Greetings from Misfit Island

June 9, 2021 0 Comments

I did not name this place; my family did it before I ever set foot in the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas. Most of the residents have hooves and live their days in peace. Some, including me, are here to heal.

This property consists of just under 30 acres about 15 miles outside of Nacogdoches, the “oldest town in Texas.” There is a funny horse named Pedro who keeps drawing my attention. I have told you everything. He wanders around and follows me whenever he can.

Last night Pedro patted me for carrots and we saw a shooting star together. I prayed that God would give me the strength to see the end of my mother’s life. When I started crying, Pedro wiped his nose on my head. It was perfect.

Sporks are cross-breeds between miniature horses and donkeys, I think. There are a couple of them and they are the first hoofed animals I have ever seen fight. They bray, day and night, and are considered “eating lawn ornaments.”

One is an older horse who I have been told was once a champion who won dozens of buckles in his time as a barrel racer. Another is half blind and I am careful to approach her sighted side when I feed her so as not to scare her. It is a very gentle animal and loves to be stroked on its neck.

There are plenty of antique stores downtown and many property sales in this secluded Texas location (3 hours from the main airport). Sometimes in these small towns there are rare pieces of glass that I have collected over the years called Heisey.

Small town amusements are fun. In a city of about 33,000 people, I have seen a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a honky tonk by the railroad. Unlike California, there are churches on every corner instead of coffee shops and even the coffee shop is affectionately called “Thumpers” as in the Bible.

I was surprised to see sushi bars and grocery store stalls. Employees came from the east to the wild west directly. The only reference is Deep East Texas. All I could imagine was Asian accents that said “everyone”, “fixing” and “God bless you honey”.

Real estate is managed by a few houses. LaDonna Simpson has my heart. Poole has the best visual image. Their advertisements are clean and the signage is very elegant. Badder’s Law Firm makes you wish you had a legal question just to see the inside of that beautifully restored home. I hope there will be open houses at some of the historic properties at some point like they do in California to raise funds.

Rental rates were listed at $ 400- $ 700 for decent looking apartments alongside homes from the 1950s. Of course, prices also rise to over a million for a property on a large lot. Condos are basically unheard of here, except as senior or student housing. The concept of buying an apartment does not make sense to country people when you can own even a small piece of land.

Horses and cows are everywhere, as are donkeys, wild deer, and large roaming pigs. Sporks also keep coyotes and poisonous snakes away. They will actually kill them. I tried to make my mother’s miniature donkey, Pedro, chase away a chicken snake, but he just stepped over and gave me a look that said he wasn’t interested in my fun.

This is life here in the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas. Stay tuned for the ‘queue tales’ from Misfit Island. Our little rescue grows every day and it seems like Mom is coming back to life.

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