[water splashing]
[dramatic music playing]
[Marty] T is for Texas.
It's also for trouble.
[Andrew] All of our livestock
is right at our doorstep.
Holy...
[Misty] There's so much
potential to allow disease.
[Andrew] Our family
fell into shambles.
[Anthony] It's made me
wanna leave this homestead.
[Linda] The thing
I'm most passionate about
is to see my family
happy out here.
[Marty] Hang on, buddy.
It's gonna get wild.
-[woman] Here we go.
-No, no, no!
-What?
-[Ashley] I cried for days.
[Marty]
This is the Grand Canyon.
It's gonna be a miracle,
but it's my goal.
[g*nsh*t]
[Marty] Good shot.
You're giving me a purpose,
a reason why I'm out here.
[Marty] One, two, three, lift!
[grunts]
There's more than we could
ever have dream of, really.
[Marty] This family
has a bright future...
-[Anthony] Love you, Mom.
-[Linda] I love you too.
deep in the heart of Texas.
[dramatic music playing]
[Marty] Welcome to Texas.
Right here, these fields
that you're looking at
is where
the Chisholm Trail started.
Over the course
of a half a dozen years,
over a million longhorns
made that trip
from here
all the way to Kansas.
You can almost hear 'em.
[makes sound]
I can hear them.
I can hear them.
[laughter]
[narrator] The Raneys
are in the scrublands
of Northern Texas,
a rugged environment
where wild temperature swings
bring dangerous weather
and make
self-sustainable living
all but impossible
for the inexperienced.
The dry brush
and fierce terrain
is home to some of the most
dangerous animals
in the United States,
including mountain lions,
coyotes,
and several of the most
venomous snakes in the world.
It is here
that the Kimbrell family
is struggling to realize
their homestead dream.
I'm Andrew Kimbrell.
I'm married to Ashley.
We've got 7 acres here
with my mom, Linda,
and my brother, Anthony.
[narrator]
A year and a half ago,
the family pooled their life
savings
to purchase
the remote property
200 miles north of Austin
and brought in
three tiny homes.
The thing I'm most
passionate about
is to see my family
happy out here.
[Ashley] The dream was to be
a self-sustaining family.
We did move out here
specifically
to try to become closer,
but, honestly, being out here
has just made it
feel more divided.
[narrator]
Only weeks after moving in,
heavy flooding
in the Deep Creek
bed that horseshoes
around their homes,
cut off the Kimbrells
from the homestead's
6 other acres.
So we just started
building things
closer to the houses,
which proved to be a mistake.
All of our livestock,
since we're on
such a small footprint,
is right at our doorstep.
[Ashley] And living
amongst their waste
can be insanitary.
Free-range animals
bring predators like coyotes
closer to our homes.
[Andrew] The hardest thing
has been the death.
It just seems
like it's been all around us.
All of the chickens and ducks
and geese that have died...
We've probably purchased
and I believe
we probably have 30.
We're not able
to sustain ourselves
on our homestead like
we had originally planned.
Harvests are few
and far between,
and when they are,
the veggies and fruits
are smaller
than they should be.
Everything is such
a struggle every day.
Raneys, we really need you.
We really, really need you.
[dramatic music playing]
[Misty] Hello.
How's it going?
[Andrew] Are we supposed
to say howdy?
-[Misty] Howdy.
-[laughter]
[Marty] Well,
you look like homesteaders.
We...
Well, I guess we try, huh?
-[Matt] Yes.
-[Marty] Yeah.
So these are
your two sons, right?
Eighteen years apart.
[Andrew] Yeah.
I was a senior in high school.
Uh, he was born in May
and I graduated in June.
So we never really got to live
with each other.
So you've been here how long?
I'm sorry.
[Andrew] Year and a half.
[Misty] And how has that
year and a half been?
Oh.
-Stressful.
-Stressful.
Why?
We still buy all of
our groceries at the store.
I can't provide
any of that here.
[Misty] How many animals
do you have?
We've lost quite a few
to predators.
We have chickens,
about ten turkeys,
two pigs,
and about a dozen rabbits.
Some of the turkeys
and chickens
are kinda aggressive.
-[Misty] Okay.
-They are free-range.
[Andrew] And that kinda proved
to be an obstacle too.
We have seen the coyotes.
We hear 'em all the time,
all around.
[Matt] What'd you do?
Well, I've got a BB g*n
that she bought me
for Christmas last year,
but I've never fired a r*fle.
Neither has he.
Being in the city, you just
never had that opportunity.
[Misty] How many acres
are here?
We have 7 acres.
Why are all three
of these homes
so close together right here,
if you have 7 acres?
Well, there is a creek
that horseshoes
around this place right here,
and it's really deep
and pretty wide,
and we can't really access
the other...
The other side.
You're on an island
on your own homestead?
[Andrew] Yeah.
We came out here
to be a family,
but I would say
this property has actually
pushed us further apart.
What?
In 2015,
I got a phone call
in the middle of the night.
My mom was expecting my dad
to pick her up from work
and he didn't.
Ambulances showed up
and found my dad
had passed away
in his sleep and...
He was...
He was my mom's rock.
It was pretty hard
on all of us.
But the reason
we moved out here
is to get our family back
together with my two boys.
[Andrew] Anthony and I
are nearly 18 years apart.
[Anthony]
My brother had to step
almost into a father role.
I kinda resented him for that.
There was just
this weird power dynamic.
[Ashley] It has been
a stressful relationship
for Andrew and Anthony.
They've really struggled
finding that equal ground
of brothers
versus Andrew being
more like a father figure.
Andrew wants to be helpful
but Anthony sees that
as overbearing father figure
because he wants to make
his own choices.
Over the past year or so,
I felt like
I didn't have a place.
Made me wanna leave
this homestead several times.
[Andrew] We're right on top
of each other.
We share a shower.
My mom sold her house.
We sold our house.
We have nothing left.
If we can't come together,
I'm afraid our family
may not be able
to make it either.
[Matt] Okay. So your property
kinda runs this way?
[Anthony] Yeah.
Do you have a way
to get back here?
I mean, could you drive
a four-wheeler over here?
[Anthony] If we were able
to clear that trail, maybe.
But, specifically,
like bringing materials
and stuff over here,
that's been our main
challenge of the creek,
bringing other equipment
so that we could
maybe even start
clearing some more land, but--
[Matt] Okay.
All right. Okay. I'm starting
to get my bearings a lot more.
[Anthony] I got you.
And I've seen the work
you've done to get over here.
I get it.
So this right here
is coming up
to where the back
of the property actually is.
I see a fence.
-Yup. And that is...
-I mean--
our fence line out there.
-This is far.
-Yeah.
If I lived on this property,
this is where I'd wanna be.
-[Anthony] Yeah.
-Out on the edge.
You're a man, grown.
[Anthony] Yeah.
You have enough property
to strike out
on your own out here.
I would like
to be out here if it...
If... 'Cause this is awesome.
The back 6 acres
of this homestead
really could change
everything
for these homesteaders,
but no one's been
back there in a while.
It's pretty much pristine,
untouched wilderness,
and that means
there's gonna be a lot of prey
and predators.
This is a really cool
piece of property.
There's a lot
of potential here.
[chicken clucks]
[pig grunts]
All right.
So this is kind of where you
lock everybody up at night?
[Ashley] Yes.
[Misty] And then
you're free-ranging.
-This is the run.
-Mmm-hmm.
Is--
-Everything.
-This 1 acre.
-I mean, it's tight here.
-[Ashley] It is.
[Misty] This seems
like overrun with 30.
I can't imagine
what this felt like
with 200 on 1 acre.
You're all crammed
in together.
We tried to go do something
at the picnic table
or do something--
[Ashley] The chicken's
getting up there.
The chicken's
trying to get your food
if we try and have
a picnic or...
-[Ashley] Yeah.
-something together
or a Bible study or...
[Ashley] Yeah.
out there singing or whatever.
-It's a lot.
-[Ashley] It is a lot.
-I wanna see your garden.
-[Ashley] Okay.
[Misty] Right now,
the Kimbrells
are living on top
of each other.
And if that isn't bad enough,
they got animals
mixed in there, free-ranging.
This homestead
has so much potential
to allow a lot of disease.
It's a life-and-death
situation.
[dramatic music playing]
[Misty] Wow.
This is a decent-sized garden.
[Ashley] It is.
This is what's left.
[Misty]
This summer is how hot?
It got up to 120.
And so come fall time,
you think to yourself,
"I'm gonna put in
a fall garden."
Mmm-hmm.
"I'm gonna attempt
to grow something."
