Just a little this n that

- Tomato Seed Man -

We bought some fresh tomatoes from a stand outside of Ballinger on Friday, and this morning they were already on the verge of ruining, so I cut them up and put them in the fridge. I leave whole tomatoes on the counter, I don't like them refrigerated. While it's a shame fresh tomatoes ruin so fast, I think it's a good sign that they're all natural, maybe at the most they've had some Sevin sprayed or sprinkled on them. On the other hand, the tomatoes I buy from the grocery store never ruin, and instead of eating them, I just get one to see how long it takes to spoil. I usually throw them out after three weeks, unspoiled, not even a little mold at the top. I don't know what they use to preserve them, but I don't want to eat it.

I ran across the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's Wet and Dry County List. There's an interesting Search Public Records application where you can spend some time looking up information such as what establishments have applied for a permit and the status of existing permits. There's nothing for Fisher County, of course, we're dry, but it's fun to look at surrounding counties and see who owns the businesses, as that is listed on the permit.

There's a fitness program for women at the Fisher County Physical Therapy Center in Rotan that sounds pretty good. I believe you can go three times a week, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 5:30-6:30 p.m., for $30 a month. I picked this up in a brief conversation, so you'll want to check facts with the center. I heard the trainer does not take it easy on you, and believes in a lot of arm work. The workout was compared to P90X, an extreme home exercise program. Make time, ladies, and get rid of those bingo arms (you know, the swinging, gobbler looking flesh on the underside of the upper arm)!

There's a good article in the August 19 issue of the Sweetwater Reporter about a friendship quilt that originated in Fisher County. The article is about Merle Coker and how the quilt has finally come back to her in a surprising way. I know her daughter-in-law, Beverly Coker, an avid quilt maker, and I've often thought how I would like to do an interview with Beverly and take photos of the beautiful quilts that she produces. Read the names listed on Merle Coker's quilt and see if you recognize any.

We keep having a bit of rain here and there, keeping the temperatures bearable. If we can just make it to the West Texas Fair & Rodeo, during the second week of September (6-14), we know it will be alright, because it always rains during the fair and fall soon follows!

A nice week in August

- Mimosa Tree -

I've been sitting here with the back door open this morning, listening to hummingbirds fight in the big mimosa tree out back. It's amazing how vicious those delicate looking little birds can be to each other.

I'm also thinking about technology, since it's really letting me down this morning. Ebay wants me to divulge my entire life history just because I haven't signed on in a year, the Mifi I've been using to get internet service indicates 3G service but I'm not experiencing it, and the limitations and blips on my new computer with Windows 8 is all enough to make me throw the electronics in the creek and start over with a stick and dirt.

I'm seriously thinking about going back to dial-up, and maybe even an antenna for tv service. Services that are considered progressive seem deeply flawed, such as satellite tv, which goes down during rainstorms, and satellite radio that takes us back to pre-FM stereo, losing service when you drive under a bridge or park at Sonic.

A thing that is good, cheap and beneficial is rain during mid-August. The rain gauge here collected .8, and I heard that the Eickes over near Rough Creek, 10 or so miles northwest of here, received 4 inches. My garden of beans that I will never pick is doing well, thanks to the rain, because those poor plants can't depend on me. I'm too forgetful about the watering.

We ate chicken-fry up at the Hobbs Cafe yesterday. Bobby Wright's family was all gathered there for his birthday. Dad got the fringe benefit by getting to see some folks he hadn't talked to in a while. Johnnie Ballard was also there, eating the chili dog special, and Mr. Underwood from Rough Creek came in, too. The restaurant was pretty packed.

The well I've talked about west of Camp Springs seems to be a pretty serious deal. Big lights can be seen at the site when it's dark, trucks are coming in and out, and a placard at the entrance warns of danger from high pressure. Is it a sign that "The Boom" is finally bumping up against us?

A trip to Rough Creek

- Longhorn Valley -

We took a drive around the northern block today, a good two hour jaunt, to see if we could find Longhorn Valley and the ranch house for sale by Williamson and Branson that sits on the rim of the valley.

The thing I like most about this little drive is that I'm never quite sure where I'm at or which way I'm supposed to go. At one point it looks like I'm driving through the middle of someone's pasture, but as long as I eventually come across my mile marker clues, I know I'm not about to run off a cliff.

We succeeded in our objective, which was to find the million dollar ranch house. We did not find it by looking over the valley with binoculars. From the backside, you wouldn't know it overlooks anything, it just looks like a house on the prairie. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is a must for anyone desiring to live in this home.

I was surprised and happy to see the road was open through the creek bed. Sometimes it is detoured and I can't even sneak across it because the road hasn't been graded and there are huge gulleys that are impassable. When it finally does rain, it really rips up those roads.

There's a lot of water in the creek under the old trestle bridge. I swear that before the gravel company came, we could walk for miles down the creek on sand, some of it quicksand, and there wasn't a bunch of foliage growing in the creek bed. We used to ride horses on it, too, and they sank quickly and deeply. It was very exciting, just like in a western movie.

I've been going down to the rough all my life, and I used to take my kids down there to walk around and play in the river, or river bed, depending on the season, just like my dad did me, just like his dad did him. It's a family tradition that I plan to continue.