If my dad killed a buck with a large rack he would have the head mounted but otherwise he would dispose of it. My husband and I were not into that. We never trophy hunted, we hunted to have extra food. I've never cured a hide but feel I could if I had to.

We have beautiful wooded acreage and a large two story house that we built. We lease more land because ours is totally wooded and when you have cattle you need pastureland so they can graze. You also need a certain amount of pastureland to how many cattle you wish to raise. Depending on how and what you feed it is usually one cattle for every two acres though some say one per acre.

I really do not know how construction could be modernized? The basic method for building homes will always be the same. The most important thing is to have modern, efficient tools. We do much of our work out in the country so it is important for us to have a generator because many times the owner does not yet have electricity to the job site and most of our tools are electrical.

We build large barns, workshops, garages, carports and covered decks. When business is slow we build storage buildings in all sizes and cow feeders. We are also starting to build shell homes. As my husband likes to say, "we can build anything if you have the money." My husband has about the best prices around and he does some beautiful work. It got to the point he could not find any good reliable help so I started working with him. The very first job I helped him with was a 16 foot tall barn. I was expected to stand on a double scaffold nailing up 2 x 12 16 foot roof rafters to the ridge row, that was exciting. I can hammer, measure and saw as well as any man. Even though I am not a very big woman I'm pretty strong. Many times the owners we work for are kind of discouraged to see my husband has a woman as a helper but by the time the job is finished they have a much better attitude about it. I love carpentry work but because of health issues I had to stop working.

Five big issues that everyone has missed except me...that is a hard one because almost everyone has experienced many of the same things as I have but I'll tell you some important things I've experienced. 1) When growing up my great grad-parents lived in the country and had a working farm. They grew pastures of tomatoes, corn and sometimes peanuts and always had a large garden by the house. They had cattle, chickens and hogs. My brother and I would stay with them during our summer vacation every year. Everyone was expected to help, even the kids. I had to gather eggs, feed the chickens and hoe in the garden. I was also chosen to herd the cows from one pasture to another. Mammy, my great grand-mother milked cows, churned butter and made bread cooked on a wood stove. Everything we ate was grown on the farm. The only modern convenience in their home was electricity. We had to draw our water from a well and yes, we only bathed on Saturdays before we went to town to sell our eggs and fresh produce. At the time I did not appreciate those experiences but now I realize how valuable they were. If everything in the world stopped tomorrow I know we could make it because of the things I learned on that farm. I wish everyone could have experienced those same things, then they would have a greater appreciation for what it takes to live day to day. 2) Six years ago I had a stroke and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to overcome. I do not wish that on anyone but it would certainly teach them about life's priorities and to appreciate every minute of your heath. I could go on with other big issues that has effected my life, such as having my children or losing someone close to me that I loved more than life but just about everyone has experienced those things in their own way.

If you ever come to Texas, I would recommend you visit the George H. Bush library on the campus of Texas A & M, Big Ben National Park, the River Walk and the Alamo in San Antonio, the Gulf Coast especially by Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin and the State Capitol. Whatever you do avoid Houston, there is really not a thing to see and the traffic is horrendous I know because I was raised there.

SG