Hobbs New Years Dance, 9 p.m. in the gym

The turnout is expected to be good for the New Year's Dance to be held in the Hobbs School Gym. People from Rotan, Roby, Sweetwater, Snyder and a few other far-flung places have made plans to be there.

Greg Maldo will be making music to scoot your boots to with his five piece band.

Cover charge is $10 per person, setups available, BYOB.

Come ring in the New Year with us!

Texas Legislative Session begins Jan. 8

There's an article on the Platts website about legislation that will change the name of the Texas Railroad Commission. Because that's what everyone is concerned about. The name. Most important legislation, ever. Anyway, that is Filed House Bill 203.

Other bills that have to do with energy are Filed Senate Bill 71, SB136, HB100 and HB314. Some are duplicates. I couldn't find the one mentioned in the article about forced unitization that would require the owners of mineral rights to join in blocks with other mineral owners under certain circumstances.

There are all kinds of bills filed, and it makes me wonder how the other half lives. I have a very calm life that has nothing to do with human trafficking, prostitution, heir contention, termination of child support due to mistaken identity as a parent, wrongful imprisonment, or the need for a peace officer when entering the marital residence.

There are also the super-hyped, high-profile bills regarding cell phones, smoking, abortion, drug-testing of individuals applying for financial assistance, and abolishment of the death penalty.

Some of them are very pertinent, such as changes in ad valorem taxation, as in SB95, which enables Senate Joint Resolution 9. Oh, and also HB130, relating to honesty in state taxation.

Many traffic accidents are caused by drivers falling asleep, so I'm glad to see the introduction of HB295, proposing a commission to study drowsy driving.

And you have to wonder what HB101 is all about, relating to the use of radio frequency identification technology to transmit information regarding public school students. Will they be putting ankle bands on all the kids?

Go ahead and read the bill descriptions at Texas Legislature Online. You won't need to watch the soap operas today.

A little technology rant

If computer commercials were truthful, they would show a woman kneeling on her knees, using her iPhone screen as a flashlight to light up the USB ports on the back of her computer so she can insert a memory card adapter, which she will have to wiggle many times and hold her tongue just right in order for the computer to recognize it. Forget all the folding, dancing, music, movie-making, and happy smiles that they show in those ads. It's just a relief when something semi-works.

Now, excuse me, cuz me and my stupid computer have work to do.

Snow, oil and a big party

- Greg Maldo -

It looks like we've got a chance at snow on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Looking at the temperatures, it's definitely time to bring the wood in, with highs in the 30's for a couple of days.

Plans are going on for the New Year's Dance in the Hobbs School gym and the entertainment will be Greg Maldo from Lubbock. I talked to Judy Gordon at the cafe yesterday and she said she didn't know whether to expect five or 500 people to show, but that folks she didn't even know were coming up to her when she was at the store and telling her they were going to be there.

Dad and I cruised by the new Davenport rig and there was about a third of a load of pipe in the air. We couldn't tell if it was coming out or going in, but there's a lot of people and equipment there. There's a guard on that gate, just like on the first rig. We've speculated about why that is, as it isn't protocol. Patents? An incident? Safety? I guess we could call Devon's publicist and get the real story, but you know I'm a lazy reporter.

If you want to keep abreast of news on local oil, I would suggest taking out subscriptions to the Roby Star Record / Rotan Advance, The Snyder Daily News, the Colorado City Record, the Sweetwater Reporter and the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, or check them out online. I get most of my news from the Colorado City and Lubbock sources. Some of the Colorado City articles are reprints from the Snyder paper.

Deer and dancing, new cafe hours

The guys have a bunch of cameras down on the lease and I find the photos fascinating. A list of characters emerges after looking at the pictures a few times. There's High Antlers, Broken Antler, Spot the Pig, and a Racoon known as That Little #*$?! because it gets on the feeder reel and sticks it's paw up the hole and pulls out corn.

The entertainment for the Hobbs New Year's Dance will be Greg Maldo from Lubbock. You can check him out on reverbnation and facebook. More information to come.

The cafe is now open Mon - Sat 7 a.m to 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dad and I had breakfast there on Saturday morning and it was SO good: hash browns, eggs, sausage, toast, coffee and orange juice. Make your way to the Hobbs Cafe and the sample the fare if you haven't yet.

There are a lot of rumors about the production on the first Davenport well (yup, a second well is being drilled), but they're too outrageous to repeat. I heard the numbers from more than one person, but no confirmation from a reliable source. I do know for a fact that there is a guard on the front gate, because he came out when I was taking a photo of the lease sign. I jumped in my truck and drove off like Bonnie, but he was only coming out to talk to a truck driver that was leaving.

Hobbs New Year Dance in the works

I had heard that there might be a New Years dance in the old school gym this year, so I asked Judy Gordon about it this weekend while I was eating at the Hobbs Cafe. She said there was definitely going to be a dance, they were just trying to line up the entertainment. Keep checking here for further details. It's gonna be fun!

A drive around the block

- Inside the old corner store -

I took a little drive this morning to let the dog hang it's head out the window and to see what's going on in the neighborhood. It's pretty easy just to take the track to work and miss what's happening down the road.

There are two water berms by the old Doc Cochran place, one on each side of US 180, and Southwest Trailers has set down stakes in Hobbs, according to the advertising on the side of a tank out there. They offer an array of services specific to the construction industry.

Word around is that they're still frac'ing the Davenport well.

There's a new big rig, I'm assuming horizontal, just west and north of Camp Springs.

I've noticed that a lot of people have loaded up on calves, throwing them out on vast fields of newly growing wheat. I wouldn't mind having a couple myself.

Here are a few oil links I found this week:

Sept 12, PB Oil & Gas makes mention of Fisher County, down towards the bottom of the article. You can access the November issue from this page.

