The most important thing to consider is finding varieties that are suited to your climate.  The National Gardening Association has a great map of the United States with the different zones clearly laid out.  Locating your zone should be simple enough; you just type in your zip code.  Memorize it so that while you are flipping through seed catalogs or perusing the labels on trees for sale you order the appropriate plants with confidence.  If you are like me, you don’t want to waste your money and time with the wrong varieties.

My husband might love coconut, but we don’t exactly live in a tropical paradise.  My mom sent him a coconut tree from Hawaii and he planted it in a huge pot.  It grew slowly, and was doing alright during the summer.  He forgot to bring it in during the night one evening during the early fall.  The cold night air zapped it and it died.  Luckily, we did not have any money tied up in this project.  It was more an experiment than anything else, but lesson learned.

This might seem silly, but it is still an important part of the process.  Pick varieties that your family likes to eat.  If you hate the seeds in berries, don’t plant raspberries or blackberries.  If you hate your yard littered with nuts and hulls, don’t plant pecan trees in your yard.  You want to be blessed with fruit and/or nuts, not cursed by them.

Do some research.  Does your fruit tree self-pollinate?  Or, does it need another tree or another variety with which to pollinate?  You don’t want to have a beautiful tree that cannot bear any fruit.  Years ago, I planted a pear tree knowing that my neighbors had several just across the dirt road.  Therefore I am able to have pears with only one tree in my yard.

Plant according to the directions that come with the plant/tree/vine.  Most trees need to be staked until they grow strong enough to withstand the winds.  Vines like grapes or berries will need a support on which to grow.  A strong perimeter fence does nicely for berries.  I find the fruit is much easier to pick when grown on a fence or support than left to spread out over the ground.

Our climate does well for pears, some varieties of apples, limes, some oranges, berries, grapes, plums, some peaches, and plums.  Of these, grapes, dewberries, and blackberries grow rampant in the wild.  They are very hearty, as are pears.  Pear trees are usually the only remnant left from an old homestead.  The family left long ago and the house might even be gone, but the pear tree still bears fruit.  Therefore, I would recommend any of these hearty fruit vines/trees to the beginner.  In my opinion, the peach is the most finicky.  I just don’t know anyone that has had a great success with peaches in my area.

So, are you ready to realize your dream of raising your own fruit or nuts?  Now is the time.  Let me know what you are planting and/or what you already have established on your place.

Kyla, Isaac, Andrew, and Jake at the Houston Zoo.

With a family of seven, my husband and I always look for the most economical ways to entertain our family.  We especially like to find ways to mix our pleasure with education if possible.  Outings that are considered less expensive by most turn out to be expensive when you are multiply it by seven or more.  So, we have learned to take advantage of free days.

Sometimes it involves waiting.  You might not be able to spontaneously go on a trip, but you will usually have plenty of time to plan your outing.  For us, the cost benefit is worth learning to be patient.  I guess you could argue that learning to be patient is character training in progress.

We live close enough to Houston that a day trip is all that it takes to take advantage of the many free days offered by this large city.  Most recently, we took the family to the Houston Zoo in honor of Isaac’s fifth birthday.  The zoo normally charges $8.00 a child between the ages of 2-11.  And, they collect $12.00 a person 12-64.  For our family, we would have been charged $72.00 just to enter the zoo.

Instead, we waited for the first Tuesday of the month to arrive.  It just so happened to be very close to Isaac’s actual birthday.  At 2:00 p.m., the zoo begins allowing people to enter its grounds for free.  You might think 2 o’clock is too late to enjoy the zoo, but it is not.  It stays open until 7:oo p.m.

It is such a large zoo that we were exhausted from walking the grounds.  We had seen everything we wanted to see.  Isaac and Andrew had a ball on their first trip to the zoo.  In fact on the way home, Andrew said, “Mom, promise me that we can go back to the zoo again.”

Kyla is feeding a giraffe.

We had taken numerous photographs.  Jake purchased romaine lettuce leaves with which to feed the giraffes. The privilege to feed them cost Jake three dollars.  He generously allowed his younger brothers and sister a chance to feed them.  We drank water from the fountains.  When we do it again, I will bring our own water bottles.  Besides the cost of gas to get to the zoo, it was a very inexpensive, but very enjoyable outing for our family.

Houston offers many free days to its Museum District.  For example, you can get free general admission to the Museum of Natural Science on every Tuesday after 2 o’clock.  The Holocaust Museum is always free.  If you live in the Houston area, check out this site for all the free admission days to their numerous facilities.

Houston is not the only city to offer free days.  Check out your local area for information.  Even the cities of College Station and Bryan offer free days and events.  Take advantage of these free days to enrich your home school, to enrich your families, to have fun with one another, and to do it in the most economical way possible.  In my opinion, it is definitely worth the wait.

