5th Day Blues...

8/31/06 - 5th Day - Before Supper. The milking went fairly well this morning. I stayed up after it was done to answer some emails, but after breakfast I crashed hard. I looked back and it seems I did the same thing last week at this time. Maybe it is becoming a tradition. Anyway, I slept until 9:30, then I got up and got to work on a Q&A Fridays article for tomorrow. That took until 3 or so, then I went out and checked on the fellas. We got their camper propane system working the other day, so now they have a propane stove and oven to cook with. Anyway, they wanted to have all of us (everyone currently living on the land) over for a "camper warming" supper tonight, so we went to the grocery store and they bought some food to cook up. Here in a couple of hours we will go over there for dinner.

Tomorrow I want to work on finishing the last chapter of the Galatians commentary, which in effect will mean that the book I am going to publish on Galatians/James will be mostly finished, with only some editing and typesetting to do before I send it to the publisher. Which (although I have two other commentaries that are unfinished) opens the door for me to start my Agrarian novel that I have been talking about. I answered a question about it in tomorrow's Q&A:

I am very seriously considering beginning the serialized Agrarian novel on MichaelBunker.com or on a different site very soon. Here is my idea. I will write the chapters and post them as they are finished. These chapters will not be static, but the readers and participants will be allowed to make recommendations or suggestions during the writing of the book. This ought to be fun and instructive. I am thinking that I will make the process available online by subscription, and then when the book is finished we will get it published in print form for everyone who doesn't want to have fun participating along the way. I have a general outline in my head, and have come up with a name for the book:

The Last Pilgrims

More to come on that...

The prognosticators are calling for rain over the weekend. We hope and pray they are right. Things are greening up nicely, and we could use some more rain now.

Michael

The Cool Off

8/30/06 - 4th Day - Morning. The milking went well this morning, and it was damp and cool (61 degrees) when I got up. We've been trying to focus on getting Holga halter trained (difficult) and will start working on Pita and Pedro soon. I think we will try milking Holga next week.

The fellas are off working on some fencing for Frank this morning, so I drove to Bangs to check the mail by myself. I am going to change our mailing address to the physical address because I cannot afford to keep driving to Bangs to get nothing in the mail.

Here is my new mailing address:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Tx 76878

I will be changing the address to that one "permanently" (DV) so use it if you plan on mailing me anything.

It is very nice to have the weather break and actually get some moisture in August. Generally August is just hot and dry. This has been a pretty brutal first year, and this last couple of days has been a welcome respite. I am looking forward to Autumn.

Here is the page with the links to the latest impromptu sermon.

Michael

Update on the Rush

8/29/06 - 3rd Day - After Supper. I've been very busy since the rains came and have been unable to blog. This will be a short one, but I plan on a longer post tomorrow, so tune in. We had a great Sabbath and Lord's Day. The rains came and we got about 2 inches total, which is a definite answer to prayer. We probably put about 400 gallons or so in our catchwater, which was a life saver. When the rains come after 5 or 6 months without it, you find so much work to do that you haven't thought of before.

The last couple of days we have had to go to town to stock up quite a bit, and we have been working on Mihai's camper. Several months ago Mihai bought a 1968 Winnebago for $800. We have been getting the propane system working on it, and checking out the stove, oven and fridge.

Pedro is doing so much better. He is running around and playing now, and has put on some good weight. Today we worked with him and with his momma, trying to get her trained to lead so we can start milking her next week. The longhorns are all doing well and thriving out here. Rosa got out today somehow, but David and Susan got her back in with the old standby... FOOD.

Anyway, today we worked mostly on Mihai's camper, and I have been teaching these young guys how to shop for themselves so they can start providing meals for themselves very
inexpensively.

The children have been gathering Mesquite pods and shelling out the seeds. Tomorrow we are going to roast them and (DV) make some Mesquite coffee.

I have a new sermon to put up. I hope to get it up on BiblicalAgrarianism.com tomorrow, if the Lord wills.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,
Michael Bunker

More Stuff Happenin'

8/25/06 - 6th Day - After Breakfast. We have had an interesting couple of days. It started yesterday morning with our rattlesnake incident. If you haven't read about it, you can read about it by clicking here. Later in the day, Mihai and I went out to check on Holga (one of our longhorn heifers) and she was no longer a heifer. She had birthed her calf sometime in mid-morning. It is a little bull calf who we promptly named PEDRO. So our herd has increased again. For the morning we lost two meat rabbits to the rattlesnake, but we gained the rattlesnake meat and skin and we gained a bull calf. I will be posting some pictures of the new calf on the other blog sometime today if the Lord wills. You can already check out a picture of the 4 ft. rattlesnake over there. As you can expect, we had a lesson on rattlesnakes and safety with the children yesterday.

