.The property is where my husband's grandfather was raised, along with many brothers and sisters. Though the house burned many years ago, the original barn remains and is still used for hay storage.
Adjacent the barn is a silo. It is currently empty, but I am lobbying to turn it into another guest house. I think spending the night in a cool old silo would be so neat....what do you think? I love the top. It reminds me of the crimped bottle caps you'd find on the old glass coke bottles.
A couple of years back, Texas experienced a truly awful drought. Quite a few trees died, including some pretty good sized cedars. As time permits, my husband cuts them down, maybe 2 or 3 at a time, then hauls them to the front of the property using the tractor. He uses a chainsaw to cut a shallow lengthwise trench into each log. Then, we take turns using splitting spikes and a sledge hammer to separate the trunk into smaller pieces that will be used for either posts or rails depending upon their size...it is work This process is repeated until the entire trunk is used.
Slowly but surely, an entirely handmade and sustainably harvested fence is emerging.
Throughout the years, the property has seen many different uses; if my husbands grandfather could turn a profit on it, he farmed it. The land has grown peanuts and coastal hay; hogs, chickens, and finally cattle have all been raised on this land. The simple tin building you see below was once one of many hen houses.
It is a beautiful piece of land with a fair bit of family history on it. It has been an adjustment of sorts- the first of several coming for our family in the next few months. But, for now at least, it is home.
No comments:
Post a Comment