavy duty truck with a solid flat bed. The driver's side front corner of their truck cab was torn up pretty well. Their entire headlight housing was torn off and hanging by the headlight wires. You can see where they made contact with our flat bed and they broke off a portion of the 2x4 post on our side pannel. The major damage was that they pushed the undermounted toolbox back into the tire. We were also blessed that the toolbox was not completely attached to the flatbed, simply hanging in a frame that was easily cut away, removing the entire twisted toolbox and relieving the pressure on the tire. 

We got to meet two of San Angelo's finest law officers to make our accident report and to make arrangements for repair. We got to chat with a tow truck driver on the way to the welding shop and experience yet another Christian who is excited to invite you to their church. We confirmed that our roadside assistance policy is as good as professed and quick at their response. And, we got to meet a local welder who keeps a little shop in town and does quick work at a fair price.  Our truck looks a bit naked now, missing a tool box on one side, but we haven't found any other damage. 

The irony of it all is that the truck that ran into us and the driver that was ticketed for the accident were from Minnesota. The poor man felt so bad about it and I felt bad for him. I don't know how much driving his job entails, but that accident will likely affect his employment. I did learn one important lesson: if you exchange information before the motor officer arrives, the situation becomes a civil matter and there will be no police report. The first officer on the scene, who came just to block traffic but not to make a report, informed us of this as we were exchanging information.   ;-)  We quickly handed back the papers and walked back to our own vehicles before the reporting office arrived. It was all very fortunate and handled very well, I thought. 

More later ...............

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

beauty

Even on an overcast day, the Great Blue Heron is a sight to behold.

Ah, the adventures of photography. You take your time; you don't approach too quickly.

You spot the ellusive animal and try not to scare them away.

Catching them in their natural habitat is fun; watching them do what they do.

The last two were really a challenge!   ;-)

The first, I believe, is a great blue heron. For as long as I can remember Dad has called them a cream shi**er  or a mile 'r more bird. Every time they talk off and fly they leave a white trail accross the water.

This second one was a curiosity for some time. At first we ony saw them from a distance and we didn't see their tail. The first were nearly always sitting hunched and looked a lot stockier than they really are. I think they were adults and this one may be young. There are now at least three young ones on the bank right accross from our space. They're black on top, dark brown on the belly and they have a fluffy tail. The tail isn't as fluffy as a squirrel, but close. 

They live on the shore line and run to the water when scared.

I finally had to concede and admit that Bubba was right ........... 

Its a mink!

These last two wild animals I think you're familiar with.

The little white one seems to be able to sleep anywhere; preferably in Dad's chair when Dad wants it and sometimes even in his own bed!

This last one has been seen, nearly on a daily basis, along the shore line. Today I even witnessed him setting foot in the water;

to assist a family pushing their pontoon. 

His skin is a bit darker than is typical and his legs have been exposed quite often lately as well. If you look closely I think you too will recognize this critter.

More later ........

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH

Its SSSOOOOOOOOOOOO cute

Now that our mortgage has been approved I feel a bit more confident sharing some information about the property we're buying. We're really excited about the place and spend hours and hours dreaming of how life will be. 

The sweet little white house you see above sits on 8.48 acres. The yard is fenced for Mijo and the acreage is fenced for small animals. There is one real solid metal building, a big chicken coop and several open stalls for goats or sheep. 

We plan to do a bit of work on the house to transform it from a 3 bed, 3 bath to a 2 bed, 2 bath with a big mud room and a workshop room. 

We're scheduled to close on or before March 29th. Once we close I'll start taking lots of pictures and try to keep everyone posted with our before and after shots. 

More later .............

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH 

The crappie have started bighting!

WOO HOO!

Loving life

This past week has been another glorious week in the lives of Bubba, Wendy & Mijo. Wednesday morning we took a second walk through a property we had previously viewed. We saw many wonderful attributes we had not seen the first time and placed an offer on the property. 

Friday morning Bubba's phone rang and it was Dad. This is one for the record books, folks, because Dad sang Happy Birthday to Bubba. It was priceless! Their birthdays are less than a week apart and Dad was returning the favor.   ;-)

Friday afternoon we went to the fair grounds and walked through the attractions outside the main arena. There were local vendors peddling everything from arts and crafts to metal buildings to farm equipment. There was a carnival complete with games, rides and every style of fattening fair food familiar. There was a petting zoo with everything from pigmy goats to camels. There was an exhibit of animals from Australia. There was a building full of Creative Arts projects which had already been judged; everything from photography to crochet to baking and sewing. There were buildings full of sheep and hogs being shown. They show so many animals that they have to spread it out over 10 days. It reminded me a whole lot of the Iowa State Fair; a bit smaller on the offerings outside the arena and a bit larger on the shows inside. The rodeo and stock show goes on from February 19th through March 1st with actual rodeo performances on 7 different nights, I think, and a mid day performance on Saturdays too. The week prior to the opening they have elimination rounds in all the rodeo events. There are typically 5 times the number of entries as they will allow to compete in the actual rodeo. The elimination rounds are free to the public.

During the performance, in addition to the bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and comedic rodeo clowns, we got to see mutten bustin', a calf scramble and junior barrel racing. Two of the adult barrel racers were actually thrown from their horse but the 6 year old dressed in pink did fantastic!!!!! ;-) The mutten bustin' was hilarious. They put a helmet and a kevlar vest on a child between 3 & 6 years old and laid them on the back of a sheep in a stall. They let the sheep run and the child who held on the longest won a new pair of Justin boots. The kids had a ball and those of us watching thought it was just hilarious. 

The rodeo performance started off, as most things we've experienced in Texas, with a prayer. We've found a place where no one hesitates to openly express their beliefs and encourage others to do the same.  We thank the Lord for that every day and pray that others feel the same about us when we meet. 

Well, I better go get cleaned up. The sellers accepted our offer on the acreage while we were at the rodeo and today is the hone inspection. We're confident this one will go well and look forward to moving on with the process of buying our new home.

More later ...........

P.S.  Obviously, the rodeo pictures were not taken by me. I found them on line and wanted to share. 

A new collection has begun

Just the other day, in passing, I joked with Bubba that I will have to start a new collection when we move back into a house. I've been fascinated by armadillos since Mijo made friends with one in Arkansas and we've seen a couple this past month here. They're silly, really; like a combination of ant eater, pig and rhino.

I was on the phone with Mom when he walked in with this little dude in his hand. Its a memo or photo clip. VERY CUTE!!!! I couldn't help but laugh when he sat it down. I had completely forgotten about our conversation.

The moral of the story is, be careful what you ask for.   ;-)

More later  ........

PRAY OFTEN

LIVE WELL

LAUGH OFTEN

LOVE MUCH