How to Find The High Life at a Farm Supply Store

We have all noticed that prices have gone crazy over the last year. Living in luxury often costs more than most of us can afford. Finding creative ways to do more for less has become art in the recent economy.

I'm not talking about putting a toilet bowl on the front lawn and turning it into a planter.  Believe it or not, I once had a neighbor in West Virginia who did that. Think bigger. No, I'm not talking about turning the bed of your pickup into a swimming pool either, although that's not a bad idea on a sweltering West Texas summer day.

I'm talking about setting even loftier goals than those.

For someone like me who knows nothing about farming, "hot tub"  is the first thing that always came to mind when I saw one of those large metal livestock water troughs at Palmer Feed and Supply here in San Angelo Some of them can hold 300 gallons and would be big enough for at least eight or ten people.

Now, that's a party.

Gleeful that perhaps I had discovered something new, I did a late-night google search on the topic. I was shocked.  Not only was I not the first person to think of this, but there are literally stores that sell "livestock hot tubs".  Who knew this was a "thing"?

There are even many YouTube videos of how to turn your livestock trough into a hot tub or some of the bigger ones into a heated pool.

I have nothing against hot tubs made in the traditional way, which often cost much more. Certainly, there are some design challenges with these stock tank hot tubs that have to be worked out.  However, here in West Texas, where these stock tanks have been a native part of the landscape for nearly 100 years, this kind of hot tub just seems to fit.

All of this has led me to think, and that is a dangerous thing.  I'm wondering if there are any other hidden gems at the livestock supply store. For example, maybe those cattle tags could have applications in the fashion world.

Imagine a rapper named "Lil Bull" wearing one.  Overnight, everyone would have to have one. To me, they certainly aren't as unattractive as some of the earrings I've seen out there.

What about one of these Horse Roundbale Feeders at Palmer Feed and Seed? The mind can imagine a lot of decorative uses for this.  That is especially true if you've been over in New Mexico smoking some of what they recently made legal.  The possibilities are endless.

I think I'll just sit in my new stock tank hot tub and think it over.

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