Hobbs Holler

Something I Like

2012-01-30T18:52:00.002-06:00

Without Permission - but I'm plugging the product

I found a techno-gadget today that I like and I've gotta have. It is the Roku Streaming Player.

I was looking for a way to make it so my dad could watch Netflix on his television, and, since he is not a gamer, I thought that buying an internet capable blu ray dvd player would be the best device for him.

I got the dvd player, which was specially enhanced with an app for Netflix, only to find it wasn't compatible with his later model tv. I took the player back to the store and milled around for 45 minutes, racking my brain as to how I could make this work. I knew Dad would be mighty disappointed if I couldn't figure it out.

So, I pulled out the big guns and called one of my kids, the smarty-pants of the family, for advice. He said there was a piece of equipment I could buy that was specifically for streaming movies to the tv. I Googled on my phone and came up with Roku, Googled again and came up with a local store (Radio Shack) where it could be purchased. I bought it (with Dad's credit card), took it to his house, plugged it in, made an on-line account and we were in business. When I left, Dad was watching True Grit with closed caption, just the way he likes it.

The model we bought was the Roku 2 XD. Easy, easy, easy to hook up, with very satisfying results. I think you see now why I want one, and you may also want one, too.

Big Dirt Sun

2012-01-22T14:10:00.000-06:00

Sandy Shining

If you are visiting West Texas today, you will get to experience one of the strong flavors of this locale, a good ol' epic dust storm. I keep pinching my nostrils to keep the dirt out, but this greatly impedes breathing. There's nothing to do but wait it out as the wind whistles through every crack and pinhole in the house. Thankfully, we will feel a great sense of release when it all settles, kind of like the relief a person would feel when they quit banging their head against a wall.

I'm Finally in Style

2012-01-21T12:48:00.000-06:00

I mentioned this last September: Formation northwest of Abilene draws attention of oil exploration companies (ARN).

The Beauty of It

2012-01-18T09:20:00.000-06:00

Like country kids have to find their own entertainment out here in West Texas, locals have to find their own beauty in what some might consider a desolate land.

This seems easy to me on most days, except when the dust inundates the air, making everything a dull brown.

The other day we were cutting wood and I came across some gnarled mesquite pieces that looked like someone's crazy nightmare, like chunks of wooden brains. The longer I looked at them, the more images I could see. The photo looks like a face at this certain angle, but if turned looks like another creature.

A friend of mine goes out on her four-wheeler and finds old stumps, sand-blasts them, lacquers them, then makes them into candle-holders. I have one and a different figure emerges every new position I place it.

A new, well-made fence can also be a thing of beauty and there are plenty of those around right now. I saw Mike Porter (Sr.) using a chain-saw to top off a post on the new fence at Grady Cemetery. There is also a new fence around the old Templeton place here at Hobbs. Watching the fencer at work was like watching someone create art. A nicely dressed man, he didn't look left or right, just kept to his business, all day long.

I've probably mentioned this before, but my friend, the late George Maule, told me that February was the best month for cutting fence posts from mesquite, getting to it before the sap rises. In fact I'm quite certain I've said it before, but maybe I'll say it every year, just to keep George in our memories.

Now to find the beauty in paying bills and running errands. Nobody promised me a rose garden.

Blowing Smoke

2012-01-17T11:47:00.002-06:00

I have never been a proponent of the wind turbines, and, in fact, I used to scrape out my soap box in front of anyone who would listen to my thoughts on such. Then I came to see it as just another government program that would probably come to pass, and cooled my jets on the subject. Also, I have worked for some people who owned a few and I am a fairly firm believer that thou should not bite the hand that feeds thee.

In 2002, when the wind thing was just getting started, I started working for a local paper. I shadowed another reporter to an interview with the administrators of a new wind project in Fluvanna, and the company men were friendly and open.

Later in the year, we asked for another interview and we were turned down. So, I snuck in on a tour with the county commissioners, on the premise that I would prevent them from forming a quorum. I got busted taking photos, and after being asked to desist, promptly took more, some with the commissioners themselves standing inside the large turbine supports. It was quite a coup, although none of the photos were published, after the wind farm PR agent claimed that company patenting secrets would be divulged by printing the pictures publicly.

I guess there is no point to that anecdote. It was just a lot of fun riding around with the naughty commissioners.

Years after working for the newspaper, I worked a short stint for that same wind farm company and I remember seeing an instructional packet on how to pitch windmill sales. Directions for taking publicity photos were to use a backdrop of green grass with a blue sky or lovely sunset. Not the mish-mash of thousands of unattractive and every-which-a-way blades that look like they've been thrown down in a game of pick-up-sticks. Drive down SH 153 near Nolan and you'll see what I mean.

Every new field constructed claims high output of megawatts, able to provide energy to several thousand or a million homes. You have to wonder where the electricity has been going, since transmission lines are just now being erected, cluttering the countryside even more.

The night horizon has been unappealingly altered. No more is the mysterious Texas range. It is now a sea of red blinking lights, urbanized and tainted.

I look forward to the day when the wind farm tax break program runs the course. Windmills have a place in our energy program, but as a true energy source, not as a government program. Transforming the bulky turbines, diminishing the structures to smaller, more efficient models would be a relief to the panorama.

I already know that I am out of style on this subject. While I see this as the ruination of the aesthetic West Texas prairie, it won't be an important topic until someone much more savvier and influential than I am takes notice. Plus, millions and billions of dollars are being made from the projects, while I am providing no financial incentives at all.

By the way, if you think I'm a goody-two shoes, granola-crunching tree-hugger (I'm crazy with the hyphens today!), we had an "Oil Field Trash and Damn Proud of It" bumper sticker on our car when I was growing up, and I will stick to those guns.

As usual, I am sure my opinion is just a matter of perspective. Perhaps I would be lighting sparklers and blowing a horn if I had a few windmills myself.

Snyder Group to Continue Fight Over Santa Fe Depot

2011-12-25T21:04:00.000-06:00

Snyder Group to Continue Fight Over Santa Fe Depot

A Country Christmas

2011-12-19T12:49:00.001-06:00

The Tree

Who am I fooling? It's country everything out here! Where else would I have the opportunity to holler "There's a coyote in the lane!" with every expectation of someone in the house running out the door with a shot-gun? Honey, you don't get more country than that.

This year I feel I have a full hiatus from the holiday. I don't have grandchildren, yet, my kids are grown, and I only get presents for a few people, so I'm not cuckoo for Christmas. No, it's not a bah, humbug feeling, it's more like some sort of reality setting in. All the music, shows and icons of the season have been so over-played, so over-used, that experiencing any of those things is like having sand rubbed into a sunburn.

So, this year I shall take heart and enjoy my simple Christmas setting, because I have a sneaking suspicion that a baby will change my perception of the season in a drastic manner.

The Shystier, the Better

2011-12-12T09:25:00.003-06:00

They Want To Help

The top shystery event that has happened to us lately is the resurgence of our Beall's account. Suddenly, out of the blue, we received a credit card from them. I asked the Mister to call them and see why they had sent it, since the account was paid off five years ago and we haven't had a card since.

Well, the boy on the phone said it was just an automatically issued replacement card and he showed our last payment as being in December of 2010. It was a bunch of bull and basically made me look like a liar, but I told Mister just to put it in his wallet and keep it away from me. It's something you would only want to use in a mighty hard pinch.

Then, about a week later, we get this letter from the company whose letterhead is featured above. They will be "protecting" us, without our asking, for a mere $1.99 per $100 of the card balance. Well, sure, at 26% interest on the card, why not just throw in another 2%? We are big spenders (card balance of 0). I think it all shows just how far credit card companies are willing to go to get your money. I like shopping at Beall's, but the thing with the card is pretty shady.

I think it's surprising that our very reputable bank is pushing hard for us to get a credit card. That's just a fool's adventure. Why would I pay a percentage more on bills and items when I can just pay them and be done, saving me loads of money? But my bank keeps sending all kinds of emails, wanting me to apply. It seems irresponsible in "this time of economic hardship", as the media puts it. Hey, things are going to hell in a hand-basket, so get yer credit card here! It's just senseless.*

Another rip-off we've encountered is on craigslist. Twice we've answered ads for vehicles, then we get an email explaining a complicated scenario about someone who's in the military and the vehicle is in Tucson or some such. It's very disappointing when you're looking for an affordable item and you have to deal with grifters.

The other day I kept getting a call that I thought was from a hotel I stayed in recently. I called them back and let them have it for how much I had to pay for their crappy hotel room and that I didn't owe them a red cent. The person I was talking to finally hung up when I used a word he didn't approve of. Then I Googled the number and found that the name of the agency is similar to the hotel, but was actually my student loan finance company. That one was on me, and I had a pretty good laugh about it.

* I don't really think things are going to Hades in a hand-basket, I'm just using status quo to make a point.

I Won't Feel Your Pain

2011-12-11T11:30:00.007-06:00

Without Permission

The last book I gave my mother was The Help. She never got to read it.

Now, that's a pretty good line to start off an article with, isn't it? Perhaps you're wondering why my mother never got to read the book, and isn't that a very popular novel that was recently made into a movie? Now, if I said "My mother never got to read this book and you had BETTER be sad about it," you would probably be inclined to be just the opposite, maybe even dismissive. You've got to lead the reader into your story, not choke and beat them about the the neck and torso with it.

The last book I gave my mother was The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and she never got to read it because she died six weeks later. During the last of her life she was too weak to hold a book. Anyway, this is not about that. I'm actually trying to recommend three books to you: The Help, as aforementioned; Not Me by Michael Lavigne; and another book that I can't recall the title or author, but is about a woman who lives as a hermit in a house full German Jewish artifacts that her father dealt from a stolen cache. I've Googled and Googled, but I can't find it. Just try putting Jewish into any search engine and see if you're able to sort it out. I guess I should tap into my natural micro-managing talents and make a list of all the books I read for future reference.

I normally don't like any literature dealing with civil rights or Jewish persecution because I've had it shoved down my throat my whole life, especially during my school years. My age group was taught to shoulder the guilt of eras that we couldn't comprehend. The tales were stereotypical, without detail, oversold and desensitizing.

With these books, it's as though the authors knew how to turn the crystal to show a different facet. In The Help I found characters who were very familiar to me, making me think "I know people exactly like that, mm-hmm." This story is about much more than civil rights. Just read it, I'm too full of explanation to explain it. I can't recommend the movie because I haven't seen it and probably won't see it. I'm purist about books that I like. I don't want any interference from outside sources into my own thoughts. I also think I wouldn't enjoy the movie because I would be saying "They didn't do it that way in the book" throughout the entire show.

Not Me was published in 2005, and is the only book about the Nazi occupation that has ever interested me. It was quite an eye-opener. The premise is gripping, but then the story speaks of historical data that I was unaware of, such as a civil war that was raging in Palestine and that people saved from concentration camps went on to fight in such. I may have the facts skewed, but it's a much different story from what I was taught, that victims were saved from camps and everything was hunky dory after that.

The third book, about an elderly woman who lives in a stately mansion filled with dinnerware and art stolen from Jewish families and bought by her long-dead art dealer father. Again, another perspective that I was unaware of, the scavenging of the holocaust victims homes, not always after their departure. I don't particularly like the ending, but that has something to do with my personal experience of the last actions in this book.

If you have been a jaded reader, these books will open an acceptable side-door for you to pass through. If you're not jaded, they're just plain good books.

Blind as a Chicken

2011-11-30T20:51:00.000-06:00

The Rooster

This morning, early, around 5:30 a.m., I was standing on the porch and I noticed one of the roosters out in the yard under a tree. All I could see was his profile, a perfect cutout of his shape. I went out to see if he was alive or dead and realized that he couldn't see in the dark. I asked him what he was doing and he started clucking at me like one of the hens and acting helpless. I shooed him back to the shop so he wouldn't be out in the open. He seemed to be able to make out that he wasn't running into objects in the dim illumination of the security light, but once he got into the deep shadow behind the pick-up, he needed a cane. You're probably laughing at me because you already knew that chickens can't see at night, an explanation for roosting in trees and going to sleep at dusk, but I'm excited to know that I'm not too old to learn a simple lesson. Amazing!

'Til Death Does Us Part

2011-11-27T16:27:00.012-06:00

View from Poet's Seat

The thing that really bothers me when I think of my own death is the usage of "she" by people describing me. I'm not worried about them saying bad things, it's just the thought of them talking about me like I'm the cat. They could be saying "She was a talented and beautiful woman" (not too shabby, aye?), but that past tense thing really bugs me. I just can't suppress the revulsion it makes me feel to know that's how it will be, because I do it regarding those that I have known to pass.

These death thoughts led me to recalling the legendary suicide of Sylvia Plath, a tale that slightly alters with each telling. Sometimes she sealed the door with tape, sometimes with wet cloths; sometimes she meant to do die, sometimes she didn't. Anyway, Plath's estranged husband spoke of her death as necessarily having to be over-dramatized by fans to fulfill some sort of Sylvia-delusion. He didn't say it like that, he was much more eloquent, also being a poet. When the wash was finally finished, the woman he had left Sylvia for also killed herself as well as their four-year-old child, and later, his and Sylvia's son committed suicide.

It seems that suicide used to be a rampantly over-romanticized way to die, or maybe it was just very casually used. I have a set of really horrible (you gotta read them) books, Hollywood Babylon & Hollywood Babylon 2, by Kenneth Anger, that portrays the suicidal deaths of many well known stars. The books are full of all kinds of Hollywood scandals, and the first one starts at the very beginning with silent films. There are many photos, some grisly, and both books are spell-binding. This set is one of my guilty pleasures. You'll kind of feel dirty when you're through perusing them.

One of the stories and photos that stick with me from the books is of actress Carole Landis, who was having an affair with actor Rex Harrison (Dr. Dolittle!) at the time of her death, ruled as suicide. In the photo she looks like she's kneeling down with an ear placed to the floor, wearing a pretty skirt and shoes that I wouldn't mind having. She doesn't look dead at all.

Now see how I'm talking about her? I don't want this to happen to me! So, when I die, please immediately forget me and never speak of me again, okay? Thanks! Whew! No photos, either, if you can help it.

You Are So Yesterday

2011-11-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

2005

Fashion trends change every year and some people won't be seen in last year's togs for fear of dying from mortal embarrassment. I am the same way about who I am. I see things I've written or think of things I've said and I cringe at my absolute naivete that may not be so much as a week old.

Also, I get on my own nerves. I know a lot of people tell the same damn stories over and over again, but I want to kick myself in the shin when I find myself doing it. I won't let other people finish sentences. I will agree with whatever opinion is being given by whomever I am accompanying. My hair always looks like crap. I am judgmental, skeptical and cynical, but then I'll turn around and be entirely gullible. I think I am absolutely hilarious.

I'm not fishing for compliments or negations, these are the things I know about myself.

I am always striving to be a better, savvier me. Who isn't? I don't want to get mired down in the old style me and get too behind the times. If only I could use the new, improved inside of me with the old 18-year-old version of the outside of me. Dang, I'd have the world by the tail!

Jonathon Devitt dies at age 23

2011-11-11T13:33:00.006-06:00

According to facebook sources, Jonathon Devitt, 23, of Northfield, Massachusetts died today after being removed from life support. Friends report that he had been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Devitt was originally from Snyder.

Update 11/14/2011: It is also reported from Devitt's facebook page by family and friends that he was an organ donor and contributed to the lives of three people. This story just breaks my heart.

Natalie Clark dies at 85

2011-11-11T13:28:00.004-06:00

Natalie Clark of Snyder died in a Lubbock hospital on November 9. She was the mother of former Hobbs resident Jeanette Templeton. Clark died after one of two implanted heart stints failed.

Some Old Hippies

2011-10-16T10:57:00.002-05:00

Dancing to the Bellamy's

I'm using old as a relative term, and just trying to be quippy, because we went and saw the Bellamy Brothers play on the bricks in Roscoe last night. Excellent performance, makes me wonder why we listen to new songs when so many good ones have already been written and sung. There was a big crowd, but it was loose and navigable, like the Willie picnics in the early '80's. I saw so many familiar faces. I can't imagine living somewhere where I haven't grown up. Even if you don't know someone directly, you know who they look like.

