Our Texas Ranchito

Still trying to learn French

2009-09-16T08:18:00.002-05:00

I am having problems with the Pimsler French program. The problem is me, when I put the CD in and begin to listen to the lesson I fall asleep. The next thing I know I am waking up and the CD is off. This is not helpful when your trying to learn a language. I don't know how I am going to fix this problem. Maybe it is just the delivery method that needs to be fixed.

I hate to think that I will have to spend the money for the RossettaStone program. It just goes against my grain to spend that much money. I have checked and there is no way to buy it second hand and get it to work. Damn.

Well, the good thing is that if I have trouble sleeping all I have to do is play the French CD and I'll be out like a light :)

New Project Learning another Language

2009-09-09T17:40:00.006-05:00

Those of you who have followed my other blogs know I spent a great deal of time, money and energy learning Spanish. I had a good time learning Spanish in Mexico and cherish the experience. I didn't become fluent, but learned to communicate to some degree in the lingo and customs of dear Mexico.

Now I have a new quest; I am learning French on my own. I have scoured the Internet and book stores looking for a reasonably price program to learn French. I have tried out several programs and have found fault with all of them. I tried Rocket French and it has its good points, but didn't ring a bell with me. I tried 200 words a day and found it didn't inspire me and soon lost interest. I tried Immersion French that claims to be the same as Rosetta Stone without the expense, I was disappointed and again gave it up. Now I am trying the Pimsler French learn in ten day program (ya sure). Between all of them I will learn some French, but will it be enough French to communicate? We shall see. One would ask why not RosettaStone?
Well those that know me know I am .... cheap so the expense didn't give me a warm fuzzy the other thing is my computer runs on Vista, and I hear that RosettaStone has issues running on the Vista platform and is not known for support with fixing the problems. So, I am holding this program in reserve.

Aha, I hear you asking Why French? Well, I have always like France and the vision I have of France in my mind that was put there by books like Toujours Provence, A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle and several short trips to France when I was station in Germany in the early 60's also a trip to Paris in the 70's that was a hoot. It poured rain like the proverbial rains that floated the ark in the bible. I stayed at a small Paris hotel the Atlantic on the top floor with a view of the picturesque Paris roof tops that you might see in the old time movies of Paris. the bathroom was so small that it was hard to turn around and the hot water wasn't hot. But, it was wonderful I was there with someone I was in love with and it is all I needed to make it magical. The vision lasted the relationship didn't. Well as the saying goes "We will always have Paris".

I have often said that if I won the lottery (the big one) I would be in Provence France within days of getting the money, whether I spoke french or not. One can always hire tutors to learn there. One other reason for learning a foriegn language is it keeps the little grey cells in your brain alive, they love a challange.

Labor Day Weekend 09

2009-09-06T14:34:00.006-05:00

Here it is Labor Day weekend. For most of my life I have worked holidays and seldom got a holiday weekend to myself, now that I am retired it is a common occurrence. Somehow something I yearned for, for so long has lost its importance. I guess circumstance is everything, on occasion I hear the song "Is that all there is" . Most holidays and weekends don't mean much when you don't have a job to go to. Don't get me wrong retirement is great; the best thing I ever did was retire. Going back to work does not appeal to me at all. Besides I don't think I could do it physically, just don't have the stamina anymore. Now If I feel like taking a nap or sit in a chair and daydream I can do it. If I want to stay up at night and watch the late late show there is nothing stopping me unless I fall asleep of course.

I guess I am feeling a little melancholy lately, the passing of people of my era like Ted Kennedy and the illnesses of dear friends and relatives and my own struggle with health issues have gotten me down. The down side of getting older is you lose a lot of friends and relatives and in the back of your mind you know that your own expiration date is getting closer. Not a pleasant thought. The mundane chores of life don't give enough distraction to take your mind off of these things so one tends to get .... well melancholy.

I remember what my grandfather said, as he was waiting to pass on about his own life, "what the hell was it all about ?". He didn't have an answer and neither do I. I guess this too, shall pass and I will back to my old feisty self soon enough.

I enjoyed our little trip to Florida, it was sort of a little adventure. Life should be an adventure. One of the reasons I like travel to new places is the adventure and discovery of things, places and people that I have not experienced before. I guess I was born under a wandering star sort of like the song in the musical Paint Your Wagon. Those of you who have not have had the pleasure of hearing the song sung by Lee Marvin in Paint your Wagon here are some of the lyrics

I was born under a wanderin’ star
I was born under a wanderin’ star

When I get to heavenTie me to a tree
Or I’ll begin to roamAnd soon you know where I will be

I was born under a wanderin’ star
A wanderin’ wanderin’ star

Trip to Florida

2009-08-23T13:35:00.003-05:00

We took a trip to Florida for about ten days and had a great time ate great food and went to the beach with the dogs and took the dogs with us to dinner! There are restaurants that have a special license to have dogs on the premises while serving food, usually outside. The weather is so nice that the experience is wonderful.

