Hackberry
The soul of the rural living
Feature Article: Restoring Texas Finding redemption with wood PLUS! Wood Fired Pizza Chickens
and MUCH MORE!
Fall 2019
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Contents
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Cover Feature
Nathan Daves believes in redemption. Read how this Waxahachie, Texas man ďŹ nds beauty in things that time and other people have forgotten.
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Contents 24 Dot Com Decor Looking for a some unique decor pieces? Check out our list of on-line retailers.
26 Wood Fired Pizza Pizza made over wood smoke? It's heavenly.
8 Restoring Texas
Old wood and a creative soul mix in this story of a Waxahachie man.
16 Property Watch
View some top rural properties and get a feel for where the market's headed.
20 Starting Chickens
Want your baby chicks to get o to a good start? Follow these guidelines.
28 Capturing Video Memories A few basic rules is all you need to follow to get great video.
30 Backroads Photos from the backroads.
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HOW TO REACH US
MAIN OFFICE 1512 County Road 2907 Dodd City, Texas 75438 PHONE NUMBER 940.585.7772 EMAIL info@ruralrealtygroup.com WEBSITE www.ruralrealtygroup.com © 2019 by russellgraves.com. All Rights Reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Magazine Name is a registered trademark of Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Welcome!
S
ince the first issue of Hackberry rolled off the shelves last January, things have changed at breakneck speed.
Launching a new and periodic publication is quite a feat. Pictures, stories, videos, and layouts takes time, money, and energy to produce. Besides all of that, how do you come up with stories that inspire and engage? I think the trick is to tell real stories about real people and cover subjects in which people can relate. When the first issue rolled out we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of feedback we received. The people who responded loved the feature story about the Childress, Texas couple who lives in a loft apartment and we especially got a ton of feedback in regards to the hay bale gardening article.
"When the first issue rolled out we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of feedback we've received."
What’s really cool is when we started seeing people who had inquired about the hay bale gardens showing off their new gardens on Facebook and Instagram posts. At that point, it brings a sense of satisfaction knowing that you helped bring a bit of joy into someone’s life. That’s why we decided to start Hackberry. Ultimately, our tiny publication is a labor of love. It is meant to keep traditions involving rural lifestyles and rural sensibilities alive and well in an increasingly urbanized society. If you have any ideas for subjects or people that you think will be a good fit, please let us know. We are always on the lookout for great content. In the meantime, if you know others who will like the publication, let them know about it. After all, it is free to subscribe to the digital edition. In the near future, we’ll offer the ability to buy a hard copy of the magazine and have just a single (or multiple) issues delivered straight to your door. The future is looking bright.
Russell A. Graves Editor-in-Chief
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Restoring Texas How one man finds his passion in old wood. By Russell A. Graves
“This place still has some great wood,” says Nathan Daves of Maypearl as we traipse through waist high ryegrass and volunteer oats to look at a couple of barns on an old Johnson County farmstead. Walking into the first barn, he places his hands on the wood and begins to read the grain as if it were a book. “This is old growth longleaf pine,” he says. “It probably came from East Texas because back then, wood wasn’t shipped very far.” The wood is patinaed by years of exposure to weather, bugs, and livestock and helps to tell a story of human history from this speck on a Texas map. A hundred or so yards away we reach the old farm house from which Nathan’s been plucking wood. With a homemade pry bar, he pulls one-by, shiplapped pine lumber from the walls. The nails stubbornly creak and groan as they are pulled away from beefy and dense two by four wall studs that are actually two inches by four inches in width and thickness: not the scaled down versions used in current construction. For maybe ninety years, the wood pieces were joined by nails that stood up to the sometimes harsh Texas weather as well as the tribulations and joys that untold families experienced while living here. Where most people see an old houses destined to be torn down and burned, Nathan sees art and redemption. Simply, Nathan is a furniture maker and runs a small company called Restoring Texas. He handcrafts pieces like tables and cabinets, and other furniture that most probably take for granted. However, each piece serves as an essential part of our daily lives. He is no ordinary furniture maker, though. He builds each piece from lumber he’s personally harvested from old homes and barns that time and people have forgotten. Nathan hasn’t forgotten, though. He sees each old board as something that can be saved and rebuilt into pieces that are transformative in people’s lives. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
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Inspiration Daves says his desire to build came early in life. Stoked by a blue-collar work ethic modeled by his father and a nurturing mother who encouraged his creative endeavors, Daves first began making furniture in college. He dedicated himself to learning the techniques of furniture makers and admittedly making mistakes along the way.
