Focus on fall

Anyone that has any connection to Texas need not be told of how hot and dry the summer has been here and I will not delve into the subject here either. I prefer instead to look forward to the fall and start looking at what will happen when the temperature starts to fall and when the idea of water coming down from the sky wont be considered a religious event.
We have been living on the property since March and posts have been sparse for more reasons than I am willing to discuss. I will say that progress is being made and that things, on some days, look better now than they did when we moved in. Here is a short list of the things that we have done in the last few months.
-We started painting the exterior of the house. (the green and manilla scheme wasn't cutting it.) It is a wonder how a coat of paint can totally change the look of a thing.
-We cleared some trees in hopes of being able to start a fall garden. I tested the soil in the spring and found that the soil might as well be from the moon. Its got nothing in it that will help us grow foodstuffs.
-Goats have become part of the equation and are doing a fine job in poison ivy eradication. They are only two but when set to a task, they will decimate a grove of underbrush with a vengeance.
-We have been trying to supplement the soil in said fall garden so that if we get our act together, we will be able to actually grow something.
-Raking leaves and making the place look at least a little bit more civilized. Now this is where someone may say "Wait a minute, I thought you wanted to live harmoniously with nature and not try to make it be something it is not?" Very true but again, I am not alone here. The kids safety needs to be taken into account and besides, it is nice to visualize a small yard to be able to walk barefoot in without fear of briar thorns attacking.
-Painting the interior and continuing the trim out. Again, wow, what a difference a coat of paint and some trim makes. Whoever designs the schemes for mobile/modular home interiors needs to go to school and learn some basic design ideas. Yikes.
I am sure that there is much more that I have missed ( I know it feels like there should be more) but after a few dozen days over 100 and no rain to speak of, any activity that actually accomplishes something feels like more than it would ordinarily.
I am not too worried about the rain. Mother Nature has a way of equaling out any tip of the scales with a re-adjustment in due time. Unfortunately she also seems to adjust scales in single swoops rather than drawn out episodes. We shall see. Winter should be fun. It is Texas after all...

perks and gestures...

   There are perks to living in the country. Ask most people and they will readily give you a list of the things that they find advantageous about living away from the city. One of the more obvious ones would be the peace and quiet, (or at least the country version of it for there is a whole different slew of noises found in the rural that are lost in the city setting.) Some other ones may be clean air, the ability to see more than ten stars at night, or perhaps even the general sense of community that can be available in the country. One of the things that I myself have always enjoyed, even when younger and just visiting the country as a city-boy, is nothing but a small gesture. A little sign that means more than it at first may seem. I am referring to the quick two-fingers you lift from the steering wheel as a wave. An exchange with the driver of the vehicle you are about to drive past heading in the opposite direction. It is something that happens almost out of habit, just a friendly and quick ‘hey’ or ‘hello’ from another person passing by. Not everybody does it and it isn’t something to make a big deal of, but it is a nice show of civility in a crazy, sometimes hostile world where any gesture received by another driver can often be much less so. It may seem a bit silly but the two-finger wave is on my ever-growing list of advantages to living in the country.