And then there was
a hard frost?
[Ashley] Absolutely. Yup.
And pretty much
everything died?
Everything was gone.
But to have a garden this big
and have no harvest
was so disheartening.
-I cried for days over it.
-[Misty] Yeah.
The Kimbrells, they planted
this massive garden,
but with the swings
in temperature,
it hasn't been
really thriving.
I need to figure out a way
to create some stability
for the plants
so that they can
actually reach
the fullest potential
of this garden.
It got up to 120.
And the average is what?
A good hundred degrees.
That's pretty wild.
I take it
this is the Grand Canyon
that surrounds this 1 acre.
[Andrew] You call it a canyon.
I call it a wall.
We can't get past that.
How much water have you seen
collect down here?
Oh, gosh. It rushes.
It's rapids.
We've had animals
get caught in it.
Died?
[Andrew] Well,
we would assume, yeah.
It's so deep and wide.
We're not able to get
across the creek
to do anything
on the other side.
-[Marty] Wow.
-It's, uh, it's an albatross.
I've never quite seen
a piece of property like this.
I see three cabins
in close proximity.
In fact, maybe too close.
All the animals
right next to 'em.
So it's clear they're working
without a plan.
Without a plan,
you're not building
a homestead.
[Andrew]
Can I tell you something?
[Marty] I do something wrong?
[Andrew] No.
Since you got here,
it makes me miss my dad.
It really does.
What you're doing here
is more than we could ever
have dream of, really.
[Marty] Were you close
with your dad?
Yeah.
I wish I was closer.
Couldn't think about it,
you know?
He said to go forward.
[sighs] To be responsible
for my family and my mom.
I had to take over the role
of dad for my brother.
He just started high school,
and I didn't want that.
But he seems like a good kid.
He's a great kid.
Since the patriarch
of this family has died,
Andrew has taken over.
But I'm seeing problem
after problem here
making that load
become quite burdensome.
Thank you for giving me
a little glimpse
into your life.
No, thank you, guys,
for being here.
[Marty] They've got
some issues here.
[Misty] They're living
on top of each other,
and the animals
are living on top of them.
I think with a few
simple fixes,
we can sort
the garden situation
and the real focus
needs to become these animals.
[Matt] I talked to Anthony.
We got on the edge
of his property,
and it was like
the wind was blowing
and it was so flat
and nice out there
and kinda open.
I was like, "Man, would you
wanna live here if you could?"
And Anthony was like, "Yeah."
And it's not anything
that I promised
but it's the nicest part
of the property I've seen.
If they even just knew
how to handle a firearm,
they'd be able to be prepared
for protecting livestock
and maybe even
putting food on the table.
for what they're trying to do.
[Marty] True.
Clearly, they need to be able
to access more land here
if they're gonna really
be successful or thrive.
-Mmm-hmm.
-Yeah.
[narrator] To help
the Kimbrells transition
from city folk
to homesteaders,
Matt will give
younger brother, Anthony,
an off-grid crash course,
teaching him to track game
and master a r*fle,
culminating in a final test
with his first hunt.
Misty will first establish
an all-season garden
before building a separate
animal barn and pen
large enough to safely house
all the homestead's
livestock.
But both
Matt and Misty's plans
hinge on Marty
freeing the Kimbrells
from their overcrowded
homestead
with access to the unused
land across the creek.
The Raneys,
along with their build team,
have seven days
to keep the Kimbrells
homestead
and family
from falling apart.
[Marty] All right, guys.
Came up with a few ideas.
And right now
the most important thing
is that we access
the rest of the property.
Have you ever really walked
that entire property
over there?
No? If we actually could
access that property,
would it be worth it to you?
Oh, definitely.
[Marty] And then
there's another factor.
Everyone has told
some version today
about there's not
a communal place
to have a meal and sit down.
Family's always been
real important to us.
We wanna be a part of that.
On that note,
who's ready to work?
Raise your hand. All right.
-We can't wait for tomorrow.
-See you the morning.
-See you in the morning.
-Ready to get down and dirty.
-All right. See you.
-Woo!
[upbeat music playing]
[Marty] Hey, buddy.
Guide me and tell me
where that thing is.
[man] It's right here.
[Marty] I've been on this
homestead for two days.
This property
has some problems.
Get a cable
and chain it around.
Let's get it out of there,
please.
They live on 1 acre
and you won't access the rest.
If you're gonna use
this property,
you're gonna have to put in
a culvert and a land bridge.
[narrator] The term culvert
originated in France
around 1770
with canal construction
around railways,
highways, and town drainage.
Originally built from stone,
today's galvanized steel
culverts
create a more stable defense
against flooding
and damage from erosion.
Why'd the chicken
cross the road?
[laughs]
To get to the other side.
All right.
I'm actually going to have
the great state
of Texas help me.
They came through here first
and built roads,
and they had to manage
the flood waters
when they did that.
Right next to this property,
there's culverts sized
to accommodate
the flooding waters.
We're going to rely
on their engineering,
their design.
They've obviously done
feasibility studies.
Hey, the work's
already been done.
Yodelayheehoo.
Thank you, Texas.
We'll make
that application right here
on our little
But culverts are expensive.
Fortunately,
for me and Andrew,
there's already two here.
[Andrew]
Let me hook it on this side.
-Everybody happy?
-[Andrew] Yup.
[Marty] Hang on, buddy.
It's gonna get wild.
Somebody that lived
on this property
sometime in the past
was thinking about
building a land bridge
to the other side
of the property.
They never did it.
We are.
I'll tell you
what I think, sir.
I think it's brand new.
I think if there
were any snakes in there,
they fell out on the way.
So show me
the optimum crossing,
-in your opinion.
-Okay.
You know, I never thought
we'd actually be here
doing this.
This is definitely
not something
we would have had the courage
to do on our own.
I think right here
where this dead tree is,
right in this area would be...
In my opinion, I think,
it looks like the banks
are kinda even on either side.
I gotta tell you
right here, buddy.
It does look like
we have picked the best spot.
[Andrew] I think so.
[Misty]
How do you get in here?
-Just open it?
-Right here. Mmm-hmm.
There's no fancy?
Nothing fancy.
[narrator] Over at the garden,
Misty prepares to give Ashley
the bitter truth
about gardening in Texas.
-Your lettuce started bolting.
-Mmm-hmm.
[Misty] That is the reason why
it's bitter.
And once it bolts,
it'll never come back.
-[Ashley] It's no good?
-It's no good.
[narrator] Bolting occurs
when crops are planted
during the wrong season.
This causes the fruit
or vegetable
to turn from being ripe
to wanting to reproduce.
Also called going to seed,
bolting redistributes
the plant's energy
away from leaves and roots
and towards seeds and stems,
often turning its taste
from sweet to bitter,
rendering it inedible.
You're dealing with
all summer long,
too hot to even grow a garden.
So you planted a fall garden
and it bolted.
So let's not let
the environment control you.
Let's control the environment.
Texas has this amazing
growing season.
It's nice and long.
But it has
these high temperatures
and these low temperatures.
It was freezing.
-Now, it's like 80 degrees.
-Yup.
But we're gonna control
the environment
with these little
tiny hoop houses.
It's gonna take us
about an hour
-to throw 'em in.
-[Ashley] Okay.
For us,
to build these hoop houses
where we can introduce shade,
we can throw in some plastic
for some warmth,
whatever Texas throws
at this garden, we're ready.
[narrator] To help manage
the garden environment
through snow or shine,
Misty will design
a series of hoop houses
out of upcycled
rebar stakes and PVC pipe.
That will form the support
structure for shade cloth
when the temperatures rise
or greenhouse sheeting
when they drop.
Are you comfortable
using a grinder?
-I've never used a grinder.
-[Misty] Okay.
-Let's use one today.
-[Ashley] Okay.
This is the most
dangerous tool
-in the toolbox. No joke.
-[Ashley] Yes.
So you gotta hold the safety
and pull the trigger.
[grinder whirring]
And if it gets caught
in something,
it has a tendency
to kick back at you.
Oh, okay.
[Misty] I wanna scare you
on purpose
because I want you
to be aware.
But I don't wanna scare you
to the point
where you're not gonna use it.
[grinder whirring]
[Ashley] Wow.
So you're on
cutting the stakes
and I'm on prepping the hoop.
Sound good?
Uh, let's give it a shot.
-[Misty] Okay.
-Okay.
[grinder whirring]
I've never been one
to fear tools,
but I always pass
that task on to Andrew.
[Misty] Nice.
But, today, to face my fears
and just be able to grind
what we need for the garden,
it was not as scary
as I thought it would be.