Groundwater Data from the Texas Water Development Board. We're all interested in water, right?

The Landman Blog, factual information from the landman's perspective.

Here's the Nov. 11 Oil Report from the Abilene Reporter News.

My new favorite journalist is Ron Erdrich, who writes for the Big Country Journal. Read this Veteran's Day article he wrote and I bet you'll like him, too.

Hobbs School doing's

Check out this week's Roby Star Record / Rotan Advance to read the article about all the things Howard and Judy Gordon have going on up at the school, photos included!

Davenport platform comes down

There has been visual confirmation that they weren't just tripping pipe last week at the Davenport Ranch horizontal drilling site.

Late this morning the tower was down and the platform was being stripped. This afternoon, all the equipment was on wheels and rolling.

Is everything hinging on the outcome of this well? It seems that breaths are being held and knuckles are white waiting for the first production report. I wonder if it means anything to anyone other than the owners of the ranch land and minerals. Perhaps it's all that possibility that has everyone so giddy.

I was sorry to hear that Doshia Cave died earlier this week. I had the opportunity to get to know her and Dale pretty well a few years ago. She was an icon to me when I was a kid going to Cross Roads Baptist Church because of the songs she taught us at vacation bible school. I knew it was going to be a good, fun day whenever she showed up to teach us.

The word is that there was a big turn out for the reunion today. Howard and Judy Gordon generously donated the use of the auditorium and annex for the event. Hopefully, someone will share a photo with me which I can share with all of you.

Hobbs Cafe to open Wed., Hobbs Reunion Sat.

I heard it from a friend who heard it from Howard G. that the cafe will be open this coming Wednesday, so bring a coffee mug and be there when the doors open at 5 a.m.

Rooms for lodging and office space will be available soon in the Hobbs School, and there will be rv spaces for rent on the old football field. It's looking pretty nice.

The Hobbs Reunion is this year, next weekend, Oct. 20, and will be at the school as usual. Registration is at 9 a.m., the program at 10 a.m., and lunch will follow with a choice of brisket or chicken (well, now I'm hungry!). The photo to the right is the registration form, click on it to make it larger so it can be read. I think it can also be printed out, if need be.

I drove past the Davenport Ranch horizontal well today, and it looked like they were pulling pipe. I heard they were through drilling, but I don't know the sequence of events after that. I'm just hoping they hit, giving me a better chance at some of that mailbox money.

The times, they are exciting

Hobbs School repurposed

A lot of changes are taking place around the Hobbs and Fisher County area. The Hobbs School is taking on a new life, water hauling trucks are making good time, horizontal wells are aplenty, and windmills are going up north of Rotan.

I was driving round and round the school the other day in search of a cheeseburger, until I realized the sign said "coming soon". I talked to Howard Gordon and he said they're still working on it, getting things lined up to open. The cafe will be in the school cafeteria.

The new big commerce around here is the selling of water. Wells and berms are popping up everywhere to supply the oil well diggers with water for drilling.

Last night on KTAB, there was a segment shot in the Rotan Dairy Queen regarding the rumor of a big oil boom in the area. Bobby Gruben was coy about the speculation, "believe it when I see it", a familiar sentiment.

With all the activity we're seeing, though, it's almost like we might have won the lottery, hahaha! Exactly.

Going horizontal, 611 activity

- Davenport Ranch FM 611 -

If you happen to be on FM 611 between the Davenport Ranch main entrance and Buster Wright's house, you'll see that there's a steady stream of traffic headed in and out of a newly made gate on the ranch property.

Obviously oil-field related, confirmation of the exact activity has been reported today.

A reliable source gave me an eye-witness account of the scene. Please keep in mind that I don't know oil-field jargon, in case something sounds skewed.

The source said the pad covers about 25 acres. So much water has been brought in or pumped in that it looks like a lake. There's more pipe, mud pumps and other machinery, than the likes of anything that's been seen around here. There are also six or seven mobile homes on site that people are living in.

A source at the site said that this is the first horizontal well to be drilled in Fisher County and that they'll be there about three months.

While I was driving by, over-size big rigs were coming and going, bringing in equipment.

Will the outcome of this well define whether we're going to have a bust or a boom?

Morning moon & the hypocrite

- A Shiny Moon -

The moon was shining brightly over the promised land this morning It was slowly setting on the western horizon around 6:30 a.m. Can't you see George Maule's house directly beneath it? It's somewhere thereabouts.

I crack myself up a lot of the time, this time it was with a dream I had. It started out I heard a ruckus in the front yard and I went out to find there was a drilling rig being put down on the lawn. I told them (the hands, they were really friendly) I hadn't signed a contract, yet, and they told me that now I could get a hefty price for my lease. I woke up feeling pretty good about all that. Me, the complainer, the one who gripes about loud pump jacks and fast dump trucks. I'm telling' ya, it's all a matter of perspective.

A small mystery

A few months ago, I noticed a small solar light, like the ones people put in their yard, on the south side of the road. It's near the fence, about mid-way between my house and the old J.C. Cave place. I thought maybe it marked a pipe or some such, and let it slip from my mind.

Today, I saw a nice red car drive by here and stop in that place. I was thinking they were checking the cotton when I remembered the marker on that side of the road. I also recollected that I had seen another vehicle or two stop there, but I had justified the activity with simple reasons, like maybe someone was talking on their cell phone or had a bee in the car.

After I saw the car take off, I drove up there to see if I could figure out what they were doing and found that the solar light is now marking a full-blown grave. It is small, about the size of a baby or medium dog. I've been around here my entire life and have never heard of a wreck or incident in that spot where a human life ended. That nearly covers a fifty-year span.