Mihai and I found the calf over behind a brush pile and since it was 103 degrees and Holga was over in the shade, we picked up the calf and brought him into the shade too. I think the calf might have been a bit premature, but after checking him again this morning, he seems to be doing well. Danielle and I saw the calf nursing this morning. It is supposed to be very hot again today and tomorrow, but some of the computer models have the heat wave breaking a little bit by monday, with a lot of moisture moving into the picture. This satellite photo from this morning shoes a tropical depression (TD5) moving towards the Carribean and the gulf. If this develops into a major storm, based on its current trajectory it is possible that it could bring a change of weather to our area.


I am an amateur weather watcher, but this storm looks like something to watch. The models have it clipping the Yucatan Peninsula and then entering into the Gulf of Mexico. While I don't want anyone in Texas to get hit by a hurricane, this storm could be what is needed to change our drought/heat wave pattern.

Maybe more later...

Michael

Sometimes you just try to hang on...

8/23/06 - 4th Day - After Supper. Today has been a peach of a day (he says sarcastically), but really every day is good when you aren't punching a clock in the world. This morning we got the most milk from Ami yet, then she kicked over the bucket and spilled it all. I was so tired by the time I finished milking and doing my email and computer work (at about 6:30) that I went straight back to bed and didn't get out until 9:15. Then we had a second knife sharpening incident while Mihai was sharpening the machete. He sliced one of his fingers pretty good, but it looks like it might not need stitches. We're broke as can be, but by 10:45 we were out of water and in need of some, so Danielle and I went to the State Park to fill up the water containers. We watered the cows and the chickens and that left about 10 gallons for us for the rest of the day. We'll have to go back tomorrow.

So, I am trying to train Holga to walk with a lead on her, but she put up a serious fight. I wrestled with her for a good 5 minutes or so, then she just took off running. I held on as long as I could, but she cleverly dashed under some low hanging mesquite branches and I finally (and brilliantly) let go. I called Mihai out to the pasture and we got hold of her lead and Mihai wrestled with her (cut finger and all) until she finally gave up and we could straighten out her halter a bit. Tomorrow we will try, try again.

It is only 7 p.m. but I am already tired and ready for bed. I really need a field shower, but I may wait until tomorrow. I dug up an old "News from the Ranch" from last October, so check it out.

Michael

Dig it, Break it, Fix it

8/22/06 - 3rd Day - Dinnertime. Today we got started early. The fellas and I got started on the frame structure for the root cellar right after breakfast (bacon, eggs, homemade bread, honey, and potatoes). Mihai got back to "barking" the timber while Mark and I got down to work in the root cellar. I was digging the postholes (1' x 1') in the floor of the cellar, while Mark continued digging out the stairwell. He had tons of rock to break, so it was slow going. I was so tired by noon that I laid down for a nap, answered emails, posted the newest audio sermon, and was back helping Mihai with the timbers by 3 p.m. or so. We notched the oaks for the 2 x 6 cross supports. When done, we lowered all of this, with a couple of bags of concrete down into the hole while Danielle ran to Coleman to get some chicken wire. Right now, we are securing the chickenwire to the "dirt face" side of the new wall, and we will raise the wall here in the next half hour. Then we will concrete in the posts.

Ok, so yesterday I had to go get a new generator ($648) and we had to pay for insurance on the two vehicles ($243). Danielle finally went to the dentist today because she hasn't been able to chew food for a week or so. Her molars have been gone on the left side for 8 years, and now the last ones are going on the right side. Well, she went in for an "estimate" because we figured it would be more than we can afford (to fix the molar on the right side) and we planned on going down to Mexico to see a dentist down there... but the estimate came back at $160 or so, so she might get it fixed on Thursday. Which means that $1000 we had saved for the well is now gone.

Our plans go forward, because in the end they will help us eradicate most of our monthly monetary needs. With the root cellar and a well, we will be needing far less money a month.