So that's how you do it.
It looks so good.
So if it looks like
they've got too much sun,
you're pulling out
the shade clock.
When it looks like
the temperatures
have dropped too low,
you're pulling out
the plastic,
and you're just
changing them out
-as needed.
-Perfect.
I'm excited.
[Marty] All right.
Let's look it over,
young man.
[narrator] On the other side
of the creek,
Marty and Andrew
bridge the homestead's
greatest obstacle.
It's big and it's a long ways
over to there.
Being told that
this dry river bed floods,
threatening life
and property,
that's an ominous threat
to this homestead.
Okay. Stop right there.
That's 25.
From that track...
That said,
what I didn't see here,
and I'm a little concerned,
I didn't see any rock.
But look down here, you know,
something washed all that out.
If you don't mind,
I'm gonna fire up that X.
I wanna dig
a deep hole right here,
mine for some rock.
Here's how to build
a road for dummies.
If you don't have a rocky
surface to begin with,
you gotta dig out
those organic.
Otherwise,
you have a swamp road.
Dig out the clay
and replace it with rock.
Something stable.
Something hard.
Something
that won't wash away.
[narrator] A bridge built on
a strong foundation
made of stone or concrete
directs water
towards the path
of least resistance.
But a weak foundation
of dirt erodes over time,
washing out the ground
beneath the culvert,
causing the land bridge
to collapse.
Stomp on that. Is that rock?
What's in there, please?
[Andrew speaking]
Any rock in there?
[Andrew speaking]
The homestead,
the house, the animals,
everything
depends on finding rock.
Without it, frankly,
we're up blank creek
without a paddle.
I don't see one rock.
[Marty]
Walk around down there.
Make sure, at least,
something better than topsoil.
We got some rock.
I'm not sure if it's enough.
You hear that?
Check out that material.
-[Andrew] That's rock.
-That's rock?
[Andrew] That is rock.
It looks like we dug
deep enough to find some rock.
Hopefully, this will...
this will keep the soil
from washing away.
We're starting to get
some buckets full now.
-This should be pretty good.
-[Marty] Okay.
What's in this one?
That's your best bucket yet.
-Best bucket yet?
-[Andrew] Best bucket yet.
These are starting to get
too big to pick up.
Hook me
on to that culvert please.
It might kick around.
Nothing to see here.
These are culvert operations.
Okay, buddy.
Let's see if this water
is gonna drain.
Put that level on there,
please.
Thank you. All right.
Tell me when it's level.
-[Andrew] Right there.
-[Marty] Okay.
That's 6 inches and 10 feet.
Plenty of fall.
The highway ones up here,
we'll learn from them.
Hopefully,
we have some rock on the side,
on each side,
build it up, pound it in,
so that we can collect
this water
on not one but two culverts.
And the other one, I think,
actually is here
-and Clint's bringing it in.
-[Andrew] All right.
Listen,
it's gonna be a miracle
if we can get this backfilled
and build a road
and have that excavator
sitting right there
before sundown.
It'll be a miracle.
It's my goal.
So let's not stop moving.
[Andrew] Rock on.
[birds chirping]
So, I mean, you didn't put
this trail in here.
-This is a game trail.
-Yeah.
And you see a lot of deer
in your property,
but you never see pigs?
You've never seen any?
I haven't seen them
personally,
me walking out here.
Have you seen sign?
Do you know what to look for?
Tech... No.
The thing
that's really interesting
is that back 6 acres
of inaccessible land
is covered in game trails.
And these homesteaders
don't know the first thing
about this wildlife
and they have no means
of protecting themselves
or putting food on the table.
All animals, you know,
kind of have their
universal telltale sign
that you can look for.
See how that's flat
over there?
-Mmm-hmm.
-See how bumpy this is
-and rutted and pitted out?
-Yeah.
See how this goes
through there?
-[Anthony] Yeah.
-[Matt] That's a pig trail
if I've ever seen one.
Over the past year or so,
I felt like
I didn't have a place.
There was a weird
power dynamic,
like older brother
and younger brother.
Whenever my brother's trying
to teach me something,
it feels like almost
talks down to me in a way.
So just being out here
and learning from Matt,
it feels like
it's giving me a purpose.
It's giving me a reason
why I'm out here.
Okay.
This looks like hog. Look.
Look at
what is it eating, right?
These hogs,
they're eating plants,
for the most part.
If this was your dog,
it would not look like that
'cause your dog eats dog food.
After scouting
around the property,
I've seen positive
sign of feral hogs.
I know there's deer here.
So the best thing we can do
for this homestead right now
is teach Anthony
how to sh**t a r*fle
all on his own.
It was really, really cool
to just learn what to look for
whenever I'm looking
for one of those game trails.
The more time
we spend together
where you can learn
about these wild animals,
I don't know,
if you wanna strike it out
and be on your own
on this property,
we might wanna think about
maybe picking a site
where you...
Could be your potential home.
-All right.
-[Matt] All right?
-Yes, sir.
-All right. Let's go.
[Misty] Okay.
We've bought some manure,
we have some blood meal,
we have leaves,
-and we have water.
-[Ashley] Okay.
[narrator] Back at the garden,
Misty helps Ashley
prepare her summer plants
for year-round production.
We're gonna make some winter
compost for these beds,
'cause you have manure
coming out of your ears,
-right?
-Yes.
Do a little bit
of soil amending.
You're ready to plant
in the spring,
and it's actually really easy.
We'll spread some manure.
And every fall, winter
you're doing this, okay?
And then plants
deplete the soil of nitrogen,
so every year
and maybe even throughout
the growing season,
you wanna always
be adding it back.
-[Ashley] Okay.
-An amazing way to do that
is with blood meal.
It's like the byproduct
-from a slaughterhouse.
-Okay.
-But it's nitrogen-rich.
-Awesome.
-Easy enough?
-Yes.
[Misty] And so no
more depleted soil.
I got my rake.
Mix it in.
If you can get it
you're doing really good.
A little manure,
a little blood meal,
and then some leaves
to finish it off,
and some water.
I mean, it already looks good.
You have fertilized
ground for next year,
and no matter
what Texas throws at you,
-you're ready.
-[Ashley] I'm excited.
Does a lot of family
help in the garden or--
We've all pitched in
as far as like
keeping the fencing going.
Linda does a lot
as far as like the weeds.
And then, yeah, I...
I'll start the seeds.
And last year, I got to start
a bunch of seeds with Linda.
The Kimbrells' homestead,
it makes me think of the 40.
It makes me
realize the importance
of a close-knit family.
It's not only
an emotional support group,
but the amount of workload
that you have to get done,
I mean, it takes
a lot of people.
So, for me,
to keep this family here,
to keep this family unified,
that is the ultimate goal.
Our work here
is pretty much done.
And I just wanna shift
our focus over to the animals.
-So let's get out of here.
-Let's go.
You're just set up
for success.
I'm excited.
[upbeat music playing]
[Marty] Here we go.
These guys bought
a piece of property
and the deed said 7 acres,
but there's only 1 acre
that you can use.
This is about survival.
I'm running out of time
and we're not
gonna build anything
unless we find big rock
and a lot of it.
But no matter what happens,
you push and drive
and forge ahead
and get it done.
I want you to look out there.
[exclaims] This is so cool.
Such a life-changer.
Getting a hunting r*fle
in Anthony's hands
is the first step.
Let that trigger surprise you.
-[g*nsh*t]
-Uh-oh.
[upbeat music playing]
[Misty] Good morning.
Good morning.
-Yeah. Exactly. Morning.
-Good morning.
We met you two days ago.
One day of work yesterday.
What do you think so far?
It is very intense
working with you,
and I... I'll tell you what,
it's one of the coolest
experiences of my life.
How do you feel about sharing
what happened on day one
of working with your family?
-I can't wait.
-[Marty] Let's go.
-Let's go.
-[Linda gasps]
Can you imagine buying 7 acres
and then once you move to it,
you realize you're only going
to be able to use 1 acre?
I want you to look out there.
[exclaims]
Oh, God.
You're so wonderful.
Go over there and scope it out
and see what it feels like.
[Andrew] All right.
[Linda] This is so cool.
[Andrew] How cool, man?
[Linda] Oh, my goodness.
I can get to the rest
of our land over here
and it's gonna be a blessing.
Such a life changer for us.
Oh, my goodness.
My kids.
[Linda sobbing]
Family is very important to us
and we've always tried
to get together
and play games,
watch movies together,
just have a meal together.
And not having
a place to put anything
without the animals
barging in on you,
you know, 'cause we're
in such a small place.
And that is...
