In like a lion, with some snow flakes mixed in

The wind has been blowing all night and all morning. You gotta feel sorry for how hard that old wind works to get Spring here. Thunderstorms are in the overnight forecast, but snow is on slate for tomorrow. Typical, typical, huh?

The photo is of a drilling platform on the Cave place, on FM 611. I'm just making up the name, I asked my mom, who is a bona fide oil field expert, what it's called, but she is close-fisted with her information and somehow knows how to make me think she's answered me without answering me. I still get excited when I see oil field activity because it reminds me of the good old days. My mom and step-dad had Big State Roustabout in Sweetwater and a few other locations, and Dad was working as manager at Reef Chemical in Snyder. Then 1986 put an end to that heyday.

I want to shout out to Mark Hargrove. His folks are Raford and Lana Hargrove and he is the local friendly lawyer. I'm adding his website, Fisher-Jones Title Company, to the Fisher County Links to the right. There is a designated photo link on the site, but click on each page, because there are photographs throughout. Thanks for the e-mail, Mark!


Be sure to check out Tom Hargrove's links to the right on this page. I found a back issue of TCU Magazine online that has a very nice photo of Tom on the cover, and tells a bit more about his 1994 kidnapping in Columbia. His family was living in Galveston at the time of the article (Spring 2001).

I want to apologize to Ricky Niell, I feel like I've been neglecting the Frank Cockrell Art Association. I didn't post the Feb. 18 meeting date in time, but I will try to be more timely in the future.

I read in the paper that the Hog Fest is going to have different kind of hogs there this year, namely Harley-Davidsons. I think it's a good idea and I'm looking forward to seeing what the turnout is.

Okay, here are the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record headlines for February 28, 2008:

• Roby Lady Lions State Bound (photo)
• Roby Lions Area Champions (photo)
• Primary Elections Tuesday, March 4
• Fund Raiser Luncheon for Roby Volunteer Fire Department
• Obituaries for Florence Edith Crow Lambert, Lillian Wanelle "Poodle" Messer Mize and Alton Curry "Skeet" McCain
  
• Rotan Jr. High honor roll
• Morris & Stuart on Tarleton honor roll
• Texas Tech students receive degrees in Fall 2007
• Fisher County Political Calendar
• Fisher County Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture meets the 3rd Wed. each month, Rotan Lions Club, 11:30 a.m.
• Local Election for hospital board & Rotan ISD School board on May 10
• Rotan High Honor Society inductees (photo)
  
• Hospital Board meeting minutes
• Juniors pinning (photo)
• Letter to the Editor, re: RPQRR request to burn
  
• Rotan High Weekly Bulletin
• Fisher County Gin Report, hoping to finish by end of March
• Fisher County High School sports (photo)
• Chamber of Commerce & Ag meeting minutes
• Rotan Elementary honor roll
• Notice of impoundment & sale of estray
• Thank you from Glenda Wright for community support during her illness
• Spring Swing Golf Tourney, May 3, Abilene
• Fisher County Hospital bid notice
• Gov. Perry urges Texans to be prepared for severe weather
• Fisher County Roundup by Joy Walker
• Fisher County Menus
• News Briefs: Flu Clinic March 3, AARP tax aid available, alert regarding stimulus pay
• Calvary Baptist Spring Revival March 2-4
• Notice of Estray at Sylvester
• Randy's Roundup, updates on the Farm Bill, Big Spring Refinery explosion, Second Amendment rights, help with the IRS & tax rebates (sign up for the newsletter by clicking)
  
• Fisher County Sheriff's report

I also wanted to belatedly mention the passing of Cuppy Graham. Joe Duncan wrote that Cuppy was well-known both in Nolan and Fisher Counties, that he worked at H&H Feedlot, and some of his earlier years were spent out west of the 18 Ranch in Fisher County.

If you're in Rotan, be sure to run by The Newspaper Office, first to subscribe to the paper, and secondly, to look at the great merchandise for sale. You can also email the newspaper and arrange for a subscription. That way you can read those great letters to the editor and get ahead on the inside track of Fisher County.

This coming weekend is the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-Up. I've been going for 30-some-odd years, so the snake part has no appeal to me. We like to go to EAT & SHOP. People watching is good, too, because there's a big crowd. Attending the Round-Up is probably the most steadfast family tradition I have. Mmm, nachos!