Not a cat

- Texas Opossum -

I heard loud crunching coming from the porch the other night, and looked out to see an opossum eating the food I put out for stray cats. I called out "Hey, Pickles!" and it momentarily looked up, then resumed eating. Eventually, it licked its paws clean and clambered down the steps. The creature's back feet looked like little hands wearing fingerless gloves.

In the photo, up to the right, there are two bits of metal I've found around. They're shaped like a J and a D, my children's initials.

The porch was poured by my Uncle Haskel (Hack), Dad's brother, back in 1964. My Grandma Daisy bought the house in Snyder and had it moved to the Hobbs farm for my mom and dad to live in. This was after my Grandpa Les died that same year. He ran off the Spring Creek Bridge in his pick-up, just north of Hobbs, and was killed in the crash.

The plumbing in the house was done by my uncle, Buster Taggart, who was married to my Aunt Imogene, my father's sister.

The house has passed through many hands since that time, and has had many hands take part in the maintenance and enhancement of it.

I look around inside the house and note that a table came from a neighbor, a desk from my mother, a couch from a friend. Everything this land and house and contents represents is an amalgamation of people and their efforts and what they left behind.

I realize that is also what I am, and what we all are. Imagine, each being that walks this earth is a put together puzzle that is unique in its rendering.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I saw a possum on the porch.

Discontinuation of posting of county records

I'm taking down the page for county records because it is a long and tedious process for me to reformat the files. It's easy and free for individuals to access the the information. Using a laptop or PC (mobile won’t let you go page to page), go to TexasFile > Register (no credit card needed) > County Records > Search Now> Fisher, and on the County Clerk page, put an asterisk (*) in Full Name 1 and Full Name 2, then hit Search. Records will come up with the most recent date first. They're usually about a month behind. For more current records, the Fisher County Clerk's Office is very accommodating, helpful and knowledgeable in researching.

I've got a proposition for you

I voted early. In our county, a person could vote in two locations February 18 through February 28, 8 AM to 5 PM. I simply don't understand all the caterwauling about long lines at the polls. There was plenty of time to get in there. Then, again, I don't think anyone around here was crying about it, I just saw it on the news.

As I was going about my serious business of voting for my candidate, I got to the end of the ballot, where the propositions were, and it seemed I had suddenly fell into a facebook rabbit hole. I would have said "What the hell?" out loud if I hadn't been the only person voting at that time, but I certainly thought it.

"Do I want them to stop doing WHAT to children? Is this even happening?" and "Well, people still pray wherever they want to, despite the law" were a couple of thoughts I had upon reading the propositions (here's the list). By the way, this was on the Republican ballot. I'm not true to any one party, I vote on whatever ballot has the people on it that I'm interested in having in office.

Usually, I research and look at sample ballots, but I was so single-minded in voting for one office only that I went in unprepared. The propositions seemed preposterous, and they diminished the gravitas of the voting process, for me.

Who comes up with these? I want to see the names of the people who are responsible for such nonsense. I want to know the process of how a proposition gets on a ballot, along with the research and reasoning for placing them before the public. I have a few of my own that would pertain to real life.

I propose, say, that it should be mandatory for all students to take a class on handling bank accounts and credit cards. Learn how to reconcile payments against the balance, and remember those auto-drafts! And, hey, that credit card money isn't free.

Also, let's do something about litter. It's not okay to throw your trash out the car window, or to dump a couch on the side of the road. Aesthetics matter, people!

Now I'm off to break my mind trying to figure out the proposition process and what motivates the people who have figured it out for themselves. There's always a new trick for an old dog to learn.

Drilling permits for February 2020

Seven permits were approved in February, one being an overlap from January. A couple of Peregrine permits are still in mapping status from last month. Click on the tab above to look at a list of permits, and follow up at the Railroad Commission website to see details and map locations.

Abilene Hemp Master Class overview

- Hemp class, Abilene -

Zachary Maxwell, president of Texas Hemp Growers and founder of digital newspaper Arlington Voice, presented Hemp Master Class at the SoDA building in Abilene yesterday, Saturday, February 29.

The room was packed; I would say over 200 people were there. I went to dispel the confusion I had in differentiating between hemp and pot. I've found a lot of people have hard opinions on the subject, but none seem to be the same. My takeaway was that hemp and marijuana (marihuana, in legislative literature) look the same, but have different THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the ingredient that makes you high) levels, although growers must constantly work to maintain the lower level in hemp.

I liked the information about licensing, fertilizing, plant sexing and what to expect all around in the crop. There was no mollycoddling about this being a fairytale industry, and I appreciated that knowledge.

I had some concerns about the legitimacy of one of the panel guests, who was presented as a geneticist, and the shortening of the title assistant commissioner for water and rural affairs to assistant commissioner of agriculture.

The various hemp groups and their affiliations are somewhat confusing. There's Texas Hemp Growers, Texas Hemp Growers Association and Texas Hemp Industries Association, all three with different websites. There are many groups that are very willing to unravel the mysteries of hemp for us! Closely watching the agencies that regulate hemp, such as the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), the TDA (Texas Department of Agriculture), the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the DSHS (Department of State Health Services), might help separate the hemp from the chaff.

Anyway, the meeting was clarifying and well rendered. It didn't hurt at all that it took place in the SoDA building on Third Street, an aesthetically pleasing venue.

Dan Hunter, the aforementioned Texas Department of Agriculture Assistant Commissioner for Water and Rural Affairs, fielded a question from the audience regarding the legalization of marijuana in Texas. He said he thought it would be a long way down the road, and taking a clue from the way Texas legislation has worked in the past, didn't see it happening unless it was legalized federally.