Welcoming a little help with some homestead projects in Texas, USA

Details

• 

  Description

  We (husband and I) have a modest funky incomplete country home that I have been personally building for many years on some rural Texas land; but we are getting older and I am having some health challenges which have slowed me down. I need help unhoarding an outbuilding and getting some DIY work done around the house. I have opened too many projects and now don't have the energy to get them all done. I have a lot of collected materials and REALLY don't want to turn into an episode of "Hoarders" so it is time to organize and purge. I stumbled upon this website and it seems like an ideal arrangement. I supply some hospitality and you supply some extra joules of energy to take my projects over the finish line. Win/Win.
  
  I ran an AirB&B rental in Austin for a year when I was 45 and loved the experience so I am looking forward to hosting world travelers again. We are 56 now and have 5 acres of former pasture land near some wild pine forests in central Texas. We dug our own well and have an all natural above ground pool (no chlorine, the pollinators need water too!) to enjoy if you don't mind some cute little green frogs in there and a few water bugs. I am a good cook and will feed you well. We try to get our eggs, meat and vegetables from local ethical organic sources. We definitely buy organic almost always. We both value sustainable and ethically raised food. I don't mind rising to the challenge of feeding a vegan or vegetarian.
  
  The place is surrounded by forests and pastures and peace except when the (farther away) neighbors are hunting. Sometimes you can hear gunshots in the distance. Austin is an hour away and we go there fairly often so anyone we host should have a chance to see both the Texas country side but also experience Austin which is a tech hub and live music capital of the world (SXSW, ACL, etc).
  
  In the country we also have an uncovered spot where an RV/van could park but getting here is a winding dirt road with lots of trees so no vehicles over 20 feet and you might get some scrapes if your rig is higher than a tall van. But the spot we have is near our outdoor bathroom (with flush commode) and near the laundry room so it would be convenient once you got here. There is a 30 amp hook-up available and dhigh speed internet (starlink).
  
  PETS: we have 2 indoor/outdoor cats.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Besides learning about Texas culture (it's not all bad!), I have skills and knowledge pertaining to natural beekeeping, herbalism, carpentry, GAPS protocol and gut health, I am a good cook and baker. I have worked as a carpenter, auctioneer stenographer, pie baker, aviation secretary, a woodworking teacher, a writer, a maid, a waitress, a nanny, a professional assistant, a cook. I spoke Spanish before English but now only consider myself fluent in English. I am a bit of an oddball but authentic and very kind. I communicate well. But be warned, if you start asking me about bees I might never shut up. :) Anyone out there with 'special interests' will understand... my only limit is that currently I get tired easily. You don't have to worry about me over working you. I am often worn out after 2 -3 hours of just 'supervising'.

• 

  Help

  I move slow from low energy problems. Mostly I need help with landscaping projects and at the moment, building rails and renovating my porches. Nothing grueling!

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  We are working on clearing out a separate 12'x20' finished building to be used as a guest space. It is cozy and private with electricity, a/c and heat and running water. Then a few yards away (outdoors) we have a cedar/metal panel lined shower and commode our guests are welcome to use. There is also a bathtub inside my private bathroom that I could share as well if people wanted to take baths - but the outdoor shower is everyone’s favorite.

• 

  What else ...

  On the land you could take walks past the pastures and some woods. We have a 24' round above ground pool for swimming although I am having trouble keeping the leaves out of it. You might have to do some scooping before you can swim. There is an outfit a few miles away that hosts various kinds of music and events. It is called "Snake Prairie Events" on road 304 and there is a fun brewery called "The Wild Bunch Brewery Co" in Red Rock. Lockhart and Bastrop are the nearest towns to us within 30 minutes of driving. I would expect to provide all transportation while out in the country and some in the city but can't drive a whole lot without irritating my back so trips need to be planned and be spare.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  My husband is a computer programmer and works remotely out here. We welcome digital nomads but don't have the fastest internet currently. We are due to install 'starlink' by sometime in October 23 - so after this happens, we should have very fast internet service.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  I built a complete outdoor shower bathroom with a flush commode which anyone traveling in their own vehicle could use and is accessed from outside my home. You could use these facilities and not fill up your black tank while staying here. There is also a laundry room accessible from outside that you are welcome to use. We have internet service (my husband is a remote computer programmer) but it is sketchy sometimes (though we are on the verge of an upgrade) and our land is fairly level. We have an underground tornado shelter for rare, but possible, dangerous storms and an outdoor above ground natural swimming pool to enjoy as much as you like.

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  Only if they can stay outside my house so I suppose this would only be people traveling in their own motorhomes or vans. Our place is pretty wild and there are coyotes, pigs and sometimes maybe bobcats in our vicinity at night.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

• 

  My animals / pets

Website Safety

Feedback (3)