Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Finnie]

Everyone is moving to Texas! Why? Because it is a great state!!! LOL

Driving or flying?

I flew. First we drove from home (Indy) to Colorado Springs to visit and camp with family last week, then my husband took off on a motorcycle trip with a buddy and I flew down here. On Friday I will fly home, and then he will have to drive home alone. (Motorcycle in back of pickup.)

Our son in law is military, and they came here for a year long training program he will be in. We will probably come back for a second visit (together) in the winter. No idea where they will get sent to next.

 

[Ridgetop]

Too bad you flew, we could have gotten together on your way back home. Have a fun trip woth family and safe trip home.

So after an evening of congratulating himself on getting the property he wanted, we finally went to bed. I was just dropping off in spite of DH's constant rolling over and moving around when he jumped out of bed and announced that he couldn't sleep. Apparently he was worrying about how to fence the property and where to place his barns. He tried to discuss placement of fencing and barns which of course completely woke me up. Then he fell asleep leaving me to toss around. Darling DH.

This morning we worked on a refi on our rental house which is financed at a high rate of interest. DH wants to pull some $$ out and at a lower interest rate (almost half) the payment will stay the same. Better do it now while interest rates are still low before everyone wakes up to Biden's mismanagement and raises them.

Thought we would be going to Sulphur Springs to do paperwork on loan docs on new property today but I guess that has been set off to tomorrow. Also have to arrange for inspection of house. Need to get information from owner on various maintenance persons she uses. Well people to see if well can be repaired and how much it will cost. While I don't mind using Co-Op water, I think having a safe drinkable well would be wise for emergencies. Would put solar panels on well pump eventually. Fireplace person to see how much to seal crack in chimney and have chimney swept for tenant. Kris and selves need to talk to selling agent Marlin about rental of home. Marlin is owner's SIL and Kris might have him do management of property since he lives local and does that sort of thing in addition to his real estate brokerage. Also will need to eventually meet with pasture tenant about his continued tenancy - is a good tenant and we want to keep him. ETC., ETC., ETC.

On the way to Sulphur Springs I want to stop in Canton to look at some cool metal cactus and flowering plant sculptures for sale. Saw some at one of the houses for sale and figure that they would be perfect at home to thwart the gophers, ground squirrels and other varmints. Put them in some of the flower beds where I can't get anything to grow. Mulch really good over 3 layers of weed cloth, and finally have carefree landscaping! Attractive and amusing landscaping for future sale of property too. Along with installing faux grass over last year's garden area this will be less to keep up, less to water, and be attractive. We can keep a small vegetable garden to protect with Squirrelinator and Sonic. Although planting the current area with large shrubbery (squirrel/gopher resistant) is also on my list of stuff to do to improve "curb appeal". Along with finishing the few items that Jerry (neighbor contractor) was supposed to finish before he moved to Arizona. DS1 and DS2 finished relaying the bricks that Jerry removed to install support posts for new overhang after tree fell on roof 3 years ago! Overhang was finished in a few months but bricks never re-laid. Also some painting needing to be done in "new" garage conversion also completed a couple years ago. Exterior entry ceiling never painted. I also need to have new quartz counter tops installed in kitchen. Tile is 30 years old and showing its age. Have a new stove top in shed ready to go in with new counter tops. Just need to get it done. Delay is due to wanting to save money by keeping tile backsplash which is in xlt condition. We will need to cut bottom of counter at back where it meets the wall so installation of quartz counters can be done. Quartz installers don't want to do that since they will damage backsplash if they do it. Can't trust anyone to be careful these days. If we damage it OK, then we will have new backsplash installed but I think we can cut tile with a diamond tile blade and save backsplash. Time to start thinking about fixing up home in CA for sale. Painting, new counters, remove wallpaper in family bathroom which is starting to show age. Some minor repairs. I am considering replacing all door knobs since they don't all match anymore. Next year install neutral carpet in the bedrooms and replace 30 year old mini blinds with new blinds. More yard work to increase appeal, and empty at least one of the Connexes completely. DH wants to bring them to TX when we move. Thinks we can load them on DS3's flatbed trailer, load them with our stock panels and livestock equipment, and bring them back to TX.

 

[Finnie]

Too bad you flew, we could have gotten together on your way back home. Have a fun trip woth family and safe trip home.

Thanks! Yeah, I was sad that I wasn’t going to be anywhere near NE Texas. Maybe some day.

 

[Finnie]

Going to Splash Kingdom in Canton. See y’all Thursday!

I have a question for you Southwest Natives. Do you know what this purple bush is called? It’s EVERYWHERE here.

 

[Ridgetop]

Made the appointment for the inspection of property Monday, July 19, 2:30 pm. Will meet him there. Inspector actually inspected the home Mrs. McDonald (current owner) is buying in Sulphur Springs - I love small towns!!!

