Here is a picture of me with our accomodations for the Texas round up in the fall. I'm about 5'9" which will give you an idea how tall it is. You can also see the part of our front yard where nothing but mulberry saplings and weeds grow. We plan to dig it up this fall and turn it into a garden area rather keep trying to grow grass where grass won't grow :)
Nifty Coverup!!! I see ya didn't land up in the tops of them trees......heehee!! Should keep you very snug!
"eyes"
Hi AnnMarie!!! Nice to meet you! Hey, can I borrow that? LOL
Cool! Nice digs, Amari! You're in Austin! About 45 miles west of me! On the news the other night (KEYE?), I think I heard them talking about water restrictions again. Have they started that again already? Good idea to make that part of your yard into a garden ~ I may have some drought tolerant things I can share to help fill it up ~ gotta' look around and find what made it through the winter and our two week vacation this spring. Let me know when you get started on it. So, have you got that tent back in that bag yet? ;-) I swear tentmakers give you too small of a bag on purpose.
LOL @ Badseed! You're so bad! *grin*
Hi, AnnMarie, so nice to meet you in person. That looks like a pretty good setup. I know I will have some things for your new garden area, as I am concentrating on things that need little water from now on. Just keep the tent up, we can use it to winter over the new starts of things. And be sure to get some of my TB iris this fall. Hey, Wingnut, didn't you mean she is about 45 miles east of you?
Doh! Yeah, that's what I meant, Aimee!
Wingnut was standing on her head, that's all. ;) Reminds me of a card I saw once...
On the front was a cartoon showing all these little tents in a field, with little hearts coming up out of each tent...
Inside, it said "My love for you is in tents".
No treetops this time eyes, though those are some mighty long tent poles!
Badseed, I think the SASE to borrow it would cost as much as the tent since this thing is heavy - definately a tent for car camping only!
Wingnut, I don't think that water restrictions have started yet, but I use a hose with a sprinkler wand to hand water my plants because that is very relaxing for me. I think we can hand water even under the strictest restrictions here, however, I don't have very many plants yet so I might change my mind about that once I have a yard full! I don't think we will start on the south half of the yard in the picture until the fall since we are still working on the north half. We turned that part of the yard into a garden area last spring. I didn't have much luck with plants since I thought I had a shady yard and planted accordingly. Combine that mistake with being a newbie gardener and well, you can imagine what happened - everything was cooked by July! I'm doing a little better with part-shade plants this year now that I've figured out how the shade moves around. I even have a native sunflower volunteer this year that is blooming though I would swear that it never gets any sun. I guess it only gets sun when I'm not looking :) If you and Aimee have plants to spare, I can use them since the area is still more mulch than garden right now. And Aimee, you never know, I just might use the tent to overwinter plants if I could find room for it in the backyard somewhere. It would make a pretty inexpensive greenhouse if it worked. Heck, it's got two big clear plastic windows in the rainfly - just might do the trick :)
Oh gw, that's a great card! DH and I spent our honeymoon tent camping in the Colorado Rockies - it would have been a perfect card to give him :)
LOL, GW! I haven't stood on my head since I was rather ... er ... skinnier, shall we say? I'm afraid if I tried it now, the weight of my butt alone would drive me into the ground like a fencepost! LOLOL! What a mental picture THAT paints! Hah!
Amari, you're not stretching yourself as a gardener if you're not killing a few plants! My life is rather full right now and for the next couple months, but when it calms down, you gotta' come out to visit and we'll dig some plants! I know I have some salvia greggi, inland sea oats, jujubes, vinca major, wild violets and probably other things that will grow in sun or shade (well, maybe not the salvia so good in shade) and you'd be welcome to a bunch! Maybe Aimee can swing by and pick you up on her way out here sometime?
Oh, I smell a meeting coming on! Amari, I will fill your yard before you can turn around twice, so be careful what you allow. I have acres of sunflowers, along with other wildflowers, but I think in your city location, it would be well to start with tamer items. Now, I just happen to have plenty of those. I will try to get to South Austin soon, and then I will come back to Georgetown and make up a trunk load of stuff for you to begin. I specialize in low maintenance things. I am getting excited thinking of all the things you would possibly like, and a whole new place to play. Wingnut, we simply must get together soon. I hesitate to plan because my attempts have been thwarted every time, but I so want to drive out to your paradise and walk along your creek, and to meet you and Skinny in person.