Today we had the cell phones cut off. Which is seeming now like a very great blessing. If you need to talk to us, you can email me.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Visitors and Back to Work

8/21/06 - 2nd Day - Midday. Our visitors cleared out yesterday and they all made it to their homes safely, Praise God. Today has been a challenge. I planned on starting the framing of the root cellar today, so this morning we had to go to the lumber yard and to the feed store. After one trip into Brownwood and two into Bangs, we finally seemed to be able to go to work at about 1 p.m. Well, no sooner did we start the old generator and it broke down. This was the big one for the old girl, she won't be fixed again. We tried and tried to get her running, but she had run so long with broken bolts and "southern engineering" fixes that it finally just cratered. We'll keep it around and maybe someday have someone look at it, but for now it isn't worth it to take it into the shop, since it would be a month or so before they could get to it, and I doubt it can be fixed. Our 3000 watt generator blew up several months ago, and I solicited some donations to get it fixed, but it never happened. So now we are without a generator until something happens.

Our plan is to eventually milk Holga (our young longhorn who is now pregnant) after she calves. We got a halter put on her a month ago, but haven't really pushed her on any training. Today I hooked a leader to her halter and she fought like a prize fighter but I finally won and didn't let her pull the lead out of my hand. I'll keep doing that for a week or so until I can lead her around and she is comfortable with it. Then we'll start going into some gentling with her to get her ready to milk when she finally calves.

I've still been reading "Henry and the Great Society" to the family. We're up to chapter 14. I've decided to get my cell phones disconnected, which will be another change in our lives for the better. We are simplifying and minimizing our lives even more. Finishing this root cellar will help a lot; as will getting the well drilled, if that happens for us.

Tracy is preparing leftover brisket and some eggs for dinner, so I best go.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Friends at the Ranch

8/20/06 - Lord's Day - Morning. I haven't written in awhile. We have had company for the last several days. On 6th day morning some friends who might be moving down to the land came and visited from Iowa. After milking the cow I fell back asleep and got some pretty good rest until around 8 a.m. Then we took a tour of the land and had some good fellowship most of the day. We spent some time helping brother David who had grubbed out some mesquite trees, and we hauled them off into a pile. It was near 105 by 3 p.m. That evening our Danielle and I went with our friends to Brownwood and we had dinner.

On the Sabbath I was up at 4:30 to milk Ami, then I went back to sleep again and didn't wake up until 9:15! I must have been really, really tired. We went to breakfast at the Line Shack in Santa Anna, then spent the morning walking up and down checking out the shops. The temperature was markedly cooler... it only got up to about 99. We relaxed for the rest of the day, then some other "land friends" came down and we had some great fellowship, including some reading and Q&A until 11 p.m. Last night was particularly fun because we had all but a few of the folks who will one day (Lord Willing) be living on the land here with us for fellowship.

This morning... back up at 4:30 to milk Ami, then I try to catch up on email and other messages before a good Lord's Day of fellowship before many of our friends have to return home. This morning we will head to the Lake to get water, then some breakfast before singing at 10 a.m. They are only calling for mid 90's for the next couple of days, which will be nice. Still no rain.

I am your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael

Moon Digging

8/17/06 - 5th Day - Yesterday was near 103 and today and tomorrow look to be the same. This is the hottest summer that I have ever been through in Texas. We decided to start work digging in the pond as soon as the morning milking is over. So, by the light of the moon we were down at the pond by 5:30 when it was nice and cool. Yesterday the fellas left early in the morning to go pull barbed wire at Frank's, so I spent a good amount of the day writing, answering email, and finishing the book "Henry and the Great Society". I wrote a review of the book here. After supper I went down to the pond for a bit by myself and lugged wheelbarrow loads of dirt up to the dam until it was time for me to go do some reading to the family. I chose to read the "Henry" book to the family even though I will not read them the last two chapters (which were horrible, read the review). I read three chapters and they seemed to be quite interested in it. All except little Sarah who fell asleep.