When I say a small mystery, I am referring to the size of the grave, but if it is human, it is not such a small matter, at all.

The big find

My best find of the week was a big book of maps of all the counties in Texas. I also found a book of soil maps for Borden County. Both are from the mid-70's.

I also picked up some very cool books from the 1978 & 1979 OS Ranch Steer Roping & Art Exhibit in Post. These informational catalogs are choc full of photos of ropers, artists and attendees. Ken Curtis, known to all Gunsmoke fans as Festus Haggan, was the Arena Marshal both years. The events benefited the West Texas Boys Ranch.

I gave in to a whim and bought five vintage haute couture hat boxes that had Texas logos such as Sakowitz Houston and Trix Wood Millinery Lubbock printed on the lids. I try to only buy books because they're easy to ship, but I couldn't pass the boxes up for $3.00 a piece.

Angry birds

A few days ago, I noticed a mockingbird on the clothesline, and it wouldn't let one of the cats get across the yard without dive-bombing it's head. I could hear a clonk whenever the bird's beak made contact with cat skull.

I figured it had to do with a wing I found in the yard, clearly that of a mockingbird. I thought the cat had killed the mad bird's mate.

This morning there were two mockingbirds at it, taking on two or three cats. So I'm thinking there's a nest nearby, or these birds have just decided they want this property.

They're getting a little cocky, running around on the ground pecking at bugs like they own the place. They need to remember mockingbirds don't have claws and teeth, or they won't be long for this world.

A hard woman, I quit, etc.

Good Lord! Either I had too much coffee this morning or all my thoughts from the week are culminating, because I woke up with a lot of opinions. I think that's just pesky. I prefer to daydream about non-controversial things, like my discovering Oveda Culp Hobby.

I'm going to throw it all out there in what I hope is an inoffensive manner.

-I'm glad to see the changes in the Rotan ISD administration, and was surprised to find that others felt the same way. It will be interesting to see where the new leaders take the school.

-If anyone else had the same experience I had when my child was "diagnosed" with autism, you'd think all the hype was bogus. I flinch every time I hear the catch-phrase "Autism Speaks". I've got a laundry list of gripes on this topic, but I'll just say that my "autistic" kid, now an adult, drives, works and pays bills. I'm glad we took a pass on that billing. Sometimes people are just different, and that's ok.

-Keep an eye on those oil-field folk working on your land, and hold them to a high standard from the git-go. You didn't sell them your soul when you leased your land and minerals.

-I quit smoking eight weeks ago and it's not the cravings or depression that are eating my lunch, it's that I seem to have forgotten how to breathe. A lot of yawning, sighing and trying to catch my breath is going on. I wonder if there's a re-breathing class I can take.

My big book find this week was Mr. Chairman, an educational volume written by Oveta Culp Hobby. In researching this author, I found that she was a remarkable person and left a great legacy. In her photos, she looks hard and determined, enviable traits, especially for a woman of her time. She was born in 1905, and the book was copyrighted in 1936, this particular edition printed in 1938. She was the first secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, and chairman of the board of the Houston Post.

Mrs. Hobby was from Texas, born in Killeen, died in Houston, 1995.

Not news

I just have to pop in here and express my quizzical confusion about a few items that keep popping up in the news as hot topics.

I.D. Law: I have to show my license at the polls when I forget my registration card, which is always. So, not getting the big deal there, at all. Perhaps because I've known the people asking for my id as life-long neighbors, I'm incapable of understanding the nature of the offense.

Amazon Texas tax: Every purchase I've ever made from Amazon has been taxed. I buy books for my Kindle regularly.

If only I would read beyond the headlines, I might know what the hullabaloo is about, but I just can't get past these.

Looking for books

I've gotten on this kick lately of going to garage sales and thrift shops looking for regional books. My big finds for the past couple of weeks were The Boy Captives by Clinton Smith, and Runnels is My County by Charlsie Poe.

Runner-ups were a book of poetry by Mayzell Fenton of Snyder and a Coke County Little League fundraising cookbook.

I found Smith's book at The Country Store in Rotan.

I get a real thrill when I find one of these books. They are usually reprints published by a vanity press. Smith's book was printed by San Saba Printing.

The Boy Captives brothers capitalized on an incident that covered a short period of time in their youth. It's kind of funny to see these elderly men dressed in Indian garb, holding a bow and arrow. The tales are very interesting and specific, and although they had probably been finally honed over time, gave me the sense of true going-ons in a camp. I would recommend it.

G&S Construction awarded bid

- Howard Gordon -

At tonight's meeting, Rotan ISD board members voted 7-0 to approve a bid submitted by Howard Gordon, owner of G & S, for the Hobbs school campus.

Jeff Branson, of Williamson-Branson Real Estate, was on hand with contract papers for Gordon to sign.

Gordon indicated he has multiple ideas for use of the campus, but nothing set in stone, yet.

Hobbs campus bid on RISD board agenda tonight

-Cotton coming in-

I went by the Rotan ISD administration building this morning and saw on the school board agenda that Howard Gordon's bid of $261,500 for the Hobbs school campus will be considered at the meeting tonight,  6:30 p.m. in the Learning Resource Center on the RISD campus.

Asleep at the Wheel to play Lumberyard tomorrow

Read all about it as Edwin tells it - Roscoe Hard Times: Asleep at the Wheel to Play Here Friday Night.

Also, Ray Benson will be interviewed live on KXOX radio tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Tune in to 96.7 FM/1240 AM and hear what he has to say to the fine people of Sweetwater and the Big Country.

Hydraulic fracturing lessons

A primer to frac'ing, click this: Barnett Shale Energy Education Council.

