Baymule’s Journal

[Baymule]

It really soaked in that paint!

Great work though.

Thanks. It’s Behr with primer in it. It covers good.

 

[Cecilia's-herd]

Looks nice! I'm sure he appreciated it.

 

[Hideaway Pines]

you are the energizer bunny, way to go!!

 

[Ridgetop]

Looking good. Reminds me we have to paint a section of our barn that the wind knocked the siding off along with most of the roof a year or so ago. We can use the sprayer on it once the barn and jugs are empty.

Also need to do something with the barn side of the house where we had our "garden". Now just a dirt pit. Want to put artificial turf down there. DS3 bought loads of it in rolls from a company that was redoing the college football field. Still in good shape and we need to ask if he has some left over we could buy. We don't need much since the area is only about 24 x 30'. DS2 wants to get ore and put t where the old pool was in front of the house. That area is currently holding the Teepee shelter for the breeding pen but they never use it. It is much bigger so if DS3 has enough spare rolls DS2 will do that to.

 

[Bruce]

Fence is only few feet away, real narrow so couldn’t walk out for better picture.

The building is THAT close to the lot line? Looks like inner city living!

Back part of the previous carport, now my bedroom.

Not for long

 

[Baymule]

The building is THAT close to the lot line? Looks like inner city living!

Yes, the house is maybe 4’ from the fence. Plenty of room on the other side. Not my fault, I didn’t build it.

 

[Legamin]

I’ve been a member here for, let’s see….at least 10 years and have never kept a journal. My life has blown up to the moon, with the death of my beloved husband of 25 of the best years of my 66 years of life. I am Blessed to have known such pure adoration, wrapped in unconditional love, safe and secure in that love. Most people live their whole lives and never know the happiness I had.

This is us in 1996, we were married shortly after. My hair has long gone white, heck it was white then, but I wasn’t ready to deal with being white headed. LOL Over the years, his hair whitened and he had less of it, but when we looked at each other, we saw one another as beautiful as the day we met.

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I’m in a state of upheaval and change in my life. We bought our 8 acre farm in September 2014, moved on our 19th Anniversary, February 14, 2015. Our DD and family lived in Lindale and we wanted to be close to them so we could enjoy our granddaughters. They had to leave for better job opportunities 2 years ago, first in Odessa, Texas and now in Corpus Christi, Texas. Both locations are 8 hours away. I started making noises about moving closer, but staying in East Texas. BJ of course rumbled about moving, but eventually he would have caved in and followed me wherever I took a notion to go. He was always a good sport, no matter how wild or crazy of a thing I wanted to do, he piled in there with me and we did it together.

So now I’m all alone, no family, and the love of my life is in a cherry wood box on a table. I decided to move. I will put our farm up for sale in March. We had a great time. We worked hard, we lived our dream to the fullest. I raised feeder pigs and Cornish Cross meat chickens for the freezer, plus some to sell, that covered the cost so our meat was free. I raised a big garden, canned, froze and dehydrated the vegetables and shared with neighbors and friends. We bought 4 bred ewes, I couldn’t contain my excitement, I bed checked them every night at 11:00 and was out at daylight, looking for lambs. It seemed like eternity but I was finally rewarded by 2 ewes both presenting me with twins one morning. BJ ran out to see them and we held those babies, joy knew no boundaries.

I had 3 horses and a mule that we brought with us. I sold one of the horses and the mule. Later I saw a scrawny chestnut gelding, stocking legged and blaze faced, of course BJ bought him for me. We named him Prince and with care, he bloomed into a beautiful horse. One night I showed BJ a picture of an emaciated bony Tennessee Walker mare in a kill pen, slated for a one way ride to Mexico for slaughter. She was for sale. BJ named her Pearl on the spot and we went and got her the next day. Both horses were great with kids and I took the two little granddaughters with me on rides. We had a blast.

I always had chickens for eggs. I made us delicious breakfast with home raised pork sausage or home smoked bacon, with fresh eggs. We sold a few, gave away a few and thanked God for the bounty of the land.

BJ isn’t with me anymore. His smile, his laugh, his over the top personality, his never meet a stranger- in 5 seconds or less you’re best friends-in 10 seconds you’re kinfolks, is a memory of good times.

I must go on.

I did not make the decision to sell our farm lightly. I am embarking on a journey to find my place. I’m not sure just exactly where that will be. But I know it is no longer here.

My son has a house he bought 3 years ago to be a rental. It needs work. He is a crane operator and spends months being gone, sometimes moving his RV from one location to another, following jobs. He has tried to get workmen here to do what is needed, but has not had good results. Then the shutdown because of Covid, a year later he finally landed a job that barely covered the bills. Now jobs are opening up, he started a new job in Houston 2 days ago and will be moving his RV tomorrow.

He graciously offered his house as a place to stay after I sell the farm, to give me time to figure things out. It’s on 2 acres.

