Tammy and I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and we liked the quaintness of such a large city. However, that has changed over the last 5 years. Recent U.S. Census Bureau reports show that Fort Worth is the second fastest growing city in the US. Homes were being built in our area at a rapid pace and they were compressed into a very small footprint. Our previous home was exactly 10 feet from our neighbors' homes on each side. We dreamed of buying land to have space and an opportunity to grow and raise our own food.

With that in mind, we purchased land in Blum, Texas in September of last year. Most of our family and friends have never heard of Blum. We hadn't heard of it either until our daughter was married at an outdoor wedding venue there. We never considered buying land in that area. Mainly, because my work location was nowhere near Blum. The drive would have been an hour and a half each way assuming I didn't encounter traffic. Recent changes in my employer's policies have allowed us to buy the land we have dreamed about and it is very beautiful.

We have plans to build a home that we can enjoy during our retirement years. We aren't quite ready for retirement but we didn't want to wait until that time to begin our journey. This home will be much smaller than our previous home. Our children are grown and we no longer need the space. We have other big plans for the ranch. We will soon begin building a pond. The pond will be approximately 1 acre and we plan to stock it with catfish and bass.  All of our children enjoy the outdoors but our son who still in our home really enjoys fishing. We have selected a location behind the house so we can sit on the back porch and enjoy the view of the pond and all of the wildlife in the area.

We are also building a shop on the property. Woodworking is my hobby and the shop will provide the space I need. I will be posting pictures in the future of items I make for the house. My web site (www.makeyourmarkwoodworks.com) will be up soon and will be filled with project photos, how-to articles, and videos. Check it out.

Most of our land is covered with trees like the picture above. However, there is enough open land for Tammy to enjoy the ranch/farm life. She plans to raise chickens, both egg-laying and meat, goats, cattle and she plans to have a raised-bed garden. Like I said above, we are both from the city. Neither of us has experienced a life of raising animals or growing our own food. It will definitely be a learning experience but we are up for the challenge. Homesteading is not an easy task be we feel it will be very rewarding once we master it.

We want to thank you for stopping by and hope you come back for more updates.