Howard Gordon bids on Hobbs Campus

I just read in the Rotan Advance Roby Star Record that the Rotan ISD Board opened a bid from Howard Gordon for the Hobbs School Campus at a June 11 meeting. The amount Gordon bid was $261,500. The board will act on the bid at a meeting scheduled for July 25.

Frickin' Fracin'

Okay, when I imagined fracing a well, for some reason I thought of one truck with a long, wide hose-type deal running into the casing head. I did not imagine 120 vehicles ranging from SUV's to 18-wheelers, including fast-moving belly-dump transport trucks, overrunning a small site.

Yesterday, I had to drive slowly by the RPQRR  well that was recently drilled because there were vehicles and company men everywhere. I time-warped to 1977 when I saw a hand wearing a red zip-up up jumpsuit with a hard-hat and Andy Griffith boots. Anyway, that was no problem and interesting. The problem was with the belly-dump transport trucks. They were driving very fast, one behind the other, and as I met them face-to-face on the narrow FM road, they kind of wobbled, like they were grabbing the wheel and trying hard to stay in the lane. I passed several trucks on FM 611 that morning and also coming back in the afternoon, and both times I had to hit the ditch to keep from being run over.

The red tanker truck in the photo belongs to Advanced Stimulation Technologies.

I've also noticed vehicles from Red Diamond on site.

The crazy dump trucks appear to be from various sources.

Funeral set for Dale Cave

Services for Dale Cave will be Saturday, 1:30 p.m., at Cross Roads Baptist Church. Visitation will be Friday, 5-6:00 p.m., at Weathersbee-Ray Funeral Home in Rotan.

Cinema!

We went to the movies tonight and Cinema Snyder is looking pretty good. New seats, sound and screening made it the best experience I've ever had at that theater. I heard that the lobby will be renovated soon. I wonder if they'll leave the bathroom door handles that were cast as small replicas of hands. They always scared me if we were watching a horror movie, or, on one occasion, a weird apocalypse propaganda film. Very strange. Anyway, nice upgrades to the cinema.

Wistful and relieved

I pulled the kids' old toybox from the storeroom a few weeks ago and finally got around to cleaning it out this week. It's about time, considering my children are full-grown adults, legal to drink, should that be their choice. Once I removed the larger grime-encrusted toys, there was a thick sludge of McDonald's Happy Meal toys, Hot Wheels cars and like-sized detritus and child dust. I could practically see the memories floating up out of the toy ooze. I could smell some memories, too, but they were very musty.

I can still see their little overalls and tutu clad (the girl) bodies leaning in to find whatever particular item was important to them at the moment. So sweet. But I can also remember the screaming, the way the boy tortured the girl by taking her toys away from her and laughing as he sailed them across the room, the red fingernail polish smeared all over the living room and their sleeping father, and me crying in the supermarket because my hand itched to swat bottoms but I couldn't do so in public for fear that I might kill them (don't tell me you haven't felt it, too, because I won't believe you).

Oh, man, there were a few beautiful times when they were little that I wouldn't take a million dollars for, but I enjoy them much more as adults. I found living life with wild, feral, bottle-sucking, in-potty-training humans to be difficult. Now I can take a nap anytime I want.

Roscoe Hard Times: No Roscoe Hard Times this week

 Mrs. Laura Fay Duncan of Roscoe died this week at age 105. Edwin Duncan has made a tribute to his mother on his website. Please follow the link below.

Roscoe Hard Times: No Roscoe Hard Times this week: There will be no regular issue of the Roscoe Hard Times this week due to a death in the family.

Thank you Steve Cochran

My Outlook Express has not been allowing me to send email since February, but I finally found the solution today. A guy in this Windows forum had the answer. Or maybe I finally figured out the key words to make the answer come up. Anyway, maybe this will help if any of you are having the same problem.

Nice people, but this costs too much!

-For What?-

We had need of medical assistance this past week. We were treated well, above and beyond, but I still left the hospital feeling like a big welfare jackass.

Everyone in my family works. I own my own house, my car is paid for and I pay taxes every year. Yet, when I explained that we had no insurance, I was directed to go to the hospital business office and apply for indigent care. They considered us to be poor, needy, impoverished, penniless and destitute, I guess, because that's Merriam-Webster's definition of the word indigent.

We ended up making a payment arrangement, but why is it so much work? Why is there not one formula? Why can't I pay for my x-rays with a pig? I'm thinking about keeping a voodoo queen on retainer for future medical needs. I bet it would be cheaper.

A mess o' fish

-Not in Texas-

When I see fishing adventures on television or in magazines, the scene is serene and organized. There's usually a nice fisherman wearing waders, tossing a line in the air, or a bass boat full of lures and coolers. Texas back-country fishing is a very different activity from either of those.

The first boy I went fishing with was very emphatic about the rules of fishing. When we got to the fishing spot, there was to be no talking, and one must crawl to the edge of the creek, lest a fish should spot a shadow. Hooks were to be gently lowered into the water, in the case of catfishing.

Getting to the fishing hole is a very big adventure. Usually some ledges and lots of face-slapping trees or brush is involved. One foray led us across outcroppings from a sheer, dripping wall with a creek below where snakes would periodically swim out.

And there must be a legend. The catfish that no one can catch is a good one. Every shadow in the water will inspire the imagination to believe a fish of giant proportion has been seen, adding another inch to the fable.

The grand prize is a large, inedible fish that could rival the Loch Ness monster. If not that, then a big mess o' crawdads.

By the by, one trap full of dead crawdads taught us that they have to come to the water's surface to breathe. Live and learn, right?

Hobbs Campus up for grabs, for real (estate)

There's a Notice of Sale of Real Property in the Rotan Advance Roby Star this week, notifying the public that the Rotan Independent School District will take sealed bids for the Hobbs School until June 11. Minimum bid is $200,000. To look at the property, call Jeff Branson at 735-2992. A bid package can be obtained through Branson or the RISD administrative offices.

