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Spaulding Smails

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Posts posted by Spaulding Smails

  1. 8 hours ago, Zukster said:

    My daughter raises broilers seasonally for various AG shows. This year she raised 50 birds. 5 went to the Houston Live Stock Show and the rest went to the freezer.  The best and worst part is after the shows are over….. processing 45 birds sucks, but a full freezer is a nice reward at the end of the season. 

     

    Any tips for processing?  Do you have a mechanical plucker?  We had a hen get broody a few years back.  Had an employee give me about a dozen fertilized eggs.  We ended up butchering the half dozen roosters from that hatch.  It was manageable, but kind of a pain.  Would've been a real chore with 45 birds.  And, they were by no means broilers, so the yield wasn't much, but damn they sure were tasty.

  2. Someone made the comment in the rain thread, but this year looks "different" as if we're in the midst of a big drought.  Seems like wildflowers are late and few and far between.  Native grasses and trees haven't started budding out yet.  Everything just looks brown and shiny.  Kinda like Mother Nature knows we're going into a nasty drought. 

  3. Awesome.  That was one of the brands I was looking at.  I'm in Dripping Springs.  Probably not pulling the trigger until this coming winter.  If I do, and if that's close enough to qualify, I'm happy to mention your referral.

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  4. Buttoning up the coop at our new property.  Still need to run power and water to it, add some battens and trim on the exterior and finish up the nesting boxes inside, then add decomposed granite on the ground.  But, the ladies are out of the elements now, so my wife is happy.  We only had two left after the move and are holding off until we have power to buy another round of chicks.  I think we'll be able to keep 20+ in there comfortably.  We'll let the free range during the day while we're home, but I made sure to make the screen area plenty large so we can leave for a long weekend without them being too cramped.  I'll post more pics when 100% completed.

      spacer.png

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  5. 10 hours ago, CHIEF said:

    Bought a 12x24 greenhouse this last week to put by my shop. Once I get my well on electricity, should be good to go. It will not be here till mid-June, but I should be able to grow year round. 

    Can you send a link and pics when it arrives?  Are you assembling yourself or having it put together by someone else?

    I'm scoping them out now for my new property.  That's almost the exact same size I'm considering.  Running power and water out to the chicken coop that will be adjacent to the garden and greenhouse in a few weeks.  Trying to plan ahead for adding those later this year.

  6. 1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Another factor to consider is whether the small business has multiple owners or is more akin to a sole proprietorship or single-shareholder entity.

    A Houston law firm bought its own building a long time ago in an interesting move.  But, being a law firm, had dozens of "owners" in the form of "partners" or "shareholders."  Because the building was not a fungible asset, really, it began to cause a lot of friction among the shareholders.   Complicates buy-in and buy-out.  I believe the property itself was a good investment, as far as that went, but the ownership aspects wound up being a massive headache for them.

    If your entity has multiple owners, you may want to create a separate entity to purchase real estate and have the actual business entity lease from that entity.  It's still not a complete solution, but offers a little more flexibility.

    ETA:  already stated above, but perhaps a slightly different spin on it.

     

    This is a great point.  Things change in business, and it's hard enough to deal with changes on the business side, let alone throw in the real estate aspect.

    In our case, we brought in an additional partner (buddy who is a real estate attorney) on the land deal.  It helped us secure the deal on the front end, and it's been good for both parties.  We'll probably start looking for dirt in the next 24 months or so for the next venture, and we'll most likely bring in a different partner for that endeavor.  If RE isn't your core business, and you're looking for something beyond a 100% owner occupied space, having someone with more expertise in that space can be very valuable.  In this next round, we're talking to someone who has more of a developer mindset and much deeper pockets that can really help slingshot a larger play.

  7. Yep.  We did it the exact same way for multiple reasons.  Keeps your costs consistent, and you think about it from the a landlord perspective when you have a separate LLC.