That is gonna be wonderful.
Now, we can start dreaming
about what we can do
over here.
-[Linda] Yeah. [laughs]
-Yeah.
[dramatic music playing]
[Misty] I wanna shift
our focus to these animals.
[narrator]
At the livestock pen,
Misty unveils her plan
to create safer and healthier
living conditions
by building
the livestock a new home
on the property's
newly accessible land.
I wanna give 'em
a proper barn.
-A barn?
-Yes.
Oh, my God. Yes.
-Yes.
-Yes.
We're committed to the amount
of animals Ashley has,
and it's a lot.
[chickens cawing]
And at this point,
building a barn
to house 'em all
would take some time,
but there are some
shortcuts we can do.
And I'm thinking pole barn,
something fast, something easy
with just the materials
I see around me.
Do you know what
a pole barn is?
-Kind of.
-So a pole barn
is exactly
what it sounds like.
It's a skeletal
structure with poles.
-Okay.
-And in our case,
we're gonna use logs,
just everything
off your property.
-Do you like the idea?
-I love the idea.
I'm so excited.
[narrator]
To get the chickens,
turkeys, pigs, and rabbits
out of the family's
living space,
the animals will be relocated
to a newly-created
livestock zone.
Using individual stones
for the foundation
and the homestead's mesquite
logs as support poles,
Misty and Ashley will create
an 8 by 16 covered barn
with a peaked roof
to trap heat
and help protect
Ashley's numerous livestock
from predators.
The way that Misty was able
to see all the materials
we had on hand really did
have a major impact on me.
All right. So we have
the foundation in. Looks good.
-Yeah, these rocks.
-[Misty] These rocks.
Working with Ashley,
I'm pretty impressed
at her willingness.
Those are heavier
than they look, huh?
-Yes.
-[Misty] I got faith in you.
And I think
with that kind of mentality
and that kind of attitude,
we're gonna see
some significant changes
on this homestead.
-Is that good?
-[Ashley] That's good.
[Misty] Ashley,
undo the rigging.
-All right. We're free.
-Okay. You're free?
I told Andrew
I want to soak up
every minute,
every bit of knowledge
that they have to share.
Let's get one more.
Just be able to ask
like the questions
like, "Hey,
how do you do that?
Why do you do it that way?"
Do you kind of see
what we're doing?
-Yes. I do.
-Okay. So...
We got our foundation
ready to go.
We got the poles going up.
And it...
It's looking really cool.
I want to learn that stuff,
because trying
to figure it out
on your own is really hard.
[Misty] So that's the first.
We have five more to do
-and go from there.
-Sounds good.
-Let's get to it.
-[Ashley] Let's go.
[Misty] Yay!
[country music playing]
[Matt] We're getting away
from the homestead.
-[Anthony] Uh-huh.
-I'm driving the truck
to a place nearby
that has a really good place
to sh**t g*ns.
This homestead has a lot
of critters running around,
predator and prey.
And the only thing
between these homesteaders
and their livestock and those
wild animals is a BB g*n.
That has to change
while I'm here.
All right, Anthony.
When's the last time
you shot that BB g*n?
Probably a month
and a half ago.
You're gonna notice
there's a big difference
between this hunting r*fle
and a BB g*n.
Just get it in your hands.
I wanna see you just grab
a hold of this g*n.
Okay. Just like that.
Can you get
a good sight picture
in that scope right now?
-Yeah.
-How do you feel?
-I feel good.
-[Matt] Feeling good?
-[Anthony] Yeah.
-You got like butterflies
or are you like
smooth sailing,
-calm and collected?
-I'm kinda calm.
Good. I don't want you
to just be oblivious
because you should have
a healthy fear
and a respect for how
powerful this thing is,
because it makes that little
BB g*n look like a peashooter.
If you're ready,
I think that we should try
-and take a shot.
-Okay.
-Are you ready?
-Yeah.
Okay. Let's do it.
Load that magazine in there
and just give it a...
Give it a good push.
I feel like I'm getting
the butterflies now,
now that I know it's loaded.
-Like--
-Yeah.
So we're really
at the point now
where you're ready
to take a shot,
and it's just up to you
when you feel comfortable,
you can.
You put a b*llet
in the chamber,
cycle that action.
You can see it going in, okay?
Safety's on.
-Yup.
-Fingers outside
-the trigger guard.
-Yup.
Take the safety off
and slowly
let that trigger surprise you.
I'm gonna go back here.
[tense country music playing]
[r*fle clicks]
[g*nsh*t]
[Matt] How'd that feel?
[Anthony] Pretty good.
I take my first shot,
and I guess it was
kind of beginner's luck.
[Matt] Let's sh**t two more.
But then as I got more
comfortable with the g*n
and how the weight
felt in my hand
and how it felt on my shoulder
whenever it recoiled...
[g*nshots]
I was able to get closer
and closer to bull's eye
and hitting my full-on target.
All right, sir.
Let's see how you did.
Dude, look at these groupings.
-[Anthony] Yeah.
-[Matt] One, two, three.
Almost got a bull's eye there.
Anthony is just
sh**ting really well,
taking a really big step
towards his goal
of becoming a hunter
on the homestead.
That's living proof
right there
you're ready to go
on your first hunt.
-[Anthony] Yeah.
-Are you ready?
-Yeah. Let's go.
-All right, man.
Let's go get geared up
and get set up.
Let's go.
[country music playing]
What if we move
Anthony's house
and gave him
his own place to live?
Can I be real?
I think we would be
a little bit disappointed
-that it wasn't us.
-I never told Anthony,
"Hey, I was gonna
move your house."
Unless Andrew and I
both move and Anthony--
You guys aren't moving
to another state.
We're just talking
about space.
We're running out of time.
[country music playing]
[Ashley] It does
get very windy here.
Do you think
that the rocks will be enough?
-Yeah.
-Okay.
[narrator] At the pole barn,
Misty and Ashley
pin the barn support logs
into their solid
rock foundations
using rebar sourced
from the homestead.
Now, I'm an old pro.
[chuckles]
Since the Raneys
have been here,
I have just been
waking up rearing to go.
Just to be able to learn
some of the stuff
they have to share,
it's invaluable.
We got the rock foundation.
We got the log poles.
-Let's tie them together.
-All right.
I'm just gonna
drill right into it
at an angle
and toenail the log
-to the rock
so they're fastened together.
-[Ashley] Perfect.
There's
just so much knowledge,
and I wanna be able to learn
why they do
the things they do,
so that way,
when they're gone,
I'm able to have those skills
and be able to do
some of the stuff
to continue our homestead
in the future.
Okay. This is never
going anywhere.
So let's drill another hole.
Let's work
on the rest of the five,
and, hopefully,
in the next hour,
it's tied together.
There are a lot of unknowns
when it comes
to the livestock.
It's kinda been this
revolving door with animals.
So, for me,
to give Ashley everything
that she needs is hard.
Here's the deal, because
you've moved so quickly
and because you have
so many animals,
I am concerned
that this isn't big enough.
So I say
we give the barn a wing.
This is a 16-foot 2 by 4.
We just do
some more log posts,
run, roll some rafters.
You have the room
to do whatever you wanna do.
So I wanna be a part
of that dream.
-Let's do it.
-[Ashley] Let's do it.
[soft music playing]
All right.
So what's happening over here?
[narrator] In the remote
scrublands of Northern Texas,
the Kimbrells can now access
their full 7-acre property,
but Marty discovers
a shocking omission
with the Kimbrells'
original homes.
Hey, what's going...
What's going on with this?
That... So we have
one hot water heater
that's in our house
and this is how we get
the hot water
to come over to his.
Does your mom have water?
She has no water in her house.
Why in the world
do you have hot water,
cold running shower, bath
and your mom doesn't even
have water to her cabin?
Come on.
What's that all about?
Mom won't let us
take care of her
before we take care
of ourselves.
That's the way she is.
God bless her for it,
but she won't ask for help.
H2O, my God.
Their mother
had no cold water
and no hot water
and no place
to take a bath or a shower
and certainly
no laundry facilities.
And, for me,
that's a Texas-sized problem.
[Andrew] I'm not a plumber.
[Marty] Well,
who did this work?
[Andrew] I did.
Yeah. I mean,
so you gotta stop saying,
"I can't do this.
I'm not a plumber.
I'm not an electrician.
I'm not a homesteader."
-You gotta quit saying that...
-Okay.
because you got a problem
and you fixed it.
Homesteaders need to embrace
and recognize
that this whole thing's
a learning process,
and if it starts with one
broken pipe that you fixed,
hey, maybe you're on your way
to being a plumber.