RRC GIS guidance

-RRC Map-

Check out this video created by Kreg Harrison. He presents precise instructions on how to use the Railroad Commission public GIS viewer to look at property and where the dry holes, plugged wells, etc. are situated. I found the link to Harrison's video on the Fisher County Mineral Rights Forum.

Dirt wave

I see a lot of weird weather things and amazing clouds out here in the country. It keeps me scared of storms. This was shot after the outflow boundary blew through here yesterday and headed east.

Would I let the grasshopper die?

Poor ol' grasshopper, he got a pretty bad rap. That ant was pretty intolerant. Sometimes the grasshoppers are the ones who know how to have fun, and that's worth a few grains of wheat.

When we were teaching our kids about work ethic, we told them that the most important thing was to show up everyday on time. I've seen a few fellow workers who weren't much on form or style, but as long as they could be depended on to be at work when they were supposed to be, they had fulfilled 99% of what was required of them. An excellent job can't be performed by a worker who is not present, no matter how talented they are.

TEXASCBX Photography

My eyes love looking at this photo (click!).TEXASCBX:

Just wondering

I read something the other day about how many people died this year while driving and texting. I just wondered how this was determined. What is the evidence? Is a phone found in the hand? Did authorities at the scene pick up the phone and find a text that was mid-sentence? It seems it would be hard to prove such a thing unless there was an eye-witness or someone on the receiving side of the message who could associate the time of a wreck with the time of the correspondence. I would think that when a wreck occurs, the phone goes flying. I'm not trying to make little of texting and driving, it's just that people are too quick to jump on a showboat, requiring no evidence in taking up a new mantra.

Apricots & Algerita

- Algerita Bush -

The algerita bushes and apricot trees are heavy with bumper crops this year, but the window for picking is very small. I've been fantasizing about apricot jam with a few berries thrown in or a sunrise concoction made up of mostly apricot jam in a jar topped with a layer of algerita. I've never eaten such, but it makes my mouth water to think about it smeared on a piece of heavily buttered toast.

The photo was taken on a Mitchell County back road. I haven't seen any around here because they were burned out in last year's fires. Regrowth is evident, though, and the berries will once again be plentiful in this part of Fisher County.

Steak Cook-Off contest entry

The official entry form for the Hogg Maulies Steak Cook-Off in Rotan on June 2 is now available. Just click on the blue link and download.

Opening of bids canceled

After an hour in closed session, the RISD school board voted to cancel opening the sealed bids for the Hobbs Campus. No bids were accepted and the bidding process will be defined at a later time.

Fate of Hobbs School on agenda

The Hobbs School may go to the highest bidder if the Rotan Independent School District agrees to an acceptable amount at the school board meeting tonight.

On the other hand, the matter could be deferred. No minimum bid was set, and members may decide to establish a set of ground rules for bidding.

The school board meeting will be held at the Rotan School Campus LRC building at 6:30 p.m.

Hogg Maulies to perform at steak cook-off

Mark your calendar for June 2, 2012. The Hogg Maulies will be at the rodeo grounds in Rotan for an outdoor concert and steak cook-off. Spread the word!

Admission
Concert: $10 in advance $20 at the gate ($5 cooler charge)
Cook-Off: $100 entry fee per team, 4 person teams (concert admission included)

8:00 am - Cook-off gates open
12:00 pm - Cook-Off Registration
7:00 pm - Steaks judged
7:00 pm - Concert gates open
8:00 pm - Cook-off winner announced & concert begins
(Hogg Maulies & Circus Bear Trickery)
~BYOB~ 
~Cash Prizes~

Call Gareth Pipes @ 806-786-9186 for more cook-off info.

You can buy concert tickets in Rotan at Lees Service-Auto Parts, Jonelle's Beauty Salon and Josh Helms Rough Creek Catering, or ONLINE at Outhouse Tickets 

*(Schedule copied from Hogg Maulies facebook page)

Goat On a Rope

- Goat Dog -

When I was a little girl, two or so, I had a goat. My dad said I used to hold on to that goat by a rope. I don't remember the rope part, but I do remember standing in the backyard with the goat while Daisy (my grandma) hung clothes on the line. That is one of my staying memories, whispered back to me when I use my own clothesline. Oh, to be caught between two sheets as they blow in the wind, standing in a child's secret garden, smelling the rich scent of cotton fabric drying in the sun. Baby, you can't buy that feeling.

At night, Daisy would make me wash my feet in the bathroom sink before we went to bed. I thought this was an old timey ritual, but now I know that children run on their bare soles, which become as tough and nasty as a pair of shoes. We would then slide between the slightly rough, but clean, sheets, and she would tell me made up stories, the same ones she had also told my dad as a child, about a little rabbit who had to cross a canyon to get to his birthday cake, or a little frog who had to jump out of a puddle that was quickly filling with rainwater. I had no idea what a canyon was, I just figured it looked like Rough Creek (well, I guess I did have an idea), and I see now that a frog is probably not going to drown in water. These memories that were made without premeditation have the most value to me.

Children's feet are so delicate at first. My mom called mine little blocks of chili. I passed this traditional name on to one of my children, and referred to the other one's toes as little grapes (as seen from the bottom side). Once they became mobile, though, they could have been fire-walkers. We lived in a house that had a yard full of stickers that got transferred to the kids' feet, the older one in particular. When we went fishing and he would fall asleep, I'd pick stickers out of him until he twitched so hard that he nearly woke up. It was one of those things that parents do that seem wrong because mostly it was done for a laugh. A good, deep, gut laugh.

Lordy, I hope that's not one of that child's earliest memories.