This morning while swinging a pick down at the pond I broke loose a good sized rock that hit me right in the knee. It just happened to be in the same knee and in the same spot where Ami kicked me a few weeks ago. That smarts. We decided it would be best to dig the easy dirt while it is dark in the morning and do the pick swinging later when the sun comes up. The fellas and I had to run to the lake for water, then we went to Bangs to check mail and to get ice. The price of gas for these repeated trips is killing us. I got a package in the mail from www.wildseedfarms.com in Fredericksburg, Texas, and I got the newest issue of Backwoods Home magazine, which is one of my favorite magazines. I don't know if the Wildseed folks just sent me some free wildflower seeds because I am the editor of BiblicalAgrarianism.com and some other sites, or if someone else sent them to me. Most likely the Wildseed folks sent them, and I am very grateful. Every once in awhile I get free stuff sent to me because of what I do, sometimes it is really, really good stuff... sometimes it is stuff like... advice as to where I might stick my head if it were biologically possible.

The fellas have been working on barking some trees we cut down several weeks ago for the supports for the root cellar. If they can get one or two done today, then I will go get started digging the holes for placing them. We'll see if any of that gets done. We have some good friends coming in to visit, and they will be arriving at around 2 a.m. this morning, so It will be interesting to see how much sleep I get in the next couple of days.

This evening, if the Lord wills, I will read the family a few more chapters in "Henry" and I will do my best to get to bed early so I can get some rest.

Y'all pray for some rain for us please?

Michael

Rock and Dirt

8/15/06 - 3rd Day - It seems like the Sabbath was yesterday. I can't believe this week is going so fast. We have friends driving in on 6th day morning, which is coming up pretty quickly. Yesterday the fellas and I were working on the pond. We built the dam up about 2 feet higher with heavy field rock, then covered it with dirt dug by hand out of the pond.

One really good thing about Central Texas is that there are plenty of rocks. When we lived in West Texas (on the Caprock) there were no rocks. None to be had. If you wanted rock, you had to go buy it. pulling rock out of the ground, or breaking it up and digging it out is quite a chore, but the good thing is that you have plenty of rock. A man could build quite a house out of stone if he were so inclined. When the fields here were first cleared many decades ago, the field stone was stacked in piles near the fields, so there is plenty of it to use for the dam. We drive out with my pickup truck and load a half ton or so and then drive back to the dam and stack it. Then we cover that with dirt from the pond, then we go back and get another load of rock and build it up on top of what we just covered. Then we covered that with dirt too. It is hard work, but good work. The sun was behind the clouds most of the day, and rain threatened, but we didn't get any. When the sun came out it got up to 100 degrees or so. We went up on the porch and drank water and gatorade. We finally quit around 4 p.m. when it got to be the hottest part of the day. We rested awhile before dinner which was some great pork chops, green beans and black-eyed peas. I slept well.

Milking went well this morning, though we got a bit less than yesterday morning. Breakfast was a good concoction that Danielle makes of hamburger meat, eggs, and chilies.

I was at it here on the computer most of today. I got the newest sermon posted, entitled Taking up the Cross. I answered some emails. I have continued my discussion with some "kinist" folks. I had to go to Brownwood to get some supplies, and at around 5 p.m. we hauled the whole family to the lake for a swim to cool down from the heat. A friend sent me a copy of Henry and the Great Society, so I will start on it tonight and get back with you on it when I can.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Keep the Faith

8/14/06 - 2nd Day - Midday. We got 1 1/2 quarts of milk from Ami this morning! More every day. It was hot already when I woke up. 80 outside, but 83 in the cabin. It will likely be near 100 yet again today. The drought is all anyone talks about when you have to go to town. There are storm clouds south of here near San Angelo and they are heading this way, but who knows if they will reach us. We pray that they will, but we are practical and go on as if they will not. We will be working in the dried up pond the next couple of days (DV), so when it does rain we will be able to keep more of the water. We will be digging out the pond and raising up the dam area.

I have been writing emails and such since early this morning. But I am about to head down to the pond to begin digging. It is looking like we will be back to fencing next week, so we can begin to plan to plant our field in oats. To do that we will need to keep the cows off of it for awhile, which will necessitate us building another fenced in area for the cows.

I've been receiving a lot of attacks. Mostly from friends and family members of people who have come to some understanding of the truth. I am used to such things, but now I see other people coming under attack too... because their spouse or loved ones are getting on to the truth. The worst attackers are the religious zealots (actually religious athiests) in the modern churches. They hate the truth with a passion.

Looks like we will need to go to the lake to get more water later today, but for now I am back to the pond to plan for rain someday!

