We are IN the Country!

 We were up and at 'em Saturday morning with the truck already loaded on Friday night.

It was a little after 11:00 when we left and stopped on the other side of Dallas for lunch.

We  spied a Luby's cafeteria and that sounded perfect to both if us.

As we sat there  eating, I told Louis Dean, "We are really 'old' people now!"

He thought that was funny!

We went to HEB in Bellmead to pick up milk, bread, eggs and wine.

We brought most of our food from home and it was enough to pretty much stock up the fridge!

Louis Dean was disappointed to find that his tiller was NOT down here and remembered he had taken it home - and now he remembers exactly where it is.

He did see that his chain saw was here and he was out there cutting up firewood in no time.

There was a slight chill in the air and it was a perfect evening for our first campfire.

He is a happy camper!

We were in bed by 8:00 and slept like babies - not getting up until 10:00!

We sleep so well here!

I forgot that I didn't have a coffee pot here so Louis Dean gave me his to use while he made Creek Coffee! Bless his heart! It's hard enough for him to wake up and push the start button on a pot already prepared the night before. Did he really want to stumble around making creek coffee every morning that we are here?

Dean came down and finished up the repair on the shower while Sherry and I went to Waco for lunch and errands. Lots of restaurants were closed due to New Year's Eve.

We settled on Chuy's and it hit the spot!

We went to bed even earlier that night and the New Year came in silently while we slept.

I did get up around 1:30 in the morning to go out and watch the stars.

I brought all my new books for the new year....a new 2024 Diary and a devotional by Sarah Young.

New Year's Day was a quiet one here.

I whacked up some denim while Louis Dean puttered in the bathroom putting the wall back to rights after the repairs. He made an 'inspection' door so it will be easier if they need to do any repairs in the future.

It's cold in the mornings but not terribly so.

Still a comfy warm quilt feels good.

This one was made by my niece Leah.

I've spent the last couple of days tidying up the front room.

Our corner where we sit with coffee in the mornings, tea in the afternoons and wine in the evenings.

Across for where we sit is where I keep my art supplies, canvases and oils.

Sherry gave us the fridge several years ago and it makes it so nice to be able to store more than in a tiny beverage one. We have two of those!

The camper has one entrance but in case of an emergency - the girl bunk and the bedroom has windows large enough to escape through.

I love the tiny electric heater.

Louis Dean built this coffee bar for us and the curtains hide the trash cans and storage area.

I did buy a brand new coffee pot for me on NY Eve at the Goodwill for $6.

You could call this space my 'kitchen.'

I have a hot plate, crock pots, electric skillet and griddle, a microwave and toaster plus an induction cooktop.

We hung insulated curtains to keep the bathroom warm.

That's where the Dearborn heater is and once it's warm in there we open the curtains so it will take the chill off the front room.

After I finished taking these photos, I heard something up on the camper roof.

Wonder what she's doing up there??

There's always something interesting to see here at the ranch!

Next I noticed the horses were up here.....

.....then here came the goats!

These are miniature goats.

Much cuter than regular ones.

They all have names but I remember this one - Half and Half!

Wish I had a pic from the side!

he last critter to come up to see us today was Tarzan.

He is brother to our Samantha and Tabitha.

Oops, I forgot to mention that Rufus has been up several times knowing there would be treats for him.

I took a late afternoon nap in the girl bunk and woke up to the cozy sound of rain.

We  do not get reception here but the TV does have a built in VCR.

Louis Dean chose tonight's movie - I brought a big bag of western DVDs for him to choose from.

Tomorrow is my turn!

And I am really grateful for that!