After earning a degree in English, he spent a dozen years in public education before deciding to walk way from teaching and administration four years ago. He dove headlong into making the kind of furniture for which he is passionate. “Furniture is a living breathing element of your space.,” says Daves. “It's not just some mundane abstract
object shoved into a corner. Furniture gives context to everything else in that room.” With that thought in mind, Daves tries to find wood that tells a story and can be repurposed into furniture that has meaning and context. Wood that has a story to tell. To that extent, he prefers making furniture from wood that comes
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from homes and barns built before the 1930’s. Much of this wood, he says, comes from old growth lumber that is hewn by hand or milling machinery that’s no longer in use. Essentially, it’s lumber that has imperfections and character completely counter to the homogeny found in modern lumber production. Old Wood The Texas timber industry is a long and storied one. Before the Texas revolution, a few sawmills dotted the state. After the
new nation rose and eventually annexed by the United States, timber operations continued to develop. By 1860, 200 mills operated in the state and the value of their production was the equivalent of nearly $46 million in today’s dollars.
pace of logging.
growth timber began to fall and by 1920, much of Texas’ original forest lands were logged. Save for a few isolated and protected pockets, the state’s original forests are gone. The wood from them made everything from barrel staves to lumber for houses and commercial buildings.
By the late 1870’s many of the East Texas forests were still largely pristine. Historical accounts indicated that before the 1880’s, 150 foot tall trees measuring five feet in diameter at the base weren’t uncommon. As railroads were According to the established for Texas Historical shipping and more Commission, modern milling logging occurred at techniques This old lumber is at frenetic pace and introduced, the old what’s sought after soon, the central Texas forests were depleted. The m iYV bRiV h wood harvested was being used to c Rdm eW iYV Rhi build a growing FV Rh W egVhih l VgV state. As the state grew, so did the hiZbb bRgXVbm f gZhiZdV
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by designers and furniture builders. The wood's connection to the past that’s palpable and authentic. The old wood grain and milling marks gives the wood a warmth that cannot be replicated from modern tree farms or cleaner milling techniques. To that extent, the old wood and the techniques to make new wood look old are in great demand by designers, builders, and homeowners. Design Trends Trends come and go but one of the hottest as of late is using reclaimed wood in interior design and furniture construction. The internet is replete with blogs and websites dedicated on teaching people how to “reclaim, repurpose, and reuse” wood. The notion is simple: reclaimed wood takes up less room in landfills and is somewhat widely available. As such the DIY set has embraced reclaimed wood as a functional building material and the professional design and interior decorating community embraces it as a sensible and stylish design theme. “Reclaimed lumber has a history, and brings that history into a new home or new renovation,” says Becky Harris, lead contributor who tracks and reports on design trends for the popular home design website Houzz.com. “It's a conversation starter. Whether the connection is personal or not, it connects a brand new house to a time in history.” Inside of my own newly constructed house, we’ve embraced the repurposed wood philosophy as our mantle, kitchen bar, and office desktop are made from wood that’s been harvested from an early 1900’s North Texas barn. The pieces are functional, fit the design aesthetic of our farmhouse design sensibilities, and are instant conversation starters. 12
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“The first thing people do is run their hand across the old pine beams and ask about the bar’s origin,” says my wife Kristy. “People connect with the warmth and the imperfections of the wood in a way that elicits a response that new furniture never would.” The reason? Old wood has character. Much of the wood with which Daves builds is no longer available at lumber yards. Old growth pine trees are no longer harvested and made commercially available. Most of the lumber sold at retail today comes from pine plantations or are made from recent generation hardwoods. As such each piece of furniture built from reclaimed wood is a one of a kind piece made from materials that are becoming more and more scarce. Harris says that the design trend to build with old lumber fits today’s trend of environmentally sustainable building practices. Furthermore, she says old lumber satiates an emotional response. “Rustic design is relaxing and makes one feel at ease. It's also nostalgic‚ — it reminds people of a favorite ramshackle lake house or woodsy cabin where they've felt close to nature.”
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A Labor of Love Twenty years after he made his first piece, Daves still finds passion in handcrafting each piece of furniture that he makes for his clients. His pieces are found in homes and restaurants all over Texas and each one is a unique creation made from wood that was cut and hewn over a century ago from trees that were already 200 - 500 years old. Each piece has it’s own “soul” and history and is worthy of redemption. The wood’s redemptive qualities are, according to Daves, parallel to people’s lives. “The wood is worn and dilapidated, yet it's given a new purpose, a new life,” laments Daves. “We should be able to see the stories of our own lives in these pieces: Forgotten. Abandoned. BUT renewed, redeemed.” He says he loves to see the eyes of his clients light up when they hear the history behind the pieces that Daves and his team make. Furthermore, when he leaves behind the pieces, he is satisfied in the notion that the furniture helps create and sustain familial bonds. “Our furniture comes to people with a certain historical richness. It tells the stories of families who used this wood before as well as a persevering way of life they experienced,” he says. “The furniture then becomes a piece for a new family to build their own memories around. That’s satisfying.”