Be in prayer for us,

Michael

Sabbath and the Lord's Day

8/13/06 - 1st Day - Lord's Day Morning. We had a wonderful Sabbath yesterday, very restful. We got pretty good milk from Ami (about 1/2 a quart) before she got a little restless and I decided to let her go. Looks like enough milk for a round of White Russians (we've decided to call them "White Texans" or "Texan Caucasians" because of the Longhorn milk. For breakfast Danielle and I went to the Line Shack in Santa Anna, then we went back to the cabin to relax and rest a bit. I have been reading in The Foxfire Book which has some great information on down home ways to do all sorts of things, like building cabins, skinning hogs, etc. I learn a lot from the way the old folks did things way back when. We hoped for rain all day, but it just clouded up and threatened but never did rain. It did cool way down in the evening, which was nice. We sat out and enjoyed the cool breezes and enjoyed the evening.

At 4:30 this morning I was up with Robert and Tracy with hope for more milk than yesterday. It went very well. At 5 a.m. Ami was standing at her post ready to be milked. She didn't move or kick at all, and was a perfect lady for the whole procedure. We got nearly a quart from her (twice as much as yesterday) which was really good. Today, we will sit down with the Siffords and have our first glass of cold Longhorn milk. Everybody thought I was crazy thinking I could milk a Longhorn, but I have to say that this is one of the most satisfying things I have done. Our neighbor friend Homer came by this morning during our singing time and he said, "Well, I suppose a Longhorn will milk like any other cow", but he got a laugh out of it. Later today, after the fellowship meal and the sermon, David and I are supposed to go over to Homer's to look at some tractor implement. I have to run now because Holga somehow got out of her halter and we have to go put it back on her. More later, Lord willing...

Michael

Not Me

8/11/06 - 6th Day - Evening. Well, the Sabbath will be here in 27 minutes and I can tell you that there is nothing I look forward to more right now than a Sabbath. I am as tired as I have been in a long, long time. It was near 104 degrees today and the heat has been relentless. Back up at 4:30 this morning to milk Ami. We still have never had a good milking day, so I was looking forward to this one. We locked Ami away from her calf over night and she was none too happy. She moo'd all night, and when we got there this morning she was ready for some food, but she still wasn't happy. We were basically out of sweet grains so I hoped that since she had a full udder I would get plenty of milk before she hit the bottom of the grain pale. Well, I had a few good sprays here and there. It was the first time I milked her with a full udder. She was quite put out but eating alright when Robert (my 7 year old son) says, "She's almost out of grain dad". Well, I know in her current situation that she will be upset when the grain runs out so I tell Tracy and Robert to throw some range cubes in there to see if that will keep her busy. She doesn't want range cubes, she wants her calf and now she is very upset about this, what with no sweet grains to sell out for. So I end up calling it quits and letting her go, despite the fact she has a full udder. As I clean up afterwards I look up and there is the calf, greedily sucking down my milk. Then I look into the grain bucket.. and despite the range cubes thrown on top, the sweet grains were still half full! GRRRR!!! Robert! Robert thought she was about done when we still had half a bucket of sweet grains, so he panicked and we blew it.

At around 9 am. we drove down to a farm about 20 miles south of Santa Anna where the some Agrarian ladies (from whom we get milk) have a farm. We looked at their beautiful horses, goats, etc., then one of the ladies took the children and Danielle on a ride on her little Amish-like two-seater buggy (of course they took turns). Then we picked up some milk and headed to the feed store to get some sweet grains.

By the time we got home it was the heat of the day. I watered the cows, did a little work outside, then headed inside to answer emails and do some writing. At 4 or so p.m. I got Tracy and the children and we went to milk Ami again. This time it went somewhat better. We got the most milk ever, though it still wasn't enough to make a White Russian. Maybe next time.

I have learned that I am not a very good farmer yet, and I am an even worse representative of Christianity, though I accept that some people look to me and expect me to model the things that I believe. I can tell you that I really, really believe them, and have the highest hopes for myself and my family, though in reality I see where I fail and fall short every day. I hope that no one is driven from the right worldview and life by my failures, or by ME. I know that what we believe is right, and I just hope that God lets people see things His way and they don't see just me. That is my prayer for this Sabbath.

