Burn ban on, burn ban off

The official Texas A & M burn ban list shows Fisher County among the counties that are on it. The Fisher County site banner shows it is off. It's just a matter of time before they are in agreement.

We've been having the crazy, whistlin' winds of summer for three straight days, with huge gusts that seem to lift unplowed fields straight up into the air in a whirling dance. 

Frightening storms, plagues of grasshoppers, crazy ass winds: check, check, check. Next up: stultifyingly hot days mixed with the deafening buzz of locusts that will lull us into the summer doldrums. 

After Fourth of July, it's a long shot to September. Oh, well. Let's do it again.

Sale of community centers

- Fisher Co centers -

During the March 20, 2025 Fisher County Commissioners meeting, members talked about getting county properties ready to sell at a live auction; specifically, community centers in precincts 1 and 4. 

The community centers at Capitola/Claytonville, Longworth and Sylvester all have new survey sticks around them.

Capitola CC is at the corner of FM 611 and FM 419 in Precinct 4. Longworth CC is in the community of Longworth on FM 57 in Precinct 1. Sylvester CC is in the community of Sylvester, on the corner of FM 57 and County Road 817 in Precinct 1.

There haven't been any posted notices of the sales or deed changes in the county records for the parcels. Fisher County Appraisal District indicates the properties are presently owned by the county.

Keep an eye out. 

 Links:

Fisher CAD: search by parcels 33128, 32152 and 7339; use owner number R1697 to see all county-owned properties

Fisher County Online Records Search: (click Guest Login and Continue if you don't want to make an account), search by dates or name (Fisher County)

Fisher County Posted Notices

Texas Law for County Land Sales 

Public sales for July 2025

Sheriff Sales are on the first Tuesday of each month. July 1 is the next set date.

The only near-local auctions listed on Perdue Brandon are for Jones and Mitchell Counties.

Nolan County has one foreclosure for 5+ acres.

Jones County has two foreclosures; one in Stamford and one at Fort Phantom Hill.

Scurry County has three foreclosures, all in the city of Snyder.

Other auctions: 

The Sweetwater Reporter has a public notice for a store room sale at Santa Fe Self Storage, on July 12 at 10 a.m.

Texas Communities Group has properties to bid on in Archer City, Crosbyton, Jeff Davis County (numerous), Levelland, McLean, Olney (numerous) and Stamford. Check the website for sale dates and purchase contingencies. 

Next

- Next Dickens binge-

After reading all my Anne Tyler, Stella Gibbons, Larry McMurtry, Richard Russo, etc. favorites too many times to start in on them again, I desperately downloaded Charles Dickens's Bleak House from Project Gutenberg without much hope.

I've picked up the book pictured here a few times and put it back down. I thought it looked boring and full of old English language that wouldn't let me be immersed in the story.

Man, was I surprised to find out how compelling Bleak House is, and a twisting mystery to boot. In over 800 some-odd pages, it never let up, and, like any good book, I was sad to see it come to an end.

So I started in on Great Expectations and found it to be the same way. This is a book I feel I should have read a long time ago, at least so I could understand pop culture references to Miss Havisham.

About halfway through Bleak House, I noticed a striking similarity in it to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned. Both feature a man seeking a fortune due him and the frustrations he endures that ruin his health and mind. I think Fitzgerald's writings are gloomier and sort of depressing to read. I don't know, maybe I need to re-read that to come to a better comparison of the two. I remember reading Fitzgerald's books with the notion of something to be gotten through, like homework, whereas Dickens's make me yearn for the next word.

I try not to read anything much below 320-350 pages to keep from having to find a new book sooner, but these huge Dickensian tomes keep me occupied longer, and I don't have the anxiety of finding the next book so often.

Now I'm going to meet Nicholas Nickleby and see what he's gotten up to. 

Gotta stay cool, relaxed

- Frog friend -

I was thinking the other day that the way to take the measure of a man is to look at him and ascertain whether or not it is likely that he can change a tire. It's a fun game and separates the wheat from the chaff pretty quickly.

I've got to quit watching the Rotan City Council meetings. I commented about it this morning on facebook, spent four hours typing an email to the newspaper, looked for a document for two hours, then turned around and deleted everything. Just gotta look out my own back door and tend to what's there.

The grasshoppers are crazy out here in the country. Last year it was giant ones, this year it's trillions of tiny ones. I got something called Tempo from Ace Hardware in Rotan, and man, does it work. It kinda made me sick at my stomach to see all those dead grasshoppers. 