July Update

2009-07-17T15:45:00.002-05:00

I have had a rough summer so far as I have had health issues. I came back from a visit to family in Idaho with a type of flu. I also noticed even before my trip I was moving rather slowly and couldn't work outdoors for more than a few minutes at a time and had significant upper back pain. On July 4th weekend I ended up in the hospital with chest pain. An EKG showed I had a blockage and I was referred to a Cardiologist and he sent me to Baylor hospital in Dallas for an angioplasty where a stent was placed in the front artery of my heart. I have been relieved of the chest and back pain still some what tired,, hopefully I will get more stamina as time goes on and my body gets adjusted to the new blood flow. So it has been a hell of a summer so far.

Update

2009-06-13T09:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry, it has been a while since I have made an entry on this blog. I have excuses of course and my first was that I took a trip to Idaho to visit my grandchildren. My grandson was graduating from high school and I was invited to attend the ceremony and enjoy the festivities. It was wonderful watching him graduate and enjoy the rewards for achieving a high school diploma.
I also got to spend a lot of time with my granddaughter which was a joy. She only ten years old but has a lot of personality and character. Seeing the world and yourself through the eyes of a child is most interesting and in some ways humbling. I had a wonderful time with her.

After returning home I came down with flu like symptoms and it just got worse and worse so I went to see a doctor. I got several medications and it has been five days since starting to take the medications and I am just now starting to feel a bit better. I don't know if the medications are helping or this old body is fighting off the virus all by itself. Just glad I am feeling a bit better.

And then there were five

2009-05-17T09:08:00.003-05:00

New Mother and the tripletes

The other Mom waiting for hers.

When I went to bed last night there were two goats in the goat pen and this morning there were five. Three little kids crying for their mother and Mommy goat making cute little light grunting sounds over her brood.

The other goat was just looking things over as though she were thinking " so that's what mine will look like?".

First livestock

2009-05-15T14:01:00.002-05:00

The first livestock have arrived two female goats that are pregnant.
They are Nigerian Pygmy/Dwarf goats. Rather feisty right now, maybe later
they will get more friendly.

Update on stock

2009-05-12T15:06:00.003-05:00

The above photos are what an auction ring looks like. Folks sit in a semi-circle around the ring in a theater like seating arrangement similar to some lecture halls at university. The trick is to keep up with the auctioneer as he calls the sale and takes bids as the stock is brought through ring. This is not for those with short attention spans or indecisive personalities.

Well, I have been looking for stock. I haven't found anything I am ready to buy yet. I have gone to several auction sales at the local livestock auction barns and came close to buying calves. I just didn't see what I wanted. I built a cage to carry them home in, the cage is still in the back of the truck. It looks homemade and ugly.

I have also been looking at sheep, seeing as I like lamb and so does Samantha I thought raising them ourselves would be a good fit. Just haven't come across the sheep I like yet. I look at some Painted Desert sheep the other day and they looked interesting, thinking it over for a while, no sense rushing into it and getting involved in something that isn't a good fit.

So here is the stock plan as of today, subject to revision; Chickens for eggs, Nigerian Dwarf goats for fun and milk, sheep for lambs. That should keep us busy :)

Pics of garden

2009-05-01T20:47:00.001-05:00

Things are starting to come up in the garden

2009-04-28T07:18:00.004-05:00

After yesterday's rain this morning was a bit foggy at dawn

Visiting Cows

2009-04-27T16:24:00.004-05:00

The barbed wire gate

Connected to coner post

This is the side that opens by moving the 'T'post and wire loop.

We have had visiting cows here and they have gotten excited and started running about twice now. So I was discussing the problem with a neighbor and he said he had some barbed wire left over and that he would give it to me to fence them out so Sunday morning I went down to the end of the 'alley' on the east side of the pasture and made a barbed wire gate. I used an old 'T' post and the barbed wire to make a crude gate. I made two loops over one corner post so the 'T' post can be released by moving the upper loop. I guess the photos tell the tale best. I have seen these used all over as an inexpensive gate, they are effective.

Barn Part II

2009-04-24T08:43:00.006-05:00

The crew was here before dawn and was working by the headlights from their truck. The reason they started so early was they wanted to finish early and go home to Houston for the weekend.
Fortunately the sawing of metal was kept to a minimum, I am sure some neighbor looked out their window saying "What the ......is going on?"
The job is done the building is up now to clean up and make sure there are no screws or pieces of metal to cause problems with the live stock or tires on the equipment or even our selves. Having stepped on a nail two years ago and enduring the pain and infection I want to avoid a repeat as much as possible.