    My thought has always been that, if I sold the business, keeping the real estate would be a must.  And, to follow up on what I said earlier, the only way I'd sell what I have now would be to upgrade a land ownership stake.  Seems like a no-brainer to have steady commercial rental income as part of a retirement income stream.  

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  8. I have both right now.  Own my original office that we still use, and just signed a lease for our second office.  We've owned the space for five years now.  Had a tenant for a few years as well.  I can make an argument for both.  It really depends on the situation and the type of business.

    Obviously, the increase in equity and the freedom / flexibility to do what I want is a huge plus.  The biggest downside is being stuck if your needs change.  You end up making sacrifices for the sake of staying at your own space that may cost you profitability. 

    I liked having a tenant, especially one right next door that I could keep an eye on.  But, the random BS was tiresome, and towards the end, we were having to chase them down for rent.  Ultimately, their lease expired and they moved on.  Which was a good thing because I believe they're out of business due in large part to Covid. 

    On the rental side, it sure is nice to have a tenant to call when something is wrong.  Love the flexibility piece to be able to move around if needed.  But, beyond paying the rent, you do feel like you're throwing money away when you try to make the space your own, especially if it's a shorter term.

    Ultimately, I think we'll end up selling the property we own when our lease is up on the new space (5 years from now) and trying to roll it all into one consolidated space with us as an anchor tenant and other tenants alongside.

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  9. My shitting apprehensions have drastically waned over the years.  From refusing to shit in a public restroom to no-holds-barred shitting in porta potties and convenience store.  A nasty porta potty is about as bad as it gets for me from an actual location standpoint.  But, I did encounter some gastric distress while training for a marathon at the midway point of an out-and-back 16 mile run several years ago.  I tried the run-walk-run-walk interval strategy, but the contractions were getting stronger and closer together.  I was less than a mile from home when I couldn't take it any more.  Ended up shitting inside a 48" culvert under a busy farm to market road and wiping with my running socks.  

    Sidebar... while in outside sales many moons ago, my colleagues and I coined the term "Hampton Inn Pitstop".  Walk into a Hampton Inn or other mid-range hotel, and calmly walk by the front desk to the lobby shitter.  Almost always immaculate and rarely occupied.  Because, who shits in the lobby of a hotel when you have a room there?  Walk right back out like you own the joint.  

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  10. 8 hours ago, Red Five said:

    Wait, you ran a background check on him and that didn't come up? 

    Correct.  Background checks only show convictions.  Not arrests.  He was arrested and held, but didn't go to trial and wasn't ever convicted.  Otherwise, he had a spotless record.  

  11. One of those four burnouts that were falsely accused worked for me for about 3 years.  Decent guy.  Hard worker.  Just kind of kept to himself.  Clean background check when we hired him.  

    I didn't arrive in Austin until my stint on the 40 acres in the late 90s, so I wasn't super familiar with the murders.  I read the book "Who Killed These Girls?" about a year after I hired him.  I'll never forget reading that book, and getting to the spot where they mentioned his name.  It's not a super common name, so my jaw immediately dropped.  I happened to be on a flight at the time with no WiFi.  Couldn't wait to get to the internet to search a picture of him from 25 years ago.  Sure as shit, it was him.  I never brought it up during his tenure with me and neither did he. 

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  12. On 3/5/2022 at 1:25 PM, Atxracer said:

    Same. 3 am is the worst. All the deals and what could go wrong, tasks I didn’t get to the previous day, things I forgot about, new made up worries that I never thought of, things I am concerned with in the future, all roll through my head.  No good thoughts at all. Finally dismiss them, maybe send myself an email to get it off my head, wake up at 6 and realize how stupid my 3:00 brain was.  

    I don't think I've ever clicked on this thread, but the one time I do and speed scroll through the last page, and holy shit, this is me.  Always been a good sleeper.  Quick to sleep, can sleep anywhere, any time, no insomnia.  I'll be damned if the last year hasn't been full of the 3-AM-wide-awake-crazy-anxiety-and-random-thoughts deal.  Usually lasts about an hour.  I'll eventually fall back to sleep, and right as rain at 5 AM when the alarm goes off, but damn, it sucks and really puts me in a funk the next day. 