A little friend joined me in the cellar the other night. It looks like a small frog in the photo, but its head and legs were hanging over my hand when I grabbed it to throw it out. I was sitting in the dark to keep the bugs away and it just plopped right onto that rail. I thought it was a bat until I got the light on it.

Here comes summer after all that rain. I'm surprised every year, even though it's always the same. Good luck to all the tomato and okra growers.

More about June 3 Nolan County Sheriff's Sale

The Nolan County Appraisal District has a break-down on the pricing of the properties that will be sold at the Nolan County Courthouse next Tuesday. I appreciate the CAD for posting this information on their website.

It looks like the taxes on the Bowie Street parcels have been paid, so don't look for them to be offered anymore.

If you're looking for a commercial building on the cheap, Lulu's store on Lamar Street will be up for bid.

Also up for auction is the Red Dawn house on Elm Street.

Nolan County auctions June 2025

Three foreclosure sales will be held at the Nolan County Courthouse around 1 p.m. on June 3. Those properties are:

• 1612 Silas
• 1409 McCaulley
• 900 James St

The Nolan County Sheriff's Sale will be held at 2 p.m. the same day. The following properties will be offered:

• 203 W Oklahoma
• 907 W Louisiana
• 605 Bowie
• 607 Bowie
• 611 Bowie
• 904 W 4th
• 901 Elm
• 1001 Lamar
• 408 E New Mexico

Complete information for sheriff's sales can be found on the Brandon Purdue website and in the Sweetwater Reporter Weekend Editions.

All parcels are within the Sweetwater City Limits.

About Daisy

My grandmother, Daisy, was deaf. I don't know how she became deaf, or if she was always deaf. I didn't know her until she was 63 or 64, and she was always deaf in my lifetime.

I also don't know why we called her by her name. It's not like our family was progressive or modern. My aunt called her Mother, but everyone else called her Daisy.

She wasn't deaf in a sweet way, where she wore hearing aids or we learned sign language. There was a lot of shouting in trying to communicate with her, sometimes through a paper towel roll.

Daisy was a belligerent old woman who always had one pant-leg rolled up, wore a large men's buttoned shirt most of the time, drank Coors and dipped snuff. A Sweet Garrett drinking glass still makes me feel sentimental.

She called my step-sister Merlody, or some other ridiculous malformation of her name, Melodie. She called my dad's house and never said hello in an inquiring way. She would just start yelling "Mick", supposing it was always my dad answering. She called me Lesluh Ann, Lessie Annie or Ang, short for angel, which I was not.

I don't think she had any deep thoughts or introspection. Not to say she was stupid or anything, she just came from a time when that wasn't done. A time when you didn't navel-gaze because you were worried about getting cotton in or killing chickens. 

I don't know when her birthday was. It never came up in any conversation. Mostly we were trying to keep her from killing herself while driving, or grossing out over her spilled spit can.

She died in 1983 while I was away at college.

Even after forty years, I still get a tear in my eye when I think about that shriveled, old, cantankerous lady.

Just goes to show, you don't have to be anywhere near perfect to be loved and held in high esteem. 

Public sales and auctions May 2025

Sheriffs' Sales, May 6, at county courthouses:
Jones County: 10 a.m.
Knox County: 10 a.m.
Fisher County: 2 p.m.

Fisher County Farm Sale: May 10, 10 a.m., Rotan rodeo grounds

Jones County foreclosure sales: May 6 & 13

Sources:
Double Mountain Chronicle, Purdue Brandon, County Courthouse sites

Critter concerns

- How YOU doin'? -

Sometimes I hear a trill and I wonder what kind of bird makes that sound, then I remember it's not a bird, but a ground squirrel. 

I have a field full of them this year. I don't have a horse or cow that might step into the squirrel burrows, but I do worry about cutting off the little creatures' heads when I'm mowing. You'd think the big hawk that's hanging around would help me out, but it's much more interested in baby chicks than ground squirrels.

The chickens are so traumatized by the hawk that they try to attack dove that come to eat scratch feed I throw in the yard. Dove are bigger than the rest of the birds, the sparrows and such, so it's no wonder the hens go after them. At least they get the satisfaction of feeling like they're one up on the food chain.

I guess I'm too good at raising chickens. They must only need minimal care, since that's all I provide. I have gone from a satisfactory number of five fowl to twenty-five, since two hens now have ten chicks each. I guess I need the hawk's assistance in more than one way.

Fisher County Sheriff's Sale May 2025

There will be a sale (auction) at the courthouse May 6, at 2 p.m. Information about properties to be sold was obtained from a published list, the Fisher County Appraisal District website, Google Earth, and the Railroad Commission website. The list was in the April 10 issue of the Double Mountain Chronicle. It will probably be on the Perdue Brandon site before the end of the month. 