Hey look there is an animal in the barn already, she's our lab Shelby, she is so sweet and easy going just a big yellow sack of love :)

The finished product.

When one comes upon the farm you see this big red barn in back of the house can't miss it. I think it has changed the character of the place. It looks more complete.

Now to fill it with feed, livestock and equipment and really use it for its intended purpose.

The Barn Story Part I

2009-04-23T20:37:00.004-05:00

The crew arrives and begins to

unload.

Putting the parts together

Up goes the first interior frames

The roof is being put on don't worry

it will all straighten out in the end

The leanto frames are up and the

roof is more complete

This is about what was done the

first day

Today is the day for the barn to be erected, the crew was supposed to be here at noon. Noon came and went and no crew. I just waited and did my usual stuff. I have been working on the porch/deck and needed to finish painting it and start cutting the lattice for the bottom so I just got busy doing that.

I had just helped some of my neighbor's cows find their way home when I saw a truck and trailer pass our place on the road. Sure enough it was our barn crew. I showed them were to go and where I wanted the barn built. We had a rather involved discussion about where to put it and what it would be lined up with then I realized nothing else in this place is lined up with anything so just put it where it looks best and don't get so picky:)

The three men are from Mexico and they have some English and I have some Spanish and we got our messages across using both languages, I thought it was fun. Thank goodness I did have some Spanish as otherwise there may have been some awkward moments trying to get across an idea or two.

I had to make a quick run to the store to buy more bricks as the ground wasn't as level as I thought it was, silly me. When I was gone the guys locked their keys inside their truck, by the these guys worked at getting into their own truck I could tell they weren't experienced at getting into locked vehicles like some of the folks I have had the pleasure of coming across from Mexico. These guys seem like family guys one had bought a big toy farm tractor for his son ... nice Dad.

The barn is looking good it is going to be bigger in real life

than I thought. That is okay we'll fill it with animals and stuff for them quick enough.

Dallas and back

2009-04-20T23:39:00.003-05:00

Well, the day finally came and I drove Samantha to Dallas to catch a plane to New Orleans La., so she can return to work aboard her ship. She will be gone for five weeks. We stopped in Dallas for lunch and had our lunch at a Greek restaurant. We both like lamb a lot and were looking forward to this lunch. This restaurant didn't measure up, the food was bland the surroundings were posh but no taste to the food, what a disappointment.

I drove home and made a few stops on the way back one was to a heavy equipment place that had some tractors but nothing in my price range. I stopped and shopped at a Western clothing store (Shepplers), not impressed more employees than customers and the the service was poor, the prices high, very high for stuff made in foreign countries. I felt about as welcome there as a hair in a biscuit.

When I got home I put the trash out for pick up in the morning and then mowed the grass for a couple of hours got most of the grass cut just the back of the house down to the pasture to do tomorrow.

Rainy Friday

2009-04-17T20:54:00.005-05:00

Our local movie theater, all seats $5.00
One does have to put up with the trains
passing through town just across the street,
kind of adds to the charm.

Downtown Wills Point no traffic lights
needed, four way stop sign and good manners
takes care of traffic.

Not much wind today usually the flags
at our place are snapping in the wind.

Rainy Friday, we/I wanted to get the vehicle registration updated with our
new address so we went to the local office of TX MVD where we found that our truck's title was rejected. Seems that there was someone in MVD that entered the wrong VIN number and the computer had rejected the entry. However, no one was notified; I wasn't told nor the dealer that there was a problem so we were caught by surprise when this issue came up when we tried to change the address. Seems it will take weeks to get this corrected seems kind of long to me, but then again I was assured it would be corrected.

We also went to the county court house and registered to vote that was easy just fill out a form and give it to the clerk.

Finding the tax assessor's office in the rain was more difficult and we had some confusion about the title to our property. To our surprise it had been registered in our name already. We got some information about the possibility of getting an ag-exception for our property to save on taxes and how to get our property homesteaded so we can keep the taxes from increasing. Seems that because it is a manufactured home there may be a problem with getting it homesteaded we have to find the serial numbers and see if the previous owners had the land and house together as real estate if so we can do it if not we won't be able to do it. Ah the joys of dealing with local officals and laws. I'll keep you posted on the results of our efforts.

Big do'ens at the ranch

2009-04-17T18:25:00.007-05:00

Neighbors steer giving us the eye,
wouldn't want to mess with him !