We ended up getting 3 4/10 of rain last weekend. I was running mail on Saturday in Mitchell County, and I should have taken a canoe instead of my truck, although I have a certain appreciation of the 4-wheel drive. It got me out of some tight spots (C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!). I didn't test for buoyancy, though. I saw some other folks who did. Trucks don't float.

The weather is beautiful here, one of the reasons fall is my favorite season. I like autumn lighting. It makes it seem like mid-morning for a longer portion of the day, and 10 a.m. is the best time for me. I'm very hopeful and can think well around then. After that, no promises. In the afternoon, I can hardly remember my name.

Since I'm giving up politics and religion, I don't have much more to say. There's nothing to gripe about, now. I think I'll just hum an annoying tune and be happy.

If He Catches You, You're Through

2011-10-02T13:11:00.003-05:00

Some of my chickens have found it to be true, the song the roadrunner sings. There has been a rash of raids this week with a resulting loss of two hens and a rooster. I had someone ask me why I didn't just keep the chickens put up, but that would be like keeping your dog in a box, or making the cats sit in a cage all the time. Chickens like to run around and peck and scratch at things. It's a joy to watch them.

Yesterday I let them out for a little while and I thought I was keeping a close eye on them. I kept going outside every fifteen or thirty minutes, had Sue the dog on duty watching them, and had the front door cracked so I could hear any commotion.

By the way, this week was the first time for my baby chicken to foray into the world. I've been anticipating her debut beyond the chicken pen because she's such a vocal little hen and has a lot of different voices to express her little chicken emotions. No, not like Linda Blair in The Exorcist type voices, just a bunch of chirpy sounds that make me happy to listen to.

Anyway, so I thought I was paying attention. Then a rooster in the front yard sounds an alarm (he didn't pull the fire bell, he just crowed) and I shoot out the door. He's out there by himself and I run around the house and see that everyone is alarmed, even the cats, who have been kittens of interest in the recent deaths. I start counting chickens while I'm running around and find that baby chicken and mama chicken are missing. I'm calling (chicka chicka chicka) and starting to get desperate when I look over and see baby chicken hiding under some pampas grass. I was so relieved, because I was fixing to give up chickens if she was gone. Poor mama chicken met her end, though, probably defending baby. I've seen her go up against the roosters over her chick.

The chickens are put up today. I finally got a print of whatever is nabbing the fowl. The cats can stand down, as they have been cleared by this recent evidence. Once I started looking around, it appears that a whole herd of wild critters crosses through our yard. The print in the photo is about 3 inches long. The best I can guess is coyote. There are smaller prints that might be a fox. Mr. Me says that if it's a fox, we'll never be able to catch it. Just too wily.

I think the way to combat this is to get more chickens. They can be very aggressive in large groups, chasing down wild animals and pecking their eyes out. Not really. It's just if there are more, then I won't miss one or two so badly when they're gone.

Confused about Confucius

2011-09-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

I was reading the local paper today when I saw a quote by Confucius. I thought, "Oh my gosh, don't they know Confucius is bad!" and thought about how we, or, rather, I, say things off the top of my head, showing my extreme ignorance of all things beyond the borders of West Texas. Then I asked myself why I thought Confucius was bad, and realized I had not investigated the facts to justify my own reasoning.

I recently read The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan, where the character Winnie blasted the Chinese Philosopher because of the oppression of women during the time in China in which she was living, which apparently was part of Confucian belief. I guess I could get all down on Confucius for that, but it would be a pot calling the kettle black situation, or some sort of hypocritical thought, because, historically, women have been shunned in our own country and in our own religions. Shoot, the black man got the vote before gals did, and you know how vigorously racist people were back in the day. Just sayin'.

Also, I think it's ironic that Christians would quote a philosopher who was considered agnostic.

After a little perusing, it seems that the original Confucian ideologies were twisted to fit whatever religious or political situations that were occurring in China. I'm highly suspicious that this is a global phenomenon.

Migrating

2011-09-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

Our annual monarch migration has been going on in dribs and drabs for the past several weeks. Usually there are jillions of butterflies everywhere and you have to just grit your teeth and barrel through them when you're driving (like we're who does the real suffering). This year they have been in lesser numbers, but they're huge, as large or larger than the palm of your hand from wrist to fingertip. I was driving along the other day and it looked like someone had pinned them here and there in sky as if they were ornaments. The beauty in the photo was lighted on a Russian sage plant in my back yard.

Black Gold, Texas Tea and a Little Bit of Natural Gas

2011-09-19T16:31:00.004-05:00


University A-1 Well

We had to go to the title office in Roby today for a little business and found a lot of action going on there and at the courthouse. Landmen all over the place, and you know what that means. Boom! Very exciting, go on up there and see if your neighbors have agreed to a lease or not, get your mineral rights in order and play your cards right. Get them suckers bidding against each other! I'm hearing leases are going for as much as $2400 an acre in east Texas. I don't know if it's going to get anywhere near that here, but it's going to get interesting, that's for sure.

Park Lane

2011-09-18T22:33:00.001-05:00

My library friend Eloisa is selling Park Lane Jewelry. Check it out online then head on over to the County City Library in Sweetwater and give her your order. She also has hard-copy catalogs for you to look at. Cute stuff!

Just a Couple More...

2011-09-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

Regarding the vaccine that Perry wanted all girls to get: In my memory, what was so offensive about it was that the illness the inoculation was for was said to have been contracted only by sexually active individuals, so in essence, it seemed like he was saying all girls are excessively promiscuous and needed to be vaccinated.

Regarding the accusation that scientists are to blame for global-warming paranoia: The first person that I noted saying the atmosphere has it's own rhythm was a top scientist at a facility Tom Hargrove was affiliated with. Tom sent me the article the man wrote. The man is a noted scientist, if only I could remember his name or still had Tom's note to me. I believe he was a scientist at the University of Alabama. Anyway, he said that global warming was bunco. In so many words.

I Won't Miss You

2011-09-18T14:14:00.003-05:00

Teel House

It was very surprising last Thursday to find that between the time I went to work that morning and drove back home that evening the old Teel house at the corner of FM 419 & FM 611 had been demolished.

I even hit the brakes as I went around the corner, and then came to a full stop in the road. I thought "Wow", then "I like it". That old eyesore has been there my entire life, and it has been a very long time since any Teels lived there. It was a relief to see it scraped up into a pile.

The razing was done for the placement of a high voltage line that Lone Star Transmission LLC is installing. This part of the project reaches across Scurry, Fisher, Jones and Shackelford counties and covers 1,467 acres. The overall line will run about 300-miles, through many counties.

I would give a website for information, but Googling will deliver an abundance of results. I found it somewhat interesting to see many names that I recognize associated with the process of the initial development of this project.

Lone Star and Oncor were used as key search words.

She Was Shakin'

2011-09-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

Big Country Home Page news site is reporting that we have had seven earthquakes locally in the past two days, six of them close to Snyder, which makes them close to Hobbs. We have not felt anything, but Howard Gordon said he felt the one Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. He said it was about a 2-second rumble.

According to Big Country news, the last one was recorded this morning around 4:26 a.m. near Forsan, southeast of Big Spring. The United States Geological Survey site has a map showing responses to the tremors. There are some Advanced National Seismic System maps on the USGS site that show where earthquakes have been occurring. Click on any of the highlighted words for more information.

Abject Criticizing

2011-09-11T09:25:00.008-05:00

Looking at Twitter, to the right, you will see that I commented on a black cloud hanging overhead.

Unfortunately, it is not rain. I get in these damned moods where I am so hyper-critical that even I can't stand myself. I gripe at the tv, the cat, chickens and I have deep ruminations.

If I were a cast iron pot, my lid would be rattling from a slow boil.

So, I'm going to make one heavily edited comment just to get it out of me, then we can get to the lighter side of life.

The insurance company that provides coverage to state employees is going up thirty dollars per month on everyone who uses tobacco. I think that is taking advantage of a captive audience.

Ok, there ya go.

We briefly visited the West Texas Fair & Rodeo yesterday. The photo is of the most clever entry. It's not worded that way on the ribbon, but that's what it is. When I saw it, I thought, "Of course, why haven't I thought of it!", which makes it even more ingenious, because it's been right there in front of me all the time. Now there will be a wave of bathtub settees across the area. It's about time, the bathtub planters are so last season.

I noticed that Tom Wideman won first prize in antiques kitchenware with a metal muffin pan. I'm supposing this is the former mayor of Sweetwater, Rattlesnake Round-Up aficionado and past owner of West Texas Manufacturing. Way to go, Tommy!

There were all kinds of entries, birth certificates included. I quit looking when I saw an entry of an Avon bottle that was shaped like a Sherlock Holmes bulldog pipe. One that I know every single one of you has seen, and would quickly toss in the trash if you were cleaning out a closet. I'm pretty sure we had one sitting on the back of the toilet for years. Or something of Avon 70's vintage. I mean, who didn't?

There were some pretty cowgirl contestants giving speeches, and I wish I had room for those photos on here, too. They were beautiful girls wearing fancy clothes, but not in an unsavory fashion. How refreshing to see a nice Texas girl.

We didn't indulge in the carnival foods, 'cause you know I save that for the previously mentioned Rattlesnake Round-Up in March. Twice a year would just be too much.

One more thing to say. The fair is here, so where's the rain?

And Just Like That, It's Over

2011-09-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

The oppressive, stultifying, brain-burning summer has at last released it's zombie-inducing grasp on us. We've gone straight from triple-digit degrees to a whole week forecast at 80/50 highs-lows. I held up my arms and bathed in the glorious, cool breeze (wind) as I murmured haikus, ballads and verses celebrating this wonderful gift of nature, but then I shut up when Mr. Schmidt, who was changing a flat tire at the time, looked up and said "Huh?", like "What craziness are you up to now, Woman?"

I said, "Oh, nothing."

Luv ya, Texas.

Aunt Vera

2011-08-29T10:26:00.002-05:00

The other day I was at someone's house and saw a box with what looked like old paper towel rolls and some other odds and ends in it, and I thought back to the play box Aunt Vera Weems used to keep at her house.

She had a sizable cardboard box with playthings in it that she kept in the back room off the kitchen, maybe a pantry, and that is where I would head first thing when we went to visit her. The box had old pot pie tins, egg cartons, plastic spoons, discarded kitchen utensils and the like in it. Now don't get me wrong, I liked going over to kids houses that had the fancy, decked out plastic kitchen sets, but there was something so desirable about Vera's set-up, something that still gives me a little thrill when I see objects that remind me of those times.

It was so desirable, in fact, that it inspired fighting betwixt children if there was more than one visiting at the same time. And often there was.

One time when I was staying there, when I was about four or five, another cousin was also there, a much more sophisticated girl of 11 or 12. We sat on the edge of a huge cistern with the lid propped up while she told me the stories of Bloody Fingers and The Girl with the Black Choker. The echoey sound added legions in sound effect. That night as we were all getting ready for bed, Aunt Vera couldn't figure out why I was crying scared, and she also didn't know the cousin had told me Bloody Fingers was watching us through the twitched up slat of the venetian blinds.

I often ponder over childhood and how memories from that time are so set in stone, how the people were like characters, well-defined and impervious. I can still hear Vera's voice and see her with a turban wrapped around her head talking to my grandma about an upcoming funeral, purse hanging from the crook of her elbow.

I don't know why I was at Vera's so much, I'm just glad that I got to be there, with Guy sitting in his chair and always amicable, me playing with a round cork-board globe that had pens and pencils stuck in it, an orchard at the front of the house, where we collected apricots, and bursting through the swinging doors between the tv room and the kitchen.

Did I ever mention that I had a charmed childhood?

NFL Blacks Out Saints - Texans Game

2011-08-20T20:37:00.003-05:00

Tonight, those of us who have just changed to DirecTV are getting a taste of sour grapes. The New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans game is blocked from DTV NFL channel 212, and we are finding out that Abilene local station KTES, where the game is airing, is not included in the DTV local channel package.

If you have Dish, you can watch the game on channel 40, since it has also been blocked on the Dish NFL channel. We're hoping to get the Vikings and Seahawks game since it's not local. We better. Or we're gonna... we're gonna... gripe a whole lot!

I Gotta Lotta Anger Inside'a Me

2011-08-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Aargh! Creationism? Submission? Sex? Who gives a brickety-brack, frickety-frack! Talk about our PAYCHECKS. Talk about GROCERY STORE PRICES. Talk about UTILITY costs. Then, politicians, you will have hit home with all the people in the nation. For Judas sake, can you not even do a simple equation to figure out the common link? Shoot.

About the President

2011-08-16T12:34:00.002-05:00

I don't take the Presidency seriously. I have had a lifetime of social instruction that has left me with a flippant attitude towards the POTUS. Let me explain how I have been directed to view our Commander-in-Chief.

I have NEVER, in my lifetime, heard ANYONE refer to any of the Presidents, who have graced the White House since 1965, in a respectful manner. I've seen them derided and lampooned, treated as a constant source of entertainment. I haven't heard a President praised. Not while one was alive. My jaw was on the floor when I heard the effusive eulogies given upon Ronald Reagan's death. During his Presidency, he was ridiculed mercilessly. He was portrayed as an ultra-moron, no bigger fool had ever existed, unless you count all the other Presidents. It's one thing to make fun to keep pedestaled people in their place, it's another to attack their personality and reasoning to the point of breaking them down in the sight of all others.

To those of you out there who can't figure out why the latest generations have no respect for the prestigious offices held by ANY politicians - You have taught your children well!

Underage Thinking

2011-07-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about context and perspective and thinking that we are all searching for both in our life. Then I decided we weren't really searching for them, it's more like we're surprised when we discover them, one or both.

What set me off on this thought was that I was hoeing and had just kicked up a renegade goat's head sticker plant.

When I was little, around three or so, we used to go to the butcher and get the gut wagon, which is exactly what you would think it is. My dad and uncle used to heat the remains in a huge trough and feed them to the pigs. In this offal there was intestines, blood and heads. Some were goat heads. One of my fondest childhood memories is when my little step-sister and I would sit on the fender of the wagon and dare each other to look in, hands clenched, head against the side of the trailer, ducked down, saying "No, you do it!", "I'm not gonna do it, you do it!". Ah, the tender years of youth.

One day, my grandmother made the comment that the field was so full of trash the tractor plow had goat heads dragging from it.

I can't tell you how many years it took me to realize what kind of goat heads she was talking about, but, boy, did the light shine bright over my head then.

Persistence

2011-07-26T20:58:00.003-05:00

When I was young, I was astounded to find out most of my favorite songs were simply remastered songs from prior years. Led Zeppelin's Gallows Pole? Sung by Leadbelly decades earlier, and a folk song from long before that. As time goes along, I've found that most things are this way, and also that fads and inventions from centuries before seem more modern than now. You would think I would have grown used to the idea of old is new, new is old, but I guess some things are like a toy you never get tired of, a puzzle with a new twist.

I was reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet the other day, and I found that the back story for Dr. John Watson was that he had been wounded in what he called the Second Afghan War previous to making the acquaintance of Holmes. That was around 1878. Again, astonished to find that the "news" is old. What can be said about Afghanistan now that hasn't been discussed before in the last century and a half?

I couldn't find the chicken and kitten photos I wanted to post here, so I put up an old photo of a spider wearing all it's babies, or else it has a mighty infestation of some kind.

I noticed today that Hastings in Sweetwater will be closing, and I heard someone in another store say that the doors will close Aug. 20. Jack in the Box out by the interstate recently closed, also. Some will blame it on the economy. You never hear a store take the blame for closing. "Oh, we were sloppy with the book-keeping", "We had really lousy customer service", and "We didn't do all we could do in the PR dept." are all real possibilities. The story of my failed make-believe store would be "I had no idea what I was doing!".