Surveyor is booked for next 3 weeks! Kris is arranging appointment. Will drive up to Yantis tomorrow to drop off earnest money. I hope that Kris gets name of mortgage bank so we can get started with that. When we drive up tomorrow we can stop in Canton and look at metal cactii (and prices) with an eye to buying some to use in CA.

Spent day on computer doing refi on rental property. DH wants to refi now and pull some money out for some projects. Might as well allow the rent to pay for it. We'll be dead by the time it gets sold anyway so might as well cash in on increase in equity . . . . Going through current mortgage holder. '

We have approximate footage of fence lines so DH can call fencing people for possible price. Won't be able to install fencing for a couple weeks since fence contractor is doing a big job in OK. Hope to get some items repaired as soon as escrow closes. Escrow is suppose to close August 20. We will be back in CA by then. Kris will have to arrange for repairs unless we come back after DD2's wedding on September 25.

In the meantime we just wait . . . .

 

[Baymule]

What highway is the property on? We go to Sulphur Springs to buy feed. I’m hooked on Martindale feed, specifically their 14% all purpose pellet, it sure makes my life simple. I have fed it to my horses over 20 years, now feed it to pigs, chickens and sheep too. We go through Yantis on the way and cross over Lake Fork.

 

[farmerjan]

You mentioned double fencing the fenceline along the road. What about just the 2x4 no climb horse fencing? It is pretty escape proof... right? @Baymule would know more about that. Then using sheep and goat 4x4 woven wire along the other perimeters.... don't know what is there already.....

 

[Ridgetop]

Address is 6069 W Hwy 154 Hwy S, Yantis, TX
Not sure why the address reads W Hwy, then Hwy S. But you can look it us on line to see it.
The property is located 8 miles south of Sulphur Springs which is a very cute town with a hospital, Walmart and Lowes. We were worried that we would have travel 45 minutes south to Tyler for a Lowes or Walmart. There is also a TSC and another feed and farm store. Dallas is only hour away from Sulphur Springs via a large highway.

The lot is L shaped with a long leg running along the highway and the other leg of the L running back. The house sits in the front corner. The 45 acres is flat. No more having to climb up and down cliffs! Our knees are happy! We can use a tractor! We can get a 4wd Gator! I am considering keeping the long side along the highway leased for cattle or just use it for growing hay That would keep the sheep and dogs behind the house and further from the highway.

The front of the property is fenced with 48"(?) pipe fencing. The pipe fencing also extends back down the driveway about 30' to the first pasture gate. and the side of the yard around the house. The owners left a small section of property on that side outside the pipe fence except that the pipe extends along the entire length of the property along the highway. confusing but hard to explain. I will try to draw it up and scan it or something to try to post it. There is some interior wire cattle fencing inside the property to divide up a field but not much. The properties to either side are hay fields being baled. Currently there is a tenant running about 12-15 head of registered cattle, some with calves and a couple pregnant, on the property. The grass is tall, green and the pastures look really good. most of the other properties we have looked at with leased pastures were over grazed or woud require a lot of spraying and weed or brush removal to be productive.

DH plans to fence the entire perimeter with game fencing. This is a high tensile fence similar to no climb about 6'-7' high designed for game farms and preserves. Sometimes you will see additional barbed wire above the top of the fence, or hot wire. Not sure if we will use a hot wire or not. That height fence will hold the dogs easily. Our dogs do not try to escape and the only worry we would have would be them going over the fence after predators that refused to leave. If we get any wild hogs coming around they might antagonize the dogs through the fence so that height would discourage the dogs from going over after the hogs. Supposedly the game fence would be somewhat hog proof too so with the dogs present to drive them off through the fence, hopefully the hogs would leave. It would also help cut down predators. Predators are a lesser worry with the Anatolians, even on 45 acres as opposed to their current 6. That will keep the dogs inside the property and prevent them from getting onto the road.

Now with the pipe fence along the highway, should we install the game fence on the inside of that fence or on the outside? On the outside, the pipe fence would prevent any cattle or horses from rubbing against the game fence and ruining it. But would the dogs be able to climb the fence using the pipe fence on the inside? With the game fence on the inside of the pipe fence, would cattle or horses be able to rub on the fence and damage it? Not sure which way to go. Maybe the fence installer will have some recommendations.

So double fencing - The pipe fence would count as the first fence, while the game fence inside the property would be the secondary fence. No rush yet since we will not be moving the sheep on for a while, but I welcome all suggestions.

