The Battle of Butcher Holler

5/30/07 - 4th Day - After Breakfast. It had been a gloomy day, and rain threatened once again as it had consistently for months now; although for the first time in weeks the ground had dried up enough that you could walk on it without getting muddy. In fact, the intermittent sunshine over the few previous days had baked the mud in the pigpen hard. For weeks, the mud had reigned, and everywhere the hogs had stepped was now a hard-baked hole, and the entire surface of the pen looked like a chocolate cake beaten with a hammer. It was hardly a safe walking surface, even if you were carefully slow and cautious. We (those of us who were invested in the hogs) had arranged to meet at the pigpen at 7:30 to load up the three meat boars for the trip to the butcher. We figured meeting at 7:30 would give us 30 minutes to load up the pigs, and another thirty to get back to our families who were meeting and eating over at the Ante's house.

Our pigpens had been planned when as yet we didn't have any pigs on the land. One was made almost entirely of materials harvested from the land, and the second was more "modern", made out of plywood and landscape timbers. Both pens were surrounded by T-posts and goat fencing, and both pens had been designed with several old and gnarly mesquite trees left in them for "shade" (we all know how bad mesquite shade is). So the pens were not only treacherous from the dried up and hoof-pocked mud, but each had several large mesquite trees in its center with very low hanging branches. Each was also littered with sticks, rocks and roots that had been rooted up by the pigs. This, then, is the field for that memorable and horrible battle. 4 men. 3 hogs. 1 trailer. Easy work, right?

The enemy was muscled and wary. 3 hogs, each over 250 lbs. and smart as a whip. Not one of us men weighed as much, though I get pretty close in the wintertime. 2 hogs were in 1 pen (we'll call it Shiloh), and 1 lonely hog was in the other pen (Antietam).

We had our plan. The trailer had been brought over previously, backed up to the Shiloh gate which was left open, and left. We were told this would calm the pigs, get them used to the trailer. Shoot, we thought, maybe the pigs would even climb into the trailer on their own. We joked over dinner that the job would be easy because when we got to the pens, the pigs would already be in the trailer. Hmmm.... not.

Our plan - two men (myself and Logan Ante) would slowly and deliberately drive the porcine enemy towards the waiting trailer. One man (Elder David Sifford) would wait in the trailer to drive them towards the back and close the middle door so we could move the trailer and pick up the last hog. One man (Kelly Sustaire) would stand behind the gate and close it once the pigs were in the trailer. Easy.

The opening salvo of the battle was somewhat confusing. The pigs would dash into any corner of the pen at all, except the one with the gate and waiting trailer. Each time we drew near the hogs, they would squeal and run under the mesquite branches, and then cut back to the place where they started. It was clear that it was going to take more than two men to drive the hogs. Elder David was called out of the trailer to help us drive the hogs. Surely with Elder David brought up from reserve, we would drive the enemy from the field. Easy.

The ground was treacherous, and again, each time we would try to drive the hogs, they would do anything to keep from that one special corner of the pen. After about 15 minutes of diving over and under mesquite branches, through small gaps between the hog house and the trees, over rocks, sticks, mud bricks and poop - we were hot, sweaty, tired and unsuccessful. But I had an idea. We would follow the instructions. The pig books said to build a chute and use boards to drive the pigs into the chute, then block the entrance with plywood and just walk them into the trailer. Easy.

We send Logan and Kelly to go fetch some and long boards. David and I continued the old plan of trying to just scream and frighten the pigs into the trailer. Just in time, it started to rain. Perfect. And the mosquitoes descended. Nice. The boys returned with the wood and we fashioned a rudimentary chute. Logan and Kelly would stand behind the 2 foot chute wall to hold it up and keep it from collapsing. David and I would drive the hogs. Here we go again - round two of the battle.