Lemony Lemonade

2011-07-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

All during the week I think of at least a half-dozen good topics to talk about, and many more that would be inappropriate, but come time to put fingers to keys, it's like my mind is stuck between channels. Where are all those specific points I made while talking to myself (in my head, I hope), where are all those prolific, ecclesiastical realizations I came to that I couldn't wait to share with you all? Gone. Like the wind. Like Tuesday, as Skynyrd says. I can barely put two sentences together. Ok, it's not that bad. You might say "Write those ideas down so you can remember". I've got a whole drawer of reminders. There's nothing quite as stale as an idea gone cold.

I keep trying to think of positive things about this remarkable heat (lemonade from lemons), because if I can't think of an upside, I'm gonna brain myself. Here's my little list:

You can hang clothes on the line and they're dry in about five minutes. By the way, let me brag here about the new clothes line that Mr. Me put up. It's snazzy! I don't think I've ever had such tight wires.
You can see which plants are the hardiest and use those to landscape your yard. Go somewhere that there are plants you would actually want, like Rough Creek. Or the Caribbean.
You appreciate 6:30 a.m. a lot more, since it's the only time that is bearable to be outside.

That's it, I'm tapped. It's pretty miserable.

The photo is one of the multiple little shower clouds that we've watched float around us. On July 3, we saw a tornado, but it only lasted about 40 seconds. No, really, and I have witnesses. Mr. is the one who said, "Yes, I see it, it's a tornado," after I said "I must be seeing things". Also, I heard through the grapevine that Bobby Wright saw it, too. We thought it was over by the gin, but it must have been closer to Sardis.

It looks like someone has taken interest in the old Beavers store up at Camp Springs. There was a pick-up with old appliances from inside the house on it and I saw a guy on a little backhoe working up there. The realtor's sign that's been there for a few years is gone. I wish it would be a store, again, but I think only someone who didn't want to make money would open one up. It sure would be convenient for us locals, though.

We spent the Fourth in Roscoe on the second. I don't know what it is about the town that makes it so good for festivals. It was like being at a gigantic family reunion. It probably has a lot to do with organizational skills, as well as the good people of the town.

I got my electric bill this week and I did NOT have a heart attack. It was just about a fifth of what I expected it to be. Thank goodness for little mercies. I hope all of you will find some of your own.

Bird's the Word

2011-06-12T14:39:00.001-05:00

I gotta tell ya, I enjoy my Twitter account more than anything else online, including Facebook. The few people I follow have sharp wit and can capture thoughts with just a few words. I keep thinking I need to have hundreds that I follow, like everyone else, but I feel like my group is the best and just reading what they have to say keeps me busy enough.

My top two favorites are Elizabeth Baker, author of Half-Baked Twice as Good, and Linda Sharps, who writes for The Stir. Both of these women are hard-core, living life as normal women, both as wives, one also as a mom. I like the real way they talk, their cynicism and their big, but not too mushy, hearts.

Alex Hyde seems to be from somewhere near Austin and an educator. He's very clever and not arrogant.

Shriek House provides humorous and cynical outtakes on family life. For some reason I'm thinking she also writes for The Stir.

Chris Sherman is an excellent Associated Press writer. He is the Rio Grande Valley correspondent here in Texas. He has written many articles about the big damn mess that's going on at the border. I admire his unbiased and factual writing style. He has a great voice on paper. He's currently on leave for a fellowship, but I hope to see more articles by him this August.

Linda follows a few people, like I do, probably for informational purposes only, but I like knowing she's out there watching and I try to keep her updated about what's going on in the community.

I urge you to get your own Twitter account! Then you can inform the world of such things as "I love this song", and "Just dropped ice cream on my shoes". It's fun.

SISD Feels Budget Cuts, Closes Hobbs School

2011-06-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

The Hobbs School has closed doors behind another school administration. According to a Sweetwater Reporter article written last December, the Sweetwater Independent School District will consolidate their alternative education program with the Colorado (City) ISD to save the school district money. The savings at that time were estimated to be $75,000 for the alternative education program (AEP) and $35,000 for the discipline alternative education program (DAEP). The amount was increased to $130,000, collectively, according to a February SR article. Students will be transported to the Wallace School in C-City.

The Great Divide

2011-06-07T07:59:00.003-05:00

Well, it's very dismaying to watch the chasm widen between politicians and constituents. Politicians are following some blind path, being led by the call of an old, decrepit, mythical bird, and constituents are left at the camp alone, wondering why tortillas are three times the price they were two years ago.

And seriously, when the candidate's platform is president bashing, they are of less than no use to me. Also, dispense with the general promises and projections. Who needs another candy machine in the cafeteria, Charlie Brown?

Who are these politicians pandering to? Not me, that's for sure.

I want someone who is smart and savvy. Not someone who declares to have a solution to all the problems, just someone who makes sense.

Honestly, I think the the people I see on tv who are running for public office don't understand the regular person's day to day life. You would think we're all obsessed with abortion, health care and smoking policies if the news was any indicator. I'm frenetic about paying my bills, although the people I owe money to might think otherwise. Vehicle maintenance is also a daily factor.

That's another issue. Politicians make blanket promises when the needs of the many are diverse. Country, city, north, south, shore, land, old, young, the list of variations is never ending. But the incumbents and nominees hammer away at dead horses.

I've noticed in my life that if someone keeps harping on a subject, you eventually form an opinion, even if it's an issue you could care less about. So then here we are, arguing about things that we don't give a damn about in general, forgetting what's really important to us.

Dear Politician, I don't want you to solve my problems. I don't want new laws. Just be a good, dependable manager of public policy.

Dowell School Memories

2011-06-05T08:38:00.004-05:00

It's one fine country morning here. Sue the dog and I just made a trip to the Hobbs Cemetery to fulfill some requests for Find A Grave. Early morning is the best time of the day, especially if you're not having to hurry off to work.

The cemetery always reminds me of why I love living out here. When I was a kid, I thought we owned the world. Our family gravestone is right at the front, which made the place ours in my mind. We had a great big farm that I had no idea had boundaries, and there was always talk of Big Daddy, as my late grandfather Les Templeton was referred to when I was a child. He was an icon in my life, this man I never met, and everything that Hobbs stood for to me. Just because he bought a farm back in 1941, I have been allowed to live in a community that feels like an extension of my yard. I mean, I just went to the graveyard in my pajamas and thought nothing of it, except that it was a luxury. It seems like a perfect opportunity to say: "You might be a redneck if you've ever...".

On to today's photo. I read an article this week in Texas Co-op Magazine entitled Never Fade Away by Harry Noble. It's about Noble's autograph book from his school days in Rosevine, TX circa 1939. The picture I've posted is of a similar autograph book belonging to my aunt Imogene. When we came across it we wondered what it was about, whether it marked an occasion or if it was a fad of the day.

Documentation in the book indicates the most of the autographs were collected at Dowell High School from December 1936 to April 1937. One or two were gathered in Hamlin. Such clever and witty people! One says "When you grow old and wear patched pants (could she have meant britches? Or maybe that was the joke, to say pants instead of britches), think of me between the stitches (Juanita Cooper)", and another quotes "When you are old and have snuff on your chin, think of me and lick it in (Ruth)". One wishes Imogene a happy married life, so I went back and found that she was married in April of 1937.

Since my aunt went to the trouble to list her classmates and teachers, I am going to also list them here.

Classmates: Pauline Levens, Vesta Merlyle Barker, Norma Aleen Coan, Jesalea Aken, Juanita Cooper, Aileen Hodo, Birtie Belle McCright, La Merle McCright, Elizabeth Winzer, Mae Dene Eaton, Estellene Hodo, Melvin Clements, Harold Aken, James Winzer, Welton Jameson, Buddy Levens, Merril Eaton, Odell Finch, Leroy Eaton, Bessie Phillips, Preston McCleskey, Paul Cooper, Ozelle McKay, Ruth Watley, Nadine Hodo, also the Maxines, Maxine Calwell, Maxine Compton (that is how they are referred to in the book, as the Maxines).

Teachers: Mr. Charles, Miss Hancock, Mr. Martin, Mrs. Foreman, Mrs. Collinsworth, Mrs. Murff and Miss House.

Dowell, according to the Handbook of Texas Online, was located four miles northwest of Rotan. The school was combined with Rotan in 1946-47.

A Time to Remember

2011-05-29T20:53:00.002-05:00

This photo was supposed to be of an impressive rain of mortarboards hanging mid-air above the heads of the Roby Seniors, but my camera gulped after I pushed the button, and I only captured the aftermath.

As the kids got ready to toss their hats into the air, the group of people I was with started reminiscing about their own graduations, which made me think of mine. I then rode a long train of memory, wandering paths not taken, thinking about missed opportunities and bittersweet moments. I don't like to admit regret, though, because every single step I've taken has led me to the people who are in my life, and I most definitely don't want to tamper with the recipe that brought them to me. I just have to revisit those thoughts every once in a while and make sure it's all as I remember and desire.

The heat and the wind are wearing us all down out here in this semi-arid hell hole. It will make the rain all the more sweeter, but good grief, how bad of a mood can one woman get into? I guess we're going to see.

I had free XM radio this week. I was pretty excited at first, until I realized that the same programs are repeated every two hours and day to day. There's a lot of potential, but it hasn't been realized. Also, if I'm going to pay for radio, I don't want to listen to commercials. I switch stations every time one comes on. They last so long, like when you're trying to watch a movie on TBS. You forget what program you were enjoying before the advertising ensued.

I would like to comment on the latest Dolce & Gabbana ad featuring Matthew McConaughey. They took a beautiful, beautiful man and airbrushed out his best features. It's creepy and made me feel weird, like looking at an animal that's otherwise perfect except that it has three ears or an extra limb. They should have left him rough and scruffy, even if he was wearing a suit. It's just a travesty.

I would also like to comment on Bob Dylan at this time. I don't like his voice at all. I think he was just what the listeners yearned for at the time, though, and that he cleansed the palette. Don't buy his book Tarantula. I'm sure he was making some sort of statement, but it would be a waste of your money. It looks like a monkey or chicken was let loose on a typewriter. I'm not saying that to be hateful, that's all it is, just a bunch of random typing. No words. Just junk.

If you can't tell, I'm working from a list I made of things that I wanted to talk about. I'll try to finish it up fast: I heard a shoe was running for president, finally, a worthy candidate; I saw an old episode of Orange County Choppers the other night and thought it was a new one, that they had gone back in the original direction, which I believe is all it would take to bring it back; and I think I could have a talk show since some of the ones that I've heard this week are so lame. One lady talked for hours about her local butcher. Another seemed to have suffered a speech impeding illness. I am sure I could titillate listeners with talk about chickens and going to the bar and weather. A sure formula for success, indeed (Sherlock Holmes influence)!

Swallow Solution

2011-05-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Aren't you getting tired of seeing photos of the front of my house? Well, here's one more. We put streamers along the eaves of the house to see if that would deter the swallows, and it did! I tried to think of something that would make them leery of flying, because birds are all about their wings. I still don't understand what made them abandon the culvert. Maybe because there wasn't any rain to wash the old nests out. I may go out there later and attempt to clear the way.

I was reading an article about country living. The author was talking about the joy of living on his historic fancedy-pants ranch, drinking Beaujolais wine, looking at centuries old age-ed wood out-buildings while wearing his uber-stylish but "distressed" rich stitched boots which were propped upon his anally maintained porch-rail (Not exactly his words, but just precious).

Here's my take: living in an old farm house in need of constant repair, drinking a cup of Folger's coffee, looking at a shop that we made ourselves while wearing an old t-shirt, sweats and flip-flops, sitting on old metal patio furniture that's been painted a million times. And lovin' it. It's so nice to get up in the morning and walk around in the yard with a cup of coffee, piddling with chickens, kittens, the sprinkler, plants. No neighbors to stare you down, just lost in your own world.

I guess the author of that article probably enjoys the country life as much as I do, but his is in the manner of J.R. on Dallas, while mine is more of an Ace Reid type of existence. Both suffice, I suppose.

The Birds

2011-05-08T14:14:00.005-05:00

I've had a series of experiences with fowl in the recent weeks, the latest occurring today when a bunch of mud-nest making birds decided to reside under the eaves of my house. I keep going out there to shoo them away and spray down the beginnings of nests with the water hose. I went and looked in the cement culvert they usually stay in to see if there was an obvious reason they had taken to the house, but I didn't see anything. Maybe they know it's going to rain and wash away their nests.

I saw a pheasant out here a few weeks ago, and I've had three other people tell me they have also seen it. He just pecks along the side of the road, not caring a fig about traffic, so busy with his doings. It's so funny, because one year we went to North Dakota, and I was just about guaranteed a pheasant sighting, but it never happened. I had to wait until pheasants came to Texas to see one.

That same week I also heard a road runner make a sound for the first time in my life. One time I heard one thrum it's beak when it thought I was threatening it's baby, but this time I heard an actual voice. I was at a neighbor's house getting out of my car when I heard a mournful sound that I first thought was a dove. Then I thought it might be a dog shut up in the garage. I moved my head to hear the sound more clearly when something on the peak of the roof caught my eye. There was the roadrunner standing there, then I saw his throat move, like a rooster's does, when he made the sound. It's nice to know there are still things to discover in a place I'm overly familiar with.

Also that same week I had gone north from Camp Springs up to the ranch at the end of the road, then turned left onto the dirt, when I saw some of the funniest white birds. They didn't look like an egret. Each had a big, rounded-out face with an amusing expression. It made me laugh.

Of course I didn't have my camera for any of the photo opportunities! Prepared? Not me. I was sorry to see what looks like grackles in the back yard this morning. I'm a big animal lover, I hate to run over even a mouse in the road, but those rude birds may inspire me to do some target practice with the .22.

P.S. Ms. Chicken and five chicks have been forced back to the coop since I found one dead on the shop floor. Boy, was that a dumb idea!

An Independent Chicken

2011-05-05T06:51:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, one of the hens moved out of the chicken house and onto a shelf in the shop. I thought, "Hey, this chick has a mind of her own", and left her do as she pleases. Also, I don't know how to make a chicken do anything beyond their normal instinct.

One day when I was looking for something, I stood on a stool and found that Ms. Chicken had been laying eggs up on that shelf. Some had even rolled down and fell on the breaker box. To keep the eggs from rolling, I put hay up there. I didn't collect or toss the eggs because they felt warm and I didn't know how far in she was with them. And chicks on a shelf? I'd just cross that bridge when I got to it.

Yesterday I heard a ruckus and figured it was just the usual chicken antics, but I went outside to see what was going on, and found one little chick peeping around on the shop floor. I scooped it up and popped it back up on the shelf while mother hen threatened to flog me. I got to watching her and saw that there were three peepers up there, cute as can be.

It probably seems like I should get them all down and put them in a safe place, but I tell you what. Last year when I found chicks, I immediately put them in a pen that we raised the original bunch in, with a dog carrier for a nest area. The baby chicks couldn't make the jump up to the lip of the carrier, so I put a piece of wood there for them to jump up on; there were two mother hens, so I put them together, and one pecked a hole in the other one's chick's head; the chicks got out of the pens through the holes in the chicken wire (wonder why they call it that), etc., etc. Anyway, after a myriad of issues, the chicks were finally big enough that they were roosting with the other chickens. Then one morning after I opened the pen, I went back out there for some reason, and something had eaten every single one of them.

So this year, I'm just going to let mama hen be the chicken expert. If she wants here babies on a shelf, so be it. I'm not going to put a lot of work into killing them, this time. I'll just keep picking them up from the shop floor and tossing them back in the nest.

Local Fame

2011-04-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

I wanted to mention that Glen Strickland made the front page of the Abilene Reporter News this past weekend. There are tons of good photos from the fire on this link. If you don't recognize some of these folks, you must be from somewhere else.

On the Bricks

2011-04-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm uninspired, but this week I have more words and pictures than I could possibly post here. I'll try to condense it, as Campbell says.

Roscoe did not disappoint with the Spring Fling Saturday evening. Lots of people and music, food and drink. The children were wonderful. If everyone would have cut loose like the kids, there would have been one crazy street-dancing party. Even the tiniest of toddlers was boogie-ing on the the bricks.