Shabbat Shalom.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Milklessness

8/10/06 - 5th Day - Afternoon. Yesterday was hot. I don't know what the actual temperature was, but it was in the 100 vicinity with high humidity. We were able to keep it below 90 in the cabin while I was working. Mihai and Mark were working for a friend stretching barbed wire, so I spent most of the day answering email and doing some writing. Some friends came down from the metroplex around 8pm which was when it started to cool off. We had some fellowship, then sat down for a movie we rented (Inside Man) which had Denzel Washington in it. It was alright.

This morning, Ami didn't want to give up any milk. We got a little, but not enough to be getting up at 4:20 a.m. Eventually we are going to have to start keeping her calf from her during the night, or sometime during the day. It will be nice to have our own milk and butter from our own cows. We are still spending a horrendous amount of money on gas and ice.

We did receive a fairly large donation for the well, which brings us up to about 2/3 of where we need to be. I will call some well digging companies today to get prices.

It would be great to have the root cellar done before Ranchfest in October. Ranchfest is coming up soon, and I pray that we will have a good project to do during that time. Right now we are planning on putting up an office, but that could change based on funds and the amount of people coming down.

I am writing about Antichrist and dealing with a couple different controversies. It is hard when you are very, very sleepy. I have to stop going to bed after midnight and waking up early to milk.

MIchael

It's all about the process...

8/09/06 - 4th Day - Morning. Tired and very sore this morning. We have had company here pretty solidly over the last couple of weeks. Monday evening some folks stopped by to "check us out". Unhappily, they behaved abominably and we had to ban them from the property. Too bad people cannot act like respectful and honorable people when they are guests on other's property. The fellas and I left for Austin late Monday afternoon to go help a friend who is moving from their to Snyder in West Texas. Tuesday afternoon he got a big rental truck and we loaded up all of his household goods (he lives upstairs of course). It took about 4 hours in the heat, but we got it done. We drove back home and got here in time to do our regular 2nd day evening tradition. We went out to Hord's Creek Lake to swim and then went to the DQ for .99 handburgers. My email had stacked up, so I was up until midnight answering email.

Up at 4:30 this morning to milk Ami. We did a little better this morning, though we still didn't get much milk. It will get better as I learn what I am doing. With the moving and the swimming I am tired and very, very sore. Some donations came in while I was gone, so we are about 1/3 of the way to what we need to drill the well.

I have a lot of writing to do today, and we are still working in the root cellar. Some friends of ours are coming down for a visit today as well. Maybe more later...

Michael Bunker

Moisture

8/07/06 - 2nd Day - Morning. We finally received some rain yesterday. I would say somewhere less than 1/2 total, but it will help. The garden hadn't been watered in over a week. The prognosticators are saying we could have more rain today and tonight. Lord willling. We had company drive down yesterday from Ft. Worth for fellowship. Our Lord's Day goes like this:

10 a.m - Singing. Elder David has been adding songs to our homemade hymnals.

Noon - Fellowship Dinner. David and Susan had company as well. Susan's parents dropped in for a visit, so they missed a great dinner of smoked brisket, green beans, mac & cheese, homemade biscuits and chocolate chip cookies.

Usually we have a sermon on Sunday afternoon, but with all the company and possible rain, I decided to just pray for rain. At 7pm the first rain hit, and compared to what we have had all summer, it was a good one. This was the first measurable rain since June. We still cannot have had 6 inches of rain this year. The catchwater systems we added on the front and side of the cabin were working well. The front one works so well that we were having to bring in trash cans and Danielle was bailing from the main one into some auxilliary ones. We filled 2.5 30 gallon trashcans in just a few hours. We will haul most of that water to the cows this morning. I would say we received 120 gallons or so into our back catchwater (2500 gallon) tank.

This morning I decided not to go milk Ami. She has a calf on her, so it won't hurt to not do it, although I probably should have. It felt good to smell humidity in the air, and it was in the 70's in the cabin which felt good enough to stay in bed until 7pm. Breakfast this morning of bacon, farm fresh eggs, homemade biscuits and bran flakes with milk. We are expecting more company this morning. This place is getting to be like a tourist locale. I guess that is good. Folks are either interested in what we are doing, or.... they are interested in what we are up to.