On the very first time, we were successful... almost. Big-Boy, the largest of the hogs headed right down the chute. David and I blocked his retreat and beat him from behind (gently?) with sticks. Kelly looked on quizzically, then began swinging his stick too. I was concerned that he wasn't really aiming at anything, but I didn't say anything this time. The hog tried several times to retreat, then turned as if to bolt into the trailer. Logan leaned in to make sure the chute wall didn't collapse under the strain, and just at the last second... the 250 lb. hog jumped the 2 foot wall like a deer running from Elmer Fudd. Failure. Now Big-Boy fled to the opposite corner with the other hog (Little-Boy), they consulted and determined that they were absolutely NOT going into that trailer come hell or high water. The hogs came up with another plan...

DO NOT GO IN THE CHUTE - AT ALL.

For another 30 minutes or so we tried our best to get the hogs in the chute, to no avail. But at least it was still raining, and the ground was growing slick. I was getting battered and bruised, and we were all breathing heavily from the fight, when we had another idea. We needed a BIGGER chute. Our new chute would be bigger and longer and unavoidable, inescapable. It would be the TITANIC of pig chutes. David and Kelly retired to the rear to gather more plywood and several T-posts. The enemy laid down in the water trough, breathing heavily and slurping water. When the men got back, we added another 16 feet or so to the chute, raising the walls to 4 feet ("even Bambi/Big-Boy cannot jump over a 4 foot wall!", we chortled), and we included two of the most obtrusive mesquite trees in the bulwark. All we had to do now is to drive the hogs into the newer, better chute - and they would have to go right into the trailer. Easy.

The battle was now rejoined, and two of us chased the hogs with heavy sticks while one man stayed by the entry to the chute to keep them from missing it at the last second. A fourth man stayed up near the front to drive them into the trailer if they got that far, except - they were not going into the newer, better chute either. No way. They had their plan (don't go to the butcher) and they were sticking to it. It was clear that no matter how long we made the chute, they were not going to get into it. They made it clear that they would MUCH rather be beaten by sticks by three grown men, then walk peacefully and quietly down a chute into a nice comfortable trailer. We would start them running (yes, it is still raining and now growing dark), and they would get near the entrance to the chute, and then they would either turn around (risking a beating from whomever was chasing them with a stick), or they would dart to the left or the right under the mesquite branches and back to their home-base corner. I looked at my men, and I determined that no matter what happened, we were going to get those hogs to the butcher tomorrow. We needed them to have about 12 hours or so to calm down or the meat would be so full of adrenaline (not to mention bruises), that it would be uneatable. I told Logan, "You be the chaser. When you begin the charge, YELL THE FURIES! REBEL YELL BROTHER!". I encouraged David and Kelly to hold their ground, and to not let any hog get past them. Now - I must digress here. It is true that many of our men were city boys, unaccustomed to large, dangerous omnivores with sharp teeth who can run you clean over with no problem. I, however, played high school football in Odessa, Texas - and I was pretty sure that these pigs were not on steroids - and nor would they be likely to eye-gouge, or kidney punch. I also had been a bar bouncer for many years in my younger, crazier days. Being hit by a wild-eyed 250 pounder was not new to me, and held no mystery. Brother Kelly, however, was horrified. He and Elder David are musicians, and not battle wearied soldiers. They were game though, and neither planned on retreating... but I could read terror in Brother Kelly's eyes. I walked up to Kelly and said, "You mind this gap", indicating to a small gap between the end of the chute and a mesquite tree. "Put your body here and do not let any hog pass by". He nodded at me nervously. "Ok, brothers... we have a plan, and it will work. Everyone hold your ground and advance. No retreat, no defeat." Everyone grunted.

Well, the battle was rejoined. For 15 minutes or so, we tried again. Advance after advance was thwarted when the dogged enemy would turn back, or dart to the side, risking stick blows to avoid the chute. Then, a breakthrough. Big-boy headed down the chute and I followed closely with a piece of plywood to block his retreat. Kelly was behind me as we rushed in, and David and Logan moved in from beside the chute wall, and somehow David ended up perfectly down the chute but out of the way, to close the trailer door in case the hog went in. Just as it seemed that we had triumphed, the hog spun around and tried a retreat. I was game. I blocked his retreat with the plywood, and was reaching over and beating him with my stick. Kelly apparently picked up on my tactic and gamely began swinging violently with his stick too. Unhappily, though, he was beating me. After about three smacks from the stick (two which nicely drew blood) I turned to Kelly and said, "Kelly, you are hitting me with your stick". "Sorry", he replied and promptly stopped.

