When my husband and I were looking for a house, I always thought I would absolutely
have to have at
least two acres. As we looked at shitty house after shitty house, I had to re-evaluate what exactly I meant to
do with those two acres. I used to think I wanted to raise a few sheep for wool, but it became increasingly apparent that this is not a very sensible occupation for a resident of Medina County, Texas in which people are forced to battle the mid-winter balminess with nothing more than short sleeves and sandals. The answer seemed to come down to: mow it pointlessly while I try to figure out what to do with two acres that have nary a little hoof or baby foot to run over them. So we downsized our requirements to: enough land to support a smallish garden and a chicken coop. And perhaps a dairy goat depending upon how quickly we can find a decent price lawn mower.
And now looking out at the half acre that I now own, compared to my little apartment balcony, I am starting to feel overwhelmed at what I want to do with this vast estate. And wait...how does one plan/plant a garden in the first place? My library of homesteading books suddenly seem daunting instead of hopeful...they are inspiring...me to procrastinate. They're mostly buried in one of the five or six cardboard boxes marked "books". And since the South Texas planting season pretty much starts in February, I realize that I have a lot to do. One assurace I have is that our house is bordered on three sides by hay fields complete with working farmers, and a little ways down the road is a cabbage and vegetable farm. The soil seems prosperous.
Besides gardening aspiration, I'm also beset by chicky aspiration. I can play Cluck Old Hen backwards and forwards, the tune is utterly unforgettable. But what I still need are, well, chickens. And a chicken coop. My backyard contains a weathered wooden playhouse that has room for a sandbox underneath. I was thinking it may be possible to just add sides to playhouse and raise it up on blocks (I realize this is
way easier written than done), and create a more fortified roof. We may be able to use the "floor" of the playhouse as a storage space? Or maybe the chickens would want to roost in the top part? I haven't got this idea worked out yet.
I am in dire need of a fig tree, but still need to a) figure out which variety of fig it was that I enjoyed so much, b) figure out the right location of the tree, and c) figure out whether I have to have more than one tree for the darn thing to even produce fruit.
I would also really like to set up a clothesline in the back yard. This can be used in TX all year long. My dad and brothers know how to weld, so this problem may resolve itself.
Oliver also has his own aspirations. Our property has a decent sized shed with an enclosed and air conditioned room in the back which has been appropriated, obviously, as the "man room". Oliver wants to eventually add plumbing and a sink to this room so he can brew beer in there. He already does the boiling part of the brewing process outdoors on a turkey burner hooked up to a propane tank. He would just need easy access to a sink to complete the "brew room". He also has plans to constantly have several homebrews on tap via a kegerator we don't yet possess, and a special wine chiller for aging beer. He already has a dedicated deep freezer with temperature controls for fermenting the beer at correct temperatures. I think he's well on his was to the ideal set up.
He also wants to create some kind of fire-pit outside in the backyard which I fully support.
There is also a list of indoor aspriations that maybe I'll mention another time...I swear I will NEVER have an excuse to sit and watch TV again.
Luckily my copy of
Barnheart from the library is coming in Monday or Tuesday. I sure was first on the waiting list for that little gem.
