On Sunday the 26th of May we left Dallas for Big Springs, TX. We stayed the night in a free camping spot a short bit off of the freeway. A woman named June and her friend, Bud, greeted us in the morning with coffee and pancakes. The two of them were super friendly. Bud, however, mentioned several times that he hated the places we were going to or coming from. He especially dislikes Tucson... And California... Hehehe.
Well we're now "stationed", if I may, in Red Hill, NM on 40 acres with a family of five. They hunt elk, antelope, and deer as well as go fishing. They also raise chickens and rabbits which they slaughter themselves. We eat very well here. Our first night we had bbq pork ribs, homemade baked beans, and mashed potatoes. Another night we had cornbread, more bbq pork (not ribs), asparagus, and fish that had been caught that day. Pretty awesome. I am glad to say that I haven't seen a slaughtering yet but I imagine I ought to see it at some point if I'm supposed to know how to do it...
The living quarters are completely off-the-grid. The family made up a trailer for us which is quite comfortable but Matt and I have already lived off-the-grid before and already know we'd rather be in a more established home of our own; we'd like to have power and running water. We're learning lots by being here: things we want to do when we have our own land and things we don't want to do. Taking care of the animals is entertaining and it's fun to do first thing before eating breakfast or even having tea. Things that we find not fun - living without wind break in a dusty environment, living where the sun burns you in a second, living where there's a bunch of items all over the place. It looks trashy, but it doesn't seem to bother the farmers. They hold on to everything and try to reuse it all which I commend, but I think the items are a major eye sore. A huge reason I'd like to live on land is to SEE the land and enjoy the beauty of it all.
Excited to get home to Sacramento. We're here in NM until June 18th, and then we head over to Tucson. Nothing farm-related happening there, just a fun family gathering. Lastly, (cue the snare drum roll, please!) we go home. Home, sweet home!!! I miss the weather, the friends and the family that await me. Kaya misses home too, I think. She could use to stay in one place again, although I don't think she's been harmed throughout the adventure. She's having a bit of a hard time now because she caught a cold in Dallas and at the same time has three, yes, THREE teeth about to come out all in a row. OY!!! Needless to say, this all could have happened back home. It would have been easier to handle in the comfort of our home in downtown Sacramento. We'll see what the next few weeks bring!
