Bootlegging, quail and Wikipedia

- Sunset at Hobbs School -

I would think that most of you, like me, have grown up hearing stories about Pinkie Roden, namesake of Pinkie's Liquor Stores. It's said back in the 50's a young man could make a quick $100 hauling a trunkload of beer to a dry county. There's also a family story about one of the relatives having a clandestine meeting with Pinkie on a backroad.  Elva Jo Edwards has a different story about how bootlegging affected her life. What will always come to mind for me will be riding in the pickup, standing between my uncle and grandma, all the way to Tuxedo (where an isolated Pinkie's Liquor was located, everyone in these parts knows what I'm talking about), and upon my uncle's departure from the store, I would be handed an Orange Crush and a Slim Jim that was bought for me inside. Pure happiness, folks. If only I could fly back to that time for a moment.

 The report coming from the quail ranch is that they have 11 wells and counting in one of their pastures. Read more about this and other Rolling Plains Quail Ranch news on their facebook page, website and twitter. Very interesting and informational with a lot of photos, also informational, as well as beautiful and surprising.

One of my readers wrote me to let me know that Hobbs is now listed on Wikipedia. Y'all check it for accuracy, maybe add a little bit of your knowledge. Thanks, John!

A head full of fluff and no stuff

- Meeps -

Fire-gazing is a good sport for this time of year, as the terror of my household demonstrates in the photo. This was the tiny kitten I found at the Roscoe Fourth of July fireworks show. Ya want him? Not really. But, do you?

A past-time of mine is poring over the want ads, seeing what kinds of jobs are available. It's therapeutic, sort of like reading a good book, because I try to put myself in the role of the position I'm reading about. This morning I explored the possibilities of being a background investigator, an airport clerk, a pole-holder for seismographing, a locksmith, and a tv station recording room operator. I am gainfully employed, and happy with my job, but I don't want to miss any opportunities. You never know when they'll post a vacancy for a writer that only writes when she wants to, about what she wants to, and gets paid graciously for such.

I thought about posting another photo of a seismo tractor that I took on 1614 the other day, but to tell the truth, it's all becoming commonplace, and it seems all the activity pertains to the pipelines that are being installed every half-inch around here. Arteries! Everywhere! Even if they went across my property, it would probably only net me a buck seventy in damages. I don't own much real ground. Just enough for a pumpjack (Come on, come on!).

I am feeling inspired about spring, and the seed catalogs are putting me in my usual state of delusion, the one where I imagine a beautiful blooming garden full of luscious vegetables. The turnout is usually completely opposite, a lot of that to do with forgetting to water and complete disinterest once the temperatures reach the 100's. For now, though, I'm going to slip into a nap while imagining eight-foot tall okra and an orchard full of fruit trees.