About Robertson County, TX

I had done an earlier post about how we had finally decided to put in a water well on our home place here in RobertsonCounty. Well they finally completed the well this week and it went 475 feet deep. We put an over-sized pump on it and it really pushes the water through!Hopefully this will help in watering all the gardens and grass and save a few bucks on buying city water. In this economy every cent counts. We haven't tested the water for bacteria but will. If safe we may connect to the home itself. If you are considering a water well be prepared to spend between 7 and 14 thousand. Our original plans were for a Windmill ...but the costs were absurd. Maybe another day we will re visit that.

www.treythurmond.com

Our local weatherman has not been real accurate lately in predicting rainfall where we live lately. We really need the wet badly too. So we have reverted to a more primitive predictor that resides just outside our kitchen window. She is much prettier than our regular weather person and a heck of a lot more accurate in predicting rainfall. As a matter of fact she is 100% so far this summer predicting two thunderstorms within two weeks! That is good enough for me to now trust her. Her name is Purple Sage! And boy is she pretty!

They say that sage will bloom in advance of a rainstorm and I am now a believer, as I have personally seen her just bloom prolifically right on time a day or two before the only two showers we have had in months. Sage is a low maintenace colorful addition to any garden and does well in low rainfall conditions. Honey bees love it!

www.treythurmond.com for all your real estate needs in Robertson and Brazos counties!

The last " real Aunt Jemima" is buried near our home in Robertson County. Rosie Lee Moore Hall was her name, and she is buried in the Hammond Colony Cemetary near the Black Jack community just a few miles from Hearne Texas. Rosie was just one of several individuals that played the part of Aunt Jemima for the Quaker Oats Company. Many of us can recall her smiling face in the morning, on a box of delicious pancakes.

Interested in more? go read at : http://www.rtis.com/reg/hearne/HearneAuntJemima.htm

We have been waiting almost 6 months to get our water well started. The decision was made to put in a water well even though we have a community water system here where we live. But as my recent water bill indicated it is now too expensive to keep things alive in our yard so we hope this investment will eventually pay for itself. Somehow I have it in my mind that it would be nice to eventually put in a vineyard and that action will require some substantial water for sure. Nevertheless we are truly excited about this event coming to fruition. Hopefully the plants and animals will enjoy the non-chlorinated water. If we ever decide to drink it we could always add purification.

The job is a little messier than we imagined but I am sure it is all a necessary part of the well drilling process.

Have a prosperous week!

Trey

Over the last 20 or 30 years we have seen a large migration of homeowners in our area to a more rural environment. In fact in 2008 more permits for new electric meters were issued in the rural areas around Bryan, Texas than within the corporate city limits. So why have so many been drawn to the " country life" ?

Probably they have migrated to the country for a number of reasons including : Fresh Air , Wildlife, More space, lifestock, 4-H or FFA projects . Whatever a family or individuals reasons may be, one thing is certain. If they have never lived in a rural setting..... there are many surprises they may not have planned for.

One of these surprises includes what I call KUNTRY KRITTERS! And let me tell you there are many.

Armadillos...The nemesis of all that love a beautiful yard area. They love to dig up everything from turf to trees. After a good night of "Plowing" ..... your yard can resemble a Viet Nam era minefield with potholes everywhere. Have you ever dined on Dillo on the half-shell? Well me neither but I have had a few that I would love to throw in an oven after twisting an ankle several times in their holes!

Gophers And Moles.....Remember the movie " Caddy Shack" ? Yes, gophers are my arch rival for yard space! I am certain the ones that roam under my yard know who I am and where I am. Seems like I am always one step behind them. Once I actually observed a 30 inch tomato bush being pulled underground and tried to play tug-O-war with the demon. He won!

Raccoons, Opossums, and Skunks all love to gorge on cat and dog food. In fact our cats treat them like family! We have observed both possums and coons dining side by side with their feline mammalian cousins. Thank God the skunks have passed up the dinner date so far.

Coyotes and Feral Hogs will both eat any and everything. Coyotes love to dine on small dogs and cats. We believe one of our favorite cats did fall prey. I am certain a boar feral hog would eat a kitten also and not blink an eye. They also love to tear up a pasture. Some times it is hard to tell if it was a tractor that spent the night working a field or a herd of swine. The feral hogs also carry many bad diseases and breed like rats.

Deer know no boundaries. They would just as soon dine on pansies as acorns. And when a drought season hits.... they would move in the house with you if they could.

Now please don't take me wrong. We will probably be in our country home until they carry us off in an ambulance. We love all the animal life including all the fore mentioned Kuntry Kritters. My wife actually made me rescue a shrieking mole from one of our cats this week and I carried him off into the pasture and released him. Just wanted to forewarn those that had no idea , about the ''animal friends" they will make when relocating to a country home.

Have a Prosperous Week!