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Property Watch Here's a rundown of some great rural properties currently on the market.
40 acres and a Home Randolph, Texas To learn more about this and other properties, check out www.ruralrealtygroup.com
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ocated at the end of a long gravel driveway, this 1,636+/- square foot country home is nestled among mature hardwood trees and overlooks a 4.5 acre lake. Built on 40 acres, built in 2014 is move in ready with clean carpeting, fresh paint, and granite countertops in the generously sized kitchen. Master bedroom suite is isolated includes en-suite bathroom with a big walk in closet. The other bedrooms share a
bathroom that's located off the central hallway. One room could be an of ce or 4th bedroom. It also features an eat-in kitchen and a dining room. In addition, a utility room includes ample cabinet space. This home includes an expansive kitchen and living room area and plenty of space.
...this 1,636+/- square foot country home is nestled among mature hardwood trees and overlooks a 4.5 acre lake.
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Property Spotlight
The inventory of great rural properties continues to grow. Available are homes with acreage, raw land, or homes in town with a variety of architectural styles and amenities. Click on each property to learn more including a virtual reality tour, property video, and complete property information.
SOLD
3br, 2ba manufactured home on 1.5+/- ac Ivanhoe, Texas $149,500
Historic Home in Childress, Texas $83,500
2br., 1ba home on big lot Childress, Texas $52,500
Red Plains Ranch, 325+/- acres with home Motley County, Texas $519,200
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Honey Grove Ranch 100+/- Acres Honey Grove, Texas $375,000
Located approximately 9 miles north of Honey Grove, Texas and east of FM 100, the 100+/- acre Honey Grove Ranch is a blank palette ready for development as a homesite, cattle grazing, or recreational property. The mostly at parcel consists of a variety of hardwood tree species such as cedar elm, bois d'arc, and oak and features two seasonal creeks and two stock ponds. Entrance to the property is along CR 2825. This property is ideally suited as a hunting and recreational property as the land, as well as the surrounding neighbors, provides deer and other game animals with the food, water, cover, and space they require to thrive.
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Starting Chickens off Right It’s that time. Your new chicks just arrived in the mail or hatched after a long and loving 21 days under the incubator. Now that the chicks are here, things don’t necessarily get easier. Instead, the care protocol shifts gears. Getting chicks off to a good start isn’t necessarily complicated. They have the same basic needs of any animal. However, you should pay extra attention to a few basic things. Brooding The brooding phase comes after the chicks hatch. The first 24 - 48 hours after hatch is perhaps the most critical stage. During this time they have to learn to fend for themselves by learning to eat and drink, stave off any potential illnesses, stay warm, and establish themselves in the pecking order of identical aged cohorts. Don’t fear, though. With good, sound management practices, your chickens will get off to a healthy start. Getting the right equipment To brood baby chickens you need some basic equipment. I start off with a spacious place to house the chicks. While you can use a big cardboard box, I use a six foot long livestock trough. The trough has high sides to keep the babies inside and is roomy enough to let the chicks move around to the area of the brooder box where they find the temperature comfortable. Furthermore, the trough has rounded edges and lacks corners. Often chicks, in an attempt to stay warm, will pile up in a corner and suffocate one another. Of course, I brood the chickens inside a shop or garden shed to protect them from predators and where I am better able to manage the temperature. Once I have my makeshift brooder house in place, all I need is a few more items including: Heat lamp
When starting out chickens, I use a 250 watt red heat bulb that’s mounted in a brooder lamp. The brooder lamp has a six foot long cord and a safety cage on the front. The long cord allows me to regulate how low or high I can hang the bulb. The height of the bulb in relation to the floor of the brooding box dictates how warm the air is under the bulb. In other words, the lower you hang the build in relation to the floor of the brooder, the more the heat is concentrated and the warmer the area becomes. I usually start the lamp about a foot off the brooder floor and see how the chicks react when the lamp is on. If they huddle tightly under the lamp, the lamp is too high and the chicks are cold. Therefore, move the lamp lower. Conversely, if the chicks are spread out away from the lamp, the lamp is too low and the chicks are trying to escape the heat. Ideally, the chicks will crowd against each other to stay warm but you don’t want them stacking on top of each other. If they do, it could lead to suffocation. Ideally, the temperature in the brooding area should be 95-100 degrees for the first two weeks of life. After that, you can reduce the heat 5 degrees each week until chicks are a month old. As they become fully feathered, you can wean them from the heat lamp all together. Ultimately the height of the heat lamp is dynamic and the ambient temperature of the room dictates how high the lamp should be. Therefore, be prepared to adjust the lamp height daily. Waterer Clean water is important for day old chicks and should be changed daily to ensure that it is clean and fresh. I use plastic chicken waterers I buy from a local