I know what you mean about planning! I'm a planner, but Kenny's not, so something always comes up where my plans get changed. It's drives me nuts!!! But never you mind ~ we WILL get to meet someday soon!
LOL, Wingnut, I think I would have a similar problem if I stood on my head! I would love to come out to your place sometime to visit and dig in the dirt. My aunt and uncle used to have a fishing camp on the lake near you so I have fond childhood memories of that Spicewood area dirt.
Aimee, I would be thrilled if you could fill my yard before I turned around twice. We'll have to set up a meeting! My calendar for the next two weeks is absolutely swamped, but after June 30th I'll have some breathing room and the folks at work will definately owe me some gardening days :)
;-)! Which fishing camp and where was it, Amari? My closest friend's grandpa used to own one off of Haynie Flat Road.
Well shoot, I've tried and tried to remember the name of the place and I just can't seem to. My folks have run off to go camping again so I can't ask them (hope I'm still camping when I'm 78 and 80 like they are!) But if it helps, we referred to it as "Victor and Elsie's place" since those were the names of my aunt and uncle. As for where it was, well, I'm sure I could find it again if I was driving or riding in a car, but to tell someone else would be a long description of how the land looks and the way the road turns and a big old oak tree, but nary a street name in there anywhere (except for highway 71.)
Oh, I know the place, it's the one just past the spanish goat and turn left at the armadillo carcass. After you pass the roadrunner, watch for the scurrying jackrabbit and some yellow flowers on your right. You are there when you can no longer hear traffic on 71 over the peaceful quiet. That camp?
Yep, that's it! Take a left off 71 and go a couple-three miles 'til you get to that spot in the road where the big grass fire was last year, the one where they wrecked the fire truck. Then head north east 'til you come to Keller's Fields that aren't Keller's anymore and turn left. Half a mile up and that's it. Right past the yellow house that's blue now ~ the one where Janie Sue used to live, but sold it when her and That Man broke up. Don't know the new people, but do like what they've done with the place...
Wingnut, you outdid me at my own game! I played hooky yesterday, except for about one post, so just now saw this. You rascal, I will surprise you one day! But for the next few days, I will be building a chicken house.
LOLOLOL, Aimee! You go girl!! Guess what? I had to pen up my chickens for a while as I didn't get the tomato cages on yet and them birds ate almost every one of my green tomatoes! Grrrr! But no matter ~ there wouldn't be any tomatoes or peppers or onions or anything if it wasn't for them. And it was my own fault ~ I should have gotten the cages on the plants right after I planted them.
LOL, you two! Good luck with the pen Aimee and I hope you get more 'maters Wingnut. Sigh, I really want a place out in the country, but I need a fast internet connection for work and will have to wait for technology to make it out to the boonies.
It's almost here, Amari ~ they already have wireless and I think ISDN, too, atleast out here. How reliable is it? Dunno ~ haven't been able to afford it. BTW, what kind of work do you do?
I'm the IT Manager, aka "computer gal" for a small business that isn't so small anymore. Think of the IT department at a large company and roll all those varying positions into one big job description, add being on call 24/7/365 and you'll get the idea. I might could get by on ISDN if I spent more time working in the office rather than at home. Hmmm, we might be able to move sooner than I think.
Man! With that kind of responsibility, no wonder you want to move to the peace and quiet of the country! LOL! Which way are you thinking about moving? I'm out west of Austin and it's nice out here! Land prices are rather steep and fixing to get steeper right here, but a few miles up the road farther west they're cheaper. Are you thinking land or a house?
I'd like to go west since my family is from the Fredericksburg area. I had lots of relatives with places out in the country when I was a kid and I just loved the countryside there. The current plan is to pay off this house in 5 years and then take out a 5 year loan to do the major remodeling it needs. It's kind of a dump and one of the interior walls is likely to come falling down the rest of the way any day now. But heck, it's a roof over our heads and it's almost paid for :) I figure after the 5 year remodel loan is paid off then we can sell it or rent it out and high tail it to the country and try to find land/home cheap enough that we don't have to keep our city salaries and commute. I think 10 acres would be perfect, but I doubt we will be able to afford that. Probably just a nice sized lot in a small town somewhere, but I can always dream for more. My life has a tendancy to take unexpected turns and my 5 and 10 years plans never seem to work out quite the way I expected them to, so who knows?