The crowd was entertained by Lawless Flatz, the Tejas Brothers and later, at the Lumberyard, Scott Hammock. Smoke and ash was coming in on the south wind from the Wildcat Fire in Coke County, hitting us in the teeth as we all laughed, talked and hollered for the bands. Surely songwriters throughout the state are busy writing about the time all of Texas was burning. It seems like it is, anyway.

I met some folks at the gas pump in Sweetwater yesterday and they were headed to Houston from Midland, where they've had horrible house-burning fires. They were ready to get somewhere that the sky wasn't filled with soot.

I met Ed Duncan, author of the Roscoe Hard Times and keeper of the Roscoe Historical Museum. I got to talk his ear off twice, and I appreciate his patience with me. Ed is brother to my Norway contact, Joe Duncan.

Here's hoping that next week I won't have to mention fires, except maybe as a wrap up story. The forecast calls for high winds until Wednesday and a chance of rain Thursday night. That's for Fisher Co. If I look at the NOAA forecast for Scurry Co., just a mile up the road, there's not any chance of rain. This is one time when I hope the weather guy has gotten it wrong.

Camp Springs Road closed

2011-04-15T19:06:00.001-05:00

The fire changed course and went west of us. The Camp Springs/1614 intersection is closed right now. From my side the fire begins about at George Maule's driveway or just this side of Glen Williamson's old place. Crews are quickly making their way to US 180 to try to keep the blaze from jumping the road as it moves to the south.

This photo was taken about 20 minutes ago on the Fisher/Scurry County line on FM 1614. If you're coming from the west on Camp Springs road, you will have to detour, same thing if you're coming from the west on FM 1614, you won't be allowed to pass. There are numerous law enforcement officials on the scene.

Close Call, Or So I Thought

2011-04-15T08:14:00.004-05:00

Last night around 6:20 p.m. or so, the wind changed from south to north and the Cooper Mountain Ranch fire up in Kent county got out of hand. That's the name of the fire I've been reporting on, I just didn't know it until I heard it on the news last night. Officials evacuated Rotan around 7:20 p.m., then allowed them back in about 10:30 p.m. It seems silly that I was all scared about the fire coming here when people were heading out this way to get to safety, but the announcement came over my weather radio, and that really got me going.

I didn't start smelling smoke until last night after Rotan was given the all clear. This morning it is very smoky and promising to be another windy day, so I'm going to keep on feeling silly and water the yard some more. My TxDOT source says he was out until 2:30 p.m. last night and went back to work at 7:30 a.m. this morning to run a maintainer up north fighting the fire. To the layman, a maintainer is a Caterpillar; up north is Kent County.

The photo is of airplanes that I keep seeing flying in and out of the fire zone. People I know were surprised about the fire because I had never mentioned it. It has become that common for a fire to be burning, I don't even bother mentioning it in day to day conversation. We've been watching it burn for days and hearing the sounds of helicopters and planes working to battle the flames.

Check out stories and video about the fire on Big Country Home Page, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, the Abilene Reporter News, and anything else you can Google.

You, Too, Can Fight Forest Fires

2011-04-14T17:49:00.002-05:00

Well, I don't really know about that, but you can keep up with the range fires we're having here in Texas through the Texas Forest Service. When you get to the site, look under Spotlight and you can read current updates in text, or you can look at maps on Google Earth. I have a wish that they'll have a fire station (on a tv channel, nice play on words) and burn radar that shows fires the way we watch storms. Good luck figuring out that Google Earth thing. My computer runs too slow.

The photo was taken around 6:20 p.m. today. The wind changed direction from sw to nw. This smoke is from the Kent County fire. That little bit of white on top looks just like a thunderhead. TxDOT guys are on the Kent and Fisher co. line keeping traffic safe.

Roscoe Hard Times: City of Roscoe Hosts “Spring Fling”

2011-04-13T11:30:00.001-05:00

Spring Fling info now available.

Rough on Fire

2011-04-11T15:53:00.004-05:00

This photo was taken from the Grady Cemetery this afternoon, looking northwest over Rough Creek. From my house it looks like it's about to burn the back yard, but a neighbor stopped and said he had heard it was on the Clairemont highway going north out of Snyder. I figure that's SH 208, a long way from here.

The fire departments have been busy, busy. Last night they were up, down and sideways out here. I could smell fire but never could see any flames. Today I was in Rotan and passed two trucks going west on FM 611, then saw one going north towards the river bridge on 70. Some of the state hands have been on stand-by for that big 50,000 acre fire in Swenson. You can read more about Texas fires on the Big Country Home Page.

Abundance

2011-04-10T10:41:00.001-05:00

The pancakes have been made and the froofy vanilla coffee has been brewed and drank. Drunk? Dranken? Anyway, as you can see, there are plenty of eggs in my house for cooking. It seems like I'm either completely inept, like when I try to play the guitar or sew, or I find that I'm wildly skilled at something I never dreamed of, like raising chickens that lay lots of eggs. This bowl is not all of the eggs in my refrigerator. The door is full, holding 18, and I keep the freshest dozen in a carton. If you're thinking you would like some, just let me know. A woman can eat only so many deviled eggs.

Last night we had an invasion of black click-beetle bugs that had a vicious bite. I had the heebie-jeebies so bad that I was jumping out of my skin when my hair touched my face. I never have had such happen before, but it's always some new experience here in the country. I tried to find one to photograph this morning, but I guess they're party bugs, only out late at night. I couldn't even find a dead one.

The other day I was sitting in the dentist's chair, feeling sleepy as I watched the trees swaying in the window, and I realized I had been sitting in those chairs for over forty years. I've never been to any other dentist office in my life. I live in the same house I did when I was a kid, drive the same roads, see the same people. It's not dull, I'm sure many of you have lived the same way. I was looking at the tank this morning, the one behind the house, and in my mind's eye I could see me and my grandma sitting out there fishing with cane poles. I could have watched us all morning. That's what makes living in the same place worth it to me. The memories come easier because the canvas my life was painted on is right in front of me.

We went to the Lumberyard in Roscoe a couple of times this week. I know the bands that play on the weekend nights are good, but I wanted to see what it was like during the day. I gotta tell ya, I like this place. The food is good, the atmosphere is so laid back and the people who work there are nice, something you really can't take for granted around here. Folks were coming in and out, making for some enjoyable people watching. Good old country music was playing when we were there yesterday. Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline. When we were there earlier this week, contemporary country music was playing. It's all good. You can sit inside or outside. All ages.

If you need a good reason to go to Roscoe, the Spring Fling is this coming weekend, April 16. Featured entertainment will be live music with the Tejas Brothers and Lawless Flatz, a children's play area, vendors, and fireworks. Believe me, Roscoe knows how to throw down when it comes to a celebration. So kill yourself two birds with one stone, and check out this new hotspot of West Texas!

Snappy Little Ditty Needed

2011-04-03T07:55:00.002-05:00

In my goals as a writer, I aspire to author a book or books one day, also bushels of poems and songs. My big problem is that I can't get past the title. Here are a few of my wanna-be big hit songs: The Postman's Cryin', Too Drunk to Dance and I'm Your Damned Fool. Can't you just hear the opening notes? Now you have probably realized why I don't have a career in writing. If only the words would come to me, or if I could hunt them down and catch them.

Joe, West Texan in Norway, sent me a picture of him putting up an owl box. The owls are considered useful in eradicating mice and rats. A hoot owl woke me up the other night. Maybe it was telling me to build it a box. I kept listening to hear if it was carrying off a cat, puppy or chicken.

That same night I heard what I thought was coyotes. In my mind it was a big ball of animals yipping, squeaking and yelping. It started far away, then was so close to the house that the hair stood up on the back of my neck and the dog started barking. Then the sounds quickly moved away. Maybe it was a group of elusive ring-tail cats. I wonder if I'll ever get to see one of those creatures. I'm always on the lookout for one.

What the Tree Said

2011-03-27T10:36:00.002-05:00

I was going to talk about seeing all the signs of spring, culminating in the budding of mesquites, and how I took the plastic off my windows and air conditioners, the true proof of changing seasons. Then I woke up this morning and it's 42 degrees with blowing mist. I've got a fire going in the stove.

No complaints about the moisture. A bolt of lightning would strike you on top of the head if you complained about it being too wet out here, even if you were sitting on the roof of your house and the water was to the rafters.

Funny, the weather man gets to keep his job, no matter how many times he's wrong.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard that the speed limit would be changing, again, and I'm always suspicious that this topic is just a smoke-screen to draw our attention away from more significant matters. It looks especially shifty right now since the highway department's budget has been cut to the bone. Repairing only the wheel-path instead of the whole lane is proof of how drastic the reduction has been. So modifying the speed limit at this time is not in keeping with the idea of being economical. Changing all those signs out is an expensive and major project.

With that in mind, I urge you to check out the Texas Legislature Online and see for yourself what's going on at the capitol. Look at Filed House Bills and Filed Senate Bills. You won't give the speed limit another thought when you read these hair-raising and often confusing proposals. Like Senate Bill # 40, creating the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation. Huh. If they're just now creating it, who have I, and everyone and their dog, been indebted to for much of our life and probably until our death? Yes, yes, I'm sure if I researched it, there is some distinct or oblique reason to be creating the same business that already exists. Be sure to check out Section 17 of this bill. The laws that it repeals, if the bill is passed, may be of interest to you.

One more thing. I should be used to the hypocrisy of the conflicting messages that come over the magic picture box that sits in my living room, but I am continuously astonished at seeing such things as news articles railing against obesity funded by commercials for chocolate candy. The new duplicity I witnessed is closer to home and perplexes me. The last three weeks we have been bombarded with outcries against the cutting of education funding; I even heard and saw with my own ears and eyes the governor say that there was going to be a huge, gashing cut in education. Then this week I heard about a convention type deal sponsored by the Texas Education Agency to try to induce high-school students to go into the teaching profession. I hope I don't have to explain this incongruity. It's just stupid, especially since the TEA is a Texas government organization. Come on, kids, have a career in a failing field!

I'm sorry to be so disingenuous today and sound like a whiny complainer, and some of you may have noticed that I leaned heavily on the thesaurus button. My head feels as cloudy as the weather. The weather man promised clearing skies this afternoon. Cross my fingers.

Puppy Puppy

2011-03-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

I was wondering why Puppy Puppy sounded so familiar to me and I just remembered that I had a dog by that name back in the '80's. It was always barfing in the car so I would ride around with it's head hanging out the window. I eventually gave her to a family who was dead set on her being a male, despite that she was obviously pregnant, and, well, female. After that I would sometimes go by her new home, slip her out of the back yard and take her for a ride. A short one. It was the long drives that made her sick.

Anyway, after a long week of puppy deaths due to a skunk raid, we're left with three fat sausage puppies. They are the product of two brown labs breeding. The white one surprised me, but I'm no expert on how DNA works. They sure are noisy and have to be treated with care. With kittens, you just throw them in a box in the closet and the mother does all the work. The puppies are just so vulnerable.

The latest saga in the Colorado City Dunn case is that the mother was arrested on misdemeanor charges. I meant to buy The Snyder Daily News yesterday, because there was a big article with a huge photo of Billie Dunn being handcuffed, taking up everything above the fold in the paper. I can't decide if I think Ms. Dunn and company are involved in Hailey's disappearance or if they're just people of questionable intelligence and morals that had this horrible thing happen to them. I'm sure if you put my life under a microscope, I might not look so savory. How about you?

A Small Fetish

2011-02-27T10:16:00.000-06:00

I have a fascination with buttons. Buttons in a jar. Just love 'em. Don't know why. I'm not much of a collecting type person (although you might think my real fetish was for dust if you saw my house), but if I were, I would have row upon row of shelves filled with buttons in mason jars.

I found a small cache this morning in an old sewing basket. It's funny what gets mixed in with button collections. Other button sized things. A bullet. An old token. Jetsam and flotsam.

I've collected other things for no good reason. Egg shells. Paper trash. These were recycling projects gone awry, actually. I don't know how to recycle without becoming a hoarder.

I am ashamed of my little collecting manias. Then, of course, I see someone on television or in the paper who went whole hog on their toothpick or eraser collection, and now it's worth millions.

Just think, I could have a fortune in eggshells, if only I would have persevered.

Big Fire

2011-02-20T12:27:00.000-06:00

Some friends of mine happened to live in the middle of the 2500+ acre fire that was in Fisher County this week. The fire burned right up to the foundation of one of the houses.

Word is that the county commissioners lifted the burn ban on Monday and a rural resident burning trash let the fire get out of control. The fire flared back up on Tuesday and ran a course which included jumping SH 70 just north of the Palava bridge.

Tuesday night I could see the rolling smoke from here at Hobbs and could see orange glowing light from the flames once the sun had set.

I was at the fire location on Wednesday, and the Parks and Wildlife plane was circling overhead while a big yellow helicopter with a hose hanging from the bottom came out, sucked up water from a stock tank and dumped it on flaring hotspots.

The worst damage was the loss of fencing and firewood.

You can read more about the fire on Big Country Home Page.

Barn Razing

2011-02-06T14:50:00.002-06:00

The big ol' chicken house has bit the dust. Anyone who has been by my place out here at Hobbs knows the long, rambling barn where my grandpa had an egg laying operation, and later on, my dad and uncle had a hog outfit. My grandma used to say "Let's go down to the farrowing barn" but I thought she was saying fire barn, so I always imagined it being full of flames.

I was a little weepy when I saw it being torn down. It's been there my whole life and I've spent a lot of time in the barn. I was flogged by a hen in there when I was three, I spent the night in there with my grandma and uncle one cold night when we had to keep a close eye on the pigs, and my and my grandma's names were written in the cement in 1966, when the concrete was poured.

Now that it's gone, though, I see that it had out-stood it's time. I was unaware of what an eyesore it was, and it's refreshing to see the trees that were behind. It had also become unsafe, with one side drooping, pulling the other side toward it. I can't wait to see the property once spring comes.

Joe Duncan, my Norway connection via Roscoe, has been telling me about the Arrowheadology website. You can go on the site and talk about your experiences and share pictures with other arrowhead enthusiasts. Joe has posted his own very old Paleo-Indian find under Gallery. It's estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 years old. He found it north of Roscoe, near Cottonwood Creek.

Ricky Niell sent me a link to a page on his website Razzle Dazzle Art, which is a tribute to beloved Rotan citizen Norma Gibson, who recently died. Should you be in Rotan, be sure to go into the Thriftway grocery store and see how she used her talent to capture the essence of Fisher County in large murals that are displayed along the inside perimeter of the store.

Tom Hargrove dies at 66

2011-01-30T10:26:00.000-06:00

Services for Thomas Hargrove were held yesterday in Rotan. His obituary can be read in the Abilene Reporter and the Houston Chronicle. He was one of the most complex people I have ever met, with his unique experiences and work with the IFDC.

New evidence sheds light on Dunn case

2011-01-14T08:05:00.001-06:00

The Colorado City Record gives a clear description of what's going on in the Hailey Dunn case.

End of Harvest Moon

2010-12-26T08:44:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday night the sky held one of the most beautiful moonscapes I have ever seen. It was pleasant outside and it seemed like the moonbeams were dancing magic right down to the earth. Nothing magical happened to me, but somewhere, someplace, someone was taking advantage of that beautiful night. It was too powerful to be wasted.

The week before was the Winter Solstice Eclipse. One of my friends was telling me about how she and her daughter got up in the middle of the night to see it. Then her husband got up and came out with the camera to try to get a photo. He was holding it as far away from him as he could to get a better view. They started laughing at him and asked him if he wanted them to get a ladder so he could climb on it for a better shot. You know, get him closer to the moon and all.

I heard some news about the Hobbs School from a very reliable source. The Rotan school district owns the property, which they lease to the Sweetwater school district. There is talk about shutting down the alternative program, but nothing set in stone. RISD is looking at having an empty school campus on their hands.

Wouldn't it be ideal to get a college to lease it as a satellite campus? I mean, A&M interns are working at the RPQRR, so the idea isn't far-fetched. There's even housing for staff. Can't you just see? I can. Busy people adding to the economy and society of Fisher County, particularly the Hobbs Community. I think it's a very exciting idea worthy of being explored.