By this time, the hog realized he had us all outweighed, and he began to push between me and the fence, mangling it horribly as he finally and successfully passed by. Failure.

"Ok", I said regrouping. "That was close. We almost had him. We have to try harder, and we have to make sure we block his retreat". However, these were only words - in the very next advance Big-Boy again chose to shred my nice goat fence rather than go into the trailer.

"Ok boys, lets re-order things a bit. Logan you and David chase. Kelly block your gap, and I'll man the chute." We all sense that we are in a momentous battle. History is judging us. This battle will be remembered here on the land for years to come. We all glance at one another, resolute. We will prevail. Logan screams the furies and advances, swinging his sword (stick) in the air. Here they come. Time slows down, and dramatic music begins to play. Big-Boy breaks for the chute. He is not looking to the left or to the right this time, he is headed straight for the entrance to the chute. He is doing exactly as we planned! His head is down and he seems to have decided once and for all to go into the trailer. Just as he is about to gain entrance to the pig promised land, out of nowhere Kelly reaches over the first board and cracks Big-Boy across the face with a mesquite branch. Big-Boy stops. Spins. retreats. We all stop in shock, the meaning of this escaping us. "Hmmm... Kelly. We are...mmmmm... trying to get them INTO the chute. He was headed for the chute, and you hit him with a stick. I don't get it." Kelly shrugs... "Oh, sorry." He really is sorry. Let me say here that Kelly is not a Jesuit infiltrator. He was not pulling a Longstreet on us. He is no traitor. He was just confused as to the plan, and I can understand that. It was his first battle, and he was a bit shook up. Only minutes before he had beaten his preacher with a stick, and he was still shaken from that blunder. This mistake was totally understandable. We scratched our heads and regrouped again. Except now the hogs were doubly determined NOT to go in that chute. Big-Boy passes by Little-Boy and whispers... "If you make it to the chute, that man with the long red beard will crack you across the face."

The rain was starting to subside. We were all tired. I was beaten and bloody. "Let's try again", I said cheerfully.

I began the next charge. I screamed "Run pig! Run for it!" and advanced on the hogs. They broke towards the chute, and David and I were on their tails. I decided to go under a low hanging mesquite branch, while simultaneously David decided to go over it. David did not decide to "hurdle" it, but instead decided to "steeplechase" it, where you step on it as you go over it. This move successfully dropped the branch about 4 inches, just as I was ducking to run under it. Yes. Nice bang across the top of my newly shorn head.

Battered, we determine to never give up. The day has thus far gone against us. The light is fading, and the mosquitoes descend in even greater numbers. We hear the crickets and the frogs begin their long night's song. A breeze touches our brow as we take a deep breath and dig in for one more advance. I scream at the top of my lungs, "RUN PIG! RUN!." David joins in. Big-Boy heads towards the chute. He turns to retreat, but I block his retreat with my knees. He lunges for the gap, but Kelly blocks that escape route. David gets him to turn towards the trailer, and Logan lurches forward to man the chute wall. Big-Boy heads up the west fence-line (the one he has shredded), and seems to give up. He slows to a walk and exhales deeply. It is over. We close in behind him with the plywood to block any retreat... but Big-Boy is done. He doesn't have any fight left in him. He walks slowly into the trailer and we lock him in the front stall. Returning, we begin to work on Little-Boy, but he seems to have gotten the message from his captain. He too walks into the trailer. We move them both into the front stall and lock them in.

