Who's John Galt?

I can't believe in all my pop-culturey life that I've never been asked this question, nor seen it written as graffiti on a train or a bridge overpass. Those who have read Atlas Shrugged, published by Ayn Rand in 1957, know the phrase well, as it is oft repeated throughout the novel. Either this woman was amazingly insightful, or the more things change, the more they stay the same. It could have been written yesterday. The photo of Rand was gleaned from the answers.com website, where everything and more than you wanted to know about this author is available for viewing.

I was wondering how Patricia Claxton might feel about all my reporting on her condition after the motorcycle wreck, like I was airing her personal life, but then I felt a little better about it when I picked up the Snyder Daily News and saw the headline on top of the fold: Claxtons continue recovery at home; thankful for friends. I don't feel so bad now that the local news has also aired her private life. Apparently it's a trend.

The article announced that Western Texas College, where Trisha works, will be hosting a blood drive next Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and all blood donated will be used for the Claxtons as they continue to recover. This will take place in the Student Center on the Snyder campus.

Speaking of campuses, Heather Ward was named the 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year at Hobbs Alternative School. She's a math teacher, educating grades 9-12. You can read more about Ward in the Sweetwater Reporter.

Chris Kiser, former Fisher County resident, was recently named Assistant Fire Chief in Sweetwater, which can also be read about in the Reporter. Kiser has worked at the SFD for 18 years.

I want to mention that the Frank Cockrell Art Association will be meeting Aug. 10, 6 p.m. at the Williamson-Branson office in Roby. Anyone interested in art and community beautification is invited to attend.

Remember I told you we were erecting the rubber pond? Well, that only lasted one day, enough to get a serious sunburn and remind me why I hadn't put the dang thing up for the last two or three years. It's a lot of work to maintain and the cover I bought for it was too big and no one but me was interested in getting in it, and I couldn't since I was waiting for 40 layers of skin to peel off before I could be a bathing beauty, again (still peeling even as I speak).

So, we (meaning my husband) pumped the water out to barren places in the yard, then I started pulling it over to dump the rest out and to let it dry so it could be stored. The grass underneath had such a foul smell that it took my mind several turns before deciding where it was coming from. First I thought it was the dog, so she got a bath. Then I thought it was the septic tank, but as long as I can still flush the toilet and take a shower, a meteor could land in it and I would completely ignore anything to do with the waste system. That's just too icky for me to deal with.

Anyway, I finally ascertained that it was coming from beneath the pool. Mr. Husband had to take care of anything further to do with it, as I was feeling faint and had to go swoon on a chaise with an upraised hand holding a kerchief to my forehead. He sprayed it, mowed it, powdered it and perfumed it, and finally the reek has lessened. We are completely relieved of the need to fill up a big rubber pond with water, ever again.

The class ring mystery is still ongoing. I went to the school to find the name of the student whose initials are imprinted on the inside of the trinket, only to discover that there was no female graduate of that particular year. Whoops, there's another clue, that it is a ladies ring. I plan on calling one of the male graduates parents today to see if they can tell me of a girl who was in that particular class but didn't graduate that year, for some reason. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I always come across something weird that I don't really understand but has local names in it while I'm surfing the "interweb". Here's the one for this week - Supreme Court of Texas, 2006 case, City of Sweetwater v. a big list of folks. I'm sure it's old news (at least three years old), I'm always discovering something after the fact and getting overly excited about events that have already passed.

Yays: McDonald's coffee

Brays: People who won't work for a living

I had more Yays & Brays during the week, but they've faded away this morning. I can't remember anything if I don't write it down. Ya'll enjoy life and keep your eye to the sky. I saw the space shuttle the other night and it gave me chills, a little thrill in the night. You can participate in spotting the shuttle by checking out the schedule on the NASA Spaceflight page. I found it at Big Country homepage.com.

Nexia Holdings to aquire working interest in Fisher County Well

According to the new issue of Oil & Gas Investor, the Salt Lake City holdings company will acquire seven percent working interest in the Royston field lease that includes the Teagarden B well, which produces 105 to 160 barrels per month. Closing on the deal is planned to take place by July 21.

You, too, can live at the center of the Universe

The J. C. Cave place is up for sale, again. The house and 45 acres can be yours for $210,000. Stevenson Real Estate is handling the property.

They say that not even Earth is the center of the Universe, but I say that is a matter of perspective to each person. So, if you would like your life to revolve around a patch of land in western Fisher County, now is your chance.

Siriusly

I know that technically Dog Days are named for the star Sirius, but what comes to mind is a dog panting his tongue off up under the dappled shade of a stringy mesquite. It's been so hot we were inspired to set up the rubber pond and I hope to be floating in it this afternoon, lying on a blow-up raft with my eyes closed, pretending I'm in Padre Island.

I tried to specifically identify the butterfly in today's photo, but the best I can do is to tell you it's some sort of swallowtail. Butterfly lovin' doesn't seem to be a specific science, or one genus or whatever can look fifteen different ways. Anyway, I can definitely say that this is a picture of a butterfly. Or a moth.

Penny called to see how Trisha was faring yesterday. Trisha answered the phone and said "I'm just walking in the door to the house." I don't know how much better the story can get than that. Four weeks and a better ending than anyone could hope for.

Tomorrow I will definitely stop by the school and see who's ring was fished from the Frio. Looking for some very specific clues. Well, initials. I guess it's not that tough of a mystery, if I would just get on the ball.

A digital version of Texas Wildlife magazine is now available on-line. This month you can read about North Region Quail Stewards awards, of which Wild Wings Ranch at Camp Springs was a finalist. There are a lot of other good articles in there, like "Frequently Asked Questions of State Game Wardens". Once the magazine comes up, click on the page you want to see, then buttons will appear to include a plus sign to zoom in. Click on the hand button to drag the page up and down so you can view it all.

It's 7 a.m., the perfect time for lawn-mowing, so I better get on it. Oh, I wanted to do a little complaint segment, something simple so you all don't have to listen to a big rant about my unhappiness. I'll make it simple, just Yay and Bray, the latter being negative, like that obnoxious, long-winded sound the jack-ass makes.

Yay: The libraries in Sweetwater and Snyder; Robert the satellite installation guy for Sierra in Sweetwater; Dollar General in Snyder and Sweetwater.

Bray: USPS Customer Service on-line; DPS driver license office in Snyder; Family Dollar in Snyder and Sweetwater.

Make sure you keep those tea pitchers full! Gonna go through a lot of lemons and ice today.

Rings and things

It looks like Mario or the Smurfs are living in our yard since the rain. It seemed like we could look up every two seconds and the toadstools had grown larger. They're pretty, but I'm sure it's just a sign of where the dog makes commode on the grass.

I talked to Penny last Saturday, and when she called Sally to check on Trisha, Sally said "Well, you can ask her yourself, here she is." Apparently Trisha woke up a week ago last Monday and didn't remember a thing about the wreck. She seems to have her wits about her, although she was a bit groggy. It made me so happy, my heart wanted to burst.

That's things, so here's about a ring. I've been contacted by someone who has recovered a Hobbs senior ring from the Frio River near Concan, Texas, a river water resort where people tube and such. Contact me at hobbsholler@yahoo.com if you think the ring might be yours or if you know who it might belong to. I am also going to go up to the school and see who all graduated the year the ring indicates and try to contact the person that way. Even if it's not ya'll's ring, I think it's interesting to think of it lying in the river all these years, waiting to be found. I hope we can reconnect the ring with it's owner.