We had a surprise just about three months ago this week. I went out, as usual, to feed the critters. Neither Memory the Morgan mare nor Manny the Morgan stallion were down in their usual place to eat. This is MOST unusual.
A little ways away, still near the barn and food supply but not close enough to see clearly, I saw Manny running round and round, clearly worked up about something. Then I saw Memory standing at the rise – he was running around … (3 comments)
jarrell: The Front Rolling In
- 02/13/11 01:22 PM
Last week what was, hopefully, the last arctic front of the season (we don't handle those so well) rolled in. When that happens around here, temperatures drop from the 80's to the 30's or lower in a matter of hours. As it was still near the warmer end of that range, I looked out and saw the clouds signifying the approach of the front, and went out and took some photos. I love weather in Central Texas. It is never, ever, EVER boring!
… (5 comments)
jarrell: Jarrell, Texas, Is Growing
- 01/02/11 04:00 AM
When we first moved to Jarrell, Texas, 15 years ago, it was a classic small town Texas rural village. And we liked it that way - that's why we moved there. While the school had new buildings, it still had (and still does) the original building built in 1916. There was a one street downtown that held the Jarrell Supermarket, Eagle Bank, Ginger's Beauty Salon, the post office, Jarrell-Schwertner Water Supply, a gas station, the Speedway Inn, the liquor store, the volunteer fire department. Across the highway was Doc's, which survived two tornadoes (including the Big One, the F5 that hit … (3 comments)
jarrell: Gepetto's Pizzeria - Who'd A-Thunk It, Way Out In The Country?
- 06/04/10 06:24 AM
Living out on the ranch, we've often had to drive into Austin, or at least Georgetown, for good pizza whenever we get the craving (or plan our pizza cravings around someone being in town and have them pick it up on the way home, and as everyone knows, pizza cravings should be spontaneous!). Then, one day when we'd driven up to Brookshire Brothers in Salado and Green's Sausage House in Zabcikville (yes, we are all about the food, why do you ask?), we noticed a place on the highway, out by itself, right as we took the exit to head home. … (2 comments)
jarrell: Yup, It's Spring Here in Jarrell, Texas, All Right!
- 03/10/10 04:09 AM
The geese mentioned in my prior post were a hint. Yesterday confirmed it. Beautiful blue sky, sunshine, temps in the high 70's. And the flowers decided to come out and play! It's springtime out here on the ranch near Jarrell, Texas.
The plum tree by the house put out not only buds, but blossoms!
Likewise, the peach tree in the front yard had budded out a couple of days ago.
… (2 comments)
jarrell: It Has Been Declared Officially Spring, and WOW! Was That Beautiful!
- 03/06/10 07:01 AM
I went out to throw some hay to the horses and donkey girls and cows a little while ago. Got a couple of cart loads in the feeder and was filling the cart again. Had heard some geese overhead, heading North, a bit earlier, and suddenly realized that they were REALLY REALLY LOUD! (The ranch here outside of Jarrell, Texas, is on a major migration route, so we're used to seeing all sorts of birds coming through this time of year, but this was really a racket.) So I stopped what I was doing and went to where I could see … (4 comments)
jarrell: More Snow Photos of More Snow
- 02/23/10 09:13 AM
The snow kept coming down, and we got some more photos. Probably about 3 inches or so out there, based on the footprints the dogs make.
The horses and J.D. enjoying the snow
Way off in the distance there, in the middle, a neighbor's cow bellows because of the snow
Off to the right, just barely in the picture, The Donkey Girls doing an Eeyore because of the snow (mustn't get snow in our ears)
Yes, we're silly about this, I know, but this happens once or twice in a lifetime … (3 comments)
jarrell: UPDATE Ruby's Cafe in Jarrell, Texas - You Have GOT To Try Their Chicken Fried Steak!
- 02/12/10 02:31 AM
Lots has happened since this blog was first posted. What you need to know, though, in order to make sure that you get Ruby's chicken fried steak, is that Ruby's Cafe in Jarrell is now Ruby K's in Georgetown, just off the square. Same great food, with an expanded menu (encouraging my waistline to do the same!).