I gave away my hens to a disabled couple and their coops too. I sold my horses for real cheap, got tons of responses, and picked the families that I thought would give them the best homes. I’m keeping my sheep and dogs. I’ll have to build a shed to shelter the sheep and dogs, pens, etc. The property is fenced down both sides, with a fry-your-hair hot wire, it should be sufficient.

I’m here in the new-to-me house this morning, came down yesterday. I’m at the point of finishing up painting 2 bedrooms, still have to paint trim in one, then I can set up beds. I bought a twin/full bunk bed and will put the full in one room and the twin in the other.

I bought a coffee pot for this house, have been deprived on the couple of previous overnight stays. Everything goes better when I have coffee!

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I’m drinking my coffee, surveying my Queendom. What a mess. There is a pile of OSB, 2x4’s, sheet rock, ladders, saw horses with a sheet of OSB to make a work table, lumber, buckets, and everything is dirty. At least when he bought the house, the kitchen and bathroom had been remodeled, a little clean up and it will be real nice. My goal is to make this rentable. I can do a lot of the work myself. It needs outside work, now that DS is back to working like he used to, he has plans on getting that done. Together we’ll make it happen.

Never one to stay down for any length of time, I’ve hit the ground running. I don’t wallow in self pity, I carry my grief inside, it’s not for public display. I deal real well with reality.

What better time to start a journal. In a time of major change, striking a course to I don’t know where, y’all can hitch a ride on The Crazy Train and come along.

It’s a great life on a small farm. After a life of traveling the world for work I can’t imagine leaving this now. I am sorry for your loss…I cannot even imagine that even though I’m pushing past 60. Years ago I had a serious climbing accident and was totally disabled and the doctors told me that in 95+% of cases like mine the spouse would file for divorce because of the extra burden being just too much. When I came to grips with that I asked my wife if that’s what she wanted and she, in her very placid and predictable way, just told me to “work harder…and so would she”. We have had 40 great years now. And at this point in my life when I hear another story such as yours it helps me understand just how precious this life is. Thanks for sharing. It’s good to hear you will keep your sheep…they’re an addiction! This year lambing, once again, takes me outside myself into the intricate and wonderful world of sheep family relationships. Their personalities, their interactions. I try not to anthropomorphize them but it’s difficult once you name them! God bless you as you shape your future.

 

[Baymule]

Thank you for your kind words, @Legamin . My sheep and dogs give me so much. I sold my farm, moved to a rent house on 2 acres my son has, and now I have a contract on 25 acres and a double wide mobile home. Here I go again. I’ll build sheep fence and shelter. I’m in Trinity County, not too far from Houston, about a 2 hour drive to the north side.

A good marriage is such a blessing. Treasure your wife, every moment is precious.

Yesterday I sat down in the sheep lot. I find that if I’m not towering over the lambs, they soon get curious and approach. Pulling my shoestrings, chewing my blue jeans and carefully sniffing me, seems to let them know that I don’t taste good, but maybe I have some redeeming value. I scratched the brisket of this one little ewe lamb, named Dainty because she was so small. She is caught up on growth now. Dainty froze, lips quivering, as I scratched her. I scratched and petted her. If I stopped she moved closer. After awhile, she laid down, I kept petting her, she totally relaxed and went to sleep. How can anyone not love lambs?

Another ewe lamb, Cookie, also came up and discovered brisket scratches. She was enthralled.

The ewes came up for scratches too, I need more arms. Today Dainty and Cookie came back for more. 2 wary lambs, Rainbow and Pinto, nibbled my shoes. It’s a start.

 

[messybun]

I just caught up on your journal. Wow, you have done so much. I can’t wait to see where you go in the future. That 25 acres sounds closer to your speed!

 

[Baymule]

My one registered ewe, Dessa. BJ picked her out and enthusiastically named her. She doesn’t know it, but she’s golden. Dessa is here forever. Dessa has never been friendly, never wanted me to even get close to her. I put her with Ringo 11-14-21. I finally took her out a little over a month ago. She has shown
NO signs of being pregnant. Slab sided like a show lamb, no udder bag, no belly, and still didn’t like me.

That changed yesterday, Dessa actually approached me and I was able to very briefly scratch her brisket, that itchy spot between her front legs, that no sheep can scratch. It was a WOW moment.

This afternoon she laid down a few feet from me. I slowly walked closer and sat down next to her. I scratched her brisket, then ears, poll, under her chin, and softly stroked her face. She ate it up. I rubbed her tummy and her lips quivered.

There is only one thing that makes a flighty ewe suddenly become friendly and that is advanced pregnancy. I don’t know where she is hiding it, but if Ringo bred Dessa soon after I put her with him, a lamb might be in the near future. Still doesn’t look pregnant, no tummy, no bag, no nothing, just a complete switch In personality.

Even my beloved Miranda was a flighty goofball, only coming to me for whole corn— it was her crack cocaine. BUT in late pregnancy, she followed me begging for tummy rubs. Gosh I miss that girl.

Dessa