So after much coming and going, asking questions and gathering information we have decided to build a barn or actually have someone build it for us. I checked out several businesses on line and interviewed some builders in the area about a barn for our place. Most were very expensive or expected one to erect it DIY. I am a little old and stiff to be climbing ladders and lifting metal siding and bolting things together while balanced on a ladder or scaffolding.

We choose a local company that usually erects carports and garages. They have a small horse barn with a raised center isle. The one we chose will be 38' wide, 36' long and 12' high, the main color will be red with white trim. It should take about two and half days to erect it with a small crew of men. The crew will arrive Thursday around noon to start the project should be interesting to watch.

I will post photos as the project procedes, can't wait till Thursday when it all starts. Here is the link to their web site http://www.eaglecarports.com/

Canton Sale Days

2009-04-08T20:36:00.003-05:00

Dining table and chairs bought at the
sales days.

Beds bought at sales days.

A small fraction of activity at sales days

in Canton TX.

We live about fifteen miles from Canton TX where every month around the first Monday of the month they have what is called Canton Sales Days. This a huge commercial enterprise of hundred maybe thousands of vendors of stripes selling all kinds of crafts, food, clothing, furnishing, brick-a-brack new,used what ever the variety and amounts are staggering. Thousands of people show up for this event that goes on for four days a month.
We made good use of this our first week here as we have furnished our ranch house with items we have purchased at this event.
The number of sales venues is huge one is exhausted just walking through the sheds and barns that blocks long and in four days of shopping we didn't see it all, couldn't see it all, if you are ever in this part of Texas on the first Monday you have got to see this sale it is amazing.

The Mail Box Story

2009-04-08T20:25:00.003-05:00

That's me headed to the Blue Bird Cafe
where some of the best burritos are waiting
for my lunch.

Little feathered visitor stopped by for
a rest on our fence.

I had noticed that the previous owners didn't have a mail box so after looking over various kinds and types of Mail Boxes one was selected and we went about putting it up so we could get our mail. To start with this mailbox we decided on has a plastic post that slides over a 'T' post the same kind that is used to support barbed wire and other fencing. We were trying to use a regular hammer to get the post into the ground and not having much success. On one of our trips through the Giant Flea Market in Canton TX we bought a sledge hammer a big one. We used this hammer to sink the post. AFTER we get the post into the ground a neighbor came by and informed us we had located the post to far off the pavement and we would have to move the damn thing closer to the road. Needless to say getting the darn post out of the ground was a lot harder than getting it in the ground. We must have spent two hours working on one damn post, but we finally got the bugger located in the afore mentioned location so the Mail delivery lady would be able to place the mail in the box without much trouble and so the local teenagers would have a good target should they desire to molest the new box.
Ahhh, the joys of rural life......

The closing fiasco

2009-04-08T19:56:00.003-05:00

Finally got the damn key to the place !

Kay calling the realtors about the fact there is no key waiting for us.

I have been off line for a few days making the transition from RV'r to an owner of a sticks and bricks home.

The Closing was almost a disaster, the previous owner didn't have her husband's Will probated before she offered the property for sale and the lawyer she chose was not Mr. lightening. The Closing had to be postponed because the owner's lawyer didn't take the Will to the courthouse and have it probated as he was supposed to do. We got told this just as we were departing Livingston TX. We had already given up our parking space there so we continued on to Lake Tyler State Park to await further developments.
After making several trips to Jacksonville to see our real estate reps. We were about to give up on buying the property when we learned that the Will had passed probate. We showed up at the closing and were in the midst of signing papers when Samantha asked when we would get the keys. We were told, after a quick call to the selling real estate rep, that we could have them after the signing. So we continued with all the damn paperwork and then came the end, our agents called the other agent and we were told that no what she meant was when the closing was funded! No keys until the following day sometime as it was to late for the bank to fund the loan. After all we went through still no house. The following day we were told that evening we were told that there was a spare key in the shed in a can with little white ducks on it. The next morning we pulled in with our fifth wheel and went looking for the key. Yup, you guessed it no damn can and no damn key. Several phone calls later we were told to pick the key up at the selling realtor's office in Canton TX as they still had the key!
In trying to park the 32' RV trailer I managed to get the truck stuck in the mud. Thankfully some neighbors came by and helped us get unstuck with their four wheel drive truck. We then un-hitched the trailer as it sat cross ways in the yard and drove over to Canton to the real estate office. I called the selling real estate office to get directions and ask for the key when the broker told me that the sale wasn't complete, I hit the roof !!! I called our reps and they called the selling office and then the S.O.B. well okay then come and get the key. I asked if he could deliver the key and he said why doesn't my agent get the key for me he got a commission didn't he? I knew if I wanted the key right away I would have to go do it myself. When I got to the office I asked for the key the lady wanted to see my identification! I was incensed that I was having to prove who I was, who the hell else would show up for the damn key?
We got the key and to celebrate went for lunch at a local restaurant and had a lovely lunch and I got to sample buttermilk pie, for those of you who haven't had this pie when you get a chance give it a try it is delicious.
After lunch we zoomed over to this huge, I mean HUGE, flea market in Canton TX. We managed to find two beds we liked and then we went shopping for two mattresses. We got the whole she-bang back to the ranch and assembled the beds had our dinner and fell into the new beds in our new (to us) house for our first night's sleep.
What a day, what big pain in the Ass Day. Glad it is over.