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Getting chicks off to a good start isn’t necessarily complicated. They have the same basic needs of any animal. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
farm store. The reservoir holds a gallon of water so it’s easy to to handle and change daily. The base of these waterers is shallow so there’s no need to worry about chicks drowning. For the first day or two, I’ll put a probiotic and electrolyte mixture in their water to help stave off any sickness the chicks may incur due to shipping stress. After a few days, I’ll just give them untreated water. Sometimes, chicks don’t want to drink. To combat that, I’ll put colored marbles in the waterer. I think the chicks are curious about the color and shape and peck at them. When they peck, they get a taste of the water and begin drinking. Usually, marbles are only needed for a few days and the chicks figure out where their water comes from. The Feeder Like the waterer, I don’t use anything exotic for a feeder. For starters, I’ll use a 28 hole, flip top plastic feeder. These feeders are long enough for the chicks to line up side by side and feed comfortably. When I first start the chicks, I’ll pile the feed high and leave the flip top open so the chicks can easily find it. I only do this for the first day or two, though. It won’t be long until the chicks are standing in the feed and scratching around. For some reason, the birds also have a tendency to poop in their feed. Therefore, once the birds find the feed, I close the lid so they’ll eat from the feeding holes. As the chicks get bigger, I’ll sometimes opt for a bigger feeder so that they never run out of feed. Shavings Good bedding is essential for chick health and well being. The baby chickens are using a small area for their feeding and bedding areas and their bathroom as well. So they need an absorbent bedding medium to help maintain their health. I use pine shavings. They are inexpensive, absorbent, readily available, and a single bale goes a long way. I’ve found that an initial 22
think layer in my brooder box will last for several days. As time goes on, I just add fresh shavings to the top of the existing base. After a couple of weeks, I’ll change the shavings out completely. Feeding I try not to overthink feeding newborn chicks. Millions of dollars of research goes into to formulating livestock feed so I trust the people who mill the feed for me. When the chicks go in the brooder box, I start them off with 18 - 24% protein chick starter crumbles. Since chicks are growing fast, they need a high protein feed. To teach them how to eat and where to eat from I’ll put a couple of boiled eggs sliced in half on top of their feed. I think they peck the hard boiled yolk out of curiosity because of its bright color. This spurs on their feeding instinct and it won’t take long for them to start eating their crumbles.
My main goal with the song was to show a different side of the the police officers lives. That these people are real people....
After about a month, I’ll switch their feed from a starter ration to a grower ration. Spotting trouble From day one your chicks need your attention. One chick getting sick could spread to the others and decimate your flock before they have a chance to thrive. When looking for trouble, watch for birds whose heads are drooping or seem lethargic. Baby chicks are full of energy and will run around a bunch. A sure sign of illness is to find a chick that isolates itself and seems to sleep a lot. In that case, be prepared to isolate the chick in another brooder box. Over time and with proper care, your chicks will thrive. You’ll see them begin to act like chickens by roosting on top of the waterer or on the edge of the brood box. That’s a good thing. After six weeks to two months of age when they are fully feathered, it’s time to start to introduce them to their coop. Before you know it, you’ll have fresh eggs. We believe that your property is more than just a listing. At Rural Realty Group, we know that your property is important to you. That's why we are upfront and honest with our clients. We employ the latest in visual technologies, print advertising and leverage the internet in ways most agents can't or won't. We use award winning photography and cinematography to showcase your home, farm, or ranch; we advertise in print and on the web; and we'll bring the latest in marketing technologies so your property gets the exposure it deserves. It's a new day for rural realty. Come see the difference.
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Great decor ďŹ nds are available with the click of a mouse.
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Dot Com Decorating A touch of color can add a pop to your spring decor By Kristy Graves
the sales they may be having. I have used some of these websites and I was very satisfied with the items I purchased. I am also anxious to try out the others. I personally love switching out my decor every so often or at least moving it around. Plus it is always fun to me to receive something new.
