Deb Dahlberg Rowland

When I opened up the Sky Realty BASTROP office last year the previous tenant had a list of items they were selling and one of them was a 4' x 8' lighted arrow sign with a big box of numbers and letters. With the office just off of Highway 71 West (between Bastrop and Smithville ) I could not resist the purchase. The sign wasn't new by any means but it was in good shape and for the money I was pretty sure it was worth the investment.

I have had lots of fun with the sign creating ads for the new office listings as they come on board. I try to make the messages fun and informative but in a catchy way. I have also enjoyed connecting with the local community as well as with commuter traffic in other ways too. I always always post a greeting for appropriate holidays as they roll around but also try to give some "board time" to community yard sales, and fundraising events too.

This last year our county had a pretty devastating forest/grass fire and I used the sign to notify residents in the area of the status of the fire as well as using it as a great big "thank you" to all of the fire fighters who worked so hard to put the fire out. And during the dought over the summer I asked for jpeople who drove by and read the sign to honk and pray for rain. Can't tell you how many times a day I heard honks, and maybe those prayers were answered....as we got some rain over the course of the last few weeks!

This sign has help me establish a "presence" as a Bastrop Realtor since last November. I can't tell you how many people I meet when I am out and about who comment on the sign and the messages. They say ..."oh you are in that cute little office with the arrow sign on the Highway right?" And much to my delight they tell me that they check the sign on a pretty regular basis to see what I have to say. The office location on the highway is a good thing to begin with, but I seriously think that the sign has also helped to increase walk in traffic too! So like I said I think that the $200 spent was worth every penny.

This 4th of July we went to our friends home in Round Rock TX to watch the parade from the front yard of their beautiful vintage home. The parade was wonderful with lots of colorful floats, bands on trailers, horses, and even a group of people riding their longhorns! It was the epitome of small town American with a pure Central Texas feel. What a perfect day. Of course there was tons of food including frito pie, hot dogs, chili and more cakes and cookies than someone with a sweet tooth could dream of! But my favorite dish was the Zucchini salad. It w had just the right sweet and tangy flavor mix but the key was the crisp veggies. I asked for the receipe and am going to share it with you all.

12 medum zucchini thinly sliced,

1 bell pepper (red, green orange or yellow ) finely chopped

3 stalks celery chopped

1 medum to large purple onion sliced thinly

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vinegar

1tsp salt

Place zucchini, pepper and celery in bowl. Cover with boiling water for five minutes. Drain. Add onion slices. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil then cool. Cover zucchini mixture with liquid then gently stir. Let cool in refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Use chopped parsley as garnish if desired before serving.

It was in the 100's on the 4th and this salad was as cool and tasty as all get out! Perfect for any outdoor get together or with your favorite grilled main course!

Enjoy!

Deb Dahlberg Rowland- a Realtor in Bastrop Texas

We are so excited that Bastrop is getting a new Bark Park! If you are a dog owner/lover you know how awesome a dog park is! It took me a long time to understand why dogs don't fight at a dog park...and that is because the park does not belong to any one dog! They are all a bit out of their element there and they can bring down their defensive barriers and just socialize! Now I am no dog expert, and I do believe that your first visit to a dog park with your doggie should be handled with some caution on your part at least until you are sure of how your dog will react. Our Bark Park will be located on a one acre near the police station on Grady Tuck just off Hwy 71 near the Tractor Supply store.

I am a horse owner/breeder and I live in down on the Colorado River in Bastrop County Texas between Bastrop and Smithville. Normally I bale my own hay as a share crop and I put up my one third to feed my horses, but with our recent drought I have not been able to cut any hay for the last year. With any luck and a little more rain that may change and my fingers are crossed! In the meantime I have had to dry feed my horse stock and this last winter that was a bit of a challenge as I was not alone, all the local stock owners were doing the same thing and quality hay was scarce.

Although we are still in a drought status areas of Bastrop and surrounding counties have gotten some much needed rain and there are local hay growers who have begun to bale their first cutting. I got a really nice shipment of coastal hay delivered to my ranch by Bastrop Feeds but there wasn't really a significant drop in the per bale price ( at least not yet...) as I paid $8.50 a bale. I know that I am paying a little extra for convenience as they know the routine and I just pop in or order by phone or credit card and they bring the order out within one day and unload and stack it in my barn.

But there are other options. Discount Feeds on Chestnut in Bastrop also has both grass hay and alfalfa and now we are beginning to see ads pop up in the Texas Express for hay for sale. Most of the feed stores have minimum orders for feed delivery, Bastrop Feeds charged me a flat fee based on number of items being delivered, but be sure you ask at the time you order what the fee will be. Some of the ads that are publishing also have minimum bale orders for delivery, some are pick up, and some are even out of the field pricing.

Also there is a two hay men who are setting up in front of Tractor Supply in the parking lot that have some nice hay. I have been buying my Alfalfa from one of them which runs me around $20.00 per bale (big bale) which has been coming from the Yuma area of Arizona. Both of these vendors would consider delivery to local barns with minimum orders and both are priced pretty competitively. I have been told that Bastrop Feeds is scheduled to get a shipment of Alfalfa in from Colorado some time this month which should be super nice.

Not only am I a horse woman I am also a Realtor specializing in Farm and Ranch and horse properties in Bastrop and other counties here in Central Texas between Austin, San Antonio and Houston. If you are looking for a dedicated Realtor, be it Buying or Selling, please contact me. I would love to help you.

Over the last year I have been working with a wonderful woman, Donna Otabachian, Ph.D., who is the Director of Ranch Good Days, a program that has developed to meet the needs of unwanted, overlooked, and at risk girls from the ages of 13-21.

This program is similar to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch with the focus to provide young women with individualized learning through meaningful development and experiences.

Donna's Ranch Good Day program helps the girls achieve life long skills as well as build holistic values through mind, spirit, and character development. Donna has a Masters in Psychology and a Doctorate in Educational Administration.

Part of the Ranch Good Day's program utilizes Equine Assisted Therapy where the young women who have been disconnected emotionally learn vital lessons about nurturing and responsibility working with brood mares, watching and working with the horses as they go from conception to birth and beyond with the mares and foals.

The Ranch Good Days program survives on government grants and private donations and Donna is working on Federal funding and partnered to support Women of Indigenous Cultures.

Ranch Good Days has moved from Colorado to Texas and has set up temporarily at a friend and supporter's ranch in Williamson County and hopes to purchase a ranch that will support the projects and programs, as well as targeted growth, in the future somewhere near Florence which is just north of Georgetown/Austin.

I am privledged to be working with Donna and her girls, and look forward to locating the perfect ranch for them as well as becoming more involved in the fund raising that is necessary to keep the Ranch Good Days program in place, to help the girls currently in the program as well as girls that will need Ranch Good Days in the future! If you would like more information on how you might be able to help please feel free to contact either me or Donna directly.