Follow-up

2009-03-26T20:05:00.003-05:00

Today we drove over to Tyler Texas and had a very nice breakfast at a place called "The Diner". We left there and were on our way to visit our real estate agents when we got a call from them telling us there was no news.
We drove on to Jacksonville and paid our agents a visit. Several things were discussed and we did find out, after I suggested they call the Clerk's Office at the court, that the 'Will' had not been filed yet. This aggravated me and Samantha and the agents could tell we were upset. We told our agents we had no plans to extend the closing date past March 31 st.
There is nothing we can do now but wait and see what happens . Maybe the seller's lawyer will get it done by the 31st and maybe not.
So we have extended our stay here at Lake Tyler State Park until March 31st. We'll asses our options then and go from there.
I and Samantha are not in a happy mood; we have been lied to by the seller's agent twice and now we are in an awkward situation of having to wait for the seller's lawyer to do his job and who's fault is it that he hasn't had the time to do his job? Not ours, all this probate stuff should have been taken care of before the agent excepted the listing. One has to have the right to sell the property before you can offer it for sale. I'm grinding my teeth over this one and that's not good.

2009-03-26T07:45:00.002-05:00

We packed up and departed from the Escapees RV park on the 25th a Wednesday and headed for Lake Tyler state park and got there after several stops at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We paid for two days; mindful that we had to pay for the weekend as soon as possible if we were going to stay the weekend. We don't know as we haven't heard from the real estate agents about the closing. We may pay those agents a visit today and see if being on their doorstep, so to speak, will get us some answers. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to hear that things are not going well with the Probate Court in deciding who owns the property etc.
Yesterday when we got here at Tyler Lake it began to rain as we were setting up the trailer. When we tried putting out the slide it got half way out and stopped no power to move it. We searched for a place to crank it out but didn't find one. We had Internet service so we called a local RV repair person and he gave us some suggestions which turned out to be very helpful.
Our problem was that the wires for the motor for the slide were loose. We also had another problem with the landing gear as it chewed up the bolts we had just replaced. We had one more bolt and it lasted long enough to get the gear down. Seeing as it was raining any way we went to town for more bolts. While in town we decided to have dinner at Cracker Barrel and as we were having dinner the rain became a cloud burst lasting almost a half an hour before returning to a regular rain. We got back to the trailer and watched a CD of old Jack Benny television shows for while and went to bed listening to the rain on the roof.

Trouble

2009-03-24T15:39:00.003-05:00

We packed up to leave camp and found that the landing gear on the trailer wouldn't work properly. Another camper told us that the problem was that the shear pin had broken on the shaft that moves the legs up and down had broken. We went to the nearest RV repair place and they sent us to the local hardware store to get the shear pin. The hardware store sold us bolts to replace the shear pin. When we tried that idea out we found out that the bolt was to long so we had another trip to the hardware store to get the correct size bolt. When we got the bolt in we found that the legs wouldn't go up all the way. The problem was that another shear pin was broke in a different location, fortunately we had a bolt that would fit that part of the mechanism and now everything thing works as it should.
Then we get a call on the cell phone from our realtor saying that the bank wanted to close tomorrow at 11am. Okay, we can do that we say and continue getting things ready for moving the trailer. All little while later we get a call from our realtor saying the Title company hadn't gotten the documents from the Probate Court it needed to pass papers and the meeting was off until they get the documents.
I remember asking about this before, whether the house was properly the owners and had been assured that it was all in place. I should have known better, most people don't have a clue about Probate or the passing of property from a deceased person to another. I have had this experience before in buying real estate. Let me tell you this can turn into a nightmare real quick and delay things from closing for weeks or even months.
So here we sit betwixt and between.

Update

2009-03-23T20:15:00.005-05:00

I haven't found this place in the house yet.

Another thing that needs to be fixed.

