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7 Arrow Ranch
Eat Chicken. Nourish Your Body. Restore the Land.
Boots and Roots Blog
Faith. Food. Farm wisdom.
Your exit ramp from life in the fast lane.
Welcome to Boots & Roots — your quiet place on the internet to breathe deep, slow down, and reconnect with what matters. Here you’ll find a blend of gentle devotionals, ranch stories, simple homegrown recipes, outdoor skills, and homestead-from-anywhere tips that make life feel a little less rushed and a lot more intentional.
Whether you’re here for the stories, the skills, or the spiritual encouragement, I’m so glad you found your way to my back porch.
Pour a cup of something warm. Or cold. Or boozy. Whatever floats your boat.
Kick off your shoes or dust off your boots.
Let’s grow something beautiful together.
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Welcome to the Boots & Roots Blog
If you’ve found your way here, chances are you’re craving something slower, simpler, and more meaningful than the fast-paced rhythm the world keeps trying to drag you into. Same here, friend. Boots & Roots was born on a dusty 20-acre tract of Texas dirt (couldn't even call it soil yet), a pair of well-worn hiking boots, and a longing for a life that actually felt like… life. In 2017, our family traded in suburbia’s schedules for something with a little more soul. We didn’t
7arrowranch
Nov 182 min read
When the Chickens Are Gone and the Pastures Are Poppin’
May is such a busy month around here, I half expect it to come with a soundtrack, some pyrotechnics, and a fog machine to announce each new to-do. It’s the kind of month that throws glitter in your face while yelling “SURPRISE!”… every single day.
7arrowranch
Jun 14 min read
Hard-Knock Life
The Day Our Brooder Hit 140°: A Painful Lesson in Farming, Loss, and Paying Attention I don’t know that I’ll ever forget the sight. Tiny, lifeless bodies. Empty waterers. Silence where there should’ve been peeping. Just three days old, and already gone. Eighty chicks. Dead. And it was my fault. Let me back up... The winter of 2023 was rough on our brooder. I didn’t lose chicks, but... I may as well have—the water froze, and the little birds spent most of their energy just tr
7arrowranch
May 193 min read
Processing Day Mishap
This processing day was a doozie--one that I don't necessarily wish to repeat. But both the freezer--and the brooder--are full!
7arrowranch
Apr 64 min read
Chicken vs 60 MPH Winds--Life on the Edge of the Great Plains
How we kept our chickens safe during wild North Texas windstorms—60 mph gusts, flying pen lids, and all.
7arrowranch
Mar 183 min read
Winter Kidding Has Begun!
We had our first set of winter kids hit the ground earlier today! Naturally, since we have a bit of winter weather moving in right now! We noticed last night that one of our nannies was off by herself, and knew that she was due any day. We had to move the herd last nigh,t, and I felt bad moving her when I knew labor was imminent. BUT, we have quite a few mommas that are about to drop some kids in the coming weeks, and I wanted them off of their current paddock, and on a ne
7arrowranch
Dec 28, 20233 min read
Progress--Not Perfection
52 Weeks of Homegrown and Handmade--week 11 We're gonna give this weekly update a different feel, since I'm 10 weeks behind!! My time, like everyone's time, is super limited, and I'm not the best manager of it. I'm a little scatterbrained. I make lots of lists, but I lose them. I put reminders in my phone--but I have so many that I tune out the reminders. I have sticky notes on my mirror. Lots of them. So now they get ignored. *Sigh* My progress--from trying to manage
7arrowranch
Jun 22, 202115 min read
The vet said she was beyond hope...
We have had straight-up, honest-to-goodness, miraculous healing here on our farm. Of our goats. God loves ALL of His Creation, even His stubborn goats. Can I get an Amen here??Can anyone else out there identify with being a stubborn old goat? No? Just me?? Well then.... We have had. a. time. here on our farm the last few months. I'm not even sure what precipitated everything. We have been working, for a very long time, towards being able to rotate our goats daily. So
7arrowranch
Nov 10, 20209 min read
Baby, It's Cold Outside!
A week ago, our temps were around 90. Yesterday, our high was 36. Texas weather, in the spring and fall, is crazy. Amazingly, despite the below-freezing temps in the mornings the last few days, our meat chickens continue to grow and are doing great. We lost 12 chicks during the first week. 😭😭 We haven't had a single loss since then, despite Texas weather being drunk. Also, my lettuce didn't die. Hooray!! Winter is a season of rest. And it appears winter is here sever
7arrowranch
Oct 28, 20202 min read
What Pandemic??
Farm life/rural life doesn't pause for a pandemic.
7arrowranch
Jul 27, 20205 min read
Misadventures in Gardening
So, I have a black thumb, y'all. If it's not a desert plant that can survive droughts, floods, scorching heat, and snow, then I. Will. Kill. It. 🤦♀️ BUT, I have a dream of someday growing a garden full of fruits and vegetables that my family will eat. So, it doesn't have to be a big garden. When it comes to eating my veggies, I'm basically a 6 year old. Like this guy. My father in law gives us tomato starts, ready for transplanting, every year. Isn't he sweet?! Every
7arrowranch
Feb 15, 20203 min read
Lessons Learned
I grew up in suburbia, born to a dad with a green thumb, and a mom with a black thumb. I inherited the black thumb. In fact, I did a science experiment for science fair one year, in which I discovered which acids and bases killed plants the fastest. Needless to say, I killed all plants quite successfully! Yet I always dreamed of living on a ranch, and maybe having a garden. Here I am, as an adult, and I have successfully managed to kill every plant I’ve ever put in the ground
7arrowranch
Feb 5, 20205 min read
How Did You Find This Place?
This is the question we get asked over and over here, especially by locals. There are quite a few people in this town who knew the prior owners of our house. They didn't even know the house was for sale. Our neighbor across the street said he considered buying the house, but didn't move in time. Solicitors have said they never even noticed this house was here, despite having been in the neighborhood on other occasions. So how did we find this place? My husband Darrin and
7arrowranch
Jan 23, 20204 min read
Hooves on the ground!
Our fall 2019 kid crop is already 4-5 weeks old! Crazy how quickly time flies! We have 5 doelings and 1 buckling that we are keeping an eye on. We are focused right now on growing our herd, and while sheer numbers are important, our primary goal is conservation of the Spanish breed. To this end, we have to constantly be looking for the characteristics that make Spanish goats, well, Spanish goats! They are known for their hardiness, adaptability, independence, parasite- a
7arrowranch
Jan 16, 20201 min read
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