One down, two to go

Holidays, that is. Then we'll be on to the new year and it all starts again, just like woman's work.

Today's photo is contributed by Ricky Niell. He snapped this eagle in October from his porch, about 100 feet away. Check out his site Razzle Dazzle Art for more photos. Click on the photo to get the full effect of the picture.

Don't get to thinking you can get your own shot of an eagle by going out to the river bridge and scouting trees. Ricky captured this frame in Alaska.

Okay, I'm on time for once! Seems that the newest hot topic is the Rotan Housing Authority. Once again, the Mayor is in the middle of the mix and there's a scuttle to figure out what went wrong. Checks and balances, people, checks and balances! The barn door keeps getting shut after the cow is out.

Anyway, here are the headlines for the Roby Star Record / Rotan Advance Nov. 27, 2008 issue:

• Rotan City Council discusses Rotan Housing Authority issues
• Annual Christmas parades bring in the sights and sounds of the season: Rotan Dec. 4, Roby Dec. 6
• Roby NHS shatters goal in food drive (photos)
• First Monday Missions Dec. 1
• Letters to Santa due Dec. 11
• Obituary for Abner Asberry Aaron, Jr. (photo)
• Roby CISD honor roll
• Fisher County Roundup by Joy Walker
• Rotan Housing Authority fields questions in open forum
• Approximately 30 bales of hay destroyed in Sunday fire (photo)
• Rotan board reviews changes in handbook, approves additional early release days
• Playground airplane (photo)
• News Briefs: Senior day; Search for Miss Teen Fisher County 2009
• Rotan School book fair Dec. 1-5
• Tumbleweed Smith: A High School Class has Reunions Twice a Year
• Roby board hears audit from Gerald Rodgers, approves rules & regulations for weight room & activity room
• Hamlin Happenings
• The Yellow Rose inside The Newspaper Office has beautiful Christmas items for sale, ornaments starting as low as $2.00
• Fisher County Basketball (photos)
• Rotan board reviews changes in handbook, approves additional early release days
• Randy's Roundup: All bailed out; Letter to the Treasury, Federal Reserve & FDIC; Farm Bill implementation update
  
• How to cook a turkey: recipes from kindergartners
  

I checked out The Drudge Report after reading about it in Barbara Walters' autobiography, "Audition" (that lady has had one interesting life!). This site has all kinds of news and is straight forward, no fancy stuff.

I can't say it enough, look up your name on the Texas Unclaimed Property site. Or you can do like I do and search by a, b, c, etc. with the name of a town in the search box. This probably won't work for large cities because you would get too many results to display, but for Roby or Rotan it works fine, with just 10 or 15 results. So go ahead, see if you've got some money coming to ya!

Do you have your Christmas cards ready?

I don't know what the exact protocol is, but I thought it would be terribly clever if I had my cards ready to mail the day after Thanksgiving. How efficient I would seem! Unfortunately, my mind works faster than my physical self and the cards are still in the top of the closet.

I was telling someone the other day how I'm enjoying these lower gas prices (1.59 per!) and they said "Don't get used to it." Danged pessimists. That's like going on vacation but not enjoying it because it ends in two weeks. I'm going to take what I can get and be glad the cost went down two dollars instead of up two dollars.

Speaking of enjoying a short-lived thing, I snapped this picture of a very long snake (see all those wriggles?) sunning itself in front of the county barn at Claytonville. Already the days have shortened dramatically leading to Winter Solstice which occurs on December 21 this year.

I have been terribly negligent in my newspaper updates, so I better get right to it as this will be about as long as a book by the finish.

Roby Star Record / Rotan Advance Nov. 20, 2008 issue:

• Roby football Sweetheart & Hero (photo)
• Concerned citizens attend meeting of Rotan Rural Housing Authority
• Rotan Church of Christ to host Thanksgiving meal Nov. 25
• First Baptist Church in Roby to host meal Nov. 23
• Lady Yellowhammers Bi-District Champs (photo)
• Commissioners Court enacts burn ban
• Fisher County gin report
• Rotan and Project Merry Christmas brings Santa
• Newspaper Office early deadline for Thanksgiving edition
• Rotan Schools honor rolls
• Obituaries for Randy J. Rector (photo) and Troy Dee Faglie (photo)
• Veterans honored (photo)
• Allied trash schedule changes
• Pastors Column on Thanksgiving
• Sheriff's report
• Roby CISD lunch menu
• Tumbleweed Smith's Top 40
• Silver Star Cafe in Roby open Thanksgiving Day
• Engagement announcement for Brittany Nicole Lakey and Acey Deaton Dean (photo), Kayla Sue Posey and Joe Frank Gonzalez, Jr. (photo)
  