Lordy, can't wait for the holidays to be over. If I'm ever a wealthy woman, I will travel to another continent this time of year where the celebrating is not occurring. I personally think Christmas is a rich man's holiday and there's too much pressure to fabricate happiness. Oh, well, another year down and it's just about all over. The next big holiday? My dad's birthday!

Riding that Train

2010-12-07T07:59:00.011-06:00

I do not mean Jerry Garcia's train. It's my train of thought, that jumps the track and wanders off into meadows.

I recently checked out a couple of books about Thomas Jefferson from the library because I have some interest in his views and accomplishments. In my political naivete, I was surprised to learn that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence seems to be a liberal.

So, I was reading the introduction to one of the books, reading about all of Jefferson's high-mindedness and philosophical ways, when the train ride began.

First I wondered if Jefferson had slaves (he did). I wondered when and how slavery in New England began. I couldn't imagine how one came about with the idea of using another being in such a way. I figured it was a situation that I don't understand because of the differing century, differing mores and values, or of incidents caused by extreme events. I thought, well, slavery must not have been a new idea to the colonists, if they found the practice acceptable, so I explored (Googled) the history of slavery and came up with historyworld.net. I'm not holding this up as a perfect example, but you can get a timeline and gist. It's a practice as old as time, brought about by population, war and indebtedness.

Jefferson is not the first revered figure whose principals regarding slavery have caused me to question the whole of his character. Moses was the first. It was monumental for him to lead the Israelites out of slavery, to help them find their freedom, only to turn around and enslave others. In Exodus, all those rules about servants sound like rules regarding slaves to me.

I'm going to have to stop the train there and build a platform, because you don't want me to get going on concubines, a subject of note in the era of both characters.

I'm thinking I will consider certain bits of the personae of Jefferson and Moses as valuable, disregarding the portions influenced by the time period and the human condition.

All the Leaves are Brown

2010-12-05T08:30:00.008-06:00

Actually, all the leaves are gone, since most of ours are skinny mesquite leaves, not so good for piling up and jumping on.The piling up and burning of mesquite wood is very useful, though, for knocking the chill off a cold winter night.

I am very worried about our chickens and this cold weather. Mr. Husband keeps saying "They have feathers". I can see that. I'm sure what he means is that they're like any other bird and will survive the elements, come what may. If it were up to me, they would have a brick chicken house with a fireplace. Instead I will just decorate their pen with heat lamps.

For those of you who know your poultry, I'm sure you have counted five roosters in the accompanying photo. I know what time five roosters wake up in the morning. 4:30 a.m. To tell the truth, I'm used to it. Those first warm up crows are pretty funny, too. It sounds like "Er Er Er Er, Aack!" Like Bill the Cat coughing up a hairball.

There is a pecking order, haha, among the roosters. It's entertaining to watch them fight. They get all puffed up then jump at each other in the air, claws out, but never collide, like there's a piece of glass keeping them from actually touching each other, or like two opposite magnets. Now, when a rooster gets on the wrong hen (yes, I mean chicken sex), the managing rooster will knock the other off like a baseball that's been thrown. Really, like a rooster ball. No fight after that, the point has been made. You can see the rooster that's been hit trying to shake the stars out of his head.

Well, enough of this titillating chicken talk. Maybe soon I will tell you how the cats are trying to ruin my marriage by scratching up our expensive new couches. They really have it in for me.

One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2010-12-01T09:09:00.001-06:00

I'm trying to prevent it from being three. The diagnosis was confirmed by Dr. Vaughn yesterday at the clinic in Sweetwater. She said Little Sis had one of the first cases, and it was celebrated by a second nasal swabbing required by the health dept. when the lab comes back positive for flu.

Unfortunately, it had been too long since the first symptoms appeared to be treated. Also too late for the other family members to get preventive shots. So, I will pass on my too-late-to-be-used knowledge. First of all, get a flu shot. If that doesn't happen, get to the doctor at the first signs: headache, fever, sore throat, coughing, etc. This thing is not like a cold, believe me, you'll know the difference. Then you can get the Tamiflu medication. It has to be done within the first 48 hours, or you get to ride the storm out, which at our house, includes some weeping, much loss of sleep and the need to be waited on hand and foot.

We've also had an outbreak of cat colds. I have too many, I know, the fact that there are plural colds signifies that fact. Anyway, if one cat gets a cold, all of them get it. Very contagious among cats. Usually they sail through it in a couple of days, but we had one that worried me and she got to go the vet. I was afraid it would get in her lungs, which caused me to have shortness of breath because a cat with a respiratory illness equals lots of dollar signs. Fortunately, it hadn't gotten that far and she got a shot and some medicine to be taken daily. Both the patients, human and feline, are laying around the living room all doped up.

Yeah, I know some of you are thinking cats are for kicking and just shoot them if they get sick. I live with someone who probably has that same ideology, but I'm definitely a sucker for those furry critters. I can't think of one I've met that I didn't like, no matter how mean or scurvy.

So, I'm urging ya'll to be looking for those flu symptoms. I would only wish it on my worst enemies.

Imogene Taggart dies at age 89

2010-11-30T10:56:00.000-06:00

Imogene Taggart died November 17, 2010 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

She was born in Paris, Texas on January 11, 1921 to Leslie and Daisy Templeton. She was the oldest of four children, preceding Johnnie, Haskell and Mickey Templeton. The family would later become residents of Fisher County.

She married Ivey Buster Taggart on April 9, 1937 in Roby, Texas. The couple had two children, Barbara and Jerry Taggart. The couple was residing in Grand Prairie by the time the children were born.

She was preceded in dead by her parents, daughter, brother Haskell and her sister Johnnie.

She is survived by her husband, son, brother Mickey, grand-daughter Robin Morris and grand-son Phillip Taggart, and one great-grandson, Logan Morris.

They call it stuffing for a reason

2010-11-28T09:44:00.000-06:00

I mean, beyond stuffing the turkey. Or it's accurate if the turkey is me, because I have single-handedly been trying to eat what's leftover, and I'm stuffed. I think this job might be better suited to our canine Hoover. She never even looks at what's going in her mouth, just holds it open so you can pour it in, and she never gains an unsightly pound, just weight pounds. Yep, she can help me clean the fridge.

We had a houseful of friends and family. I didn't take photos of them because it seems to jinx things, or when I look back I'll think someone didn't look like they were having a good a time. There were a couple of people not present that are dear to me, and I missed them, but I sure appreciated those who came. The photo is of my front door, but everyone came in the back. It's just not as pretty.

I keep meaning to update the Kinder Morgan CO2 pipeline story, but since I have no facts, I guess now is as good as any time. I'll just tell you what I see.

Everything is all buried up now and fences have been mended with new gates. The station by the cemetery has become permanent and has been manicured with caliche and fencing, and the piping has been painted. There is another permanent station east of Camp Springs. I don't know what they are for, but the pipelines come up out of the ground and have big round valves on them. Maybe emergency shut offs, maybe they move stuff in and out of the pipes. You oilfield folk probably know the purpose.

We're in the thick of cotton stripping season. This is the time of year you see the big machines scouring the fields, even at night. Funny to get a feeling of holiday just from seeing lights filling the cotton fields after dark. But I do. That's when I know summer is truly over in Texas.

Big winds today. That oughta make cleaning the chicken coop fun.Or walking, opening car doors and seeing. It's really whistling through the house and beating on the siding. Dang, this is my first day off in a long time and I had planned on doing a lot of stuff outside. I guess I'll just pay bills online go to the movies. Maybe all the junk in the yard will just blow away and I won't have to clean it up.

The Wind, the Holidays and a One-Eyed Cat

2010-11-21T09:50:00.006-06:00

About the one-eyed cat. A sweet little stray that disappeared for a few days then came back with her eye poked out. Now she has to be beloved because she cost so much at the vet. She has gone to the head of the line as our most expensive cat, beating out a fat cat that broke her leg. Oh, the drama.

Poor Mister Husband got elected to take the cat to the vet. He was totally humiliated because he had to say the cat's name out loud in the waiting room. It's hard to sound manly when saying "Pumpkin".

The wind. The danged old blowin' wind. I know there must be some reason in nature for the wind to howl like a durn banshee, but justification does not remove the fact that it grinds, grinds, grinds on the nerves. Also, you can not do sheet metal projects in the keening wind unless you think you might like to be decapitated.

The holidays. Hmmm. Lots of pressure to try to create artificial feelings of goodwill and family togetherness. I'm chucking it all for the guy perspective, let's eat and watch football. I call that a no-fail plan.

My biggest gripe of the holidays is the Christmas music playing in the stores two months before the event. Those freaking tunes get stuck in my brain and I'm singing them continuously in my head, but not in the happy way they're meant to be sung. Maliciously, disparagingly, cynically, as though I were eating bugs and wanted to spit them out. That canned music will surely be the reason we finally boycott Christmas.

Yulecon and some Speculating

2010-11-17T08:06:00.001-06:00

Here is a delightful photo of me at an Anime Convention. I'm so glad we could get the butt-crack in the frame. Look to the left of me.

I thought it was interesting that the American Airlines Convention Center that we stayed in was built in 1957 as a stewardess training center. It was a nice place, but the room was so small that I was embarrassed to later see the guy who checked us in because he knew I was a sucker.

We were somewhere near Irving in Tarrant County.

All of that was fact, now on to speculation. Recently, the Goodwill in Sweetwater changed staff, in a "They cleaned house" sort of way, you know what I mean? I figured something must have gone down, because the two main people who had been there for years and years were suddenly gone and the whole store was drastically reconfigured. Soon after this happened, I asked one of the new clerks if the other two still worked there and she politely told me the store had changed management. This was maybe three months or so ago.

Yesterday, I was in there looking for a bed frame and I was waiting for the customer in front of me to check out so I could ask a question (Do you have any bed frames?). A harried looking man resembling Ed Begley, Jr. came from the back, or really the north room, where I've noticed a mountain of clothing-stuffed trash bags rising nearly to the ceiling. His name tag said he was some kind of manager and I didn't recognize him as a regular employee. He told the pretty, older clerk, "I'm going to save that upstairs room for Mr. So-and-so to see on Friday when he comes here to inspect. It's unbelievable." And he didn't mean in a good way. He conveyed in his demeanor that it was such a God-awful mess that a book could be written on it. The clerk said, "Oh, I could give him a personal tour", expressing that if he thought that was bad, she could show him some other areas that would make his skin peel off and remove all hope from mankind. That was my take, anyway. It would be interesting to know the whole story, but then I would have to ask people questions and write on a pad, so you could see how that would just be inconvenient. For me.

I heard last month that the Hobbs School will be closing after this academic year. I was told that Ricky Williams announced it at homecoming. I have not confirmed this with the school. The school office window has 1897 - 2011 written on it in paint, though, and that would only be appropriate if the school were closing. They've been decorating the front nicely, doing some gardening and putting messages in the fence with colorful cups. I don't know if that's done by the school or a local alumni committee. Perhaps I might call the school or the Sweetwater ISD to see what's going on. I theorize that the schools who used to send students to Hobbs decided that they could do the program on their own campus or within their own district and hold on to the funding. There is not a bit of fact to that statement, it came straight from my head.

Opening Weekend 2010

2010-11-07T08:50:00.008-06:00

I was glad to see the hind-end of a deer hanging off the tail-gate when the guys drove in this morning. I could tell they were disappointed after coming back with nothing yesterday. The left-hand guy, Ken, bagged this sweet six-point. And, of course, there's a story.

The guys were sitting in the blind this morning when a buck crossed their line of sight. The deal is usually for Ken to take first shot since he's our guest, but this year Ken told Fred to take it. So the buck is hanging around the feeder, but they can't get a bead on him. He started walking into the next field, where another hunter is set up, but he wasn't occupying his stand this morning. A cow scared the buck back towards the guys, but then he got into the tall grass and they lost him.

Well, right about then three doe came through the feeder area, but they didn't stop to eat. They were acting jittery the whole time and soon moved out of sight. The men thought their window of opportunity had closed.

Fred decided he had to stretch and got up to walk around. He checked the perimeter, looking all around when all of a sudden, here came that buck again. He grabbed his gun and tried to get a bead on him, but he just couldn't line it up. He finally took a shot, but it was just as the buck took two steps forward. Luckily, Ken had a line on the deer, so when Fred missed and said "Take a shot, Ken!", he nailed him.

The guys had to go get the pick-up to haul the deer out, and as they were leaving after loading it up, they saw a doe and her two fawn picking their way to the feeder. There should be plenty of deer for another day.

A Time for Death

2010-10-16T09:36:00.007-05:00

Rosemary Tucker, 66, died last night in Sweetwater, Texas at the Nolan County Nursing Rehab after a short bout with lung cancer.

Tucker was born in Dumas, Texas August 21, 1944, to Aubrey and Bertie Jones. She was the youngest child of three, succeeding an older brother, Doug, and sister, Norma.

The family eventually migrated to Snyder, Texas. Tucker married Mickey Templeton in 1962 and resided in Hobbs, Texas. They had one child, Leslie Ann, in 1965. The couple divorced in 1968 and she and her daughter moved to Sweetwater.

She married Bill Tucker of Sweetwater in 1972 and went on to own and expand Big State Roustabout Service as an equal partner with her husband. The couple experienced a heyday period of success during the 1970's and early 80's oil boom.

Tucker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986 and became reclusive while dealing with the disease.

"Tell them I laughed," she often said. "Make sure you tell them that."

She will be cremated under the direction of McCoy Funeral Home in Sweetwater. No public service will be held.

Memorials can be made to the County-City Library in Sweetwater. Tucker was an avid reader and appreciated the stock of the local library.

Register to Vote by Oct. 4! Claim Your Power!

2010-10-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

Voters who want to participate in the Nov. 2 election must be registered by Oct. 4, this coming Monday. You can visit Votexas.org for Texas registration information. That's where the button on the right came from.

And YOU NEED TO VOTE! DO IT!

I'm not a political type person, I don't claim to be R or D, but I think it's important to be knowledgeable about your government. About the facts, not the Rona Barrett, gossipy version.

I recently became so fed up with patriotic propaganda that I tried to think of a way to kindly tell friends to quit sending it to me via e-mail and for them not to watch Fox News while I was visiting. When I analyzed it, though, I decided that my friends send me e-mail because they care about me and want to make a connection, and Neil Cavuto is just making a living. Also, I remembered the old adage, if you can’t be a part of the solution, don’t be a part of the problem (I may have taken liberties).

So, instead of adding to the complaining and whining going on by crying about lack of fact-checking and how willing people are to believe anything they are told without documentation or evidence, I tried to think of a way to make them feel powerful instead of inciting mass hysteria and feelings of impotence and frustration.

A mosque at ground zero? gay marriage? abortion? These old dead horses are nothing but cover, diversions, to keep you from focusing on areas in which you can actually make a difference. My vote may not count when I choose the president, but it darn sure does when I vote for county commissioner. Your power lies with the local vote.

My reasoning is that the local vote, if taken seriously and carefully researched, will affect legislation all the way to the Texas Capitol and beyond. An opportunity to wield your power is close at hand when you choose city and county officials.

You need to know how your incumbent thinks. Are you and your commissioner of the same mind? Does he have your best interest at heart? Does he vote in elections? What are his goals for your precinct?

I’m using commissioner because I live in a rural area and he is my first go to. I am aware there are female commissioners, but mine is male, so I use “he” to denote a commissioner in general.

Get to know the officials who represent you. Who is on your school board, hospital board, water board?

Government may not be something you know much about, so start studying now! Don’t be content to sit at the keyboard saturated in hateful ignorance. Get up and find out about what’s going on around you. Go to all those local meetings that are announced in the newspaper. That’s your invite! You may not know what they’re talking about at first, but the more you attend and become familiar with the subjects, the more you will begin to understand. You’ll be on the learning track when you are several meetings in and think “Oh, they talked about that last month”. You will start to be interested and with that you will become knowledgeable.