It's Not So Bad, If You Squint Your Eyes...

-Birkla-

I was telling my kids earlier today that I had a dream about the first boy I loved and how he is now a mayor and insurance salesman. Then I rambled on to say he was a super-funny guy with a motorcycle, but I cheated on him (i.e., kissed) with his best friend, a Matthew McConaughey type character (see photo, right). There were more than a few similarities in the "Dazed & Confused" character and our own hometown smooth man.

One of the kids said that I oughta put that stuff in a book. I'm surprised that they would be interested. I won't even look closely at photos of my parents "in the day" when they were young and beautiful. I have a hard time picturing them in their teens and twenties, or even thirties. If they did half the things I did, I do not want to see it written on their faces.

I must say, I'm very jealous of a Texas blogger, known as The Bloggess, for achieving the writer's dream of publishing for money, and a book at that. What really upsets me is that in a blurb I read, she said that no one believed her when she said she used to swim in a tank that they washed pigs in. Well, hell, if I knew people were interested in that kinda stuff, I could write all day! I'll write my pig trough anecdote and perhaps I will be published soon.

On our farm, we had a big rambling farrowing barn, built for chickens, used for pigs. There was also a penning area called the lot. In the lot was a big concrete trough, originally made for cattle, I think, but it had been modified for pigs to drink out of, with lots of little fountain things placed on the outside where a pig could mash a tab with its snout and the water would come out. This trough was only about three feet high and the pigs would sometimes crawl in the water to cool off.

My grandmother, known as Daisy to me, Mrs. Templeton to others, would ask if I wanted to go swimming, and guess where she would take me? That's right, to the pig trough, down in the lot right behind her house. Pigs are not discriminant about where they crap, either. Yes, it was squishy between the toes on the bottom of the concrete (mini) pond. I was pretty young then, at that age where bugs and spiders still didn't creep me out and I would eat pig knuckles willingly. Sometimes referred to as the good old days. Goat on a rope and all that. A tale for another time.

Okay, publishers, editors, rush me! I got a jillion of those down-home on the farm stories just waiting to get out of me. I'm like a gold-egg-laying goose. Catch me if you can (really, it will be easy).

I'm Clint Black

I'm killin' time, like ol' Clint sings about, hanging out in Hobbs, waiting for the weather to change.

I came across this photo in my albums, but I know I didn't take it. It was the basis of the mural in downtown Rotan. Probably Ricky Niell sent it to me. Ya got the Double Mountains in the background there and it makes me love it.

I kill a lot of time scouring the internet, and I saw that the Hogg Maulies are scheduled to play at the Rotan Rodeo Pavilion on June 2 for a steak cook-off. This event is listed on Outhouse Tickets and Hogg Maulies facebook. Maybe if we all follow them on twitter, we can figure out if it will really be happening.

The Fifth Annual Hog Fest Bike Rally has been slated for the weekend of September 1. I bet they're hoping for cooler temperatures so the fire truck doesn't have to go around spraying down everybody, although that was pretty fun.

I saw in the newspaper that Big Country Electric will be offering high-speed internet next year. I'm ashamed to say how much I pay for satellite internet, so I am definitely interested in an alternative. I  just hope it reaches this far out and that we aren't forced to bundle services to get it. Right now I pay $9 a month for a Dish receiver that's stuffed under my bed in order to get WildBlue internet through them.

Cooler temperatures have made this day pleasant already, and the likelihood of rain today and tomorrow looks good. I would rather have to mow the lawn than step on dry grass that impales my feet, and we're hoping the Tifton we planted two years ago will finally get a chance to take off. We sure don't want another year of fire.

Paper Posts Story About Two Boys' Death

The Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record has an in-depth story on the deaths of Jeremy Claxton and Nick Walker that occurred on Bill Pfluger's China Creek Ranch last week. There are photos of the well accompanying the article. Contact The Newspaper Office in Rotan for information on acquiring this issue, 325-735-2562.

May as Well Stand Firm On...Whatever

Back in my beginner rock-n-roll days, the church upped their guilt venture on teenage music, urging us to toss away the devil's words and snuggle up to Jesus. I put all my 8-tracks (hahaha!) in a shoe box, or two, and stowed them under my bed and strove to walk the straight and narrow. Come on, now, I couldn't throw out all my Columbia House 12-for-one-cent tapes, that would be madness! Anyway, after a few weeks, the lure of AC/DC and Molly Hatchet became too strong and the music was once again assaulting my mother's ears as she did her ironing in my bedroom of a Saturday morn.

I think preacher-man could have done a lot more damage if he would have just told us that our rock gods were mortal and the words to those songs, that I used to parse like CIA trying to crack a secret code, have no deep meaning. These days, Ozzy wants a colonoscopy, Eddie Van Halen needs hip surgery, and poor ol' Ted has tipped his rocker. I even heard Steven Tyler admit that it didn't matter if the words made sense, as long as they sound good together.

We have a local classic rock station, and at first that seemed cool. A song would come on and remind me of the good old times. Now the songs have been overplayed and have rubbed out the old memory, replaced by the memory of just driving down the road listening to a song, instead of, let's say, hearing Baker Street or Blinded By the Light while you were swimming at the Country Club and laying in the sun, and the cute boy you liked was being rowdy with his friends. And, seriously, we hardly listened to Pink Floyd except now and then, on special occasions. That stuff was too depressing and trippy.

I was looking up something on Hank Williams the other day (I think Hank was was rock-n-rolly, so I'm not off topic), and read on the Roadside America website that when you go to his museum, you better not mention Elvis, or you'll get plowed. You will be informed that Williams' success in his few years expanded way beyond what Elvis achieved in a life that was twice as long.

Which just goes to show that there's always a side to take. Here we go on the circuitous path of my mind.