Michael

Land of Milk

8/06/06 - 1st Day - On the Sabbath we were up again at 4:30 to try to train Ami so we can milk her. I got her into the corral all right, but when I went to tie her leg off so she wouldn't kick me, she threw a fit and we didn't get much done. Then she pooped while I was trying to get her leg tied off. I finally got it tied off and washed her udder. I figured that was far as we would get, so I fed her sweet grains and talked to her a bit, then let her go. We had a great sabbath. We took a "sabbath's day journey" to Santa Anna for breakfast at the Line Shack which is always a blessing. Then we walked down the main street (which is full of Texas themed shops, antique shops, etc.). We talked to the lady who owns The Santa Anna Store and got talking about Longhorns.

We are considering butchering Maria as soon as she weans our heifer calf (now named Pita). We talked to the lady about Maria's horns, and she sounded interested, so maybe we can find a market for the horns and hide.

The rest of the day was spent resting and reading. I was reading about making soap from both The Foxfire Book and from the Encyclopedia of Country Living. Then I read some in Volume 2 of John Gill's Tracts and Sermons.

Morning - This Lord's Day a.m. we were up at 4:30 again. The last two days both Tracy and Jennifer have gotten up for the morning show. Might as well get used to it. I got Ami separated off into the corral again without too much trouble, though Rosa always beats Ami down to the corral and all 4 cows with the two calves all came down this morning. Anyway, I got Ami tied off and tied off her back leg without a single kick! This could be a good day. Then I washed her udder, and she didn't protest one time. So far so good. Tracy handed me the milk pail and I went at it. Now, the problem is that I have never milked a cow before. I have read about it, but reading about a skill is not the same as doing it. So here I was with a calm and collected cow with a pail under her... what to do? Well, I started doing what the books said to do, and low and behold here came a thin stream of milk! Wow! So I did it again. Milk again. It ain't much, and it is not like they get on the TV shows, but it did make the ziiiippp sound in the pail that you expect. So I go at it a little while. I'm doing it one handed because I still have one hand on her back leg to help me know if she is going to kick. It doesn't seem she has an inkling to. I have my flashlight in my mouth and I'm milking away. Ok, so we didn't get much milk. My hand got tired, and it was hard work, but we got milk today and that is a great, great blessing. First milk on the land. We didn't even get enough for a bowl of cereal, but it was a beginning and now we will do it every morning until we start getting plenty of milk. It is always about the process, right? More later...

MB

Training Day

8/03/06 - 5th Day - 4:40 a.m. Time to train Ami. We're up this morning to begin the process of eventually milking Ami. She is not actually a milk cow, and she has lived her whole life as part of a large longhorn herd on some big properties. This "people" thing is new to her. A couple weeks ago we got a halter put on her, and we have walked her a few times with a lead attached to it. This morning we will bring her into the milking area, tie her up, give her some sweet grains and try to get her back legs tied off where she can't kick. If we accomplish that, then we will have succeeded. I want her to get used to coming in and going through the process, and used to liking it.

Let me say that our cabin temperature was at 88 degrees at midnight last night. Not much opportunity to sleep. At 4:30 the temp had dropped to 84. Neither Danielle or I got much sleep last night.

I got Tracy up (she's 13 now) and she starts what will be her normal morning ritual... heating some water to wash Ami's udder, and preparing for the milking. I filled up the bucket with sweet grains, cut off some sections of rope to tie off her back leg(s), and headed over to the corral. The cows are out in the pasture, and it is pitch dark. I put some range cubes in the bucket that I use to call the cows in. Walking out into the pasture in the dark was somewhat disconcerting. It is not only dark, but there are likely little cow "packages" placed about that you might step in. I rattled the bucket for a bit and shortly I could hear hoofbeats from up the hill as the cows galloped towards me. But I could not see them. I shined my flashlight up the hill and I saw four sets of eyes moving very rapidly towards me. And, I might add, that Longhorns have very large, sharp horns. I know how gentle they are, but it still can be frightening to see them charging at you.

Well, Ami got to me first and she followed me somewhat patiently back to the corral where we separated her from the herd. I gave her the bucket of grains and tied her off to one of the mesquite poles in the corral. I talked gently to her and scratched her back and sides to calm her. My goal was to get her feet tied off to a post so that she couldn't kick me...

WHACK!