The local coffee shop is also a good source of information. Not only will you learn about local politics, but just about everything else that’s going on in your county. Church is the same way, if you bother to hang around and chat after service. Talk to your neighbors! What all of you think is important. You are the heart and soul of the community. You are the very nexus from which the need for legislation springs. Without you, there would be nothing.

Going further out on the spring board, know who your representatives are in the Texas legislature. Ask yourself all the same questions you would when choosing the closest local representative. How does he vote? What are his goals? His morals? Find out what bills your candidates have supported in the past. Write him your opinion on matters of importance to you. Don’t be embarrassed! He is representing you! How can he do that if he doesn’t know what you think? Just use good writing form, please. No cursing.

Digging into the local and state legislature will take so much time, you won’t need to go beyond the Texas borderline.

Educate yourself online, in the library and with your local newspapers. Know your representatives, near and far. Help make Texas a strong voting state. Be able to discuss more than three or four old and overly-handled topics. Breathe new air into Texas politics and voice your opinion in an informed manner. Get rid of that whiny sound that happens when people want to talk about political matters, but don’t know Jack from Jill.

And for goodness sake, put those dead horses to pasture, preferably in a very deep hole.

Quick Feed

2010-09-23T09:28:00.001-05:00

Bytes from Hobbs -

Jennifer Jones is the Hobbs School new principal
Bodie Hooper was convicted of arson and sexual misconduct. He was sentenced to 55 years. This guy was the neighbor who burned down the house that used to belong to my grandparents.
The RPQRR will be hosting their 3rd annual field day on Oct. 1
Hobbs Holler is on twitter

Hobbs Homecoming 2010 October 16

2010-09-21T20:03:00.004-05:00

Click on the image to the right to see it full-size. It is the complete and return form for the homecoming. Be sure to open it up, it has very important information for you to read! There may be money involved! Not the way you hope for it to be, but money is coming or going none-the-less. If you don't get a form in the mail soon, print the one here, fill it out and return it to Pat Porter asap. October will be upon us before you know it. That reminds me, we need to cut some wood. Do it!

Hiring Principal for Hobbs School

2010-07-27T21:38:00.004-05:00

The Prinicipal's position has opened up at the Hobbs School. You can check out the qualifications on the Sweetwater ISD website. Only SISD employees are eligible to apply. Hobbs Alternative High School is under the administration of SISD.

More pipeline news

2010-06-27T17:19:00.011-05:00

Hah! News! I just take photos and make up what I think is happening. For this picture, I didn't even get out of the truck, an explanation for the big crack and antenna that's in the frame.

This is taken on the east side of the road across from the old house just north of Hobbs Cemetery. Now here's what I think is going on. They're (Strike? Kinder-Morgan?) bringing in these big wedge tank thingies and then Key is coming in with water trucks and filling up the tanks. Then they're gonna blow water through the pipes laid thus far, maybe to clean them or test them. That's my take. Could be all kinds of wrong.

I found the Texas Register page on the website for Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade. There is so much information located on this site that you could do searches on your searches for days, keeping you entertained without the need for social networks. The register is the journal of state agency rule-making for Texas, documenting changes that are made to the Texas Administrative Code.

Boy, it's been hot! And speaking of the weather, a friend of mine uses WeatherBug on her computer desktop. It downloads a cute little ladybug onto your toolbar and it chirps when the temperature changes. I've never used it before, but I was checking out the iPad at BestBuy this weekend and WeatherBug was one of the apps on there.

I like the KTXS interactive weather map, but it seems like it's a little off sometimes, especially when you zoom in. I also like NOAA, but it's been acting kind of wacky, too. KTXS Live Doppler is usually my deal-breaker, the absolute authority after I've visited twenty other sites.

Wondering how to spend the fourth? I'm thinking Mexican food and watching public fireworks. We've done all the variations, barbecuing, eating at the carnival, doing our own fireworks or watching the fireworks show, and I've decided this year I want less work and more fun. And no eating at the carnival or in the park. One year we saw a naked, small child crawling all over the food storage area of one vendor, so we went to another stand, only to end up with food poisoning.

I think Casa Olivarez and Towle Park in Snyder sound like good destinations for celebrating Independence Day.

Watch for the cold front coming in tomorrow. Ha ha ha! They should call it a tepid front. But forecast highs will only be in the 80's, lows in 60's, and we'll take that.

Juneteenth Texas-style

2010-06-19T11:54:00.002-05:00

The article Forever Free on the Texas State Library & Archives website has a lot of information about the June 19 celebration and what it meant for a black man to live in Texas after the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation. Interesting to note that in 1854 the Republican party was formed by slavery abolitionists. Check out all the links on the site to learn more about Texas history.

Texas-Mexico border conflicts

2010-06-10T14:21:00.006-05:00

I wanted to show you some articles written by Christopher Sherman, the Rio Grande Valley correspondent for The Associated Press. He is writing some very interesting copy regarding mounting tension on our border. You can also follow Sherman on Twitter. Illegal immigrants and the cartels have both sides at a boiling point.

What sparked my interest and led me to find Mr. Sherman's articles was that he interviewed my friend Jack Cox (not the Roby one), a land owner at Falcon Lake near Zapata, Texas. They're having trouble with Pirates on that lake because the border runs through the middle of it. Cox is used to being in the middle of the fray, though. He was a hunting guide in South Africa and hunted elephants and lions himself. He was also an oilfield roughneck, which led him to Africa in the first place.

Looking at Sherman's articles in a time line tells a story in itself as tempers flare and patience runs short in the border cities.

Here is the cut-line for the photo; it was taken a short distance off-shore from Cox's camp:

In this May 27, 2010 photo, game wardens from Texas Parks and Wildlife patrol the U.S.-Mexico border on Falcon Lake. Since the Texas Department of Public Safety warned two weeks ago that boaters should steer clear of the international boundary that zigzags through Falcon Lake because "pirates" had robbed fishermen at gunpoint, most of the boats hunting the lake's famed large-mouth bass have stayed on the U.S. side, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Capt. Fernando Cervantes. On April 30 and again on May 6, heavily armed men robbed fishermen on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake. (AP Photo/Christopher Sherman)

Little camel on the prairie

2010-05-16T07:36:00.009-05:00

When we drove into Snyder yesterday, the last thing we expected to see was a camel. People had the opportunity to ride the beast that was situated on the Gallery Furniture parking lot. It was very strong, and I mean smelling. I bet the little girl's mom made her ride in the bed of the pick-up after being on that critter.

I was watching the news and they interviewed a lady who had taken her children with her to volunteer in a tornado-torn area, and I got to wondering, how do volunteers survive? I mean, how do they have the flexibility to leave at a moment's notice, how do they pay bills, how do they pay for the volunteer trip? Well, I didn't find any of that out, but I did find some interesting and informational websites about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Volunteer Louisiana, Mobile Baykeeper and the Environmental Protection Agency sites were three that kept to the facts, with a lot of details about the spill and training for volunteers. I have some friends in LA and my take is that they are having a mental struggle between enduring this adversity with the carefree nature of their culture and reeling from the horrific reality of what the aftermath will be.

I recently had a problem with WildBlue Satellite Internet double billing me on my debit card. I could entertain you with the whole story, the yelling, nasty e-mails, etc., but I prefer to be a solution person, so I will advise you on how to maintain control of your bank account when paying online. It is short and simple. My bank gives me the option of having pre-paid cards that I can immediately transfer money to from my bank account. I put only the amount of the bill in the pre-paid account, so the billing company can take no more than what I owe. If your bank doesn't offer pre-paid cards, they can be purchased at Walmart and other stores. Another solution is to use PayPal. They will give you a single-use account number to pay debts with so there will not be a direct link to your main account.

If the company you are using is just downright shystery and you can't get any satisfaction, as Mick says, you may need to report them to the Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau. Even if you are not compensated, sometimes information is compiled about bad business practices until there is enough evidence for action to be taken against the company. Plus you get the satisfaction of getting to do something official instead of just screaming at a clerk on the phone who cannot help you in any way and is so far down the food chain he or she hardly counts as Skittles.

By the way, WildBlue rates D+ on the BBB website. The rating system is on an A to F scale, just like in school.

How to sustain love

2010-05-08T10:24:00.009-05:00

This would be the name of the experiment I am currently participating in, no final report yet. I'm always curious how people stay together or have life-long relationships with people other than blood relatives. I also wonder how to make it so the final words people say about me are more than "She was here". I guess you have to live life to find that answer.

My pondering was brought about by a message sent to me from Tom Hargrove regarding his late wife, Susan. I wanted to share it with you all. I am glad to have insight into the lives of two exceptional people.
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From Thomas Hargrove:

Friends,

I want to share the epitaph for the grave marker of Susan Hargrove. I drafted the words, but Miles, Geddie, and Emily all made inputs.

Susan was cremated. A third of her ashes were buried at the Hargrove Family Cemetery, established in a Hargrove cotton field 13 miles west of Rotan, Texas. That's where this grave marker is being placed. The marker is flat (horizontal), of "Texas pink" granite (like the Texas state capitol in Austin), with a clear view of a lot of cotton and ranch land, and the famous (in West Texas lore) Double Mountains standing clearly in the distance.

Then we held a special celebration of her life on Nov. 8, her birthday, at Lucas Terraces, our home in Galveston that she loved, and where she died. Friends and family told "Susan stories," then spread another third of the ashes in the yard. We had a catered Texas barbecue.

Most of Susan's other ashes were spread on the graves of her father, mother, and brother in Granbury, Texas.

Susan and I met at age 12 in junior high at Rotan, Texas. We married in 1967 when I was in graduate school at Iowa State University. Then came the Vietnam War, then back to Iowa State. We later had a wonderful life and great adventures at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, plus two sons (and a lot of dogs and cats) to raise. Then a good life in Colombia that ended tragically...and changed our lives forever...Susan's brave and strong actions--and those of our sons and some close friends--obviously saved my life.
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I appreciate Tom for sharing this with me. I found it to be very touching and inspiring.

Please note that the photo is an etching of Susan's headstone. Click on it for a magnified view of her epitaph.

All the kids are doing it

2010-04-25T05:00:00.002-05:00

Managed burning, prescribed burning, controlled burning. It's not as simple as grandma burning the yard off to make it green in spring.

It's considered a science and proof of that can be found in college and university articles discussing the pros and cons of using fire to get the highest yield from the land. Planning and strategy seem to be vital in the burning process.

The question to burn or not to burn is highly debatable around here. You might be pegged as a hippie liberal if you're for it. Kind of a hippie in cowboy boots, though. The others are too busy with their LSD and fighting against the man and making up anti-war songs. Anyway, for more information, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife site. This particular link will take you to prescribed burn associations in Texas.

Also, the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch will be hosting a Prescribed Burn Tour this Friday, April 30, at the ranch house located near the intersection of US 180 and FM 611.

In the photo is the east field of the old Templeton farm. The burn was done in late March, early April and the land quickly greened up afterward.

Laying it on the line

2010-04-18T10:50:00.006-05:00

Or laying it in a line, really. The Kinder Morgan Eastern Shelf CO2 project is well underway, and contractor Strike Construction is on the task of laying, connecting and burying the 92 miles of 10" cross-country conduit.

Right about at the prison on Camp Springs road, you can see it on the north side of the road coming across the cotton fields. It runs all the way down to Camp Springs on the Hench Ranch, behind Johnnie Ballard's, crosses over CR 1154, runs behind Anson Martin's, then cuts across FM 1614, just east of the Hammitt's, then heads east across lots of land, the Beaver's, Maule's, Gordon's, Martin's, then here across from us starts going south east and comes out and crosses FM 611 just north of the Hobbs Cemetery, on the south side of that blue house. Then it takes off east and disappears into the horizon.

A map of where the pipeline is running can be found on the Kinder Morgan site, page 12.

Speaking of the Hench Ranch, it is featured in an article of the Sept. 2009 issue of Beef Magazine. Author Larry Stalcup researches the merits of brush sculpting by interviewing Rod Hench, owner of the ranch.

I remember someone actually laughing at me a few years ago because I wanted to manicure the 80 acre pasture we were leasing at the time. It kind of made me give up, and look, now it's in style. My timing is always lagging.

Everyone knows by now that the Rotan Sale was cancelled yesterday because of rain. It has been rescheduled for May 8. That gives three more weeks for people to take their items up there. It's sure to be a spectacular sale, with concessions and everything.

If any of you out there would like to live in our little bit of nirvana, there are two nice homes for sale out here on FM 1614. Well, actually there are three, but one is off the record and is by word of mouth only. The other two are listed with realtors. The Glen Williamson home is listed with Williamson-Branson, and the J. C. Cave home is listed with Stevenson Real Estate. We'd be happy to have you as a neighbor!

It has sprung

2010-03-20T19:10:00.010-05:00

Ah, the first day of spring. How the snow does fall and the north wind does blow! Yesterday was Winter's last breath, we hope, and the shining sun promises that today will be brighter and warmer.

The wet season has left the window for plowing open just a crack. Mr. Husband finally got to prep the field to be sprigged with Tiftan 85, a grass that is supposed to be hardy and full of protein. We've decided to get away from growing careless weeds.

I was sad to read about the recent death of Sweetwater's Dr. Densmore. He was such a kind person, and Jim Drake's blog will give a sense of how the community saw him. Such a sweet, sweet man.

The annual Kevin Hutson Rotan sale is coming up, Apr. 17, at the rodeo grounds. There's already some things to look at out there. Surely they're still taking consignments. Call them up if you've got some items to put in the sale.

I can't say I appreciated "Reader's Digest The Best, Worst and Deadliest Roads in America: The Rankings" being touted on the local news at face value. Best roads, New Mexico is ahead of us? Hah! I'm basing my findings on what I've seen. We drove clean through the United States from here to Canada (well, North Dakota) and we actually laughed at outdated and substandard guardrails and fencing. Deadly roads are based on per million miles driven? Guess what, Texas is big and we have more lane miles.

Also, it is no reflection on the roads when the criteria is being based on actions of the driver.

I may be a tiny, tiny bit biased because we're a TxDOT family. You can draw your own conclusions from statistics posted at the Federal Highway Administration portal, which is where RD got their basic info.

Now I'm going to plug Don King, owner, editor and publisher of The Roscoe Times. He did a fine memorial to Densmore on the front page of the March 19 issue. It seems that King has hit his stride with the paper and it is quickly becoming a popular bi-weekly source of regional and local information. If you would like to subscribe, e-mail amwemes@yahoo.com, write to Roscoe Times, P.O. Box 43, Roscoe, TX 79545, or leave a message at 325-235-0203. These contacts are also good if you have news you would like to share with the Roscoe community.

Oh, and I can report it is truly spring, not just because the calendar says so, but because I saw a buzzard on Friday. It's so nice nice to have the helpful carrion-eater back, he does such a wonderful job of cleaning up the roads. Gruesome, but true.

Happy Spring, and tulips to everyone!

Round Up kick-off

2010-03-11T07:35:00.002-06:00

The Rattlesnake Round-Up is gearing up and the big kick-off is today and tonight with the parade and Queen contest. The park is filling up fast. It's looking like this is going to be the biggest round-up yet.

I wanted to mention that Java Jax will have live entertainment this Friday and Saturday. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Butch Hancock will be the feature performer both nights, with special guest Angela Virgen on Fri. & Lance Richburg on Sat. Check it out at 325 Oak St., downtown Sweetwater. BYOB, smoke-free environment.

Rites of passage

2010-03-05T07:37:00.012-06:00

We have a new driver in the family! It was made official this week after my daughter passed her driving test in Roby. I cried as I handed my money to Ms. Bright, the test administrator. My girl was proud, but she let me drive home. She said she was too stressed out from the test.

I had my own initiation this week, into middle age. I was buying some snappy new shoes and started talking about phones to the salesgirl, whom I thought was around my age (I keep thinking I'm 18, 24, around there somewhere). She said she remembered the old phones at her grandmas. I said, oh, yeah, the big black rotary phone. She said, no, it was peach-colored, and you had to stick your fingers in the slot and turn it. There was my clue that I was out of the conversation. Obviously, her grandma and mine had years between them. And if someone doesn't know what a rotary phone is called, well, jeez. I didn't realize what it would mean to know so much. I feel very experienced (euphemism for nearly 50).