The interior fencing dividing the fields into rotational pastures will be about 42"-48" no climb woven wire with 4" x 4" openings with pass throughs for the dogs to access all fields. Except the ram field since don't want them to suddenly become smarter than normal sheep and realize they could climb into the ewes' field. The not yet bred ewes. We will be getting another bitch puppy in the next year since Rika is getting older and showing it. Hopefully 3-4 dogs will be enough to cover 45 acres of mainly flat grass with scattered bunches of trees. And 2 ponds.

One pond definitely needs to be dredged out. The cattle have trampled the edges down and it has gotten sort of shallow. The other one is fine but we will probably enlarge and deepen it. The well is a good one and will be able to fill the larger pond.

Got to go to sleep now. Tomorrow got to start calling to arrange a well inspection and bid on repairs. Also get an idea of what the fencing will cost. We met yesterday with 2 people about financing the remainder of the purchase price. One is the farm bank. the other is the regular local bank. Will probably go with the farm bank for the purchase but will open an account at the local bank, and are checking with them about refinancing our rental house in FW. They won't finance the farm for more than 10 years but will do a 30 year loan on the tract house in Fort Worth. Their interest rate even on the 10 year loan is more than the farm bank too. Really liked both lenders though.

More tomorrow. Falling asleep over the keys which causes strange things to appear. LOL

 

[Baymule]

We had a great time with @Ridgetop and her husband yesterday at the KOA campground. Our little granddaughters played for hours in the pool, that means me too. LOL We had hamburgers, visited and enjoyed the day.

I just got a text from DD, they are boarding a plane in Rome for. 9 hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia, then a 2 hour layover, then flight to Dallas. They will get a room for the night, come here in the morning, do laundry, visit and go to Corpus Christi tomorrow. Their offer was accepted on a spacious house on 1 1/2 acres and they are anxious to actually see it in person. Their dogs are smelly little dirt bags and need a bath! Country dogs now! LOL

 

[Ridgetop]

Great time with Bay and BJ yesterday! Girls are super cute, very sweet and mannerly. Half hour after they left DH said "I miss those little girls"! Had us homesick for our grandbabies! This move may be harder than we thought.

Made calls this morning about well inspection, septic lateral line repair, and fencing. Waiting on call backs on septic and fence. Won't arrange for chimney repair and underground electric to pump shed estimates till after home inspection and report. Well person turns out to be life long friend of seller and has done all the repair work on well Said well is bad - mud comes out of it in spite of repairs so better to drill a new well. Lots of water on property and new well would cost about $15,000. Considering we just paid $15,000 on property in Yelm just to replace pump this sounds like an ok price House is currently on Co-op water. Well pumps out muddy water which will do for cattle and livestock for now. Will see about drilling a new well later since another drinkable water source is a plus.

When I called the well people I spoke to mom of well driller. She told me that she has known owner of property for years. Talked to me for 1 hour 45 minutes with lots of information. She told me that Yantis was hotbed of drugs and gangs! School kids all on drugs and are bad kids??!! Worried for a while till she mentioned that the electric rays from power lines could burn through your heads unless you lined your hat with tin foil. After that I began picking and choosing the information. According to her the drug presence and gangs were so bad that you used to hear 1000 rounds going off at night in gang fights. Now the Texas Rangers are patrolling since farmers have been poisoning the wild hogs with cyanide. Their presence has cut down on gun battles. I did look up the Cowboy Mafia she warned me about, and Rex Cauble. Interesting reading. According to her everyone around here belongs to the Cowboy Mafia.

First lender, Legacy AG Credit, is farm/ag lender and other, City National Bank, is town bank. Both knew the property and said it was a prime parcel. Seemed surprised that t was being sold. Said others had wanted to buy over the years but owners would not sell. God is good to us and looks out for us! Turns out the town of Sulphur Springs is growing south towards property, making future subdivision possible and easy. Both Ag lender (who does property investment himself, and CNB bankers, ditto, said it was a really desirable piece of property for future subdivision investment for "ranchettes". Good investment property for future aside from good pasture and house for us now.

Waiting on information on loan costs from Ag lender. Probably go with him since he will do 30 year fixed at decent interest. He also loans for farm buildings, etc. so could get loan for future new well, barns, etc. CNB does not like loaning longer than 10 years not good for us, and interest rate higher than land bank. However, they can do refi on our little FW rental house and quoted probable interest rate lower than current bid on refi from mortgage holder so will check into that before going with current mortgage holder refi. Apparently Fannie Mae mortgage. Both banks very nice and spent plenty of time with us to discuss mortgages, land possibilities, and gave us information on town and area, etc. One of the bankers lives a mile from the property. Said he is familiar with area and the property.

No mention from either of them about Cowboy Mafia or cartels in town. Drugs are everywhere in the country, but hopefully won't be any drug wars around us. Tall fences and mean dogs first line of defense. If it is too dangerous here, we will go back to California!

Got to fill out a refi app now.