And if you build a corridor
around that broken pipe,
you might be on your way
to being a carpenter.
These guys have
a lot more skills
than they're acknowledging.
As far as I'm concerned,
on this homestead,
you are the plumber.
-Okay.
-[Marty] Let's go.
[chainsaw whirring]
[Misty] Here we go.
Hold my ladder.
I got it.
[narrator]
On the back 6 acres...
[chainsaw whirring]
Boom. Next.
[narrator] Misty and Ashley
along with some local help
raced to secure the roofing
on the 12-foot tall
pole barn.
[Ashley grunting]
-[Misty] Pole push. Pole push.
-[Ashley] There you go.
[Misty] It looks good
with the rafters on, huh?
It sure does.
'Cause you start
to see the shape.
[Ashley]
Yes, it's coming along.
[Linda] Oh, my goodness.
[Misty] Hi, Linda,
what do you think?
Give me a level
and I'll tell you
what I think.
[Misty laughs]
Are you here to work?
Yes, I am.
It takes a village
to homestead.
All members of the family
are needed and wanted.
And then,
when it comes to Linda,
she really cares
about her family
and she really loves them,
and it shows.
She's kind
of the heart and the soul
of the whole homestead.
What do you think
of all of this crazy wood?
That is amazing.
Look how big around these are.
If you try to buy a post
at the lumber yard...
-Yeah.
-it would be expensive.
So they're braces,
they're posts,
and they're purchase
all in one.
Linda has done so much for us
and her best interest
was one of the reasons
we wanted to start
this homestead
as a family together.
[Misty] Give that some whacks
on the end.
[pounding]
[Misty] Okay. Stop.
Yeah, girl.
-Good job.
-Woo-hoo.
[Misty]
That was our last notch.
We'll just kinda figure out
where everybody goes,
what needs to be enclosed,
what needs to be fenced,
what type of fencing.
And we got a lot
of work to do.
-Okay.
-But it's looking good.
We gotta do the same thing
on the side,
get the metal on,
and go from there.
-But we gotta get to work.
-Let's get to work.
-Okay. Let's get to work.
-Okay. Let's do it.
[country music playing]
All right.
Just take a little gander
where you're standing, guys.
[narrator]
Halfway through the week,
Marty, Misty, and Matt
meet to discuss
the progress so far
and the glaring need
still remaining.
We've been here long enough
to see what's going on here.
Homeowners all crammed
together, not good.
The barn's coming along.
[Marty] Looks amazing.
[Misty] We're getting close.
We've expanded and I think
it's necessary.
They have a lot of livestock.
We're to a point now
that we can house
the animals they have
and they can get more animals
in the future.
The problem is,
is how do we keep the animals
and the livestock safe
from all the predators
in Texas.
Absolutely.
So what I've been seeing
is Anthony literally
stepping up to the plate
and it sounds like
all the homesteaders
need space from each other.
We have 6 acres of new space.
What if we move
his whole house
onto this part
of the property,
right over here
where Misty's building
this barn?
[Marty] I like it.
-It addresses your problem,
right?
-[Misty] Yeah.
-[Marty] I think
it's an amazing idea...
-[Misty] I love it.
but I gotta hear it
directly from him,
so let's go.
All right.
[dramatic music playing]
[Marty] Hey, guys.
So how's everybody doing?
This is so cool.
Second day we got out on here,
finished this bridge.
That would've been enough.
But because of that
land bridge
and accessing the property,
it's opened up
the possibilities.
-Yeah.
-So on that note,
what do you got?
So Anthony's, like,
really coming
into his own as far
as being able to contribute
on this homestead,
but I don't know, Anthony.
Do you feel like you've had
your roots down
in a little bit
and you want it to go deeper,
like is this where
you wanna live?
Yeah. Yeah. I think so.
[Matt] So I have a crazy idea.
What if we move
Anthony's house
across that bridge
and gave him his own place
to live?
[dramatic music playing]
I think... I think...
[Marty] Speak up.
If you want something,
need something,
see something
that you don't like,
you gotta speak up.
To be real,
I think we would be
a little bit disappointed
that it wasn't us.
Have you ever thought it
before today?
We thought maybe we would get
a bigger house
and put it somewhere else.
Something bigger than this
-and start a family
down the road.
-[Marty] Okay.
[Andrew] But we never thought
this would be possible.
I never told Anthony,
"Hey, I was gonna move
your house."
No, I... I'm all for it.
I'm all for it
but like I said--
Unless Andrew and I both move,
and Anthony,
but then, Mom would be alone,
so how does that work?
You guys aren't moving
to another state,
we're just talking
about space.
I do feel like it's a really,
really cool concept
to just, like, get out there
and kinda be
more my happy space.
Looking at him, too,
he's done
a lot of heavy lifting.
So I understand to...
And I'd get disappointed
if it wasn't.
Here's the deal.
Animals have moved very far
from here
and they need protection.
We've heard the coyotes
multiple nights here...
-[Misty] Yeah.
-[Marty]
right when the sun sets.
-Yeah.
-[Misty] They're all howling
and ready to eat something.
[dramatic music playing]
I don't know
if I was just being naive
but I thought
that everybody was gonna be
supportive and into the idea
of moving one house.
We're doing this
as a family and for me,
I don't think it's fair
for anybody to move.
It seems like
these homesteaders
have some internal
family dynamics
to work out.
They have a really
big decision to make.
And right now,
everything is staying put
until this family decides
what needs to be done
with those cabins.
[Marty] Is this something
that we should just sleep on
-and get the answer tomorrow?
-Yeah.
Is that enough time
for you guys?
Because we're running
out of time.
[tense music playing]
[chicken cackling]
[Marty] All right.
Here we stand.
Sunrise in the great state
of Texas.
What did you guys decide?
Last night,
Anthony and I needed
to hash some things out.
We just felt like
it's the right thing to do
for all of us just to be here
and be together.
We also took mom into account.
Mom is a very special person
to all of us.
And, uh, we all need to share
that responsibility
and be closer to her
and just make sure
that she's watched out for.
In Texas,
a lot of decisions are made
sitting on the bed
of a truck.
I'll say it
from here on out, bud, uh,
I need you to know
that we're equals.
Your say has just
as much weight as mine.
[Marty] Okay. I get it.
Maybe this discussion
of the house move
was eclipsed
by something bigger
and more beneficial
to this homestead.
I feel like we're
on equal playing fields now
than a big brother,
little brother dynamic.
And I feel like
I can really contribute
and I can really be
a major key
to this homestead's success.
Now, the conversation
that we had was pretty needed.
There was some
built up tension
that was just kind
of underneath the surface
and it was nice to just talk
and not feel like we were
gonna get angry at each other
and make a huge decision
on our piece of property here.
Linda, you have
an amazing family.
-I know.
-[Marty] Oh, well.
And that's why I'm so proud.
Ten times more amazing
than I thought on day one.
So, this unselfish family
has put your interest
and needs first.
If the entire world practiced
what is practiced
on this homestead,
it'd be a better world.
[dramatic music playing]
Come here. Come here.
[Linda] I want family
to be together.
And I am so proud of them
beyond belief, all of them.
[Marty] So if you will,
follow me.
[Linda] Oh, okay.
After being completely
blindsided by the family
who decided
to all stay together,
we need to come up
with something
that will bring
them together.
Let's think
about creature comforts
on a homestead.
Okay.
Since you're gonna leave
these cabins here,
how do you feel about
connecting this building
and that building
with a dining room
right there?
A place where you could--
A place where you could,
as a family,
sit down at a table
even if you had visitors.
[Anthony] It would be nice.
It would be a way
to get everybody together
and just have a meal
or play hand of cards.
-You guys play cards a lot?
-[Andrew] Oh, my gosh.
We... If you look
in her house,
uh, we got no place
to store our games.
They are stacked,
uh, all the way...
-[Marty] No way.
-to the top of her roof.
-[Linda] Yes.
-Board games,
-card games, everything.
-[Marty] I love it.
-Oh, yeah.
-Fifteen Monopoly games.
I gotta be honest
with you that your family...
Your family is a really...
You...
You're a testament to the word
and meaning of family.
[Andrew]
She keeps it together.
We... We're working on it.
It's a...
It is a work in progress
sharing a lot of the resources
that we've had.
We all are here
really for mom,
you know, to watch out for her
and take care of her.
You know,
since dad died, she...
She's never been the same.
And we just wanna make sure
that she's taken care of
and all right
and not getting into trouble.
[Marty laughs]
Recently this year,
there was...
Uh, Texas had
the biggest wildfire
come through my parents.
