This past month, we have been witness to the daily hard work from sun-rise to sun-set. Raising cattle, harvesting hay and constant caring for the land. Farming workdays offer little time off.
The photo above was taken mid-week in the middle of early evening thunderstorms. The bales of hay are being stored near the road along a fence line. A gate gives easy access for customers wanting to purchase bales of hay.
Thunderstorms lasted all night. The sky was filled with cloud to cloud sheet lightening dancing on canter stage off of our back porch. Closer lightening strikes followed by the ripping boom punctuated the four-hour performance. We lost power for a little over an hour and appreciated Mother Nature turning off all of the lights for our viewing pleasure.
THE PINEY WOODS OF EAST TEXAS......
include southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. "You can look it up."
Our talking of moving to eastern Texas started a few years ago.
Then one non-descript day, we pulled the plug. We dropped the reins of our New Hampshire home as quickly as we picked them up some 18 years ago. It had been a wonderful ride. Winters were the major deciding factor and our age. If were ever going to act on the move, it is time and late in the game for us. Do it or forget it.
If these past 5 weeks of Texas blogging has led anyone to think this move has all been sunshine and roses, let me be the first to add heartache, mental/physical exhaustion and day-after-day of work trying to resettle 2000 miles southwest of our old life/home.
Nothing has been easily given to us in this venture. That was not expected by either of us. But the old days we remember of walking into any office or business to complete tasks face-to-face are over. They are not coming back. In all fairness to the big picture, the harder one has to work for any achievement, the more it is fully appreciated. We have become more resilient, self-sufficient and secure in our ability to work together to eventually solve any problem. My wife has earned woman of the year awards damn near daily since we started this venture. And this last week, given Queen of the Universe several times.
Drilling through company's web sites, holding holding holding on the phone only to reach a few incompetents, listening to social messaging that far over-reaches any reason we would ever need/want to listen to just to acquire help or product, can kill the desire to do business. But when services are mandated to problem solve, the social messaging wears deeply. And every initial call means listening to "the message" and that somehow we are in this together. That the company really cares about protecting employees and customers. The message is always the long version, repeated.
And in all fairness, there have wonderful moments and days. The ups and downs of any life I suppose.
Photos
The ever-changing Northern sky.
Peaches are on.
It is all I can do to just lift one of those out of the bin.
More display art.
Morning sunrise looking west. Piney Woods
Looking east over our AirBnB. Piney Woods
....................
Appreciate the visit this week.
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