The battle against the last, un-named hog is anti-climactic. Seeing the other two fight so valiantly and for so long, he resigns himself to his fate. After a short struggle, he too joins his comrades. The Battle of Butcher Holler is over. We pull the trailer up to the drive and get them water for the night. The next day, they will go to the butcher. We all glance back at them with looks of respect, and then we head home. Night has fallen, and the battlefield is silent. A soft breeze blows.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

A Farrowing Shed for Pigs

5/28/07 - 2nd Day - Midday. Ok, so I have been working a bit about the ranch, and I wanted to share one of my projects with you. Here is my first attempt at a "farrowing shed" which is basically a piggy birthing center. It is a special housing shed in which the sow can have and keep her piglets. It is designed to aid her in feeding her litter without "overlay" which is a common event - when the sow lays down on some of her piglets and kills them. Without a farrowing shed, deaths by overlay can account for up to a 50% loss in piglets. I am building my farrowing shed from mostly reclaimed and used materials. I started with several large pallets. These are not the normal pallets, but are larger and were used for shipping water containers to a store in Coleman. Some of the ladies from the community got these for me for free. I started with three 6'5" X 6'5" pallets with the goal of building two of these farrowing sheds.


I broke down one of the pallets to use the boards to make the pallets "solid" so I can use them for the floors of the sheds. This was a much harder job than I first thought. First, the pallets are held together by twisty nails (half screw, half nail) and so pulling nails was a real chore. Second, the boards are nailed in kind of haphazardly, so the spacing between them is not uniform. This means in most cases I actually had to pull the boards on the "receiving" pallet as well, because the gaps were too big or too small. I also ended up custom cutting some of the boards to make them fit right.


I ended up with usable flooring pallets, and I screwed three 8' long landscape timbers (which are cheap, and often on sale for less than $2 each this time of year) to make a "skid". This will make the whole shed movable if it is necessary to move them.


I then began to frame up the shed using reclaimed lumber we salvaged from a neighbor who let us tear down an old house on his land. The rear of the shed is 4" high and the front is 5" high.


With the main framing finished, I began attaching 1 x 12 reclaimed boards (from the torn down building) as walls.


Here is the farrowing shed almost finished. I did use 3 pieces of thin plywood in the construction. 1 for the front (was running out of good used boards) and two for the roof. I also put in an old salvaged screen window to let the breeze in this summer when it will be very hot. I can cover this if the sow is farrowing in the winter, and I will probably put some old boards across the lower end to keep the piglets from tearing it up.


Here is the front view of the farrowing shed nearly finished.


In this pic you can see that I have added some rolled aluminum flashing as roofing (given to me by Logan Ante), and a catchwater system to catch water for the pigs.



Here you can see a view of the inside of the shed. There are two 2 x 6 boards attached a sloping angle to help the sow lay down while allowing the piglets to escape being overlayed and killed. After 96 hours, the piglets are big enough and fast enough to know that momma is about to lay down so get out of the way!


Here are two of the three pigs we currently are keeping on pasture. The one closest to the camera is Luella my sow. The other two sows we currently are keeping belong to others on the property. I will be keeping the Ante's sow during farrowing and up to weaning time. David will be picking up his sow this week when his farrowing shed is finished up on his land.


We sent our three boars to the butcher last week. I will relate to you the fantastical story of "The Battle of Butcher Holler" in my next post.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Hey Ya'll

05/24/07 - 5th Day - Haven't posted in awhile. I'm not on strike, and my ranch has not been invaded and I have not been held hostage by the Pope's strike teams. We've been very busy here at the ranch, getting some work done since the rains stopped for a couple weeks. As I speak, the rain is back, and we hope to get a few inches to replenish the gardens and the catchwaters.

Also, the fish finally started biting and we had our first fish fry last week, and will be having another one tonight (Lord Willing). I will post some pics tomorrow of the fish, and of our yearly day out at the Santa Anna, Texas Funtier Days festival. I nearly have my farrowing shed finished, and we will be preparing for the arrival of piglets in the next couple of weeks. Just a bit ago, we learned that we have another new calf. Our newest cow (Lucia) just calved today, and the calf seems to be doing fine. I'll let you know if it is a bull or a heifer as soon as I know.