Around here, if you respect the president, are a democrat, or are offended by racial slurs, you learn to keep it to yourself unless you enjoy being screamed at and possibly purged from the community.

I see that it's just the opposite in the liberal areas. Remember Kirk Cameron, up there in Californ-I-A, recently getting blasted for saying his piece about gay folk? It was just as bad a tar-and-feathering as if someone had walked into our local Dairy Queen and declared Jimmy Carter was the best president we've ever had. Man-oh-man, you better have some thick skin if your opinion goes against the grain of the local norm.

It makes me wonder, does the side you take really matter? Whatever side you're on feels just as strongly as the other about their own issues.What is it that makes people with differing opinions want to rip the others' throat out? A good debate is understandable, but why is a blood-letting, petty undermining and character assassination so close at hand? Do we just need a good rain?

ANYWAY, so whether you like the kids' music or not, let them have it. One day Nicki Minaj will go through menopause and Maroon 5 will be collecting Social Security. Ha-ha! Yes, now that will still be around.

Hobbs School to Sell By Sealed Bid

According to the April 26 issue of the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record, Rotan Independent School District will be taking sealed bids on the Hobbs School Campus until May 16. The bids are to be left at the Superintendent's office. Contact Williamson-Branson Real Estate for details.

We Have a Name!

According to an April 19 article in the Oil and Gas Investments Bulletin, we are in the Cline Shale play. I kept running across the organization Devon in my research, and the information imparted by the author reinforces my idea that they are the big guys behind the recent leasing activity in Fisher County. Check out the Fisher County Oil & Gas Discussion on the Mineral Rights Forum website for more information. Also take a look at the Cline Shale discussion on the same site. Thanks to all the contributors there for enlightening us and also to the excellent oilfield journalists.

Hobbs School for Sale

Williamson-Branson Real Estate is now offering the Hobbs School campus for sale. Check out the details and spread the word. Wouldn't it be cool if a big college or university would buy it and use it as an extension? Texas A & M at Hobbs! University of Texas at Hobbs! Texas Tech at Hobbs! The University of Hawaii at Hobbs!

PB Oil & Gas Publishes Fisher County Article

RPQRR Rig

It's no secret, among neighbors, that everyone who owns mineral rights in Fisher County has been hit up for leasing or buying of said minerals. Rumors I've heard have offers ranging from $200 to $750 on the leases. No one I've talked to has had concrete information about what's going on, but today I ran across this article in The Permian Basin Petroleum Association Magazine:

Fisher County - A Quiet Little Boom, for Now.

Thank you, Moana Howard, for enlightening us.

The photo is a rig on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, off FM 611. Word is that six other sites have been staked off in this location.

Tech Stuff: Smart Fortress 2012 Malware

It's been a while since I've had problems with the computer, but today I had one of those pop-up malware thingies that mimics your virus protection program. When I tried to open a file, program or browser, the rogue app would tell me it was infected and would prevent it from opening. I guess it's a scam deal, too, and they're trying to trick you into paying money for Smart Fortress 2012. I told my boy about it and he said "Look it up on YouTube!" So, I did and thanks to a video by Britec, I made short work of that piece of crud bug in my machine. I was also introduced to a few new and useful apps, one of which I will be keeping, Malwarebytes. It was nice to get rid of the problem in ten minutes instead of two weeks. I still have mixed up files from the virus I had in my computer three years ago. There's that ghost in the machine, again.

Life's Funny Little Paradoxes & Stuff

Look In the Middle

Yesterday, on a very nice afternoon, I was in the Ballinger Walmart, happily spending my money. I went to check out and just as the clerk was running my Corona over the scanner, a hubbub suddenly arose directly in the foyer. My hand was in mid-air as I looked out the front windows, only to see that the lovely blue sky and puffy clouds of the perfect day had disappeared and had been replaced with an opaque, swirling dust wall accompanied by a zipping sound. A manager-type person was running out the door and another manager-type person turned around and said "This is serious". Then it was over and a bunch of dazed, but unharmed, people stood around saying "Was that a tornado?" and "That was a tornado!". It knocked over a bunch of items that are kept outside in sidewalk-sale fashion and decimated a few plants. A woman and her son had been in the foyer, and, as I passed by on my way to the car (to get my id to buy the beer, believe it or not, haha!), she said the suction had nearly pulled them off their feet. A row of bicycles were also partially knocked over. The vapor in the middle of the accompanying photo is what was seen receding from the baby tornadoette scene.

What gets me is that the other night, when the cold front was coming in from New Mexico and a long squall line developed, reaching as far south as Big Lake and as far north as mid-Oklahoma, I stayed up all night watching it on radar, ready to go to the cellar. I was so prepared, the cellar top having been repainted to prevent leaking, the cellar itself had been cleaned and all bedding washed. I drug my kid down right when it started raining (I can only do this once, at the beginning of the spring weather season, after that I'm on my own in the hole), only to find myself hiding from gentle rain and a couple of lightning snaps. Then, here I am sashaying around Walmart with not a care in the world and zippety-pow! a tiny twister surprises me. There's a life lesson in that story, for sure, like "Quit worrying so damn much and enjoy living, 'cause you got no control over this thang!".

Me and the Mister have arrived at that time of life where we have no children in the household. They have taken over our former residence and we are now primarily stationed in the Concho Valley. I would have said 'finally arrived', but that's not what it feels like. When I was twenty-something, I could hardly wait for this day to come. Now that it is here, I've been too long in my kids loop to feel comfortable without them. I'm beginning to see why people (I would say elderly, but Lordy, what is that? My age?) have all the neighborhood children in, as some sort of way to ward off the empty feeling. The list of things that are bugging me are ridiculous. It's like saying I'm too comfortable. Here, you'll see what I mean: There aren't as many dirty clothes; no one eats the leftovers; there's always soda in the fridge; there's no one to clean up after (Mister's disarray is minimal). The only thing that doesn't look like a benefit is the milk goes bad before it's all used. I miss those little monsters. Even that is silly to say, because they both outweigh me by at least 50 lbs. Boy, this life is weird and strange.