We visited the ranch last week to show Samantha the house and buildings. Our GPS had us going the long way around, seems the GPS likes to use interstate highways first then state highways and in doing so sometime you end up going the wrong way for a while till you get to the highway system the GPS likes.

When we got to the house we had a hard time finding the hot water heater. Usually the hot water heater in manufactured housing is located in a closet accessed from outside, but there was none. We walked around the outside and didn't find the closet for the water heater, we looked inside under the cabinets in the closets and found that in the master bedroom closet was a panel and behind that panel was the water heater. The next problem was getting the air-conditioner to work, Samantha pushed some buttons on the heater and Viola, the A/C came on.

We found lots of things that have to be repaired or replaced or improved. We shall be very busy with this house.

We stopped by the real estate office and signed more papers the closing may be next week. We also went to the insurance office to get insurance for the place. The man at the insurance office said he would find insurance for us. He had to call both real estate agents and the bank to get information he needed seemed like he had to do a lot of work just to get to the applying stage.

This is monday, we had to take Samantha to Houston for a Seaman's physical the trip there and back took up most of the day. When we got back I got a call from our real estate agent she said we might close tomorrow or the next day. So, we will break camp tomorrow and get on the road
head north waiting for the phone to ring.

Inspection photos

2009-03-15T04:28:00.002-05:00

Older AC

Electric breaker box looks like someone has
done some odd things with it.

Deferred maint.

More fix-it stuff over the main entry door

I got a lot of photos of the home inspection, lots of deferred maintenance items. The master bathroom is off level and the AC doesn't work well, the heater needs cleaning so forth and so on just stuff that wasn't taken care of through the years. So far nothing serious and the owner is having some thing looked after, I also asked for a home warranty to cover some disaster with the house like the AC going out the heater not working or the dishwasher going on the fritz.

I have been through all that stuff in the past so I wanted the warranty to protect ourselves.

I guess I will have to get the tool box out and my overalls on and get to work when I move in :)

Truck problems again ? & We lose a friend

2009-03-12T17:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was leaving the doctor's office and started the truck up and turned the headlights on and the dash lights went out! HOLY SMOKES, I got worried that there was something seriously wrong with the truck. I had to go a few miles to get an x-ray done and I worried about getting home and you know....yadda yadda yadda :( So I did get home okay and parked the truck for the night.

The next morning I got into the truck and started it up then turned on the headlights and LO AND BEHOLD the dash lights came on. I drove the truck around town and parked let it sit and started it up and .....no problem ! WHAT THE ??? So anybody got any ideas? I don't. Just another of life's aggravations.

The other aggravation is that the doctor's office still doesn't have the results of the x-ray and they don't call you if everything is fine, ya like no one has ever forgotten something or misfiled some one's test results Grrrr, don't ya just love it?

Today our all black kitty went to kitty haven he had been sick for a while. He sure was a loving kitty in his own individualistic way, he will be dearly missed.

What or if we should name it

2009-03-11T19:49:00.002-05:00

We have been brain storming the idea of naming our little ranchito. Both of us have come up with names and some are funny or weird, but we haven't decided what to name it. Here are some of the names we have come up with; Funny Farm, Dos Hermanas Ranchito, Las Locas Rancho, Rocking Chair Ranch, The Last Stop Ranch, Sunset Ranch, Double Star Ranch, Texas Star Ranch, so forth and so on. Suggestions welcome, we will post others as they come up.

Our plans for the Little ranch

2009-03-11T19:27:00.004-05:00

We both have plans for the little ranch in Van Zandt county Texas. Mine are to have a horse or horses to go trail riding. Samantha would like to have goats and garden. We both love animals and like taking care of them and being around them.

I am doing my research now on how to take care of my own horse(s) what I equipment and supplies I will need what chores will have to be done and the scheduling of professionals like the farrier and the vet. I will have to locate those professionals in the area and make contact with them. I am getting excited about having a horse of my own. We had horses when the children were growing up, but I didn't get to enjoy them like they did because I had to work very long hours. I took riding lessons a couple of times, but never became a competent rider like other members of the family. My goal now is just to enjoy trail rides and have fun meeting other horse people. Kind of strange this late in life getting a horse, but I have always been a little strange.

The poor business experience

2009-03-10T16:19:00.004-05:00

Did you ever go to a business and not feel welcome ? I mean they take your money and they do a good job, but it feels like they really don't want you there or care that you are spending your money in their establishment. I had that experience this morning at the big trailer place here in Livingston Texas. I don't remember even so much as a good morning out of anyone; NO ONE introduced themselves to me. I had my dogs with me and I took them out of my truck and we waited under a carport display for three hours, no one aske if I would like a place to sit or a cup of coffee, glass of water ...nothing.

