COLD WEATHER KINDNESS AND SOME THINGS NEW
Welcome to my first blog post. Ever. I’ve narrated posts in my head before but never sat down and made it real. It’s a bit scary when it’s real. When people can read it. I was procrastinating, waiting for just the right words and just the right time. And my procrastination has lasted…months. Maybe even a year. So, like jumping off a dock into the Tennessee river current at the start of my second Ironman - here we go!!
Today is day six of what many are calling a snowmageddon or snowpocalypse. Here in East Texas, we accumulated 15-16 inches of snow this week. Something we’ve been told hasn’t happened in over 25 years. Tonight is the last night we’re expecting a hard freeze, with a low of 19 degrees. While it’s been a week of lessons learned and new skills acquired, the sun was out today, it was a warm 38 degrees, and things started to thaw.
This week renewed & reinforced my belief in and love of community - people helping other people and animals. A random act of rescue kindness saved one of our calves. The power of people wanting to help + social media allowed us to get to her just in time. New friends helped fix our busted water pipe and pulled our truck off the highway when the diesel engine decided it was too cold to go any further. And we were able to pay it forward by checking on neighbors, pulling a stuck truck out of an icy situation, and putting out lots of birdseed!! A week that was lighter on work because the entire state experienced power & water outages brought time to slow down, come together, and watch nature humble us.
We’ve spent the last year, since COVID made its debut, living in Pittsburg, TX. What once was an every other weekend trip to make sure the cattle were doing alright and check on the matriarch of the James Mangram family; has now become our everyday. I’ve always felt a sense of being home in this small town of about 5,000. After spending enough time here to get to know people, contribute to the community, and meet the pace of the country living, it brings a smile to my face and makes my heart happy. What we’re doing, with the land and cattle; continuing the traditions of both our families’ past generations and making it our future - is some of the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done.
The calf that was saved; she’ll head back to the pasture today. She’s made a full recovery and is getting a little too nosey and frisky for garage living. We named her Black Beauty. And I look forward to seeing her face at the ranch for many years to come.
I also look forward to writing a lot more. To share stories about our journey, that started way before either of us realized, and still has so far to go. The vision I have for Mangram Farm is BIG. The first step of many to come is moving from just having cattle as a hobby to selling our beef direct to consumers. We’re starting slow, with just one or two steers a year. There’s so much still to learn… The decision to use the word “farm” in the business name, was conscious and forward-looking. My dream is to eventually use our land to grow produce, have chickens & pigs; use regenerative methods to give life back to the soil, and more… This blog, our website, social media sites, growing our tribe of folks like you - it’s just the beginning. See you soon…