But! I'm hell-bent on finding the fun in it.

The Song Remains the Same, Sometimes

Blooming Algerita

This year, as the cyclical events of nature have ocurred, I've been remiss in mentioning them, because, you know, the same thing happens over and over again. Most of you are able to look out a window and see if the buzzards are here or gone, whether or not the Bermuda grass is growing, and you certainly know when to plant onions.

Except last year. February 2011, I blithely commented in an e-mail to my friend, Joe, that I didn't care if it EVER rained again because spring storms are so frightening. And then it didn't. Rain.

Yes, I have that power. If you have a wish, simply send me an email telling me what it is, then I will email it back to you in comment form. I will be sending it from my cellar office, because I will not be wishing for no rain this year.

Things To Do

There have been times when it seems like there's too much to do, every minute of the day taken up with working, errands, driving, cooking, then falling into bed whipped. That's not how it's been, lately. I miss it.

I have a job, but it only takes up about thirty days a year, and I've put my housekeeping business (You didn't know? Well.) to the side with the intention of trying to make writing my primary interest. I've been spending time at another location that requires no more than payment of rent and bills to maintain. No wood-cutting, chicken-feeding or cellar-cleaning. I have only to push a button and heating or cooling fills the house. I have hours and hours for introspection and modeling literary ideas. And I am bored to the ever-lovin' bone.

I like the rituals of life, the doing and figuring, struggling and piddling. The self-crafted schedule that I used to impose on myself may have seemed laughable under scrutiny, but it was important to keep balance in my world.

Then, again, I always be-cry anything that I've lost. Even my first marriage, and that was really bad. I wept because I missed him taking out the trash. Little things really do mean a lot.

Oh, I'm still in the country as much as the other place, and the changes that seem new now will become part of my routine, to be missed when changes come again. I think the important thing is to be willing to mix it up on a constant basis, lest the waters become stagnant. Also, it would be nice to break through with a fab story idea. Yes, I want it all.

Ridin' Around

The Turnrow

The Mr. and I made a little trip out to Rowena this week and found quite a surprise. We did not see the ghost of Bonnie Parker, but we did stumble upon The Turnrow Bar & Grill.

We were driving around Runnels County seeing the sights when we realized we were very hungry and in the middle of nowhere. Driving a little farther down the road brought us into Rowena, where there was a fancy church, a closed hardware store and what looked to be another Texas countryside steak house. There is nothing wrong with these steak houses, but sometimes they can be overpriced and they basically all have the same spurs and cowboy hats ambiance. Which is also okay, but nothing special or different or inspiring, ya know?

I stiffened and straightened up, preparing myself for the $7.50 hamburgers and highly skeptical looks from hardcore cowmen. We walked up, pushed open the door, and found ourselves in an appealing warehouse-style, rustic-yet-modern building with so many different directions to look that I'm surprised we didn't stumble over our own feet and fall down. I have to say, because sometimes it's very confusing, I was pleased when a waitress came and led us to a table immediately. I hate to go into a restaurant and not know what to do while the staff looks at you like "Who's this jack-ass that just walked in?". There was also a sign that read "Wait to be Seated" in case the waitress was not immediately available.

There was a fantastic vintage blinking arrow sign with regular light bulbs in it that pointed to the bar area in the corner. Flat screen tvs were interspersed in the main dining and pool-table (yes!) area, with a quieter back dining room where the waitresses picked up their orders. A separate room with doors (the others are all in open space) is used for events such a Lion's Club meetings, retirement parties and small conferences.

Our waitress was attentive and cute. We got to talking a little bit and she said she had just moved there from Dallas and was wondering how she would make a living in this small town when someone told her about this bar & grill. I think it was a windfall for both sides.

The food was good (burgers) and the tea glass was kept full. The jeans pocket coasters were clever and useful. Good, low-volume music played in the background while soaps played on the televisions. There was a steady stream of customers, and this was on a Monday afternoon. We're gonna have to go check it out on a Friday or Saturday night, sometime when I bet it's hoppin'. You stop by and check it out for yourself, you won't be sorry.

Taxes and Tech Stuff

Arghh!

I did the preliminary run through our taxes today and have that same stomach churning feeling that I get every year before starting in on itemized deductions. All our kids have done their taxes and here I am dragging my feet. There's not much motivation to get them done before the deadline when you don't get anything back.

I had two tech problems this week, one solved, one not. The first was the remote for the new Dish receiver wouldn't work at night. You heard me right, at night. I called  customer support and ended up with a new remote, but same problem. I Googled it for a couple of days and finally found other people who had the same problem. I read suggestions that included brightening or darkening the picture, taping a piece of paper over the end of the remote, and holding the remote point blank to the receiver. The latter worked, but we found that leaving the ceiling light on at night while we watch tv cured the problem.

The second is that I can't get Outlook Express to send emails since I started using Verizon DSL. I'm not sure if one has affected the other, or if it's just coincidental that Outlook stopped working for outgoing mail at that time. I removed Verizon Download Manager, cleared Prefetch, played with various settings in Outlook, but I still cannot get anything to send. I even added the Verizon email to the Outlook account, and it has the same outgoing mail problem. I guess I'll keep messing with it and Googling until I can get it to work. Unless you, dear reader, just happen to know how to solve this and will share the fix with me. Hmmmm?

Something I Like

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

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

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

The Beauty of It

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

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.