I did not name this place; my family did before I ever set foot in Piney Woods in Deep East Texas. Most of the residents have hooves and go about their days in peace. Some, including me, are here to heal.

This property consists of just under 30 acres about 15 miles outside of Nacogdoches, the “Oldest Town in Texas.” There is a funny little horse named Pedro that keeps getting my attention. I’ve told you everything. He wanders and he follows me whenever he can.

Last night, Pedro got me carrots and we saw a shooting star together. I prayed that God would give me the strength to see my mother’s life come to an end. When I started to cry, Pedro wiped his nose on my head. He was perfect.

Sporks are cross breeds between miniature horses and donkeys I believe. There are a couple of them and they are the first hoofed animals I have seen fighting. They bray, day and night, and are considered ‘lawn eaters’.

One is an older horse who I’m told was once a champion who won dozens of buckles in his days as a barrel racer. Another is half blind and I am careful to get close to the sighted side of her when I feed so as not to scare her. She is a very tame animal and loves to have her neck stroked.

There are plenty of antique shops downtown and plenty of real estate sales in this secluded corner of Texas (3 hours from the main airport). Sometimes in these little towns there are rare pieces of glass that I have collected for years called Heisey.

Small town amusements are fun. In a city of about 33,000 inhabitants, I have seen a cinema, a bowling alley and a bar next to the railway. Unlike California, there are churches on every corner instead of coffee shops and even the coffee shop is affectionately called “Thumpers” just like in the Bible.

I was surprised to see sushi bars and grocery store stalls. Employees came straight from the East to the Wild West. The only reference is Deep East Texas. All I could imagine was Asian accents saying ‘you guys’, ‘fixing’ and ‘God bless you honey’.

Real estate is run by a few houses. LaDonna Simpson has my heart. Poole has the best visual image. Her ads are clean and the signage is very stylish. The Badder Law Firm makes you wish you had a legal question just to see the inside of that beautifully restored home. I hope there will be open houses at some of the historic properties at some point like they do in California for fundraisers.

Rental rates are posted at $400-$700 for decent looking apartments along with houses from the 50’s. Of course, prices also rise to over a million for a property on a large piece of land. Condominiums are basically unheard of here, except as senior or student housing. The concept of buying an apartment makes no sense to country people when you can own even a small piece of land.

Horses and cows are everywhere, as are donkeys, wild deer, and large, stray pigs. Sporks also keep coyotes and poisonous snakes away. They will actually kill them. I tried to get my mom’s miniature donkey, Pedro, to chase away a chicken snake, but he just walked over and gave me a look that said he wasn’t interested in my fun.

Such is life here in Piney Woods, deep in East Texas. Stay tuned for Misfit Island’s ‘tails tales’. Our little rescue grows every day and mom seems to be coming back to life.