Um, it came right up
onto their property.
They were evacuated two times
from their house.
Wow.
And in that moment, I just...
Um, it really...
It really got to me
that we weren't able
to provide a place for them,
you know, uh, a safe place
for them to stay.
Any extra space here
would help...
-[Ashley] Yes.
-in an emergency.
-[Ashley] Absolutely.
-It would be wonderful.
It would be a miracle.
The meaning of gathering
for us
is to be a family,
like a commonplace
where we can come
and play cards and laugh
instead of getting angry
at each other.
That common area would help us
resolve those things.
If you don't help me build it,
we're not doing it.
-You got my hands.
-[Marty] Okay.
-They're here for you.
-[Marty] All right.
I'm ready.
[narrator] Marty will design
a 16 by 8-foot structure
connecting Linda's home
to Andrew and Ashley's
with enough space to house
a community laundry station
and dining room table
for family gatherings.
All right. So, we're gonna
start this immediately...
Okay.
if, uh, you're all
in agreement.
-Yes.
-Yeah.
-I'll get a materials list.
-I'll get the lumber.
You gotta clean that out.
We're gonna start
building that.
-Okay.
-[Ashley grunts]
These logs are all you.
Having a space for all of us
means so much, um,
just to be able to share
a meal together,
to be able to have storage
or a space
in case of an emergency.
[Andrew] This would be
a good place
for a multitude of reasons.
In fact, it was...
It was kind
of our original plan
was to have something there
and we just had to put
our money in other places
and this just kind of fell
by the wayside.
So to hear that this
is actually going to happen
is, uh, a long time coming.
[laughs]
[Marty] How you doing?
This fence post here
I might need
a little assistance
getting that out.
[Marty] What way? What? What?
It's in pretty...
In pretty deep. I'm not...
I'm not sure
I can get it by hand.
-Have you tried?
-I have,
barely budges.
Am I gonna be here
for the next year
-or two or ten or twenty?
-[Andrew] No.
-[Marty] Try it again.
-Okay.
[Marty] I gotta see
with my own two eyes.
Far, all directions, please.
All directions, please.
Okay. Give it a pull.
Grab it at the bottom.
Thank you.
From time to time
on these homesteads,
things happen
that are significant.
But they don't require
an excavator,
a skid-steer,
power tools, a chainsaw.
All directions.
It's something visceral.
And that is
restoring confidence
in the homesteaders.
[Andrew panting]
What'd you tell me
one minute ago?
What'd you tell me?
I said it wasn't coming up.
It came up. Thank you.
I told... I told...
Don't thank me. Look at me.
Told the day I met you,
don't be saying,
"I can't do it,
it can't be done,
we can't do it," okay?
Little lesson right there,
you can do it.
[upbeat music playing]
-[Misty]
It's looking pretty good.
-[Linda] Right.
[narrator] With plans
to move Anthony changed,
Misty and Ashley meet
at the barn
to discuss protection
against predators.
[Misty] Soon as you put a roof
on the structure,
it kind of really starts
to take shape.
-[Ashley] Yes.
-Yes.
Now, it's starting
to look like a barn.
It looks good.
I was excited to find out
that my dad
would move a house
and give us
some human presence
and ultimately protect
all the livestock.
That's not happening.
So you and I,
we definitely have
some issues,
which is how do we keep
the livestock safe?
I think it's so crazy.
I can't believe
I'm saying it again.
I think
we grow the barn again.
[Ashley] No.
I think we grow the barn
for your livestock
guardian dogs.
And we have a dog house
attached.
And if you feed
and you water them,
-they'll move out here.
-[Ashley] Right.
And this will be
their new zone.
And without them,
I think all of the livestock
is at risk.
[Ashley]
Uh, I'm on board 100%.
Yeah.
[narrator] Herding dogs
like the Kimbrells'
two Great Pyrenees
are invaluable
for their gentle nature
towards livestock
and aggression
towards outside threats
like coyotes or snakes.
The practice of breeding dogs
to herd and guard livestock
originated in Western Asia
over 10,000 years ago
and was used extensively
on cattle ranches
during the Texas cattle
drives in the late 1800s.
Okay. What are they
staying in now?
-An 8 by 8.
-Okay.
So, that's exactly
what I was thinking, 8 by 8.
-And, um, there's two?
-There's two.
[barks]
[Misty] What are their names?
[Ashley] Athena and Zeus.
The amount of coyotes
we hear howling
every day at dusk,
you wouldn't have one chicken
if it weren't
for Athena and Zeus.
So, they're doing their job.
They're good at it.
Let's make sure...
If no humans are moving
out this way,
let's make sure
we move the docks.
-Okay.
-Okay?
-Got it.
-Okay.
So, we're growing the barn
yet again for the last time.
I know I already said that,
but this time I mean it.
-You ready?
-I'm ready.
Let's go get more rocks,
-more locks.
-Okay.
Let's see
if we can bag a deer.
There's one to the right.
Just wait for it.
[g*nsh*t]
[country music playing]
[Marty] Is your mom in there?
No. No. She gone.
[narrator] On the Kimbrells'
homestead...
[Marty] Wow.
Cozy little place.
[narrator] Marty rallies
Andrew and Anthony together
to work on a much
needed improvement
for their mother's home.
We discovered that Ms. Linda
has no cold water,
no hot water.
In fact, no tub, nor a shower.
Guys, that's gonna happen
right this second.
You guys have decided
not to move those buildings
and the reason
is take care of mom.
But if we're gonna take care
of mom,
-let's take care of mom.
-Yeah.
Mom's very special.
And living close to mom needs
to be a shared responsibility.
Going back to why
we haven't got to this,
it feels like it's so...
Been so busy
and been so chaotic
and all of a sudden,
the days just keep going by
and keep going by.
You know, we came out here
and seemed like
we were a little bit
more divided.
Since you guys have come,
the tension was lifted.
We got started getting
our hands dirty.
And thank you for pushing us.
We needed that.
I think getting
your mom water,
I have no doubt in my mind
you can do it.
Get all your tools,
figure it out,
-come get me when it's done.
-All right.
-Okay.
-Thank you.
This is our first chance
to really be brothers
and do cool things together.
This should be all
the fittings and everything.
Because now that we're
learning some new skills,
it just opens up a whole realm
of possibilities
for us to do things together.
[Anthony] Just drill the hoe.
[drill whirring]
There you go. There you go.
[Andrew] Victory.
Watch your step.
It feels pretty good
to get mom's bathtub in
and, uh, work as a team.
[Andrew] Absolutely.
Today was especially a triumph
because we got to do something
for mom.
[Anthony] Yeah. Go ahead. Go.
[Linda] Oh, my goodness.
[Marty] How about this,
hot, cold and also
brand new tub, clean.
[Linda] I haven't had running
water for a year and a half.
I don't have to take
cold showers
out behind a tarp
with a water hose anymore.
I'm just so happy.
Everything I need
is right there.
[Marty]
Everything that you see here
was these two guys
on their own.
-They can do anything.
-And you're smiling.
Love you, Mom.
[Linda] I love you too, boys.
And I'm so proud of y'all.
[turkey gobbles]
-[Ashley] How's the saw mill?
-[Misty] Oh, yeah.
[narrator] With the clock
ticking at the pole barn,
Misty and Ashley welcome
a new addition
to the build team,
whose work will provide
materials needed
for the walls
of the animal pens.
[man] How are you doing today?
I mean, good,
now that you're here.
-You bet, you bet.
-How's it going? Misty.
-Chris.
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
-This is Ashley.
I know Ashley.
That's my cousin.
-Oh. Oh.
-[laughter]
-[Chris] Yeah.
-Oh, wow, it's small in Texas.
[Chris] Yeah. It is, it is.
[Misty] That's really funny.
-[Chris] Yeah. Yeah.
-Nice to meet you.
-You bet. This looks neat.
-Oh, thanks.
Y'all are pretty creative.
-That's cool, huh?
-Yeah.
So we've got...
We're to a place now.
We have the post in.
We need to enclose this thing,
and we need some lumber.
-All right.
-So we've cut
a bunch of mesquites down,
we're in the process
of cutting more.
But really just milling
someone by or...
I'm so glad that you can
put a [indistinct]
-Some siding pretty much.
-Okay. Okay.
And any time
you mill like the one by
-and it's true 1 inch.
-Mmm-hmm.
Especially mesquite,
it'll be hard enough, I think.
Sure. Yeah.
So I'll move my truck
out of the way
and bring you some logs
with the excavator.
-All right. Sounds good.
-Okay.
Yoo-hoo.