Anyway, PEACE...

Michael Bunker

Terrifying News and Interesting Stuff

5/10/07 - 5th Day - After Breakfast. I have been doing some geneology research for a couple of different reasons. First, so I can help my children with history and their place in it, and second, as background research for a book I am writing. Anyway, I found out some terrifying news. I hope you all aren't as dramatically devastated as I am. You know how you might find out you have a genetic disease? Or how you might find out all the men in your ancestry die at a very young age from heart disease? Or how you might find out that your 6th great-grandfather is Benedict Arnold or some fairy from England who loved the Prince but who the King threw out a window? Well, I have worse news:
I wonder what that poof Scorebored will make of that? Apparently on my mother's side, some strange things happen. The good news (if any news can be considered good after that), I am also related to some other folks:

	JP MORGAN(1837-1913)
	American Banker John Piermont Morgan I was one of the wealthiest men at the beginning of the 20th century. A financier and banker, he arranged the merger for General Electric, and his bank today is known as Morgan Stanley.
	Relationship: 3rd Cousin 4 times removed

	JOHN PARKER (1729-1775)
	Revolutionary War Hero John Parker commanded the Massachusetts militia at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. He did so while suffering from Tuberculosis; he died shortly after this battle.
	Relationship: 5th Cousin 6 times removed

	WILLIAM WILLIAMS (1731-1811)
	Connecticut Representative William Williams, a merchant and politician from Connecticut, signed the Declaration of Independence. He was a Harvard graduate who studied theology.
	Relationship: 4th Cousin 8 times removed

	HUMPHREY BOGART (1899-1957)
	American Actor In 1999, the American Film Institute named Humphrey DeForest Bogart the "Greatest Male Star of All Time". Bogart played in such movies as "The Maltese Falcon", "The Big Sleep", "Casablanca", and "The Caine Mutiny".
	Relationship: 8th Cousin 2 times removed

	ISAAC NEWTON (1643-1727)
	Scientist, Mathematician Isaac Newton is regarded as one of the greatest scientists and mathematicians in history. He described 3 laws of motion that also govern the entire earth and the celestial bodies surrounding it.
	Relationship: 3rd Cousin 12 times removed

Also... B.F. Skinner, Shirley Temple, Edward Tilly (who signed the Mayflower Compact), "Billy" Bishop (WWI Flying Ace), Agatha Christie, Clark Gable, Aldous Huxley, Elizabeth Browning, Norman Rockwell, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and J.P. Morgan.

Speaking of Morgans, one of my most interesting relatives was an intrepid adventurer named Miles Morgan - one of the early Puritan colonizers of Springfield, Massachusetts who had emigrated to the New World from Bristol, England in 1636.


I am descended from Miles Morgan in this fashion:

Miles Morgan begat Nathaniel Morgan in 1671 by his second wife Elizabeth Bliss whom he had married 9 years after the death of his beloved Prudence Gilbert. Nathaniel begat Joseph Morgan in 1702 by Hannah Bird. Joseph Morgan begat Titus Morgan in 1740 by Mary Stebbins. Titus Morgan begat Julius Morgan in 1768 by Sarah Morgan (a descendant of Miles Morgan through his first wife Prudence Gilbert). Julius Morgan begat Edwin Morgan in 1833 by Azubah Day. Edwin Morgan begat Charles Morgan (the 1st) in 1855 by Lidia Watkins. The first Charles Almeron Morgan begat the second Charles Almeron Morgan in 1889 by Mary Clark. Charles Morgan and Mary Clark begat my grandmother Cora Mae Morgan in 1911 in Lowell, Massachusetts. Cora Morgan, who was born in Lowell, Massachusetts married my paternal grandfather Lionel Arthur Bunker and begat my father Rodney Bruce Bunker in 1943. Rodney Bunker and my mother Patricia Ann Somers begat me in 1967.