I noticed all the photos and awards on their walls and there was a lot of coming and going of other customers and their yard was full of shinny new horse and stock trailers also carports, garages and even a large metal barn.

I asked a few questions about converting a goose-neck trailer to being used with the fifth wheel and although I got my answer I didn't get the warm fuzzy feeling that I like when I am spending money. I said I was looking for a horse trailer and had just started looking, but no one suggested I look at their trailers. I walked in and out of the barn on display several times, but no one asked me if I was interested. I saw our RV club sign on their cash register saying they were a corporate supporter and asked what a member gets and was told nothing. So why have the sign ?

The man that did the work on my truck did a good job and answered my questions. In a way I felt sorry for him cause if they ignored me, a paying customer, I can just imagine how he is treated. Maybe they have so much business they don't need mine, they sure won't get it in the future. Maybe if I showed up in a new expensive truck I would have been treated better then again maybe not, not everyone likes me although I bet if I were richer I would be treated better.

Picking up the Pickup

2009-03-06T20:02:00.001-06:00

Today I went to get the newer truck. By ten o'clock in the morning I hadn't heard from the dealer I decided to go there and see what was up. I found the truck still there, but it wasn't ready. So, upon my arrival the boss there got the ball rolling and in a mere two hours the truck was ready. I put the dogs in and we were off on a trip to have lunch in the fine town of Conroe Texas. It sure felt odd driving this truck the steering is very sensitive compared to the old GMC, and it has a lot of power, for a diesel it is quiet, the air conditioning was working well and the dogs seemed to like that. Lunch and the bank visit went well. Hopefully my truck problems are gone for a long while (hope,hope, hope).

Good News Bad News

2009-03-05T22:35:00.001-06:00

A lot has happened since the last post.
I was headed up to Jacksonville Texas to apply for the mortgage for the ranch and my truck decided to throw the fan belt. Of course these days it runs everything and when it goes the truck doesn't. I got lucky (good news) a man stopped and put the belt back on for me so I could get to the garage. When I got there the mechanic had to replace the belt and the tension device for the belt (cha-ching$). I continued the trip to Jacksonville and filed for the mortgage and it looks like we'll get one, but we don't know with who or what rate yet.

So, I leave the bank and start the truck and I hear this noise from the engine compartment like something hitting the fan. I turned off the motor and had a look. The fan clutch had a strip of belt
wrapped around it like a snarl on a fishing reel. I cut it off with my pocket knife, a very useful tool every women ought to carry one in her purse :) I was very concerned driving back to Livingston Texas (over 150miles), thinking that at any minute I was going to loose the belt and get stranded.

I made it back to the rig and the following morning I went back to the garage and showed them the strip of belt that came off the new belt. The mechanic replaced the belt and after turning the motor on he heard more noise and further investigation showed that the brace holding the power steering pump was gone! The good news is the part and bolts were sitting on the frame, so it was easy to replace. However in putting this back together it was discovered that the assembly that holds the power steering pump, alternator and tension device has cracks in it. This part is about to fail (bad news). I am told this part is not made anymore and search of the junk yards comes up with nothing. The after market piece comes with the air conditioner compressor, alternator, power steering pump and some other stuff plus shipping ($$$) bad news. Also the harmonic dampener is failing on this truck which could cause big problems for the engine ($$) bad news.

So with this information I decide to cut my losses and get another truck. I went to a local used truck guy and pick out a truck and made the best deal I could. I took my truck to a trailer place and had the fifth wheel removed to later be put on the replacement truck. So tomorrow sometime I get to trade trucks. The good news is it is a better truck the bad news is I spent a lot of money and I hate to spend money :(

I just hope my old truck hold together long enough to get rid of it tomorrow :\

I got news this afternoon that the secondary mortgage companies aren't accepting applications for manufactured home at this time :( This means we will be financing through a local bank at a higher rate. When the financing business improves we will switch-You Betcha.

So that's the Good News and Bad News it has been a hell of a week I don't think I could stand much more of this up and down stuff, good, bad, stuff.....

We've struck a deal !

2009-03-03T08:36:00.000-06:00

Terrible picture of the kitchen

Partial view of the kitchen

Finally late yesterday afternoon I got word that the seller(s) had made a counter offer and after listening to it over the phone I gave my approval. They wanted a thousand dollars more but were willing to purchase a home warranty plan ($350) pay up to $500 in repairs found by a home inspector and up to $500 for termite treatment if they are found during the inspection. They will retain half of the mineral rights if there are any, I don't think there are any as when land is sold usually the previous owners have kept the mineral rights somewhere along the way. They want financing in twelve days and closing by March 31, 2009. Everything else stipulated by my offer was agreed to as stated. All portable buildings stay all fences and gates etc. The documents that accept the deal are going to be faxed to me here in Livingston this morning, I have to sign them and fax them back to the real estate agents.