[engine starts]
[Misty] One of my favorite
things on homestead
is finding material
and turning it into something,
whether it was meant
for that or not.
Heyyo.
Here, there wasn't a ton
of usable scrap.
There's nothing.
So when you look around,
there's pretty much
mesquite and rock.
[narrator]
Mesquite is a hardwood
traditionally found in arid
and semi-arid regions
throughout the southwest.
Its tough nature makes it
difficult to work with,
but incredibly long-lasting
and weather-resistant.
Artists and woodworkers
prize mesquite f
or its deep colors,
rich patina,
and interesting
irregularities.
While mesquite chips
in charcoal
are treasured for the flavor
they impart
to grilled and smoked
meats and fish.
[Misty] When it comes
to mesquite tree,
it's like the Texas teak,
it's insect
and rot resistant,
it lasts forever,
it shrinks dimensionally.
And it actually does a lot
of soil building
with nitrogen,
so for me,
this is my new favorite wood.
Oh, my gosh.
It smells so good.
[coyotes howling]
I think this looks like
a good spot right here.
[narrator]
Two hours before sunrise,
on the newly-accessed 6 acres
of the Kimbrell's homestead,
Matt prepares Anthony
for his final
homesteader's step, hunting.
A critical final task
that will bring him purpose
and value on the homestead.
[Matt] So are you ready?
Yeah.
I know you've been steady
and we've gone over
a few times,
but I'll help you
in the moment.
But we really have
to be quiet.
And a big part of hunting
is just showing up,
sitting in a spot
where you can have a chance
to have something come out.
To make Anthony
a real hunter,
we have to put a real
hunting tool in his hands
and give him some experience.
And I think that
Anthony's ready
and we need to seize
this opportunity
while it still lasts.
Try to take it
[indistinct] and...
But also,
don't build yourself up.
It's like somewhere
in-between in the middle
where you just...
Kind of just go into like
a hunting mode.
Anything can happen.
And you just gotta be ready.
[Matt] A little bit to
the left of that blank tree.
[tense music playing]
[Matt] But you don't want
to hit two, you know.
So you gotta wait
for a good clean shot, okay?
[Anthony] Okay.
[Matt]
There's one to the right.
[Anthony] Yeah, I can see him.
[Matt] If that one steps out,
sh**t it.
Just wait for it. It's coming.
[Anthony] Okay.
I got a good clean shot.
[Matt] That's it right there.
Safety off.
Middle of the crosshair right.
[g*nsh*t]
[tense music playing]
[Matt]
Middle of the crosshair right.
[g*nsh*t]
[Matt] Good shot.
-Good shot.
-Did I get him?
[Matt] Safety... Yeah.
[laughter]
Yes, sir.
Anthony shot his first deer.
And I can't believe
I'm gonna say this,
but we're gonna bring home
some meat
to the homestead
this morning.
And I don't think anybody's
gonna believe it.
No suffering, good clean shot.
Shot placement wasn't bad.
You would've probably
wanted to hit
somewhere closer to here,
so you were about
But what you hit was good.
Okay.
It's pretty rare
that we take somebody
that has zero hunting
experience,
and they bag their first deer,
their first try.
What's your mom gonna say?
Well, she was pretty excited
that I was going hunting
this morning,
so I think
she's gonna be ecstatic
that I got something. [laughs]
This is amazing.
Right now,
I feel pretty pumped.
I got... I got enough meat
probably to sustain four or
five months on the homestead.
Should we drag this off
and get it onto the homestead?
Yeah.
The deer I got
was the first one ever shot
by a member of my family.
And I definitely think
it will not be the last.
Back one.
Let's drag this back
to a place to field dress it.
It got a little bit
of meat on it.
[Marty] Hey! [whistles]
-Are you ready?
-[Andrew] Yup.
[narrator] Back at
the Kimbrell's homestead.
[Marty] So we're gonna build
a covered porch out here.
[narrator] With only two days
left in the rescue,
Marty and Andrew wrangle
a mesquite log
needed for constructing
the family's
new shared space.
Pay $100 or $200 for a post
or we could use that?
-What do you wanna do?
-[Andrew] Let's use that.
-Hook it up, please.
-Okay.
But that log,
that chain's gonna flip up
and that log's gonna k*ll you.
So get it tight.
Tight.
Get over here quick.
Quick, quick.
Working with Marty is intense.
Get over here, get over here.
Working with Marty is...
-Hit it.
-[engine revs]
Faster-paced
and I actually thought
this stresses me out but...
[grunts]
for him, it's like he's a kid
in a candy store.
He loves this kind of stuff.
Watching these things unfold.
-Look cool?
-Yeah, it looks awesome.
Good man.
It's really cool to watch
and it's inspiring to me.
Got a 2 by 4 on your hand.
We're gonna have three 2 by 4s
that can hold that in place.
Okay. Clint, right here.
[tense music playing]
[Marty] On this, please.
Good job. Impressive.
[grunts]
That'll work. Now pin it.
Boom. sh**t.
-[nail g*n thumps]
-sh**t.
Don't sneeze. More.
[nail g*n thumps]
[Marty]
Put it down, Clint, please.
Thank you.
Perfection.
Go ahead and pin it.
You're gonna have to put
some nails in this, right?
Yup.
Not one down the center,
but, you know,
spread out a little bit.
Two, two, two.
Because everyone's
just standing on that deck.
-[Andrew] Right.
-All you.
[Andrew] To have somebody
with at kind of knowledge
to just be here
and guide us is monumental.
-[nail g*n thumps]
-[Andrew] This emboldened me.
This is the coolest experience
in my life already.
[nail g*n thumping]
Yes.
That's what I wanna see.
Thank you.
[country music playing]
All right.
[narrator] With Anthony's
first deer down,
the next step is turning it
into usable protein,
so Matt teaches him
how to properly dress
the k*ll.
[Matt] Cut it, like,
find the breast plate.
And you wanna just cut in,
just barely cut in.
As soon as you get any
game animal on the ground,
you gotta field dress it,
cool that meat down,
and then start to get that
meat processed lickety-split.
Field dressing this deer
with Anthony,
I wanted him
to get as much experience.
He needs to learn
how to do all the cuts
and how to field dress
the animal responsibly,
keep it clean,
and get that meat cool
as soon as possible.
There you go.
You field dressed it.
-[Anthony] Yup.
-Not too bad.
Anthony has surprised me
time and time again.
The hunting r*fle,
and the ability to, like,
get in there
and get dirty field dressing
that deer.
He's in the prime
of his youth,
and I am extremely impressed
with this man.
What I'm most excited about
is telling everybody
what we did here.
-Yeah.
-So let's finish up,
we'll get this processed,
and we back to the homestead,
and we'll tell everybody
the good news.
-What do you say?
-Okay. Yeah.
[Matt] All right. Cool.
[turkeys gobbling]
Might as well cut
all the brush out,
so get rid of all the tops.
[chainsaw revving]
This looks exciting.
What's happening here?
Well, we went hunting
this morning.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Wow.
-Yes, we did.
-Catch.
-[Marty] No way.
-[Anthony] Yes, sir.
-Is that yours?
-It is.
-For real?
-Holy cow.
-Yup.
-That's a back strap.
-[Matt] Yup.
-He got his...
-Yes, sir.
He got his first deer.
-Already?
-Yup.
That's impressive.
-Yes, sir.
-He looks happy.
-Yeah.
-Get in here.
Get some... Get some...
Watch out,
the log's in the way.
The log's getting in-between.
[Andrew] That's awesome.
When Anthony showed up
with the deer
and showed me the back strap,
um, I was so proud.
Look at that.
Look at that marble.
-Yeah. Great.
-[Matt] It's...
Like he did it.
He's got a hunting license.
He knows how to sh**t.
He got his first deer.
Telling Andrew
makes me really want
to teach my brother
how to hunt
so that we can become closer
as a family.
I've never seen anybody sh**t
a hunting r*fle
for the first time
and then less than
get their first
big game animal.
That's never happened.
And I can't wait
to go hunting with him.
[Marty] For right now,
this is cool.
-Yeah.
-All right. Well, hey,
we're gonna get back to work.
That's amazing, guys.
Yes, it is.
-Nice...
-Good job, man.
[country music playing]
[Ashley]
Guys, ready for the new barn?
[narrator]
With the final hours
of the rescue ticking down,
Misty and Ashley's next task
is to move
the 40 plus rabbits
and their fragile habitat
to their new home.
It means a lot
that the rabbits
are gonna be in a safe spot
where we can take care
of them properly.
It is a great income
source for us.
There's nothing cuter
than some baby bunnies.
