Greetings from East Texas- 46F Garden struggles Seeking Garden wisdom

Hey y’all,
I just found this singles corner of permies the other day while searching for Texas permaculture stuff (the main forums are great but this side popped up and I thought why not). First post ever in here, so bear with me if it’s rambling  I’m still getting the hang of how folks do this.
I’m 46, gal, widowed a couple years now after a long marriage. Decided to pick up and move to Texas for a real change cheaper land, bigger sky, and honestly just needed somewhere new to breathe. Landed in good old Kemp town Texas. Brought what I could haul, sold the rest, and now I’m trying to turn a little acreage into something that actually produces. Got the garden going (fighting the sudden heat and clay soil already), planted some fruit trees that might survive, and dreaming of chickens once I get the coop sorted. Always loved hunting deer mostly back east, but looking forward to learning what’s good here, maybe some hog or whatever seasons allow. Off-grid bits too.
It’s lonely work sometimes though. Miss having someone to bounce ideas off  “hey does this look right?” or “wanna come check the fence with me?” or just sit on the porch after a long day swapping stories about what went wrong in the garden that week. Not rushing anything, life’s taught me patience the hard way, but it’d be real nice to connect with somebody who gets the permie/off-grid/homesteading pull, especially around here in Texas. Older fellas with experience would be gold  y’all know the tricks that save headaches, and I could use the wisdom.
If you’re in Texas (or anywhere in the US and have been here long enough to have opinions), drop a line about what you’re working on, plants that actually thrive in this crazy weather, good hunting spots not overrun, or how you handle the summers without losing your mind. Happy to share what little I’ve figured out too.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Feels good just putting it out there.

Hello you seem wonderful, 55 in Southern Oregon would love to know you.
Sending you a pm
all the best on your search and your journey

Howdy and welcome to Texas.
I have a little place down near Reklaw, TX.  I too battle clay soil and the intense sun of July and August. I consider that I have found ways to deal with each.
I would be more than happy to share Knowledge and Wisdom.
Go ahead and send a PM.
Brian

Hi,

I’m very sorry for your loss. Sometimes life tries to bend us, but it does not always manage to break us. I’m far away, in Spain, but I identify exactly with that feeling of loneliness you describe.

A person can live alone, be strong, and be self-sufficient. But things become better when they are shared. Sometimes that means a life partner; other times it means friends and neighbors. But it makes little sense to be out here enjoying the world completely alone.

In my own case, I often find myself debating whether to actively look for someone, or simply let that person appear when the time is truly right. But that desire to share the world with someone feels to me like one of the most human and most real parts of our nature. We need to love and to be loved as much as we need to breathe.

Thank you for your honesty and for allowing yourself to be vulnerable. There are many more people like you than it may seem.

I hope you’ve already “stumbled across” him.

Roble (Spain)

Good on you for getting out there and have the courage to go it alone..it's tricky but rewarding.
. Wish I could offer you advice on growing in Texas...I livev in Western Colorado.. so a little different climate..
Good luck on your journey...

~Wind~