Isnt It Ironic!?

Not unique to Texas, but the idea of a Drive-Thru Margharita Bar is pretty ironic!

Place your order with the bar tender and show your ID (even if you do look nearer retirement than 21!)...

...then promise you wont open it till youre out of sight.




Once you've adhered to all those rules and regulations then you are free to sit back, hit the gas, take a sip and enjoy the scenery. Hmm!?!?!?

Texas Tornado

The aftermath of a Texas Tornado that ripped through the town of Cactus this April. The town itself was heavily damaged, as was this windmill on a nearby ranch.....

..... luckily there were no human casualties.






Its worth mentioning that, somewhat surprisingly, the United Kingdom has had its fair share of destruction from tornados this last couple of years. Most notably in Birmingham and North London.

Dustbowl Days - The Dirty Thirties....

Over-farming of the land during the early 20th century led to the environmental disaster known as the Dustbowl era during the 1930's. Compounded by the Wall Street Crash and the ensuing economic depression, things got desperately grim and there was a mass population exodus towards the West Coast. (Famously the subject of Steinbecks classic "The Grapes of Wrath")

Oklahoma was at the center of this regional catastrophe which is still a living memory for the older generation.


I was surprised to learn just how huge and dense the dust storms would get.

And if that were n't bad enough, there was also Prohibition to contend with.

Here is an example of a 'Moonshine' still - so named because it was worked while the moon was shining. Moonshine would be made out of anything people could lay their hands on.....

The City Slickers Guide to Fixin' Fences

1. Select your type of wire - Originally designed for ranching, barbed wire quickly became a tool of trench war-fare as much as for agricultural use.






2. Dig a post hole and secure your fence post - Modern posts are often made of steel, but traditionally ranchers in this area used white cedar wood.





3. Attach your lengths of wire.







4. Posts and wire will not rot or rust since the climate is so dry. (One reason why British farming has preserved dry stone walls).






5. Tighten up your wire with a wire-stretcher.







6. Staple or tie the barbed wire to the posts.







7.Continue to check the fencing and clear away any build up of tumbleweed, particularly in early springtime.

8. Hopefully your cattle will not learn how to jump fences or open gates :-)

It's All About The Beef!...

But which of these beefy pictures is the odd one out.....


a) cattle in a feedlot in Hereford, TX.

b) An appropriate Stanley Marsh 3 signpost.

c)"Beef-its whats for dinner" (marketing slogan)

d) 'OXO'- beef stock cubes.

e) Retro 'Beef' badge/pin.








f) BEEF magazine.

g) Beef apron (circa 1950)











h) BEEF logo on fabric patch.






ANSWER IS IN THE COMMENTS BOX......

Farmers Auction

The auctioneer is incomprehensible as you'd expect.

The lot was filled with all manner of farming contraptions - trucks, pick ups, grain silo's, ploughs, tractors, and obviously a family of 5 of llamas (3 male, only 1 of which 'registered' male !!, and 2 female)

My personal favourite, the 'Ditch-Bitch'...er, I mean 'Ditch-Witch'.

This went for a snip at $1100.
These guys had come all the way from Mexico for a plough....


....and this couple staked an early claim on their grain silo.

Every one went home happy!

When a Windmill Won't Work!!

Windmills pump water up from underground streams or aquifers throughout the high plains region. In this case, the water was at 220ft but can be anywhere between 80ft and 2000ft.

The average cow will consume at least 15 gallons of water per day - hence the need for windmills on ranches which otherwise receive very little rain.


So, if a windmill breaks for any reason its a pretty big deal. This one had stopped pumping so between the 3 of us, a pick-up truck, a pulley and cable, a few wrenches and clamps and a tub of waggonwheel grease we managed to drag 220ft of pipe out of the ground...


....and we were relieved to find that there was actually still water down there -plenty of it!...

...the problem was a small bearing the size of a gobstopper which had jammed, so we replaced it and sunk the 220ft of pipe again...

...and hey presto! Water in the tank -Phew!!

The Lost Arts

Quilting is one of the Great American Crafts and is a traditional pastime.

Here I had a go and made my very own quilt piece.

This design, when pieced together, is known as 'Grandmothers Flower Garden'

I think Grandma had been under the influence of something pschedelic when she made this one! ha.
Other home making traditions include 'canning' (pickling).

A Harsh Environment

Panhandle Flora and Fauna

The recent wet weather has meant the plains are festooned with beautiful wildflowers this year. Here are a selection...

Most of the flora are varieties of Asters, suited to dry sandy soil, extreme temperatures and high winds.

Yarrow was used by the Native Indians as a mild laxative.

Indian Blanket is very decorative.




Wild Sunflower



Varieties of sagebrush.

Other common species are prairie daisies, coneflowers, broomweed, milk thistle, scottish thistle, Russian thistle (aka 'Tumbleweed'), squash, wild petunia ('Morning Glory'), and Gumweed.....a common cure for saddle sore - could have done with some of that!

Ranch Life -Oklahoma Panhandle Pioneers

The Homestead was founded in the 1880's during the Land Rush. Land was literally being given away to anyone brave or crazy enough to want to homestead. This building has been rebuilt , most recently in the 1950's, but the ranch land has remained in the same family all along. Oklahoma became known as 'The Sooner State' based on the land rush mentality of ,"Just get there - The sooner the better!"

Self sufficiency was , and still is, necessary. Here is the vegetable garden...






....not a neighbour for miles...

....everyone needs a tornado shelter








...and has to be able to make something out of nothing with basic tools.