My family and I drink raw milk. (Well, we did before starting the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.) We look forward to introducing it back into our diets after six more months. I make all of our dairy products from our raw goat milk. We have friends that make their living with a family-owned dairy, which is certified to sell raw milk by the state of Texas. Even then, the state heavily restricts how and where they can sell their products.

If you immediately think that pasteurized milk is the only safe option for milk, then I highly recommend reading Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing Traditions, and/or looking into the  Weston A. Price Foundation.  Regardless of what you choose to do as a family, I hope that you will visit the White House’s website and consider signing the petition.  I think that all families should have the right to chose to drink raw or pasteurized milk.  Right now for many families who do not milk their own cows or goats, they only have the latter option legally available.

I am in charge of marketing and customer relations.  A few weeks ago, I received an email from Dr. Ward Bond.  He is a nutritionist and television host.  He currently has two different programs on air.  One is called Nutritional Living and the other is a brand-new show called Think Natural.

When he contacted me, Think Natural had not aired.  He was in the process of filming several shows, and Dr. Bond was interested in doing a show on grass fed beef.  He arranged to come out to Cross Creek Cattle Company with a small camera crew in order to interview my dad and me.

I was excited and nervous at the same time.  Dr. Ward is a very nice man.  He not only shared with us some exciting and interesting stories about his trip to Chile, but he is very knowledgeable about nutrition.  I enjoyed talking to him off-air about the evils of soy, gluten-free cooking, and our new diet adventure into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

On camera, I spoke to Dr. Ward mainly about the health benefits of eating grass fed beef.  We gave him and his small crew a tour around the ranch.  Then we fed them lunch.  We served hamburgers and salad.  The former were made with grass fed beef, of course.

The episode that we are proud to be a part of airs tomorrow on ABC’s Live Well Network at 11:00 a.m. CST.  It is easy to see if you live in the Houston area.  Check your listings to see if you get the network and/or on which channel.  For me with a rooftop antennae, LWN is on channel 13.2 and 13.3.

If you are not able to get the Live Well Network or live in another part of the country, then I am going to post the interview on the ranch’s website.  You can also see it on Dr. Bond’s site as well.

It is a little nerve-wracking telling people to watch your interview on television when you have not seen it yourself.  I have no idea how I sound or look, but I decided to take the chance and let people know about it.

The Maske Family Home

I want to share an amazing story with you today.  When the Dyer Mill Wildfire was raging in Grimes County, my family was concerned for our safety as the fire came as close as four miles from our land.  However, one of our biggest concerns was for the safety of the firefighters and families directly affected by the fire.  We kept them in our prayers, especially the Maske family.

Marjorie Maske is a dear friend of mine.  We are like-minded in many ways.  We both educate our children at home.  Her family has also had issues with wheat.  I seek her advice for a variety of things, and I hope that I in turn encourage her.  With her husband, Craig, they chose to settle in Grimes County less than a decade ago.  The Maskes live very close to where the fire originated.

As my family raced to see where the fire was on Father’s Day with clouds of black smoke filling the sky, I called Marjorie.  Her son answered and informed me that they had already evacuated.  He asked for prayers, and I promised that we would.  For days, we worried about them specifically, even though Marjorie announced on Facebook that her home was still standing.

What is left of a riding lawn mower and a tractor.

I called her weeks later to make sure that everything was still fine.  There is always a chance that a house will smolder unknowingly and then crumble later.  During this phone conversation, I learned her story, which as I listened to it gave me goose bumps.  I hope that you too are uplifted by her personal account.

Marjorie was relaxing in her family’s above-ground pool on Father’s Day afternoon.  Her husband noticed a hint of smoke in the air.  They called to report an apparent fire.  Then they were alarmed when ash began falling to the ground.

Marjorie ran inside grabbing two boxes on her way.  She told the kids to pack an overnight bag and what was important to them.  Their three children gathered the photo albums, grabbed the external hard drive, and pictures painted by their great-grandmother.  Time did allow for them to grab a few family quilts as well, but nothing else.   Within half an hour, the entire family, including their dogs, jumped in the car.

As they pulled out of their driveway, the sound of a jet engine was deafening, the sky all around was orange, as a wall of fire approached their home.  Flames were leaping into the air, smoke was billowing, and it was all 30 feet from their house.  They left assuming that all was lost.  Firefighters also assumed their property was a loss as they passed it to try and save the next home.

The backyard. You can see how the fire wrapped around the house.

The Maskes did lose a lot.  90% of their land is scorched.  They lost their tractor and a riding lawn mower.  The tires literally melted away.  A shed burned down.  The only things left of the chicken coop are a few hinges. For years they enjoyed the privacy provided by yaupon and other natural shrubs in the woods, but that is all gone.  Only blacked tree trunks and crispy leaves stand where there was once a wall of green.

The fire literally burned up to the slab on their home on the west side.  The grass is charred around the west half of the yard.  The herbs planted in the landscaping are scorched, as is her garden.  A white lawn chair disintegrated into a pile of white dust, which sat right next to their outdoor grill.  A few of their windows will be replaced due to the extreme heat, but the house did not burn.  In fact, amazingly no real damage was done to their home.