I'm about to let you know how ignorant, once again, I am about the voting process. They started running the election tallies on tv Tuesday night, and we noticed the proposition numbers were coming up. I didn't see the propositions on my ballot, I thought we would be voting on them when we vote for governor Nov. 2. Surely they weren't only on the republican ballot? Maybe they were on the back? I don't know. I may never understand politics. But I'll keep trying!

I saw in the Feb. 26 issue of the Sweetwater Reporter that Matt Counts, son of late Fisher County Sheriff Mickey Counts, was promoted to Sergeant by Sweetwater Chief of Police Jim Kelley. Mike Counts, brother to Matt, is a Sergeant in Snyder.

T. Baker Smith has been busy surveying up and down FM 1614 and FM 611. I'm supposing this is for the Kinder-Morgan CO2 pipeline. In the Clay Johnson letter I received in 2006, it said the line would run through several counties to include Scurry, Fisher and Stonewall. They've been putting sticks on the south side of 1614, about 50 feet inside property lines.

I want to remind everyone that Hobbs Holler is on Facebook and Twitter, two networks that are fun to browse and peck around on (waste time).

I've been feeling guilty about this, so just in case some of you grammatically correct readers want to knock me around for constantly ending sentences with prepositions, Grammar Girl helps me justify my usage. With or without justification, though, I am a proponent of grammatical freedom. I figure that if I've conveyed my thought to you through words, then any means is justifiable.

Okay, okay, okay. Have a nice day, talk to you soon.

Applecore, Baltimore

2010-03-01T09:40:00.002-06:00

The photo won't give you a clue about the title, it's just one that I took at Rough Creek Saturday afternoon. I like the red hue of the cactus. That was one sweet day.

We got a call Saturday morning at 6:41 a.m. from a number in Baltimore, Maryland. That's early even by telemarketer standards. I answered, but there was no one on the line.

I looked the number up on the web and found that many people had been getting calls from the same source. It ended up being the time and temperature number for the state of Maryland. I e-mailed them and apparently it is some kind of glitch and they've had many people contact them. They were hoping to report it to the phone company today and resolve the problem. Apparently, some folks got as many as 11 calls at 3:00 a.m. I'm lucky to have gotten just the one.

In a note of passing, Tim Counts died Sunday week. He was the brother of Sheriff Mickey Counts, who died in December. Jimmy D. Parker, Jr., Kenneth Gordon Allen and Judy Rushing Clifton also recently died. In Sweetwater, well-known business man and former mayor Jere Lawrence died Feb. 18.

Voting will take place tomorrow, so get ready to hit the polls. I actually voted early at the court house, first time. I had no idea how to do it. I wandered around asking a stranger where to go. I finally found the polling booth in the county clerks office. They were very helpful and lined me out. It only took a few minutes and I got to have a small adventure. On the way out, I told the woman, whom I had first asked, where the voting place was in case she was asked again. She was very nice, sitting on the bench in the atrium with a broken leg. She said she wasn't even from this county.

The Hobbs School is the voting place for local constituents. I know some people think voting doesn't count, but it's kind of like the lottery: if you don't play, you can't win. I'm still working on understanding the voting process. If you want to vote local, you have to vote democratic because there are no republicans running, and frankly, there never are. I think it's funny, because I don't know anyone in farm country who likes democrats on the hill, you know, that one in Washington. They think they're liberal.

I guess there's a big difference between country democrats and city democrats.

I'm thinking of doing a run of Hobbs Holler in print. There would be a lot more info, stories, photos, etc. if I decide to do so. Let me know if any of ya'll would be interested. Before anything else, I need a mailing list.

Keep snug, April showers aren't that far away!

The Lion didn't sleep last night

2010-02-21T12:05:00.007-06:00

You know that old saying, "In like a lion, out like a lamb"? The one that I drag out every year in utter amazement at the changing of the season? Well, it roared last night, lots of lightning and thunder, a little rain. I know we still have some cold days ahead of us, but this is the first switch, and once the storms start coming, you can be sure spring is on it's way. This yellow daffodil that Jess photographed in the yard told us it was true.

My favorite event of the year, the Rattlesnake Round Up, will be happening March 11-15, but I also want to let you know about the Sweetwater Music Festival, which will be going on March 23-27. For more information you can contact the SMF Event Coordinator at (325) 725-1160 or sign on to Facebook and look at the Hobbs Holler profile to find the SMF link. Venues will be Java Jax, Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium and the Sweetwater Texas Theatre.

I never did find out what went on at the Hobbs school a couple of weeks ago. The sheriff's report just said call for deputy.

The USDA has awarded the Fisher County Hospital District funding to install a GESPER unit and to fix up the Dietary Dept. If you don't know what a GESPER is, just click on the link and learn all about it.

I'm making it short this week, I just noticed the clothes hamper is regurgitating clothes, so I better get on it. Enjoy this sunny day and catch you next time.

Moms are strong

2010-02-14T09:25:00.009-06:00

This week I unloaded and loaded Miss Grand-daughter from the car and I'm pretty sure I overexerted one of my stringy muscles. I used to have strong, full mom muscles, but the only ones left are in my brain, trying to figure out how to outsmart my kids. Believe me, I'm starting to lose that race. Or just realizing how far behind I really am.

Here is the Hobbs kids photo I promised you last week. I recognize a few kids, like on the front row Darlene Teel, Penny Price and Sherry Anderle. I think a little girl named Esther who briefly attended is hanging off the side. I see Mary Ellen Cave sitting high right. I recognize Kristi Price and some Anderle boys. Anyway, if you know the names, comment on the bottom here and I'll add them in. Thanks, Penny, for the photo!

My dad has promised to introduce me to a real Hobbs buff whom he says has photos and scrapbooks dating way back when, and even some paraphernalia from when the military airplane crashed in the 1950's. I hope to meet her soon and share her memories of the community with all of you.

Here's an article I ran across called Folklore of the Rattlesnake, which seems timely, since the Sweetwater Jaycees Rattlesnake Roundup is just a month away, and on subject, since it mentions Buddy Burnett and other locals. The link I put to the story is a web page, but you can click at the top of it and download the whole article for easier reading.

I also found a photo of a blown out well near Hobbs on the Portal to Texas History website. You can spend a lot of time there just clicking around. Tons of info.

I don't know what went on at the school this week that required an ambulance, sheriff's vehicle and DPS. I had hoped it would be in the paper, but the Sheriff's report only went to Feb. 6. If I see it next week, I'll let you know. I guess I could just call up to the Sheriff's office and ask, but it would probably be annoying if I were calling up there all the time asking what's going on. I guess I could text them: WGOA (what's going on at) ----- (fill in the blank). I bet they'd appreciate that.

For those who love music (I do!) Sweetwater will be hosting a music festival Mar. 23-27. Check out the event on Facebook and suggest some of your favorite bands for the show. You'll have to log in to see the info.

The wind is blowing, how unusual, and flurries are forecast for this afternoon. Check out the Hobbs, TX weather at NOAA. Wear a coat if you're coming this way!

The day the music died

2010-02-07T09:13:00.016-06:00

This past week, I had three different people recommend Lubbock as a shopping haven. We usually go to Abilene, but I decided to ignore the ruts and go the other direction.

On the way there I heard on the radio that the plane crash Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in had occurred that day in 1959. I found out later that it was actually Feb. 3, but I'm setting a scene here. Anyway, it only seemed appropriate that I visit the Buddy Holly Center since I was on the way to his home town.

I was surprised to learn that his career only lasted 18 months and yet he made immense social impact, not just locally or nationally, but as an international figure. He was just a boy from Texas.

The museum is unassuming from the outside, but the interior is streamlined and clean (so important to me). The man running the place was very nice and friendly (also very important to me). There were guitars, guitars and guitars! There is a lot of information to read, written in a time-line on the wall and partitions as you walk through the museum, and includes ALL of music history, mentioning such influential musicians as Leadbelly and Jimmy Rogers. If you get the opportunity, stop by and visit the center on Crickets Avenue. I got a t-shirt!

While researching this subject, I came across a story that describes how Richardson's (The Big Bopper) son had him dug up and autopsied, then gave the casket to the Texas Musicians Museum. I think a big "No, thanks" would have been in order. What a weirdo, and how distasteful. I keep grimacing even as I'm writing this.

I also read that Waylon Jennings was originally supposed to ride the plane, but was talked out of his seat. I bet he felt like someone walked across his grave when he heard about the crash. Or maybe that's what buoyed his career. I'm sure that many more journalists before me have pondered the variables and what the future of music would have been should the passengers of that flight been switched around.

We also visited the Science Spectrum and the South Plains Mall while in Lubbock. We took a drive down University and saw the Texas Tech stadium (Jones AT&T) renovation in progress. I thought they were building a new one, there's so much construction going on.

I would like to go back another day and just spend the whole time walking in and out of shops around the campus. I spotted Freebirds burrito shop, which has been featured in Texas Monthly and is also where the son of one of my friends works.

We were really pooped by the time we got through. We left home at 8 a.m., got to Lubbock around 10 a.m., right when the Buddy Holly Center opened, and arrived back home around 5 p.m. We were nearly passed out by the time we got to Post, but rallied with a trip to the Dollar General to buy diaper wipes (requested by my son for my grand-daughter) and Cokes.

It's so funny when people ask me where I'm from, like the man at the BH Center. When I say Hobbs, they automatically think New Mexico, but then when I say Texas, they have no clue. Then I have to start naming towns closest to farthest: Rotan, Roby, Snyder, Sweetwater, etc. Sometimes I say Lubbock, but that's not helpful when you're actually there. I could say "Center of the Universe", but that might not be a useful descriptive.

Let's talk Superbowl! I've heard that people want the Saints to win, but bets on the Colts are giving the indication that the gut feeling is Peyton & team will dominate. Predictions of a 28-34, 24-34 Colts scores are popular, with the Saints coming on strong, but the Colts succeeding in the end. Mr. Husband wants the Saints to win, reasoning that if they do, this will leave the Vikings (our favorites) as true second place, since the Saints are who beat them out of the Superbowl spot. If the Colts win, then the Vikings are just one of the many who lost. He thinks the Colts will win, too, though. Oh, well, we'll just watch and let the potato chips fall where they may.

More winter for us this week. I'm going to try not to think about it, but it's kind of hard to ignore when Frosty's cold fingers tickle up the bottom of your coat and under the three shirts you're wearing.

Despite the cold weather, I noticed some crocuses or something coming up in the kids yard. The rose bushes in their and our yards have not died back, either. I guess it's because they're on the southeast corner of the house.

I was looking for a brochure online used for identifying weeds, and I thought it was distributed by Monsanto, but maybe it was another company, or you can only get it if you're at the retailer's. Did you know that Monsanto is suing Dupont? Sometimes I find so much information while surfing that I can hardly get through an article, I'm sidetracked so many times. Anyway, I was looking for the brochure online (which I didn't find) and came across, once again, the USDA Plant Database. I did a search for the common name of all plants in Fisher County. You can configure it any way you want, and there are identifying photographs of each plant. It's so useful and easy to use.

Soon I hope to post a photo that Penny Arnold sent me of a group (could be the whole student body!) of kids on the playground at the Hobbs school. I can pick out a few, but maybe some of you out there in reader land can identify others and give the exact year. It must be sometime in the 1970's, one kid has on a pair of very groovy pants.

I wish you all sanity, warmth and a week that goes well. If you already have warmth, then I wish you bathing suits and a beach to wear them on. I know that's where I really want to be.

Mardi Gras is in nine days, so Happy Fat Tuesday if I don't talk to you before then. Boy, New Orleans is getting more than their fair share of publicity, don't ya think? Oh, well, let's just eat some King Cake and celebrate Carnival!

I'm just a constituent

2010-01-31T10:40:00.007-06:00

I took this photo in Mitchell County yesterday. I thought, "Oh, Schlumpy!" I've never seen a windmill looking like it had wilted.

I listened to the GOP's candidates for Texas Governor the other night. I kind of liked Medina. I gotta tell ya, I get sick of hearing discussions about these three subjects: abortion, gay marriage, health care. It makes me want to cut my wrists the minute these topics come up. I wish they would quit smelling up the room with those dead horses. Those carcasses are so squooshy, they're liquefied.

I can appreciate a discussion about TxDOT, though. Hutchison talked about revamping this brontosaurus of an institution and complained about lane miles not being added.

TxDOT is always revamping. Now, if she was REALLY talking about overhauling at the executive level, then get on it. Usually what happens, though, is the re-do takes place at the blue collar level, then they burn out before reaching any higher.

The working man sector of TxDOT has been cut to the bone and some counties are working with a deficit of employees. I wonder if they have compared the cost of using contract labor against the cost of using the TxDOT county employees. Used to, the local employees did the mowing and replacing of guardrail. These things are done by contractors, now. That's why sometimes you see a piece of guardrail sit damaged for months. The contractor may feel like they can afford to take the monetary penalty of not working within the contract guidelines and not feel inclined to get the project done right away (they get charged by the day if they go over the time allowed in the contract; sometimes what they make way overshadows any tariff, so they can afford to take a big hit).

If the local TxDOT guys were allowed to do the job, it would get done much faster. So, you're talking about solving safety and aesthetic issues quicker. If things keep on the way they have been, our roadways will look like some of those other local states', I don't want to mention names, New Mexico.

I don't know, maybe it's an issue of liability or cost of equipment. I think a comparison report is called for.

As for lane miles, think about your county. Do you need more roadway or do you need more maintenance? You're probably thinking maintenance. That costs a lot a money. Maintenance includes not only the roadway itself, but ditches, signs and guardrail.

I know in bigger cities they're all hepped up on more highway, but I don't care about the cities. I don't live there. I don't feel bad about saying I don't care, because it's a reciprocal feeling. It seems we're always getting blanket laws slapped on us that don't really pertain to us, but since big politics is in the city, our country society is often not considered in legislation. Unless it's agricultural legislation, but that's behind a whole 'nother gate.

I don't claim to be a member of any political party, so don't be thinking I'm republican just because I watched the GOP debate. With so many variables, I don't see how anyone can dedicate themselves to one political group. To quote my mom, "I was never much of a joiner." I prefer to make my own decisions.

Okay, enough of all that.

If you are working on a project or book that requires Texas historical resources such as permanent records, newspapers, journals, books, manuscripts, photographs, or historical maps, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds a veritable cornucopia of information. It is possible to get microfilm records on loan through your local library.

I came across the website for the local Lion's Club, of which Fredda Buckner is the District Governor. Buckner is also CEO and General Manager of Big Country Electric.

I've got to go do some rat-killing, so I'll wish you all a good Sunday and warn you that garden planning should be going on now because spring is just around the corner. Time to get those Gurney's out!

The book is always better

2010-01-22T18:48:00.008-06:00

I recently watched The Last Picture Show for the first (and only) time. Guess what? Yeah, like I said above. The star-gazing was great, with Florence Henderson, Ellen Burstyn, Randy Quaid, etc. It's just that McMurtry describes details, minute details on the page that give the story form. The film was very flat compared to the book.

I may have told ya'll this before, I'm notorious for repeating myself, but when I can't find anything to read at the library, one of my old stand-by sets is The Last Picture Show trilogy, which includes the aforementioned book, also Texasville and Duane's Depressed. Sometimes they make me laugh and sometimes they bring me down, but I know I can depend on them to be engaging.

My other favorite stand-bys are John Irving's Hotel New Hampshire, The World According to Garp, and The Cider House Rules; Richard Russo's Nobody's Fool and Straight Man; and Annie Proulx's The Shipping News.

I think McMurtry, Irving and Russo have similar writing styles, because they can give every detail of a scene without boring you to death. Have you ever read Jane Eyre? It's a good story, but after a page and a half of going on and on about some feeling Jane is having, I'm like "Hey, Charlotte Bronte, enough, already, I get it!"

Proulx's book is just plain good. I have not seen the movies of any of these books (except the one), but I understand that the people in The Shipping News were attractive. The characters in the book are not, it's integral to the story that they are not.

