by Elaine Thomas | Oct 16, 2020 | Family, Rural Life, Rural Texas
The delicious aroma of homegrown peanuts slowly roasting in the kitchen on a chilly afternoon transports Joyce Hanzelka and Beverly Freeman back in time. The Texas natives, one who still lives on a farm and the other now an urban dweller, recall treasured autumn...
by Elaine Thomas | Aug 31, 2020 | Rural Life
We can set our clock by David Heller of the Hallettsville (Texas) Livestock Commission. When this cattleman says he’ll arrive on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. to haul our livestock, count on it. As David turns off the main road onto the uneven surface of our lane, the gates...
by Elaine Thomas | Jul 17, 2020 | Rural Life
Shrill protests from the henhouse suddenly rocked the peace and quiet of the farm in the Alberta foothills. When the commotion occurred, Cecilia Taylor was peeling potatoes at the kitchen sink that late August morning. She squinted out the window in the direction of...
by Elaine Thomas | Mar 6, 2020 | Rural Life
Back in 2006, Hansl was in big trouble. The miniature donkey had broken out of his Fayette County, Texas, pasture once too often. His owner, who already had given the scallywag several second chances, was out of patience. Hansl had to go. ‘Go where?’ Hansl must...
by Elaine Thomas | Oct 3, 2018 | Rural Life, Rural Texas
You, too, can have organic pest control with surround sound. “Just how long do guineas live?” asked my husband, Emil, as we watched Wilda the Widow slip by the south side of the house on her way to check the grasshopper-free perimeter. At six years of age, Wilda was...