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We live out in the country near Jarrell, Texas, a small, but growing, community north of Georgetown and Austin. When we moved here, the community was much as it had been for a long time, a delightful small town farming community. … (8 comments)
jarrell: Back to Basics - Garbage
- 08/30/08 05:53 AM
We love to talk on here about the beauties of our communities, the parks, the businesses, the homes. We introduce you to the pretty side of where we live, and that's as it should be. However, when moving into a community, there are some things that are not so pretty, that are more mundane, that need to be addresses. One of these is garbaged. Just imagine what would happen if there was no one to deal with this issue! We own the remnants of the old family farm in East Texas (my grandfather's parents bought it when he was 3 months … (2 comments)
jarrell: Eggs In My Pocket - Stories of Country Life
- 08/07/08 02:45 AM
Our local newspaper here in Georgetown, Texas, is the Williamson County Sun. It has news about the area (rarely national news, unless it pertains to a local), when and where the next fundraiser with good food is going to be, news about local businesses - your typical small town newspaper. For quite some time now, there's been a column in the Sun that I read religiously. It always perks up my week - frequently I'll read it out loud to my husband as we're driving down the road and we'll both smile or laugh at the familiar goings-on being described. That's … (3 comments)
This morning, a beautiful sunny morning, I went out to feed the critters. As I wandered around my chores, I heard a familiar "Who? Who?" Feeding finished (priorities, of course), I wandered around to the front yard to see if I could locate the source. The leaves on the willow trees being gone, Mr. Owl (Mrs. Owl?) was clearly visible, not always the case. And HUGE said owl is! I took a couple of photos - was afraid he'd fly off, but I, and my doings, mean about as much to him as a cow, being clearly too large to be dinner. … (2 comments)
I've been sharing here various views from our little part of the country over time. Here's another one. This morning I went out to feed the critters, and ask I stepped to the back door and looked out, I saw the sun just coming up. It was so beautiful that I ran back and got my camera, went out and took a couple of shots, and then just stood and watched. Even though this is a relatively common view from our window, it still makes me pause and consider the beauty that's all around us every day if we just take time … (4 comments)
jarrell: SH 130 Opens Up From 290 to 71 East of Austin
- 09/02/07 03:59 AM
Yet another leg of Texas State Highway 130 will be opening on Thursday. Until now, SH130 was an easy (if not cheap) way to get from Northern Williamson County just north of Georgetown, south of Jarrell, to the eastern part of the Austin area as far south as 290, but no further, and a way to bypass going through Austin to get to Houston. Touted as a route for 18-wheelers to bypass the Austin stretch of IH35 that goes through Austin, leading to increased safety for everyone and quicker time for the truckers, I have to confess that I've not seen … (3 comments)
jarrell: Every Farm or Ranch Needs a Dog
- 08/24/07 02:31 AM
Not just because they're fun to have around - which they are. Not just as a companion, though they are that, too. Not just because they're entertaining to watch. There is a place on every farm or ranch for a dog, as one of the tools of the place. Here on our 55 acres outside Jarrell in Central Texas, just 40 miles north of Austin, we've found through experience that a dog is an essential part of life in the country. We had a dog (a Great Pyrenees, Inconstant Moon of Underfoot, aka Moon) when we moved here from city life … (3 comments)
jarrell: The Day The F5 Came to Town
- 05/27/07 03:36 PM
It was a quiet, oddly still May afternoon in 1997 when I was walking down the drive to get the mail and noticed what looked like a Blue Norther on the horizon. Odd . . . very odd for this time of year, unheard of, in fact. But I decided that I'd turn on the TV when I got inside and see if a thunderstorm was brewing and whether not I should put the horses in the barn. When I got inside, I turned to Channel 6, the news station to the north of us, expecting to see the little white … (7 comments)
jarrell: Roses In The Snow
- 04/07/07 01:53 PM
The weather in Central Texas is nothing if not changeable, but this does push things a bit. Just a few days ago it was in the 80's. Today, it decided to snow. In Central Texas. In April. Little tiny flakes, and big fluffy 2" flakes. It rarely snows here even in the depths of winter, so this is quite the surprise. I took this photo over the railing of my front porch, pointing down at the roses. The white in the background is snow on the ground - it's not only snowing, it's sticking. The roses represent a more normal April … (4 comments)
jarrell: Drought. Flood. Drought. Flood. Drought. Flood. Normal Texas Weather
- 03/26/07 02:48 PM
The above is a quote of a weatherman here in Central Texas last year, and it's an accurate one. (You other Texas agents will understand.) A couple of weeks ago, due to the drought we've been experiencing, we were under a burn ban. The creek that runs in front of our house through our pasture is not visible from the house during most times even when we're not in a drought, being at the bottom of a draw. This is the creek as of this afternoon (it wasn't visible this morning): The hundred year flood plain, by the way, comes right to … (11 comments)
jarrell: The World Gets Smaller and Smaller
- 12/14/06 01:25 PM
Our local world, anyway. State Highway 130 opened yesterday. Another of the new toll roads in Central Texas, this one bypasses Austin to the east, but provides quicker access to East Austin by avoiding IH35 from north of Georgetown down, thusfar, to U.S. 290, with access in Williamson County at State Highway 195 (just up the road from Jarrell where I live, about 15 miles north of Georgetown), State Highway 29, FM 971, U.S. Highway 79 (near Hutto), Country Road 104, and Country Road 109. Right now, you can go from IH35 to Hwy 290 near Manor. Development is anticipated to … (3 comments)
A blog about things Texas, about things horsie, about real estate issues, about life in the country, about food, about whatever strikes my fancy pertaining to life, the universe, and everything and, especially, real estate.
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