Well Yee Haa, we own a Texas mini ranch..... almost :) Now the nitty gritty business of finding financing and getting all the information that is needed together for the perusal of the mortgage folks. Soon we will have our own mortgage payment book. Ya, my heart flutters too !

News ?

2009-03-02T10:08:00.000-06:00

Wills Point Texas, No Stop Light just a four way stop, just the
way I like it :)

Well, it is Monday morning and there is no news to report. I was told that the Lady,
Mrs. Johnson, and get back with the real estate agents about their decision. I wonder what happend, or didn't happen ?

Just got a call from my agent and he is sending over the seller's disclosure statement, he says we should hear something today. Uh huh, hope so.

WHAT I Found Out :(

2009-03-01T02:42:00.000-06:00

Front of the house

Den fireplace area.

Saturday morning I was reading my email and I got a message from a real estate site that I was using to search for property that the very listing I had made an offer on HAD A PRICE increase! I had just made the offer a few hours ago and no one had informed me of a price increase !

I called my agents right away and informed them about the situation. They checked it out and got a reply that the son of the lady of the the listing was upset that the place was priced so low that within weeks of listing it there were two offers on it and insisted that the price be increased immediately. Well this didn't set well with me and I let everyone know about it.

I talked to Samantha later and she said to leave the offer on the table but not increase it if the seller(s) come back with a counter offer. At the very least there has been a breach of confidence on the seller's side. I expressed my concerns to my agent. I also expressed my concerns that there would be more problems with the sellers over the details of the sale.

Several times I mentioned that we didn't know who we were dealing with; one person the lady at the house or the whole family? One of my concerns; is there a will involved has it been probated and if there is no will has the property been assigned properly by a court? No one seems to think this is a problem. I have been through this before so there very well maybe a problem at or before closing.

This sort of thing gives me fits. People get wrong-headed advice and have beliefs not grounded in fact and trouble is the result. If I hadn't gotten that email I wouldn't have known about the price increase and expectations of the seller(s) or that there was another interested party in the sale on the seller's side. This could get interesting. We shall see how these things are handled here in Texas.

We find a ranch?

2009-03-01T01:37:00.000-06:00

Downtown Wills Point Texas near the ranch I looked at.

Here is the entrance to the little ranch we made an offer on.

Friday I went up to Jacksonville Texas to meet with a real estate agent to visit two properties near there. Well near there is a relative term. The first place we looked at had an offer on it already, but when I saw it I was very put off. The place was a dump. Trash and stuff strewn about the place and dangerous wiring laying on the ground. There was a spot where some one had worked on a motor or something and spilt a lot of oil, there two buildings behind the house that were dilapidated and ugly. All this plus it was on a steep hillside and had a rough road leading to the house. I passed on making an offer.

We then trekked over to the other listing and what a difference. This place is neat, orderly, clean and in good shape. This little ranch has 10 acres several out buildings, parameter fencing and cross fencing. The house though older is in good shape has a fireplace three bedrooms large living area, big closets in all bedrooms two full baths, laundry area. The kitchen was a tad small but serviceable the land is mostly level and sloops down toward a creek that is the border of the property. I liked the property and talked it over with Samantha on the cell phone while at the property and we agreed to make an offer. I spent the rest of the day wandering around the neighborhood until it was time to meet with the real estate agent to work up the documents for the offer. It was late when I left and I and the dogs had to travel back to Livingston in the dark not something I like to do these day.

We're looking for our place in East Texas

2009-02-26T19:23:00.001-06:00

Welcome to our blog. We are two 'mature' ladies who are looking for our country place in East Texas. We have lived 'country' before we had a small farm in Kentucky and sold it last year to move to Texas.

We have some requirements for 'our' place; five or more acres, three bedrooms, 1200 or more square feet, rural location, back from the road, neighbors living the country life style. The location should be within easy driving distance of a hospital and shopping. I like a home with a fireplace and lots of windows, a big kitchen with lots of storage. It would be nice if the 'place' had a barn and out building with good fencing in the fields so we could have livestock like goats, horses and other animals. We are animal lovers and have two dogs and two cats with us in the RV we live in now.

I have started searching the Internet for a place and have contacted a real estate agent to look at two properties. I have an appointment with him tomorrow. I just got a call that one of the properties has received an offer; we are going to visit it anyway just in case the deal falls through.

So the search has begun, we will find our little country spot it will take time and effort and there maybe some frustration, but our place is out there and we will find it.