I can relate with the plans not turning out the way you planned. I was planning on opening a small nursery this year on my highway property, but Fate said, "Nope. Not this year." Next year, come hell or high water, I'll have it! But the way you're thinking sounds like you're on the right track to me. Take it slow and easy and don't get in over your head. I just hate to see friends who jump into a big old house payment when they could have made do with something much less snazzy, but still just as warm.
Fredericksburg is nice! I love it over there. We had planned to go to the crawfish fest last month, but as usual, plans fell through. Oh, well, there's always next year!
Well, I'd like to live in a nice house that wasn't falling apart, but I'm not willing to have the $1200/month mortgage it takes in Austin to do that. The plans ten years ago were to remodel, but the house payment more than doubled thanks to taxes and insurance, there were some completely unexpected repairs that were very expensive, several periods of unemployment for both of us after holding steady jobs for 15 years and a host of other twist and turns and I just laugh when I think of the starry eyes we had when this adventure first started. But we are clothed and fed, the roof doesn't leak (anymore) and we still love each other so I'm not complaining.
Yep! Atleast $1200 a month! Kenny and I are living in a 30 foot travel trailer right now because we don't want to take out a loan to fix the house like we planned on doing last year. We decided to spend the money on new fences, cattle and a bobcat tractor, then spent about a grand on new carpet and furniture for the trailer and it's not as bad as one would think. It's actually rather cozy! I kind of like knowing that we can take a vacation and not worry about whether or not we left the iron on or forgetting my toothbrush! *GRIN!* It's really cute ~ has a tip-out room, full bath (complete with shower AND tub and a toilet that you can't sit on and take a shower at the same time), nice sized living room thanks to that tip-out. We're bringing it to the Texoma RoundUp so everyone can have a bathroom, shower and kitchen close by. And a/c just in case someone gets a little overheated is nice, too!
Clothed, fed, dry and lots of love ~ that's the way to go for sure. Nothing else really matters ~ not really.
This message was edited Friday, Jun 21st 11:09 PM
German food..............and the Hill Country!!!!!YEEEEEEEEHAAAAW!!!!
"eyes"
Wingnut, it's gonna be neat to see your home at the campout. Too bad you can't pack up and bring your gardens the same way :)
Eyes, I think of the Hill Country as a little piece of heaven, but I'd have to say I favor Tex-Mex over German food any day!
Hey, Eyes, I guess that means you've been to F'burg a time or two? *grin*
Amari, yeah it kinda' is, isn't it?! LOLOL! I'm really enjoying this "gypsy" period in my life. Being the fourth generation to live on this property, I have thick deep roots that sometimes strangle me. It may sound strange, but it's kind of nice to know I can just pick up and "move" anytime I want to. No, I dont' think I would ever leave for good, but it's nice to know I can if I wanna' ... know what I mean? Funny words coming from a gal who just bought a milk cow, huh?
Wingnut, I would say that is almost too much sugar for a dime! Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?
Tee-hee! When everyone meets me, they'll see that I've been having and eating my share of that cake. ;-) Yep, I'm a lucky gal! Having the time of my life with the love of my life right now. I'm so happy! We just today bought nine bred longhorn cows and a young tested Charlais bull! (Look for pics in the photo and farm life forms soon ~ right ow I'm too tired!) I'd much rather have cattle than a big finished house. *GRIN!* And we have our herd now. I'm content to live in this trailer for another year or two or five if that's what it takes, as long as I get to keep my cows!
Hi AnnMarie so nice to meet you. I am also 5'9" tall and I only wish I could be there to meet you and all in person, but I will be there in sprit. I heard that everything is big in Texas, well I guess I would fit right in.
My daughter's middle name is AnnMarie, small world, beautiful name.
Yepppers, be around, thru and right in the middle of F'burg, Llano, Johnson City, Austin, the whole shootin' match!! I love TX MX too, but a plate of Saurbrauten right now sounds pretty durn good!!
"eyes"
Ah, Windsurfer I wish you could come, but I know Texas is a long way from Ohio. I have an uncle who lives in Springfield that I have not seen in years!
Eyes, I'll have to pass on the Saurbrauten - guess I had it too much as a kid. Believe it or not, I had the grilled cheese tonight at the Mexican Food restaurant down the road that we haunt. I think I may have finally have finally maxed out on Tex-Mex... for a while... maybe a day or two :)
