The ranch hands (Kip and the girls) and I thought we'd send a quick update and some photos, now that we've been at the new place for a couple of months. Our family has grown by leaps and bounds, and we're learning all kinds of nifty things!

Kip made it through a bad bout with poison ivy, and more importantly, survived the cures. You see, he read that running hot water over the skin would take away the itching and pain, so he thought he'd give it a try. Trouble is, he has a very high tolerance for pain, and ended up scalding his arms. So a double round of poison ivy, combined with the equivalent of sunburned skin, was a tough row to hoe. But he lived, and is much the wiser for it.

Kip made the big decision and bought a decent-sized John Deere tractor. Choosing a tractor brand/model is as big a deal as Ford vs. Chevy for choosing trucks. The tractor is here and Kip is mowing, raking, and scooping in 100-degree heat. Can you say, "Yee haw?"

The new babies at our house are: 13 chicks (all egg-laying hens, thank you), 2 guinea chicks, 6 ducklings, and 2 goslings. Our intrepid rooster, Flipper, isn't too sure about the new women in his life, but I think he'll adjust.

Flipper was a little dyed orange ball of fluff (see above) when our good friends, the DeVoucallas, donated him to the new hacienda, and we're betting he is glad to have almost outgrown the orange down before the new chicks came on the scene. Flip-Flip, as we affectionately call him, has been working hard lately on his cock-a-doodle-doo ... but he still has quite a ways to go.

Addie helped Kip dig a little training pond for our water-lovers, and Carmen promptly stepped on a gosling's webbed foot. Happily, s/he (the gosling ... not Carmen) seems to be recovering fine, and the girls are busily naming every winged critter in sight.

Kip has also built a humdinger of a coop for the chickens and guineas to call home. The plan is for them to free-range and forage for themselves, but we want them to have a safe haven, too.

In other wildlife news, we've seen numerous deer and a new fawn, a coyote, quite a variety of birds, turtles, ducks, tracks from other animals, our neighbor's horses, and a fair smattering of snakes (mostly non-venomous). In fact, one sly snake was watching us watch him through the window the other day. We have since begun a major hedge-trimming project outside those windows. <smile>

Addie is standing here reminding me to mention the fish that have been caught and released in our pond ... mostly crappie, big-mouth bass, and sunfish. So there, now you know.

Miscellaneous news ... We've met some nice neighbors (some of whom supply us with fresh eggs!) and are still awaiting the grand re-opening of the Grapeland library. We did get to visit a library book sale, though, and Dianna found the only used bookstore within about 50 miles, as far as we can tell. More good news is that we've discovered the Piney Woods Fine Arts Association, which sponsors all sorts performing arts programs, including free concerts in the park throughout June. Yea!

Carmen is really getting into the whole reading thing, and Dianna has dubbed Addie "the Well Read Farmer Girl" (see photo above for reasons). Both girls seem to have acclimated very well, and we've met some kiddos who live just up the road that are high on the potential playmates list. We Coldiron women will be in Houston weekdays July 10-21 for an acting workshop Addie will be attending. Hope we can hook up with all our Houston buddies during that time!

So life is definitely good for the Grapeland contingent of the Coldiron family. Maybe hotter than the dickens, but at least it's not as humid as it was a couple of hours closer to the Gulf. Of course, from high atop the big John Deere, you can at least catch a breeze ... as long as you keep mowing. :-)

That's it for now. Just wanted to do a quick touch-base with everyone. Hope you're faring well through this early summertime and will keep in touch ... and come for a visit!!!