Dog (and Cat) Days of Summer

Mattie Ross from Yell County

We decided to add another dog to the farm and named her Mattie.  She is Shane's sister and as they are still puppies (even at 60 lbs) they play all day.  Shane got his color from his mother and Mattie from her father (he is brindle).  So far, the only things they haven't tried to chew are the camper, barn and cars (they probably tried those at night when I was asleep).  Before Mattie's arrival, Shane spent most of his day lying in a shady spot.  Now, the two of them are running all over the farm, which is a good thing in terms of keeping the hogs at bay. It's been very entertaining to watch Lucy (our Jack Russell) interact with the two of them.  We rescued Lucy from the street in Knoxville (she may say we imprisoned her) and while she accepted us quickly enough (probable due to us feeding her), she was snappy around anyone else and generally unhappy in the presence of any other dog, especially other females.  She begrudgingly accepted Shane as she seemed to understand he is a puppy and has only snapped at him once (I would have too if he interrupted by bathroom visit trying to smell me).  I knew Mattie would be a different story.  The first time they came face to face Lucy turned to face Mattie and Mattie immediately lay down in a most submissive posture.  They suited Lucy just fine and while Mattie lying down is still taller than Lucy standing up, Lucy did her best to tower over her.  Every time Lucy moved away and Mattie tried to get up, Lucy would turn on her and Mattie would freeze.  This little domination game went on for a couple of minutes and I finally got Lucy far enough away for Mattie to stand up.  Now, they are all getting along and while Lucy doesn't play with them she more than tolerates them.

Lucy teaching Shane and Mattie to notice hog smells near the creek

 Dog (and Cat) Days of Summer

Summer officially arrived on June 21 and Texas took it seriously.  The first full week saw daily highs in the 100-106 range.  If you haven't experienced that kind of heat, it is noticeably hotter than the upper 90's.  If you don't believe me, ask Mattie...

Is this supposed to be a lap pool?

Send the mice this way and I'll take care of them

Then a "norther" blew in and the first week of July saw daily highs in the upper 80's and low 90's which is almost sweater weather down here.  It arrived in time for our next animal addition...cats.  They are semi-tame at this point and I just this morning was able to determine that one is a male and the other a female.  Accordingly, we haven't named them yet but are considering either Matt and Kitty or Dan and Lilly (anyone know where those names comes from?).  They are going to be our barn cats.  I set them up in one of the barn sheds in a cage and let them acclimate to their new home for a few days.  When I opened the cage they seemed happy to be out but didn't stray to far for the next two days.  Their favorite spot seems to be in or on top of my drift boat (not too happy about that).  Last night they worked up enough courage and/or curiosity to leave the barn and explore a bit.  Of course, this brought them face-to-face with Shane and Mattie who sent them scurrying back to the barn.  All I ask of them is to control the rodents around the barn and occasionally harass a gopher or snake if they see one.  In exchange, I'll see they have a regular meal everyday.

Texas Culture on Independence Day

Independence Day is a big deal in Texas.  The focus is on parades, fireworks and Bar-B-Q.  Every small town has a parade and fireworks display and you can't turn around without smelling Bar-B-Q cooking nearby.  I didn't make it to town in time for the parade but we didn't attend a surprising large fireworks display.  While they are entertaining, to some degree if you've seen one you seen them all.  The real excitement came at the end when the pasture next to the fireworks trailer caught fire.  You can decide which picture is more interesting.  Fortunately, the Fire Department was on hand and ready and had the fire out in about thirty minutes.

Looks a bit hellish, doesn't it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think Bar-B-Q is the main ingredient of any holiday in Texas.  It's been said that Bar-B-Q is the closest thing the U.S. has in comparison to European wines and cheeses.  This statement relates to the regional variation of Bar-B-Q.  Before arriving in Texas, I thought there were four types of Bar-B-Q that were defined by region.  Books have been written on this subject but in general, these are North Carolina, Memphis, St. Louis and Texas.  In all cases but Texas, they focus on pork generally cooked with hickory with vinegar or tomato sauces or dry rubs.  All produce excellent products.  Texan's smile wryly at these different approaches as they have four different approaches to Bar-B-Qing in Texas.  They are:

• East Texas-the hickory-smoked sauce-coated version most non-Texans know
• Central Texas-spice-rubbed meat cooked over indirect heat (smoked) from pecan, oak or mesquite wood
• Cowboy Style-cooked over direct heat from mesquite coals
• South Texas Barbacoa which involved cooking meats in pits dug in the earth

While the focus in Texas is on beef (especially brisket which is the king of meat here), they also bar-b-q pork, mutton and goat.  Major magazine and newspapers survey and publish their lists of the top bar-b-q joints in Texas every year.  If a you get listed, it guarantees two-hour waiting lines to get in for the next year or so.  While there are plenty of restaurants that focus on bar-b-q, the quintessential bar-b-q locale in Texas is the "joint" (not that kind of joint).  Every small town has at least one and they are generally associated with a dance hall.  This is often a VFW or Sons of Hermann lodge or simply a barn that is large enough to be used for dances.  The bar-b-q pit is adjacent to the dance hall and often cooks only on Saturdays or for weddings, etc.  One such joint is about fifteen miles down the road from us in Deanville at the Sons of Herman Lodge (I think Hermann was a German and his sons started these lodges to foster German heritage in Texas...they are everywhere).  They only cook on Saturday mornings and open from 10:00am until they run out of bar-b-q.  They were ranked as one of the best bar-b-q pits in Central Texas by two guys who ate at over 500 such bar-b-q joints.  We made the trip to Deanville (it's just this side of Dime Box, TX) arriving at 10:20am last Saturday.  The bar-b-q consisted of eight metal pits, each approximately 5 feet deep-8 feet wide and 4 feet high.  Each had a metal lid that could be closed to retain the smoke.  As I walked up, I was informed they had already sold out for the day.  Now, the Chisholm Trail ran through Deanville but the big cattle drives ended 130 years ago and the current population of Deanville is less than 250.  Maybe the Hermann's sons decided to keep all the bar-b-q that day.  Disappointed (and hungry) we forged on to another joint in Caldwell where we were able to buy brisket (smoked with only salt and pepper rubbed on it-the standard for brisket in Texas) and some sausage.  It was excellent but I have to wonder if the Sons of Hermann might have been better.  Guess I'll leave earlier next time to see. 



Brisket and sausage sandwiches chased by a cold Lone Star-hungry yet?

Ranch work

In addition to painting the gate (seen at the top of this blog) we also added a sign at the intersection of CR 339 and FM 2000. 

We decided to help the NSA in case they couldn't find us.

I've been busy organizing the barn and digging water lines from the well to the camper and the barn.  It's not exciting work but will be a major improvement to the current water hose system. 

If you know how to use a mattock, give me a call or just drop by with a pair of gloves.  You can follow the sign.