Holiday At The Halbert's Hacienda

  Fourth of July weekend was done in a big way, as is everything in Texas. My sister and brother-in-law hosted a first rate barbeque and seafood boil with all the fixins. We feasted on huevos rancheros,  burgers, jambalya, red beans and rice, eggplant parmesan, boiled crawfish and shrimp, guacamole with chips, sopapilla cheesecake, homemade ice cream, and of course, apple pie. (Next stop- the gym)

 Thirty six was the eventual head count, and everyone had an amazing time. 

I floated around in the pool until the volley ball competition began. Unlike my dear brother, the thrill of spiking a ball for the winning point does nothing for me. I watched from a safe distance as the game heated up.

A bonfire with a firework show followed after sundown.  No room for s'mores in my overstuffed tummy, so I hit the shower.  The diehards held out for a midnight swim which was unfortunately cut short by a second "sunset." Apparently the mysterious orange glow in the distance was caused by smoldering embers that blew into a dry wooded area and ignited a secondary fire. After much excitement, the exhausted fire fighting swimmers retired for the evening.

After mass on Sunday morning, my sister headed over to the chicken coop to send us home with fresh green and brown eggs. 

We almost came home with an incubator set up to start our own homesteading project, but decided to wait until the next trip. My mom wasn't too thrilled about the souvenirs I was already going home with, especially since we were traveling in her relatively new car. 

Besides, our coop has yet to built. Better get started if we plan to hatch chicks in August.

Not bad for a morning's work.

Next stop was the hay field, to stock up on my sister's secret recipe for a fabulous Texas sized garden.

Composted chicken manure!

Now this is the score that made my day! Dear brother, the volley ball player, was not impressed. But my girl Gina was right there with me, eager to help.

I am sure you can imagine how thrilled Mom was about this one. I made certain to seal the fertilizer in a five gallon bucket, then bagged up another 20 pounds in a hefty bag that fit nicely in the cooler.

I don't think I will even tell her that we brushed down the donkey to collect a bag of shedded fur to put around the perimeter of the garden to keep the opossum family away from my corn.

My mom was antsy to hit the road, so I forgot to get a cutting from this gorgeous oleander to transplant. So much to do, and a weekend just isn't long enough.  Good thing we will return in August,

to attend my god daughter's Reveal.

Will she have a girl or a boy? So much excitement. 

I cannot wait to return.

Thanks, Rene and Myron, for such great hospitality.