    Anyhow, I clicked on the link to bitch about my elbow tendinitis.  I'm a lefty and it's my right elbow, but what a pain in the ass.  It's odd because my strength is still fine, but it's weird angles that kill me.  I can't pick my coffee mug up out of the cup holder in my truck without wincing in pain.  I have to reach with my left hand.  It hurts to hold it straight, so I'm walking with my arm subconsciously slightly flexed, so I'm running into door jambs and banging my elbow which compounds the pain.  It sucks.  Time to go see a doctor, I suppose.

  13. I freed a skunk from a Have-A-Heart trap once.  It was after dispatching a .22 to his head, but I removed him from the trap, nonetheless.  

    @crimsonlonghorn why on earth did you even tempt fate by trying to let him out?  Nice job, but damn.  I wouldn't have thought twice about perforating a skunk.  

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  14. 54 minutes ago, Cajun said:

    Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than smart.  Sold my ‘05 Nautique to a pal last Fall.  Gave him the friend price and he towed it back to Slidell.  Didn’t have the title (long story -mailed to ex gf’s house when I paid off the note) so, I told him I’d get that and then he could send me a check.

    Fast forward to earlier this week - I got the title in & called him up and now all I’m hearing is buyer’s remorse.  “l’m moving to Colorado”, blah blah blah.  He doesn’t come straight out & say he doesn’t want to pay up, but he says it, if you know what I’m saying.  I call my cousin over at BoatTown, explain the situation, & he makes a call to a guy who’s looking.

    Dude is not only going to take it sight unseen (I did send him pics), he’s paying $10K over what my buddy and I settled on.  Of course, gas to get it back from fucking Slidell, LA will take a nice bite from that, but hey, anytime I can load up on boudin is a good time!

    Hell yes!  Rather be lucky than good.  Nicely done, sir.  

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  15. We're thinking about going there next year for our 20 year anniversary (June '23).  We got married in Ambergris Caye in '03, and we haven't been there since, so it may be a good time to return.

    I'm thinking of renting a house on Ambergris Caye.  Short of searching VRBO / AirBnB, any recommendations on cool beachfront houses to rent?  We're 50/50 on whether or not to include the kids or go solo.  If we do go solo, that opens up trying to get a really cool hotel suite.  We stayed at Portofino when we got married, and most of the wedding party stayed at either Ramon's or Victoria House.  Open to suggestions on high-end but boutique-ish hotels as well.

  16. @fattyflattie great minds think alike indeed!  I always gravitate towards shooting the tan ones for some reason.  Psychologically, I tell myself they taste better.

    @BabaYaga I've done cabrito on the iron cross before but never a pig.  I'm sure it would be excellent.  We wanted to eat it that night, so we threw it straight over oak coals on the grill.  

    @Lat22 same here.  I even told my wife that I was gonna bust a piglet if they came out.  First time that plan came together.  Even got to clean it in broad daylight.

    @davidg it was outstanding.  Even the hams were tender.  Only downside is how small the tenderloins were.  Pretty much two bites on each side and they were gone!

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  17. I have not personally built one, but my buddy's Baffin Bay cabin has an outhouse with a composting toilet.  I'm guessing they're a few hundred bucks new.  No hole to dig.  Works pretty damn efficiently.  A few scoops of peat moss at the end of the weekend.  Just build a little box around it.  

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  18. 2 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

    So you currently have a truck that gets gallons per mile, and you only have half of your fuel storage and no way to measure what’s in there.  That’s awesome.  

    Hahaha.  Yep.  You nailed it.  Kind of less than ideal, right?  I've only driven it a few times.  Topped off with fuel twice.  Based on my rough calculation, I think it gets about 10 MPG.  Definitely drinks the petrol.  Taking it to the shop in a few weeks to get all the little things fixed including the fuel situation and gas gauge.  