Miles Morgan came to the New World with two brothers, James and John Morgan. John Morgan, a "high-churchman", disliked the austerity of the Puritans and removed to Virginia. Miles signed on with Colonel William Pynchon and, even though he was only 20, became second-in-command of the group that located and started the town of Springfield, Massachusetts. What follows is a traditional story of Miles Morgan. I cannot cite the story, because, though it is repeated in several different histories, the actual citation is missing (spelling errors are left intact):

Morgan having taken possession of his land, and made some progress in improving it, began to fancy himself in want of a wife. The following curious account of his courtship and marraige is preserved - it would do very well for the partriarchial times - On his passage from England, he formed an acquaintance with a young woman who belonged to a family which on their arrival, settled at Beverly. To her he determined to make his addresses, which he did by letter, in wich (The old family seat is now occupied by Dr. Chauncey Brewer. It is very pleasantly situated on teh south side of Ferry Lane, about twenty rods from teh river. ) he proposed to her to become his wife and the sharer of his dubious fortunes in the wilderness. To his frank proposal she, with equal frankness (for coquetry was not then in fashion), wrote him an explicit answer; and informed him of her willingness to comply with his wishes. Her lover it seems was resolved to perform his part, in teh affair, like a man of business. On receiving the foregoing answer to his proposals, he engaged two of his friends and an Indian to attend him in his matrimonial expedition; and departed with all convenient speed with his retinue, taking with him an onld horse, which was to convey the furniture of teh inteded bride to her future habitation, and the musketes with whihc they might (on the power of faith in the Puritanic times) turn to fight the armies of the aliens who might molest them, in their pilgrimage to and from teh land of the people of the East. Prosperity attended the journey of our patriarchal ancestor, and the hymenual torch was kindled on his arrival. The matrimonial contract having been "ratified in due form", the old horse received his destined burden; the bridegroom and his companions shouldered their muskets; and thus escorted the bride to Springfield, who walked on foot the whole distance from Beverly to that place - that is about one hundred and twenty miles. Surely these were times when women had strength and were not too squirmish to do it. Female adn affeminate were perhaps not then words of synonimous meaning. By this marraige, Morgan had a numerous family of children.

I find this very interesting, since one of the main points on my sermon (part 3 of the Idolatry series) was that "female and effeminate" need not be synonymous.

Anyway... there are many stories of Miles Morgan to share, and I might do that in some form or another in the future, but I thought these things to be interesting. Maybe you did too?

Michael Bunker

More Rain and Snakes

05/09/07 - 4th Day - After Breakfast. Nice breakfast of potatoes, farm-fresh eggs, bacon, and heavy/healthy biscuits. We had another 3/4 inch of rain last night, to add to the 2 inches we received on the first and second day of the week. More expected today, as the prognosticators place our probability of rain at 90%. The environment around here could not be any more different than the drought year last year. Looks like a jungle outside with the weeds and plants blooming and taking off, and the birds and animals everywhere. Danielle caught a Sonoran Kingsnake yesterday. She was pregnant so Danielle put her back in her hole. Kingsnakes kill and eat rattlesnakes, so Kingsnakes are good to have on your property. Danielle has no fear of snakes, and has been bitten by snakes many times, including by a Kingsnake a few years ago. She doesn't mind. As long as she doesn't start picking up the rattlers. Susan saw a pretty good sized rattler up by their pond last week, but we weren't able to find it to kill it. Maybe the Kingsnake will find it.

Haven't been able to get into the garden, or to do any real work on the land due to the rain and mud. So looks like I won't be out there again for at least another couple of days. The prognosticators are calling for sunshine and beautiful weather over the weekend. We'll see.

Hope all is well with you all, and I'll update you on the ranch when I can get out there and check things out.

Michael Bunker

Kent Hovind No Hero

5/08/07 - 4th Day - After Breakfast. Hey Ya'll. Destined to make myself even more unpopular, I just finished an article I would like you to read:

Kent Hovind No Hero

There, I said it.

Michael Bunker

More rain and sermons coming...