Too late. Right in the kneecap. Good shot Ami. She got me good too. She didn't even pause from gulping down the sweet grains. She's going to take some work. So we spent a good 20 minutes letting her eat and scratching and petting her so that she knew we weren't up to no good. Not bad for a first morning... except for the bruise on my kneecap. I got back to the cabin and emailed out the text/notes for Galatians, part 6. Last nights sermon went well... I thought.

We went about 6 months without a flat tire, and we literally have had about 11 flats in two weeks. We had four flat tires in 3 days. So I finally threw in the towel and decided we needed to go to Abilene (they have a Sam's Club) and buy new tires. So we did. Mark, Mihai, Myself, Tracy and Sarah went to the big city and did some shopping. $120 dollars for two tires with mounting and "hauling fee" (though we kept the old tires?). $130 in groceries and supplies. $75.00 in gas to fill up the truck. Hmmmmm..... Got home and we had received about $300 in donations. We're not getting ahead in our desire to get a well, but we aren't going further behind either.

Our friend from Austin is going to stop by here in a bit. It is the 5th day and Danielle always does laundry on this day. I received a couple of emails from people who had read Galatians, part 6. Maybe it did some good. One more chapter to finish the commentary.

Burgers tonight when Danielle gets home from the laundry. Should be soon.

God Bless you all,

Michael

Study

8/02/06 - 4th Day - I had trouble getting out of bed this morning, so when Danielle told me at 7a.m. that she was starting on my eggs, I finally rolled into my boots. The guys (admirably) had been up and working a while. We went swimming last night, and although it is really good for me, I was really, really tired this morning. Today will be a day of study and work on my commentary.

I got to work on Galatians (chapter 5), part 6 again today. Only half of the chapter left to do, but it is the meat of the whole book. I have written and preached on the "Fruit of the Spirit" quite a bit, but this is my first handling of it in commentary form. I struggle. It's not that I am not motivated or inspired to write on these things, but I sometimes despair about it. I know that in the end it matters and is good for ME for me to do these commentaries, even if no one else cares or appreciates it, but I often wonder if it does any good at all, or if it is just a desire of my flesh. This chapter handles those questions quite well, so as I work through it, I feel better and more satisfied in my work.

I went to town around noon with Danielle and Robert to go to Tractor Supply to get some items we will need to attempt to start milking Ami this week. $80. My request for funds for the well (which is now a critical need) has mostly been either rejected or ignored. We have received four responses. Four. And we still have daily expenses and are way behind on many of our other obligations. We still owe close to $1000 to the doctor for Tracy's finger surgery. What to do? Mihai came to me and reported that the fish were dying in the shallow pond (what is left of it) and Danielle just came in to tell me that the green beans we are getting from the garden are "empty" (no beans in the shell) because of a lack of water. We have had to go to the lake 40 miles roundtrip 3 times in 24 hours for water. We cannot continue like this for long.

I finished the commentary at 5p.m. and the despair is back. We'll have supper then I will preach it once it cools down outside. Maybe that will help.

Michael

Hair Cuts and Flat Tires

8/01/06 - 3rd Day - Up with the sun. The fellas got started hunting down some good oaks to cut down for the root cellar, while I got started answering emails and doing some writing. I posted my Warning to Kinists at 9:30ish and expected some feed back on it, but as of yet (5pm) I have had none. An aunt of mine showed up today with her husband. They were on their way through the area and thought they would stop by. She despises me and hates everything we stand for, but she did want us to see pictures of her new fence and kitchen. She reminded us that she is a city girl and just LOVES the city and doesn't like the country at all, and SHAME ON ME for smoking cigars! I do like her husband a lot. That all went well enough, then we had to head out to check on mail and do some grocery shopping.

When I returned home it was already near 100 and slightly windy. The four of us (Myself, Mihai, Mark and Robert) got haircuts (Mihai does the buzzing) and then we went to the park for showers. On the way home we got two flats (not ONE, but TWO) on the van. So right now the fellas are in Coleman trying to get the flats fixed. We have had at least 10 flats in the last two weeks. Flat tires in the country are an interesting thing. We didn't have a single flat for about 7 months, and now we have had 10 in two weeks. We generally head out to the lake on Tuesdays at about this time to cool off with a swim, but we have to wait for tires for the van. But at least we got haircuts! and they were free!

I made a little bit of progress on Galatians, part 6 today, but still didn't finish it. Maybe tomorrow?

Michael