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  19. 2 hours ago, otisdog said:

    Appears to have the 2nd tank, which is a good thing. Old man had a '75 (I think) with the full time 4wd. Had 70 gallons worth of tanks , needed them all.  My brother and I were framing  houses at the time, living in Pasadena and driving to San Juan Capistrano daily for work....142 mile round trip, we were barely breaking even.

    Yep!  Dual tank.  One of the issues, though, is the dual fuel tank selector doesn't work.  Windows need new seals, fuel gauge is broken, heater doesn't work and the carb throttle linkage needs adjustment.  On the plus side, it's got a bad ass semi truck air horn that is LOUD.  Fun truck for sure.

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  20. Bummer @crimsonlonghorn.  Good lookin chicken.  Hard to tell from the pictures, but are they Bantams?

    We've lost our fair share over the years.  To your point, sometime's you understand it's just part of nature.  Other times, it hits hard.  My daughter was heartbroken when we forgot to close the coop and lost our two ducks to a fox.  The other one that my wife was most upset about was a Bantam (Vanilli who's sister was Millie).  We didn't realize she had started laying eggs down the hill.  Didn't count chickens when we put them up one night, and she got whacked while sitting on her nest one night.  Big pile of white feathers right next to a pile of eggs.  Always a bummer.

  21. 3 hours ago, hookemATL said:

    With deer season behind me, I want to think about some ways to improve my chances and in general just get some projects on the books for next year. 

    I borrowed a popup blind from a buddy this year, but I think I want to "build" a simple platform style 2-man blind that will get me up off the ground and honestly just give me something fun to do.  I have access to all kinds of raw materials out at the farm, including enough cedar to build a bridge over the River Kwai 3 times over.  Ideally I could do a combo of cedar posts and some of the lumber my dad has stored out there.  Any tips/plans/ideas would be greatly appreciated.  I wouldnt call myself a Jesus level carpenter, but competent enough.

    Food Plot - I have never done this before but think it would help increase deer activity and in general provide some benefit to the wildlife in the area.  I am completely ignorant to what to plant and when to plant it, but I have all the implements necessary to put in a decent sized plot in my designated hunting area.  For reference, this is Sandy Loam soil (Bastrop County) with a mix of pine/oak/cedar/yaupon trees surrounding the open area that I hunt.

    Feeder - As a proud and cheap motherfucker, I strategically deployed hollowed out blackjack oak logs as my feeders this season.  They worked great and I saw lots of activity but obviously I would prefer a better solution that works well but wont break the bank.  I have seen the economical options online/at Academy but am interested to see what the peanut gallery thinks is a good choice.

    TIA to all the hunters here with WAYYY more knowledge on this stuff than me.  I am trying to make this a bigger part of my recreational life (did it a lot more as a kid), and am hoping to gain some insight that will make it more enjoyable and successful for myself and my hunting buddies.  

    I can't comment on the food plot, and to others' points, if cost is a concern, buying one used is the way to go.

    That being said, I've built several over the years.  Two of which were pretty cool, but pre iPhone, so I don't have any pics.  I built three on site and one in my driveway.  For the site built ones, I did some horse trading with a mason of mine, and got three used sections of scaffolding to make three blind bases.  Slapped some 2x12s on top with U-bolts.  My uncle is a drywall contractor, so we built it out of metal studs.  Bought some cheap sliding windows and clad them with plywood and slapped a corrugated metal roof on top.  Years later, I built one in the driveway out of PT lumber.  I used 12' 4x4s for the legs, so it sat about 6' off the ground.  Simple framing and a plywood roof.  Transportation was a bitch.  I had to lay it on it's side on a 16' trailer, then winch it up when I got to the lease.  It was HEAVY.

    The only advice I have is think ahead if you're building it on site.  Nothing worse than coming up short on screws, etc.  I remember that exact issue on the scaffold blinds.  We were short self-tapping screws.  I had to drive an hour each way.  To this day, my uncle and I still kid about needing random shit at the ranch.  Every time I head to his place, I ask him if I need to bring a box of reverse thread metric screws or some other oddball item.

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