I think the only movie that has been true to the book is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. When Mayella, played by Collin Wilcox Paxton, bats her eyes maniacally while being questioned in the courtroom, it's utter magic.

See, I do love the movies as well as books. I am mystified and in awe when they seem to do just the right thing on film, or have just the right actor to portray a certain character.

I've always wanted to work on a movie set, just doing something like handing out water or putting donuts on trays. I really want to see the working part of the movies. It seems like that would be a story in itself.

You will have to lay in the bed that you made

2010-01-10T06:32:00.009-06:00

You will reap what you sow, what comes around goes around, and, as Earl says, "Maybe Karma's behind this whole thing."

And if such beliefs hold true for malicious people, then they should hold true for the good ones as well.

There are probably some of you good folks that feel like Karma, good fortune, the bountiful fruits of life, are not bestowing gifts on you in return for following the rules, paying your taxes and doing unto others.

I recall a conversation I had with my dad one time when I was trying to read Exodus (couldn't get past the girding of loins while eating mutton or whose fault it is if the neighbor's donkey falls in a hole your servant dug). I was going on and on about how gripey those people (Israelites) were even though Moses was trying to help out. "They just complain and complain," I said. "First of all, he's leading them to their freedom. They say they're thirsty, he scrounges them water (with some help, ha, ha). They're hungry, he provides food (more help). Still, they kvetched and moaned. "I mean, what's up with that?" I asked, and I remember my dad's answer was like someone suddenly hitting a gong. "People still do that today."

I wish I could convey how powerful a message that was as it came to me that day. If I could draw a picture, I would have a lightning bolt striking my head. We still do it today.

I'm not much for being put on a guilt trip, so that's not what this is. This is what is sounds like when I talk to myself. I say, "Self, you are a good person for the most part, and you do have a good life. Just because you're a little put out by the weather or someone going slow in front of you (or perhaps more serious offenses) doesn't mean you are not reaping the fruits of life. Hey, Self, remember, you have a warm house, a fine husband, beautiful, smart kids, healthy, too. You have lots of friends and family that love you. And you got one heckuva dog in Sue. Yep, it's really not so bad. Not bad at all."

Then I pull out my list and mark Joy off. Okay, I thought that was pretty funny, but if you don't watch "My Name is Earl", you have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm not recommending it, either, because I'm sure some might find it offensive. I just think it's funny, sometimes. The basic message is good.

Anyway, I want to thank you all for coming to the sermon today, and if you could just leave a little money in the plate as you leave, I'll be able to meet you at Dairy Queen for lunch.

In the lane, the snow is glistening

2010-01-03T06:06:00.005-06:00

See, here we are in Hobbs, the day after the big snow and the charming cottages and chalets were shining in the morning sun...oh, okay, it's Norway, not Hobbs, Texas or even the U.S. We have no darling pathway, except where a cow might roam. This photo was sent to us by our Nordic friend Joe Duncan. He says they're having a record winter with temps sitting at 0. I'm still jealous of Joe because he has a fjord and they seem to have a fantastical existence over there in Lillesand. Perhaps it's the grass is greener effect, but I always need a place to dream of going to. The last place I fantasized about was North Carolina. Go figure.

It seems that we are having our very own cold winter this season. We are re-establishing our relationship with Gray Fuel and have become very close. I can feel the propane burning. We're having to use the gas heater in tandem with the fireplace. Now that's cold, folks.

If you've ever wondered what YouTube is, but never knew what to look for, get a start by perusing Ricky Niell's videos. Then from there you can look at his friends and followers, or just search for what you want to see. Put in Fisher County, Roby, anything you can think of. It's really entertaining.

I'm going to close now because I keep having to run back and forth between the computer and the heater, and with the temp hanging in the 20's, the heater is winning. I hope the New Year will be good to you all. I've learned a lot in 2009, not all of which I can appreciate but which will, in the long run, increase my wisdom. Unless I forget, and that's always possible. Happy NY and Happy Birthday to my dad tomorrow!

Christmas Day update

2009-12-25T07:01:00.003-06:00

In case anyone wondered how the snow affected us out here, my husband went to work around 7:45 a.m yesterday and I just called him, at 7 a.m., and he is still blading US 84 in Scurry County. Those TxDOT boys (and girls) are working hard!

My son and daughter-in-law were having a rough time getting back from Snyder last night. A bunch of people were stuck on the Camp Springs road and they couldn't get past, had to backtrack to the community center and get up on 180. I was worried, since I was babysitting, and it's been a long time since I've had a baby in the house all night (18 years!). Ah, I could've probably done it. I can say that because I didn't have to.

Have a good holiday with your families and friends! Stay warm or stay cool, wherever you may be.

Blizzard in progress

2009-12-24T08:10:00.003-06:00

You can't tell much from the video, but it's the third try I've made to film and my feet are wet and cold, so I'm through doing that. The snow is blowing like dust and, of course, Fred is working the roads for TxDOT. Another shameful thing about this video is that you now know that our dryer is in the back yard. The depth of our redneck life has been revealed. Thank goodness you didn't see us skinning a calf in our back yard a couple of years ago. You could almost hear the dueling banjos that day.

A Country Christmas

2009-12-20T08:44:00.003-06:00

There's no other way to have it out here. It just comes naturally.

I saw that one of the people I work for had a plain plywood tree decorated up with garland and lights and I decided I wanted one, too. We have always had a problem with where to put a tree, because there's just no room here. Last year Fred built a top to the wood box so we could at least have a place to put presents, and that's where my new, fancy tree now sits. I told Fred I wanted a wooden tree and he just whipped it up. He's pretty good at that making things happen part.

Do you remember what it's like when you first fall in love? You think of that person randomly and it sends your mind into euphoric stupor? Well, I've got the love bug, folks. Yes, I'm in love with a tiny baby.

I'll be grousing to myself about things and then I think of the new grandbaby and "ah!", bad thoughts go away. When she's in the room, I feel like all eyes should be upon her, all conversation should be about her, as we all lean over her crib to let her light shine upon our faces. Yes, I am just plain gooey about that girl. I'm pretty crazy about her mom, too, and of course, my six-foot-tall baby boy who stole my heart 21 years ago. I've got a pretty good life filled with good people. Living in Texas, and Hobbs at that, just sends the ratings off the chart.

I haven't been surfing the web lately, things have been so busy. Walmart or Kmart are fun to browse. Oh, I just remembered how much I want a Kindle, which is an electronic book. You can download all kinds of reading material (books, periodicals), and you can adjust the print size (in case you can't find your glasses half the time, like me). There are probably 52 more features that I wouldn't be aware of or would never use, like most electronic things. If I want this, though, I will have to start saving nickels, dimes and hundred dollar bills. It don't come cheap.

Once again, I say Happy Holidays! and the best to you all. Thanks for reading the Holler and good wishes for the new year.

Fisher County Sheriff dies at age 60

2009-12-18T22:10:00.005-06:00

Services for Sheriff Mickey Counts have been set for next week. Visitation will be Monday Dec. 21, 5-7 p.m. at Weathersbee-Ray Funeral Home in Rotan. The funeral will be Tuesday Dec. 22, 10 a.m. at the Rotan Church of Christ.

Counts died this afternoon in Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene after suffering from respiratory problems. He has served as Fisher County Sheriff for over 20 collective years.

Chief Deputy J.A. Robinson will serve out the remaining term as sheriff.

Texasville

2009-12-08T21:31:00.003-06:00

If you have ever read the second book in the Last Picture Show trilogy, you'll see that Larry McMurtry gives apt descriptions of the west Texas weather. The last two days have been reminiscent of the chapters where they're trying to have the county centennial, only to be thwarted by a mighty sand storm and giant tumbleweeds.

Sweetwater was supposed to have a Christmas parade Monday, which was canceled due to a freakish ice fog. It was rescheduled for today, right when a cold front with 65 mph winds and blowing mud showed up downtown as the floats were supposed to be lining up. I don't know if the parade happened, I was high-tailing it home. Believe it or not, the event was not hinging on my appearance.

The Texas Theatre was supposed to re-light the sign afterward. I hope the show went on. It's looking pretty good inside, all lit up and Christmasy.

The other day, Miss J and I were in Big Spring and I demanded that a photo be taken to remember the austere occasion. So I found this interesting building, which just happened to be the Municipal Auditorium, and I told her to run up there and I would snap her picture.

Well, she wouldn't get on the top steps because there was pigeon droppings. I couldn't see them and assumed she was being squeamish. She continued to refuse, so I took the photo and walked closer to the doors. Man, she wasn't kidding! It was pigeon poop pie with a thick, feathery crust. If you think the description is disgusting, you shoulda seen the real thing.

She took a picture of me with the mini-version of the Statue of Liberty that's in front of the auditorium. I deleted it though, because I didn't recognize that old lady in the photo.

I listen to NPR now and then, thinking it will make me sophisticated, and I heard Garrison Keillor's program, The Writer's Almanac. He talks about literature the way it's supposed to be, with Virginia Wolff and such. It was so refreshing and interesting, and he read a poem by Mary Oliver that didn't make me cringe. National Public Radio is broadcast from the Abilene Christian University.

A shout out to Mac & Ginny Etheredge in El Paso. They're some might nice folks! And happy holiday to the rest of ya'll out there. Maybe I'll get a chance to say it one more time before the new year.

My how time does fly

2009-12-01T20:16:00.003-06:00

Things have changed since last time we met, mainly that my husband and I are now grandparents.

My son Dylan and his wife Mary had their baby delivered Saturday night. She's about the sweetest little thing I've ever seen. Look for a proper announcement in the Rotan, Sweetwater or Snyder paper.

We had the best Thanksgiving ever, lots of family and friends, then the bundle of joy arriving afterward. It just doesn't get much better, my friends.

We're expecting snow tonight and then another round on Thursday. It's cold, I tell ya, I'm sitting here with the heated foot-pad on various parts of me to keep from freezing here in the office. The heater doesn't quite make it back here.

My brain is still blasted from baby being here, so I don't have any clear ideas to share with you all. The kids (Mom & Dad) have her cloistered, but she's never far from my thoughts. Geez, I still think of Dylan as a baby, wearing his little sailor suit and having blonde curls all over his head. Oh, don't tell him I told you that, he would just kill me.

If I don't talk to you guys before the new year, Happy Holidays and wear your earmuffs!

Opening Day

2009-11-08T06:34:00.005-06:00

You can see from the photo that my husband, Fred, and his brother, Ken, had good luck yesterday morning. It's actually Ken's deer, but we're always glad for him to get the first one so he'll want to come back and see us again, at least during deer season. TPWD has upped the limit to five this year.

Jess McGough was in a wreck yesterday that totaled her vehicle, which ended up in a tree. We are very happy to report that she only had a minor cut on her head, but she did stay overnight at the hospital for observation. I bet she's sore this morning.

I was saddened to see the obituary for Susan Hargrove in the paper this week. An article in the International Rice Research Institute bulletin reports that an event will be held in Galveston today to celebrate Susan's life. Be sure to click on the IRRI link for more information.

The Sweetwater Texas Theatre project is still moving forward, and with great success. We had a workday yesterday to make preparations for Christmas decorating. The theatre will be participating in the Trail of Lights, the annual Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade and tree lighting event. The plan is to have Santa in the foyer and a small train set up in the west room, the lobby (main theatre) decorated with lights and trees, and an 0 gauge train set assembled and decked out in holiday rig backstage. Concessions will be available to visitors, to include a photo with St. Nick. The STTAR committee has a surprise to present on tree lighting night, Dec. 7, downtown Sweetwater, so make plans to attend!

I know my Sweetwater roots are showing, but I have spent, and still spend, quite a bit of time there, and I would like to promote another of my favorite places in that town. Java Jax Coffee House on Oak St. is a great place to get coffee in the morning (open at 7:30 a.m.) and also provides evening entertainment on the weekends. I'm hearing a lot of good things about the talent and the nice atmosphere. Get on in there and I bet you'll want to make it a regular hangout.

I came across a useful website, time and date.com, the name explains it all. Full of info in a clean and concise layout. I used it to look up sunrise times for my hunters.

Okay, I'm off to make bacon, well, just cook it, actually, it's already made. Some of that good ag bacon we bought from the FFA kids. Happy sunshine to you all and thanks for stopping by!

Don't get your doily in a wad...

2009-11-03T07:23:00.003-06:00

I have inherited a whole yazooie of doilies, a cornucopia of domestic artistry yielded from the female portion of a long-gone household. I decided to try and turn on a profit on this windfall, but I was sure that the little treasures had more specific names than 'big doily', 'pink doily', 'cool doily'. I found a website, Crochet Pattern Central, that references the different shapes and also gives specific details on how to make your own. So helpful to me, and also inspiring. Too bad I get as much pleasure from imagining doing things as the actual doing of them. You probably won't hear of any Hobbs Holler signature crochet doilies anytime soon, but you can buy the vintage ones from me on ebay.

I've been glad to hear from readers, always a pleasure to hear from Joe Duncan in Norway, and a new contact, Matthew Dorsett, whose grandmother was raised in Camp Springs and graduated from Hobbs High School. It now occurs to me that I should get more details and share them with you. Oh, I'm such a sly reporter, you just can't get anything past me.

It looks like this is that one perfect week of the year that we all hang our hats on. Funny how seven days can make all that wind, sun and dust worth it. I'm not going to try to analyze it too much, just enjoy it as I can get it.

Services for Kera Martin set for Friday

2009-10-28T19:05:00.002-05:00

Services for Kera Martin, 22, will be held 2:00 p.m. Friday at the First Baptist Church of Rotan. Visitation will be 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening at Weathersbee-Ray Funeral Home in Rotan. Burial will be at Sardis Cemetery.

Young Rotan woman dies in tragic car wreck

2009-10-26T17:20:00.002-05:00

Kera Martin, daughter of Kenny and Jackie Martin, was killed in a car wreck near Winters last night. An article in the Sweetwater Reporter explains the incident.

A new bird

2009-10-25T08:17:00.006-05:00

I've added Hobbs Holler to Twitter, as you can see if you look over to the right. I'm not sure how it will go, but it seems you have to try these things out to see if they suit you. They're all kind of the same, words on a background, but I guess arrangement counts for something.

The photo today is from the Grady Cemetery. I took it a long time ago, but I don't have a recent photo since my camera broke. I'm expecting one in the mail next week, I'm looking forward to it.

Yesterday I was going to take my kids to see the Cottonwood Cemetery over at Rough Creek. We consider that the western entrance, and Grady the eastern entrance. I swear, I've been going down in there since before I could walk, but I never end up on the same road or at the same destination twice. We never found the cemetery, but ended up at the lookout over the valley, and they thought that was cool, so it worked out. At least you're guaranteed to find something entertaining in the Rough, no matter where you end up.

No definite word about the house fire next door. There's lots of speculation and rumors going around, but I would be interested in seeing a final report from the fire marshal. Oh, yes, they've all been out here, Texas Rangers, too. I'll let you know if I hear definite word or if it comes out in the newspaper.

I was sad to see that Anson Martin's daughter, Linda Thurman, died after a long sickness with cancer. The photo in the paper is beautiful and a tender memorial is printed along with it.

I read an interesting article about Jessie Etheredge in the Snyder Daily News, today's issue, Oct. 25. She was married to W.D. Etheredge and talks about moving to Hobbs in 1933 to teach. Information on how to get a copy can be found at the SDN site.

I found another interesting site, Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, gleaned from Old Photos & Genealogy, a site that I follow here on Blogger. The author writes about more than just genealogy, so give it a go. My mind just can't come to terms with the spelling of that word. You should hear how I try to pronounce it in my mind. It's better if I don't look at it when I'm saying it.

I'm going to go gear up for the big battle. Which one? Steelers vs. Vikings, as though there were another as important. Go Vikes, hope we win!

Reunion reminder

2009-10-14T07:17:00.002-05:00

Remember the Hobbs class of '59 reunion will be this Saturday, 10 a.m., at Buck's Steakhouse in Sweetwater.