05/17/2026
Another full week at Five H Farm & Ranch.
Spring has officially shifted into full ranch mode around here. Most of the seasonal backhoe work is finally behind us, and the tractor made the transition over to the flail mower. Around East Texas, that means one thing… the smiley vine has declared war on every tree line on the property. 🌿🚜
The lawns, barn areas, and pastures are all demanding attention too. (And yes… the smaller tractor absolutely earns its keep this time of year.)
We made some real progress on drainage this week, though there is still plenty left to do. Truthfully, there is always more to do on a ranch. That’s just part of the life — and honestly, part of the blessing.
Lots of fur and feather news this week as well.
For the first time in two years, our Jennies left the ranch for a little “boyfriend time.” 🫏❤️ We sure miss seeing them every day already, but hopefully in about 14 months we’ll have some little long-eared babies running around FHFR.
Skye is continuing to settle into the herd. She’s still the “new girl,” so integration hasn’t been perfect yet, but every day gets a little better. The new 250-pound protein tub arrived this week and instantly became the most popular item on the ranch. 🐮😂
The pups are doing great and remain our constant shadows and faithful companions. Hard to explain how much those dogs mean around here. Always thankful for their unwavering friendship. 🐾
The big hens had a little excitement this week after discovering a racer snake in the coop area. Thankfully, racers are non-venomous, though they are excellent climbers and definitely enjoy eggs a little too much. We safely relocated him to the far side of the lake. Hopefully he enjoys his new waterfront property and decides to stay there. 🐍
This week also carried a heavier moment for us. We laid the 14 baby chicks and ducklings we lost to rest in the east pasture. That was a hard one. But life on a ranch teaches you both joy and heartbreak sometimes arrive together.
The good news is the new chicks are doing very well, and work continues on the new coop and run every chance we get. We’re hoping to have everything ready for the growing flock by the end of the month. 🐥
And at least for now… the two surviving ducklings are officially named Ziva and Ducky. 🦆❤️
Summer is almost here in East Texas. The grass is growing faster than we can cut it, projects are stacking up, and the days are getting longer.
Wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Hope all is well with you and yours.
God Bless, and have a great week.
— Joe
