In the Country

June 26th, 2024

If your double wide is permanently positioned on the side of a dirt road, then you are by definition “country”. Our son, Hans, and his family bought a double wide on an acre of wooded land, and it is definitely in the country. The closest town to their home is Madisonville, Texas, population is 4420. According to Hans, the municipality has three cops. Hans and Gabby do not live in Madisonville proper. A person needs to drive about five miles away from the town to get to that narrow dirt road that connects to their property.

Hans works in construction. He often operates a pump truck with a 58-meter boom on it. His company does mostly residential slabs for houses. In Texas they don’t have basements, so the slab is the foundation for the home. Hans is very busy pouring slabs in the Bryan/College Station area of Texas, about an hour’s drive from where he and his family live. BCS is booming and many people from Houston are moving there. The Houstonites want some room and some quiet. Paradoxically, they also want the conveniences that are associated with living in an urban environment. This means these newcomers bring the city along with them. There is plenty of open land available in the vicinity of BCS, but it is expensive and soon to be developed.

On the other hand, the land near Madisonville is open and likely to stay that way. Hans has seen no construction activity close to Madisonville. Some of the land may get developed on the future, but not in the immediate future. Hans and Gabby are good with that. They want to live in the country. They don’t care about not being able to get DoorDash. They want a home with trees and pastures nearby. They want a place where their three kids can grow up in safety. It appears they have chosen the right location.

There are only a few homes close to Gabby and Hans. All the neighbors know each other, and they seem to get along well. When Karin, Asher, and I visited a couple weeks ago, I could hear roosters crow in the distance. Hans and Gabby have oaks and cedars growing in their property. There is a tree farm located behind their land. Apparently, the tree farm also has a pipeline going through it, which will probably inhibit future development. Within walking distance is a pasture with cattle lolling under spreading oak trees. There is also a rusting pumpjack in the field. It probably pumped oil in the past, but not anymore. If there is pumpjack, then there must also be underground pipelines, some of which may have leaked over the years. That’s another disincentive to rapid new development.

Hans and Gabby have plans for their little piece of paradise. Gabby wants to plant pecan trees. She wants to have a garden. She is already growing seedlings for it. She wants roses. Hans wants to clear out the dead trees and maybe build a shed. To fulfill their ambitions, they need time and money. Currently, they have neither. However, they have their dreams, and that is a wonderful thing. They have a house of their own now, and they want to transform it into their home.

My wife, Karin, and I had great hopes for the house we built 33 years ago. Some of our dreams came true. Some did not. This house became our permanent home, and it bears our mark. It is also the home of our little grandson, Asher. It is the only home he has ever known, and it might be his home for many years to come. Gabby and Hans will create a space that is uniquely their own. May it bring them joy and peace.