5/07/07 - 2nd Day - Before Breakfast. We had probably another inch of rain last night, and it looks like at least that much more coming at us this morning. Everything is waterlogged, so most of the rain is running off. Our catchwaters are all full, so any more we get won't be caught or saved. We do thank God for the blessings, and for the fact that thus far he has preserved us from any damaging storms. We also are praying for those in Kansas who lost their homes to the tornadoes.

We had a very nice Lord's Day fellowship, with good singing and good food. We also finished the Idolatry sermon series. We had to divide part 3 into two parts since it was very long, to help with uploading. All 4 parts are now available for download or streaming:

Idolatry and the Feminization of Christianity, Part I

Idolatry and the Feminization of Christianity, Part II

Idolatry and the Feminization of Christianity, Part III(a)

Idolatry and the Feminization of Christianity, Part III(b)

Hope all is well with you all, and may God continue to bless you.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Michael Bunker

Swamped, but the Sun is Shining

5/03/07 - 4th Day - After Breakfast. Texas is swamped, but we're not complaining... and all the telephone lines are not down... because we don't have telephone lines (with apologies to Stevie Ray). There is an old saying that when it rains in other places, people get wet - but when it rains in Texas, people die. This is a true saying, and last night was no exception. Several people died as this storm blew through Texas yesterday. In addition to the heavy rains, there were winds measured over 80 mph (one weather blog said 100 mph) in different places around the state.

Things are not too bad here. Part of one wall of my outhouse caved in a bit, and I received a call from Logan after he returned home from the root cellar yesterday to bring him the trash pump because his land was nigh on flooded. The actions he had taken earlier in the day to protect the house had helped a lot, but his cistern hole was flooded and was overflowing around the house.

I had a few minor leaks in the entryway to the root cellar, but it wasn't much of a problem, and I had intended to rework the door and entryway anyway. The root cellar worked great, as we had 16 folks down there as the storm blew through. The two worst "cells" with hail and possible tornadoes had split right before they got here and one went south and one went north of us. We thank God that we were not flooded or hailed out. It is pretty muddy though, and we were supposed to take the hogs in to the processor today, but likely won't be able to do that because of the mud.

Hope all is well with you all, and I'll try to post some pics today or tomorrow.

Michael Bunker

Texas Weather Ramblings

5/02/07 - 4th Day - After Lunch.


In Texas you become an amateur meteorologist this time of year. Because something like this could be coming at you every few days, and sometimes several times a day. The inverted purple triangle either means that there is a tornado vortex being picked up by the computer, or an angry lesbian is heading our way. This vortex has been showing up for at least a half an hour. The blue dot east of Coleman is me. This pic is from 1 p.m.

We received over 2 inches on Sunday and Monday, and should get some more rain today (as you might be able to tell). No complaints, we can use it. Hopefully we aren't going to have to go down into the root cellar this evening. More "stuff" could be coming our way later in the afternoon and tonight too.

I have to say, the ability to track and study weather is one of the good things about the internet. I see the power and the mercy of God in the weather all of the time. After a year of drought, every drop of rain is mercy for us.

I might update y'all more later today.

Michael Bunker

Good Rain

5/01/07 - 3rd Day - After Breakfast. More rain, and I ain't complainin'. I went through the drought and won't forget it. We're probably between 2.5 and 3 inches since Sunday night, and more expected before Thursday. For the first time we maxed out our water storage. Our large catchwater tank is topped off and all of our smaller ones are full as well. I am still working on a new, larger catchwater system, but it is great to see that what storage we do have is maxed out. The pond is also full and overflowing the dam again. I'll have to work on that soon.

I know that I haven't sent out an update email in awhile. I've been thinking about what all I want to say. Anyway, I'll try to get one out today or tomorrow. If you aren't on my private friendslist, then you do not receive my emails. You have to request to be on it, and I don't put everyone who asks on the list. Sorry. That's just what it is. I'm not in to big email lists.

Here is my snail mail contact info:

M. Bunker
1251 CR 132
Santa Anna, Tx 76878

Here is my email address:

editor(at)lazarusunbound(dot)com

Peace,

Michael Bunker