January in Texas

In our first post from Habitable Spaces, I mentioned how when we first arrived and the van got stuck on a tree stump, it seemed like a sign of how would be rooted and grounded here.

It turns out this was more accurate than we knew – our planned three and a half week stay has transformed into a two months, as plans fell apart with the next two farms that we’d lined up.

This could have been a minor disaster, but for two things – we like Habitable Spaces, and they like us.

We’ve been having a great time settling into to the space, getting to know the people, the animals, and the area … here’s some of what we were up to throughout January!

(they’re not really in order, I assume no one really cares ….)

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This is Scout, breadloafin’.

 

where's Kristin?
where’s Kristin?

 

the mysterious trophy in the window at Dean's bar in Kingsbury. Karate racing?
the mysterious trophy in the window at Dean’s bar in Kingsbury. Karate racing?

 

Cleo don't give a duck
Cleo don’t give a duck

 

of course we had to build them a rocket stove (this one is for boiling pots of water to dunk chickens in for plucking)
of course we had to build them a rocket stove (this one is for boiling pots of water to dunk chickens in for plucking)

 

Kristin & Ali working on the bottlehouse walls
Kristin & Ali working on the bottlehouse walls

 

bottles must first have their labels removed, before being cut in half, taped to a matching size bottom, and mortared into the walls - here Seth & Kristin work the de-labelling step
bottles must first have their labels removed, before being cut in half, taped to a matching size bottom, and mortared into the walls – here Seth & Kristin work the de-labelling step

 

Shane peers through the new hole in his home's roof, in the midst of the wood stove installation (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)
Shane peers through the new hole in his home’s roof, in the midst of the wood stove installation (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)

 

Shane putting the finishing touches on the new woodstove chimney (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)
Shane putting the finishing touches on the new woodstove chimney (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)

 

Lynx spider helping us roof the bottlehouse
Lynx spider helping us roof the bottlehouse

 

Kristin working on the bottlehouse roof
Kristin working on the bottlehouse roof

 

Ali & Kristin scavenging free manure
Ali & Kristin scavenging free manure

 

scavenging beautiful big glass doors for a future kitchen addition
scavenging beautiful big glass doors for a future kitchen addition

 

every time we go for a walk with the dogs, Mina finds a mud puddle to lie in
every time we go for a walk with the dogs, Mina finds a mud puddle to lie in

 

harvesting the fruit of prickly pear cacti for making preserves (for some reason these are called "tuna fruit" which is just weird)
harvesting the fruit of prickly pear cacti for making preserves (for some reason these are called “tuna fruit” which is just weird)

 

Scout and her brother Mister Pettibone
Scout and her brother Mister Pettibone

 

Cleo beholds Bertha in her newly-built enclosure
Cleo beholds Bertha in her newly-built enclosure

 

chicken in the herb garden
chicken in the herb garden

 

Kristin deep beneath the Texan surface
Kristin deep beneath the Texan surface

 

returning to the daylight
returning to the daylight

 

BBQ in San Antonio with Jess
BBQ in San Antonio with Jess

 

RIVER SWIMMING IN JANUARY FOR THE WIN! (the San Marcos river is 73 degrees all year long)
RIVER SWIMMING IN JANUARY FOR THE WIN! (the San Marcos river is 73 degrees all year long)
things you see out the car window
things you see out the car window

 

herding Bertha across the farm to greener pastures we fenced in
herding Bertha across the farm to greener pastures we fenced in

 

Ali mortaring bottles into the wall
Ali mortaring bottles into the wall

 

excavating the ruins of an old homestead from the cacti it was buried in
excavating the ruins of an old homestead from the cacti it was buried in

 

seed starting
seed starting

 

Sunny & Cleo in the kitchen
Sunny & Cleo in the kitchen

 

the newly-cleaned and organized tiny kitchen, ready for seed trays
the newly-cleaned and organized tiny kitchen, ready for seed trays

 

Widget tries out the arboreal life
Widget tries out the arboreal life

 

leveling the foundation for the new structure
leveling the foundation for a new structure

 

clearing cacti from the new field
clearing cacti from the new field

 

beginning the fencing of the new field (to keep out deer, dogs, wild pigs, etc - and temporarily contain Bertha)
beginning the fencing of the new field (to keep out deer, dogs, wild pigs, etc – and temporarily contain Bertha)

 

new building rising
new building rising

 

Kristin found a wild boar skull, which would later become the center piece of an art project
Kristin found a wild boar skull, which would later become the center piece of an art project

 

Jacob's Well almost claimed our souls
Jacob’s Well almost claimed our souls

 

Mina usually manages to find a deer leg to parade home for gnawing
on our walks, Mina usually manages to find a deer leg to parade home for gnawing

 

metal detecting for cool old garbage out among the prickly plants
metal detecting for cool old garbage out among the prickly plants

 

decorating a cacti with found rusty debris
decorating a cacti with found rusty debris

 

Kristin and I enjoy fetching firewood for the house's woodstove - we like knocking over standing dead snags best ...
Kristin and I enjoy fetching firewood for the house’s woodstove – we like knocking over standing dead snags best …

 

Mina mauling Ali, affectionately
Mina mauling Ali, affectionately

 

basking in both sunshine and satisfaction, after completing the bottlehouse roof
basking in both sunshine and satisfaction, after completing the bottlehouse roof

 

Bertha flinging dirt
Bertha flinging dirt

 

Widget greets the day from the cabin's loft
Widget greets the day from the cabin’s loft

 

feeding the neighbors in Jess's friend Ray's backyard
feeding the neighbors in Jess’s friend Ray’s backyard

 

injured or ill vulture out in the wasteland
injured or ill vulture out in the wasteland

 

Lily enjoys the new platform after we took down the old cable spool tower
Lily enjoys the newly-accessible platform after we took down the old cable spool tower

 

the petrified wood collection so far, gathered on our walk abouts on the property
the petrified wood collection so far, gathered on our walk abouts on the property

 

preparing the new field for planting
preparing the new field for planting

 

adding a gate to the new field
adding a gate to the new field

 

returning from an attempt at making the entrance culvert a bit more accessible
returning from an attempt at making the entrance culvert a bit more accessible

 

the rocks n stuff collection is outgrowing the spool tabletop
the rocks n stuff collection is outgrowing the spool tabletop
rocks and artifacts and bones outside the cabin
rocks and artifacts and bones outside the cabin
pool at Dean's in Kingsbury
pool at Dean’s in Kingsbury

 

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remains of Shane's grandmother's old house
remains of Shane’s grandmother’s old house

 

 

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unearthed an intact Presto glass container with lid from the 40s
unearthed an intact Presto glass container with lid from the 40s

 

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Mr. Pettibone squeezes into the dog food container he knocked over, as Scout observes
Mr. Pettibone squeezes into the dog food container he knocked over, as Scout observes

 

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exploration
exploration

 

archeologistizin' the old homestead
archeologistizin’ the old homestead

 

the Kingsbury Aerodrome museum is next door ... they have many many cool toys
the Kingsbury Aerodrome museum is next door … they have many many cool toys

 

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Ali chameleoning
Ali chameleoning

 

whitewashing Craigslist Free section fence wood for interior paneling
whitewashing Craigslist Free section fence wood for purty interior paneling

 

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western San Antonio is colorful
colorful western San Antonio

 

Jess at the altar of an abandoned church
Jess at the altar of an abandoned church

 

panorama from the bottlehouse roof
panorama from the bottlehouse roof

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So that was January! We’re going to be here through February 19th before we start making our way west toward Arizona – and from there, home again in mid March to get the farm kicking! Its coming fast now … woo hoo!

 

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