Okay. Ashley, my dear,
step one, we move the rabbits.
Step two, we're trying to move
this whole cage as one piece.
We don't have any time
to do anything.
It's time to move
the rabbit cage.
It's really dilapidated.
I think there's a chance
of we destroy it
and there's no time
to repair it
or come up with plan B.
So I'm gonna reinforce it.
We'll put up some
wood bracing
and hopefully
when we pull it over,
it makes it in one piece.
Okay. Here we come.
[tense music playing]
We've started to move animals
while we're still working
on the barn,
but this is the last day
and it's full steam ahead.
Hopefully, it'll kind
of just come together.
Finish the barn,
get the animals moved in.
Let's... Okay. Here we go.
Let's rig this thing.
[Ashley]
And it's down to the wire.
We've gotta get these
animals moved
over to their new home.
So we're looking for damage.
I'm watching it.
There's too much stress.
-Boom. Here we go.
-[man speaking]
I'm gonna come forward.
And then up.
-[Ashley] Uh-huh.
-[Misty] No, no, no. Oh.
[Ashley] Oh. No.
[theme music playing]
[Ashley] Oh. No.
[Misty] We lost the leg.
Let's screw this leg back in
real quick
or just keep going.
[man speaking]
Here we go.
[machine whirring]
Hey, watch this guy here.
The Raneys are leaving here
really soon.
So we have to get
the rabbit cage
moved over to the pole barn
and get the rabbits
in their new home.
[Misty] Okay. We did it.
Good job.
-Grab everybody...
-[Ashley] Okay.
and try to muscle it
in there, sound good?
-Sound good?
-Okay.
-So let's go get everybody.
-All right.
[Misty] Rabbits are fragile.
They do not like being wet
and they do not
like being hot.
With this barn when it comes
to trapping heat,
ventilation, protection,
it's all there.
So if Ashley now is able
to keep these animals safe,
no matter what Texas
throws at her.
Everybody grab a corner.
Okay. One, two, three, lift.
Okay. Go 4 feet.
Ah. Okay.
Big Texas breath.
One, two, three, lift.
Ah, 5 feet. 5 feet. 5 feet.
Ah, you made it.
[Ashley]
Let's move the rabbits.
[Misty] Oh, they're so cute.
The first animals
made it into the barn.
What do you think?
[Ashley]
I think it's pretty cool.
[Misty] Pretty cool.
You have a little
run out here.
They could all rotate...
-Yup.
-right inside the pen.
But we got a lot of livestock
to move, so let's get to it.
[Ashley] All right.
What do you guys think
of your new little spot?
Let them out. I'll let you
do the honors, Ashley.
[Ashley] All right.
Ready, girls?
Come on. There we go.
It's so good.
Last but not least
is those pigs.
Ashley has this big,
bright future
when it comes to keeping
these animals safe
from predators,
safe from the elements.
Here we go. Open it up.
[man] That should be good.
Good boy. Good. Good boy.
Good job, boys. One more.
-[man] Cool.
-[Ashley] Oh, yeah.
-[Misty] Are you bleeding?
-Not yet.
It looks like you're all
scratched up from the rabbit.
-Yeah, they got me. [laughs]
-Oh, my gosh.
When you stand back
and you look at this barn,
we have taken all your rabbits
and we got them
out of the sun
and we got them out
of the rain.
And all of the chickens
are now safely locked away.
You got the pigs
in their proper pens.
And the cherry on top
is the security system
-with your dogs.
-Yeah.
I think we checked
all the boxes
as far as the livestock
is concerned.
I think so too.
I've never built
anything this big
on any homestead
and the thing now
is a legit barn.
This is just the beginning
of what you're gonna
be able to do here.
So for you guys,
I'm super pumped for you.
I think no matter what Texas
throws at you, you're ready.
We're ready.
[narrator]
Just seven days ago,
the Kimbrells
and their livestock
were trapped on 1 acre,
cut off from the rest
of their property
by a steep creek bed
while their animals
ran rampant,
decimated the garden
and made outdoor
life unbearable.
Now with the help
of a 25-foot long
land bridge,
the Kimbrells can access
their entire homestead
for the first time ever.
And with the additional
6 acres open,
the Kimbrells have
a dedicated animal shelter
several hundred feet
from their garden
and a living space
large enough
to house all the livestock
with additional room
for expansion.
Ah, good job.
Let's get out of here.
-All right.
-Let's go sit down.
-[Ashley] Yes.
-[chuckles]
[narrator]
With only two hours left
before the Raneys
are wheels up...
All right, guys.
[narrator] Back at the cabins.
Good job on the plumbing.
Looks good in there.
-Thank you.
-I like it.
But we haven't solved
all the problems
on this homestead yet.
[narrator] Marty meets
with Andrew and Anthony
to discuss the final addition
to the extension
linking Andrew
and Linda's homes.
Your mom now can have a bath
in her own cabin.
She's got water,
she's got a sink,
she's set up.
But she still has to go
to your place
to do the laundry.
So what I'm suggesting is
that this stack washer
and dryer
go in in that communal
family room
that far
from your mom's house.
There's just one wall
separating her from
-a washer and dryer.
-Perfect.
[Marty] Let's go in here.
You will decide where it goes.
-Okay.
-[Marty] Please.
You all four decided that this
was gonna be used for family,
a communal place
to hang out and enjoy.
Now together, I'd like to see
you guys make sense
of this washer dryer issue
and know one more thing,
wherever it goes,
you're plumbing it.
-All right. Yup.
-[Marty] Fair enough?
-All right.
-All right. See you.
To work with my brother
and to be able to do
something for mom
was just a cool experience.
And we were able
to come together
and get that done
and make mom real happy.
-Yeah.
-[Andrew] This is
gonna be cool, man.
Whenever we get
this table in here,
monopoly, it's on, buddy.
You ain't winning this time.
Nah, I'm gonna beat you.
[narrator] One week ago,
the Kimbrells cramped living
meant a lack of privacy
and no communal family space.
Today, a custom built
8 by 16-foot room
connects Linda's home
with Andrew and Ashley's
utilizing a down tree
for overhang support
complete with indoor plumbing
and enough space
for the family
to come together for years.
It's almost a perfect
little spot already.
We've got plumbing running
right underneath there
we can tee off of.
[Marty] This has turned out
to be a nice little building.
Good job, buddy.
[country music playing]
We're doing something
right this second
that has never in the history
of Texas happened right here.
We're standing on this side
of our land.
If all you did was that,
we would've been
so much better off
than when you guys got here.
When we showed up here,
I had no idea
there was some discord
because I didn't see it.
The whole time I've been here,
I've seen your family
become closer and closer
and closer.
In fact, so close
that when we offered
to move buildings
to give you independence,
you came back in the morning
and said,
"We want to stay together,
because it's best overall
for our family."
You're definitely strong,
got a beautiful sidekick,
and you've got a good sidekick
right over there.
[Andrew] I'm proud of him.
I'm proud of him.
He did a great job.
I'm excited to share the rest
of our lives here with him
and his future family
and mine too.
I pull a scripture out
every day
and this is the last day.
"Every time I think of you,
I give thanks to God."
Philippians 1:3.
-And that's really sweet.
-Thanks.
Very nice...
Very nice thing to say.
We are so thankful
for you guys.
On that note, thank you.
Thank you, sir.
In just a week's time,
I've seen an overarching
change
in how their confidence
and supportive each other
is skyrocketed.
Any homestead chore,
they can do it,
all of them as a family.
If there ever was a homestead
with a bright future,
it's right here
deep in the heart of Texas.
-See you.
-Bye.
God bless you.
You and your...
-[laughter]
-[Linda] God bless you.
-You and your--
-[Anthony] I'm going to bed.
Since Raneys left,
things have been going great,
had a lot of rain,
but the bridge
is working great.
And we've been able to protect
our cabbage and our kale
and spinach, and all of our
cold-weather veggies.
After going through
this whole process,
Anthony and I have really
started to...
respect each other
as our own men.
We have purchased a g*n.
We've been having a bobcat
problem on the property.
It'd have to get after
and going to hunt tonight.
[Andrew] Mom's doing great.
The fact that we all chose
to stay next to her
I think means a lot to her.
[Ashley] The Raneys have eased
a lot of tensions here
between the family.
And for that,
we are forever grateful.
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11x06 - Texas Rift
Watch/Buy Amazon
City slickers get schooled by awesome hosts on their last chance to succeed off grid & survive off the land... among wildlife predators & natural disasters
City slickers get schooled by awesome hosts on their last chance to succeed off grid & survive off the land... among wildlife predators & natural disasters