Whether you are building a new home or you would like to change out items in your current home, there are many websites online in which you can purchase farmhouse or country decor. Since one website may not have what you are looking for at the time, here are five home decor websites that we recommend. 1. decorsteals.com - this home decor website adds three new items every day and will send an you an email when they become available for purchase. The items are only available for 24 hours and they sell fairly quickly. 2. antiquefarmhouse.com - this website features antique farmhouse decor, vintage reproduction items, furniture, and other country decor. This site also has sales sometimes up to 80% off retail. 3. vintagefarmhousefinds.com - This is an online shop that has reproductions of items and true vintage hand-picked items from farm houses, attics, and other similar places all over the United States. 4. piperclassics.com - If you are looking for vintage farmhouse decor, braided rugs, country lights, bedding or quilts, curtains, or any other farmhouse or country items, this would be an online store for you. 5. thecountryhouse.com - This website is your one stop online shop for fall flowers, curtains, and country decor. The Country House also has a brick and mortar retail store located in Salisbury, Maryland. Most, if not all of these websites, have an email list in which you can subscribe and receive information about the daily deals or .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
Wood Fired Pizza By Russell A. Graves
You are going to love this. Everybody loves pizza, right? While the wood-fired pizza craze is all the rage in restaurants, cooking and eating “pie” at home makes it taste so much better. Plus, this recipe is super easy. The smoke infusion flavor throughout the pizza that you just can’t get from delivery pizza. Here is how to dit it: Ingredients Dough. While you can make your own from scratch, you can also use remade pizza dough. There are a number of companies that make premed pizza dough and are readily available in your local grocery store. Tomato Sauce Your choice of meat Your choice of cheese Your choice of vegetables Directions The first thing is to go ahead and start your fire if you are using real wood in your grill. 26
If you choose to use a pizza kit from a store, follow their directions for preparing the dough. Once the dough is ready, slowly work it thinner and thinner until you reach the thickness you prefer. Often you may need to use a couple of dough kits to get enough to make a thick crust. When the dough is spread, it’s time to layer. Start with a thin base of tomato sauce by using a big spoon or ladle to spread it. Then lay a generous layer of cheese down, then add your meats, and finally the vegetables. From here the pizza is complete but not cooked. If you have a pizza stone, cook the pizza for about 10 minutes over indirect heat on top of the stone. To achieve indirect heat be sure to move the coals over to one side of the grill and place the stone over the other side. Make sure you put corn meal on the stone so that your pizza slides off easily when it’s done. If you want to cook over direct heat, put your pizza in a cast iron skillet. Baking the pizza in cast iron gives the crust a crispy texture.
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Capturing your Memories on Video A quick look at the television or the internet and you’ll have an epiphany – video is a hot commodity. Surprisingly, many of the shows or videos you watch are shot with low cost equipment that you can buy at electronics stores and on-line retailers or even your phone. In the modern age of digital video and home computer based video editing software, you can shoot video that rivals those you see on television every week. In doing so, you’re bound to impress your friends as well. Start with a plan Like any good project, a good video starts with a plan. Sit down before the filming begins and make an outline of specific shots you want. Think about broad general shots such as a boat floating on the lake but then add in detail shots like a close-up of someone reeling a reel, tying on a lure, or picking up a fish.
Detail shots go a long way in helping tell and accurate and engaging story. When making notes, try to think like a director who’s making a motion picture. Try to come away with a story and not just a collection of loosely related video clips. Sometimes it helps to draw storyboards to help you determine what the shot should look like. Use a tripod or gimbal This is a big one: use a tripod or a gimbal. Shaky video, even just a little bit shaky, is uncomfortable to watch and reeks of amateurism. Put your camera on a good sturdy tripod or a gimbal head and you’ll be amazed at how much better your video looks. A tripod makes that much of a difference. A tripod also helps you pan smoothly across a scene without rough starts and stops. Careful on the zooms Another big mistake amateur videographers often make is their judicious use of the zoom feature on their video cameras. Avoid zooming in and out while film is rolling. Like a video shot without a tripod, watching a video where the scene zooms quickly in and out is uncomfortable to watch. It’s best if you zoom all the way in or all the way out before you start filming. If you must zoom, do it very slowly. Use the three basic rules of photography Just as in photography, three basic rules should dominate every image frame you shoot with a video camera: use the rule of thirds for composition, get close to your subject, and keep the sun at your back. These rules, although elemental, will improve your videos. Throw in the fact that you’re now using a tripod, shooting with a plan, and eliminating fast zooms and who knows, maybe you’ll be the next viral star.
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"Shaky video, even just a little bit shaky, is uncomfortable to watch and reeks of amateurism."
Good stories are worth taking the time to capture good video. .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Backroads
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Duckworth Violin Shop New Braunfels, Texas
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In the next issue:
Teaching your Kids to Love the Outdoors Homemade Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and much more!
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