I did not name this place; my family did before I ever set foot in the Piney Woods in Deep East Texas. Most of the residents are hoofed and live out 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 city in Texas.” There is a funny little horse named Pedro that keeps getting my attention. I have told him everything. He wanders and he follows me whenever he can.

Last night, Pedro found me carrots and we watched a shooting star together. I prayed that God would give me 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 ever seen fight. They bray, day and night, and are considered ‘eating lawn ornaments’.

One is an older horse who I am 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 feeding so as not to scare her. She is a very tame animal and loves to be petted on her neck.

There are plenty of antique stores downtown and lots 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 over the years called Heisey.

Small town diversions 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” as in the Bible.

I was surprised to see sushi bars and stalls in the grocery store. The 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’, ‘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 advertisements 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 homes from the 1950s. Of course, prices also go up to over a million for a property on a large lot. Condos are basically unknown here, except as housing for seniors or students. 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, roaming pigs. Sporks also keep coyotes and venomous snakes away. They will actually kill them. I tried to get my mother’s miniature donkey, Pedro, to chase away a chicken snake, but he just stepped over it and gave me a look that said he wasn’t interested in my fun.

That’s how life goes here in Piney Woods in deep east Texas. Stay tuned for ‘tail tales’ from Misfit Island. Our little rescue grows every day and mom seems to be coming back to life.