• Fisher County Hospital to auction surplus Dec. 2
• Delta Kappa Gamma (photo)
• Surprise season comes to an end (Yellowhammers) (photo)
  
• Roby CISD Revenue statement
• Fisher County basketball review (photo)
• Rotan Classes of 1946, 1947 photos
• 4-H Gold Star winner (photo)
• Fisher County Round-Up by Joy Walker

Nov. 13, 2008 issue:

• Local man injured in one vehicle accident (photos)
• DAR honors good citizens (photos)
  
• Christmas parade to be Dec. 4 @ 6:15 p.m. downtown Rotan
• Rotan 1946, 1947 Class Reunion (photo)
  
• Obituary for Elwanda Wanda Floyd
• Pastor's Column: Bill Fitzgerald
• Recipe Corner: Cream Cheese Squares
• First bucks photo
• Roby Band Sweetheart photo
• FCAA meeting minutes (photo), next meeting Dec. 8
• Rick Rodger Tax Planning: organize your vital records
• Joy Walker's Fisher County Roundup
• Fisher County Historical Commission meeting minutes
• Roby City Council reviews policies on Community Center
• Roby CISD weekly announcements
• Hogfest Bike Rally t-shirts for sale, 735-2488
• Yellowhammers & Lions sports reports (photos)
• Marriage announcement for Dayme Alison Mullins & Marcus Price Walther (photo)
• Rotan ISD honors Veterans on Nov. 11 (photos)
• Photo of wild hog
• Introducing The Yellow Rose gift shop inside The Newspaper Office (photos)
• Randy's Roundup: Honoring America's Veterans

Can't find the Nov. 6 issue!

Oct. 30, 2008:

• Cotton harvest has begun (photo)
• SWCD to convene local work group conservation programs meeting
• First Monday Missions to benefit Roby Christmas Toy Drive
• Early voting moderately heavy, early voting ends Oct. 31
• Benefit for Sylvester Cemetery
• Riley Branch named 2008-2009 National FFA Western Region Vice President
• Pastors Column: Jason Alton, Jason Trupp
• Birth Announcements for Cole Cash Maikell, Brogan Ford Bell, Kayden & Karlee Gilbreath (photos)
• 2008 Maberry Reunion
• Fisher County Sheriff's report
• Letters to the Editor from Dr. Brian Carrion, Carrie Jo Blackshears, Kelli Cleveland
  
• Rotan City Council meeting minutes
• Yellowhammers & Lions sports report (photos)
• Hambright to be inducted into Oil & Gas Hall of Fame (photo)
• Fisher County annual financial report
• Roby CISD academic & creative skills program
• News Briefs: Friends of Faith fall festival; 14th annual diabetes Texas style workshop; Roby Volunteer Fire Dept. Turkey Shoot; Project Merry Christmas Parade; Heritage House & F. C. Assisted Living Trick or Treat
• Randy's Roundup: Creating effective regulation; Remembering Richard Lopez; Travels through the 19th District
• Fisher County Roundup by Joy Walker
• Shelby Briggs first deer (photo)

Oct. 23, 2008:

• Two vehicle accident (photo)
• Fire Safety Program at Roby CISD (photo)
• Fall Men's Revival
• Early voting started
• DAR photo
• Commissioners renew lease at airport, vote to re-bid roofing project
• Rotan ISD board hears level III parent complaint, discusses softball program
• Dr. Mary Parish begins practice at hospital (photo)
  
• Rotan & Roby sales tax allocation comparison
• Obituaries for Frank Carmichael, Jr., Olga Victoria Gonzalez (photo), Roy W. Thomas
  
• Rotan Honor Roll
• Leila Vera Adams Morrow grave marker dedication
• Letters to the Editor from Shana Haas, Mayor Jerry Marshall, Addie Markham
  
• Senior Driving Safety course
• Tumbleweed Smith: Seven Years Under Sail
• Fisher County financial report
• Shane Cole Stuart selected for membership Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society (photo)
  
• Fisher County Commissioners Court proclamation
• Roby CISD school board fields reports from administration, approves budget amendment
• Undue influence and elderly financial exploitation
• Fisher County Roundup by Joy Walker
• Sheriff's report
• Hobbs Homecoming 2008 , 175 attend
• Rep. Heflin presented Texas Medicine's Champion of Rural Health Award
• Fair winners (photos)

I have put up the photos I took from the reunion, the link is at the top right on this page. I wish there were more, but my camera pooped out on me before lunch was served.

Enjoy this wonderful fall weather and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!