The inspector did not even find ember burns on their roof.  Ash had fallen into their attic by way of the vents, but their home was not touched.  “God saved our house,” Marjorie proclaimed.  Indeed, He did.

The remains of their once wooded pastures.

The Maske family has been greatly blessed.  They put together a slide show for their friends and family which shows before and after photographs.  As amazing as the photographs are, the most touching slide states, “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b).

What a great attitude!  We trust in the sovereignty of our God.  He is in control.  The Maske family without knowing it has encouraged me through all of this.  They glorify Him by “giving thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  Thank you for agreeing to share your story.  I hope that everyone finds it inspiring.

If you would like to donate to the victims of the fire, Friends of Grimes County, a non-profit organization, is taking monetary donations.  It is my understanding that so many clothes and personal items have been donated that they are no longer accepting them.  The community has really pulled together in this time of need.

Unfortunately, there have been fires all over Texas and the Southwest.  Consider donating to one of them instead, if you are so moved.  And, keep praying for rain.  We certainly need it.

View of wildfire from my front yard.

Thank you for all the emails checking on my family since Sunday when parts of Grimes County caught fire.  We are fine.  Since you can read or watch news reports about the fire, I wanted share our story.

Sunday afternoon about 3:45 p.m. my family left my dad’s cabin where we had just celebrated Father’s Day.  I got out to open a gate and when I turned around I saw what looked like a tornado.  It was cone-shaped mixture of black and white smoke.  It looked like it was barreling towards my dad’s cabin.

I yelled for Lane, my husband, and he jumped out of the car and began calling my dad.  We were very concerned because we are in an extreme drought, and the possibility of fires have been on our mind.  We informed him of the fire.  Then we took off in our vehicle to find out where the fire was and what was burning. 

We ended up driving on CR 304 in Stoneham.  I called a friend of mine who lives in that direction to see where the fire was, and her son informed me that they had already evacuated.  At that time, we suddenly all got headaches.  The smell in the air was full of gasoline or diesel.  So, my husband turned around.  We met many volunteer fire fighters and fire trucks on the road.  Everyone was scrambling to do something. 

Another view of the smoke.

You don’t think of Plantersville or Stoneham of being a densely populated area of Texas.  Most people live on acreage not lots.  However with a fire running wild over the land, you start noticing how many houses are along the roads.  People standing outside trying to decide what to do.  Some are watering their homes and lawns.  Some are grabbing a few valuables and driving away.  Some are trying to help fight the fire with heavy equipment.  We were just trying to stay out of the way.

At home, we began gathering up our important documents and other valuables just in case the fire came closer.  It really is surreal when you begin thinking what is most important.  Obviously, family members come first.  I gathered up my wedding album, portable hard drive with all of my family photos and videos on it, and my grandmother’s Bible.  My children each gathered up some important items.  I was so happy that nobody even mentioned the television. 

We put our few belongings on the living room table for easy access if we had to move fast.  The worst part was not getting good information as smoke billows and fills the sky.  So Lane downloaded the Brazos Valley Fire and EMS scanner onto my computer.  We set out a map of Grimes County and followed the fire as it consumed more and more land. 

The smoke has made a haze over the land.

We heard that the fire crossed Hwy 105, which is the line in the sand for fire fighters if you will.  Since we live north of 105, you can imagine that we found this information worrisome.  We decided to drive and see if that information was correct.  Unfortuately it was.  Burning embers had flown across 105 and set a pasture on fire off of FM 2445. 

With this new information coupled with the fact that night was setting in, we grew nervous.  The fire was not that far away.  With the steady wind gusts and burning embers, we did not feel comfortable going to sleep.  We sent the children to bed reassuring them that they would be safe.  Then Lane jumped back in the car to check out the fire himself.  He was gone well past midnight. 

The next day we awoke to much less smoke in the air and news that the fire was 25% contained.  Some time in the afternoon, Lane came in and said something must have happened.  Black smoke was billowing once again along the horizon.  The fire was very close to Hwy 105.  The winds shifting in all different directions allowed the fire to cross containment lines.  Those in charge began evacuating a much broader area, and announced that the fire was only 10% contained.

Already 5,800 acres have burned as well as about 35 homes.  Our hearts go out to all of those evacuated, those waiting to hear the status of their home or business, and the fire fighters.  We hope that the flames are extinguished as soon as possible.  We cannot seem to get any rain despite the reported chances.  The wind will not let up either. 

Experts have described our area as a tinderbox, which is not a comforting statement.  Consider that this fire allegedly began with an unattended barbeque pit, another in Texas began with a spark from target practice, and yet another began from a ball bearing on a truck.  All three of the actions are seemingly innocent, but because of the volatile environment Texas is in right now, we all must be more careful.