Cause T2017-0002: Parcel number unknown, 0.034309 royalty interest in a Woodall Unit in the vicinity of TX 92 and FM 540 in eastern Fisher County

Cause T2019-0005: Parcel 21467, a 0.3050 acre lot in the vicinity of 904/906 E 7th, Rotan (CAD lists this as parcel 22368, but the map shows the parcel listed as 21467)

Cause T2021-0005: Two properties - Parcel 5493, a house on 0.2560 acres, 112 Sally Ave, Rotan; Parcel 7914, 0.076900 interest in .23 acres located at 311 W South 2nd, Roby

Cause T2022-0001: Parcel 6600, a house on .3210 acres, 710 E 5th, Rotan

Cause T2022-0006: Two properties - Parcel 6005, a house on 0.4660  acres, 411 S Lincoln, Rotan; Parcel 6397, a house on 0.1610 acres, 501 E Lee, Rotan

Cause T2023-0002: Two properties - Parcel 7803, a 0.1150 acre lot, 600 W South 1st, Roby; Parcel 7805, a .6890 acre RV park, 600 W South 1st, Roby 

Cause T2023-0006: Parcel 6384 (two entries for same parcel # on the published list and the CAD, differences aren't apparent), 0.2410 acres with a house, 709 E Lee, Rotan

Cause T5088: Parcel 5624, 0.2580 acres with a house, 607 N McKinley, Rotan

Cause T5115: Parcel 5774, 0.1930 acres with a house, 308 N Harrison, Rotan 

Cause T5132: Parcel 504304, 0.006511 royalty interest in a Claytonville Unit between Fisher County Roads 446 and 448 off of FM 611 South

Cause T5143: Two properties - Parcel 5607, 0.3210 acre lot off of N Harrison and W McArthur, Rotan; Parcel 5677, 0.5177 acre lot, 309 W McArthur, kitty-corner to the first lot

This is a loose interpretation of the list published by the county and is not official in any way. Consult the original notice filed with the county clerk for legal descriptions. Contact the CAD for specifics.

Meetings, water and fire

The default date for city meetings is the second Thursday of the month. If that holds true, Rotan will meet at 7 a.m., Roby will meet at noon, this week.

The City of Rotan is on a boil water notice.

The burn ban for Fisher County has been rescinded. Over two inches of rain fell west of Hobbs and dry creeks ran.

Commissioners court is scheduled to meet next Monday.

 

Update 4/11/2025: The City of Rotan boil water notice has been lifted. 

Public sales for end of March, beginning of April

The City of Abilene has an auction opening with Rene Bates Auctioneers, today at 2 p.m., and ending on March 28. 104 vehicles are up for bid. I'm assuming it's online, as it lasts four days.

The closest Perdue Brandon sheriff sale listed is in Mitchell County, on April 1, 10 a.m. This sale is in-person. There are a few Loraine properties to be sold.

Jones County has six foreclosure sales scheduled for April 1, at varying times. The properties are in Anson and Stamford.

Scurry County  has two foreclosures up for auction at various times on April 1. One is out by the prison, between Camp Springs Road and US 180. The other is for three lots in the Deep Creek Estates addition.

Another way to purchase tax foreclosed properties is to search appraisal district websites for properties that local entities own (City of -, - ISD, etc.), then use the contact listed to inquire about them. If Texas Communities Group is the agent, email them and ask them to put the property up for auction on their website.

Coughing and tin

- Cleaned last week -

Ah! In like a lion, right? Spring is on its way, bringing dust to be newly laid on, well, everything. After the two dust storms last week, it looked like there were stenciling projects all over the house. Luckily, I had just coated everything with lemon Pledge, making certain that the dirt stuck very well.

Last night I couldn't get the grit out of my throat, because, after coughing, I had to suck in the air that was hanging with more grit. I put in the AC window unit the day before, so it was cool grit. The electric threatened to go, on and off, but it held. Dusty but comfy!

I got dinged by Texas Communites Group and the City of Rotan about a vacant building they want me to tear down. I've called someone to help, but I wish I could do it myself. I've gone to check it out, but I end up standing and staring at it for a few minutes, picking up some trash, then motoring off. I thought I could at least pull some of that flapping tin off the roof, but the labor is beyond my physical and mental capacity. Let a pro do it.

Some new signs of spring I've seen are a positive sighting of ground squirrels, buzzards, lilacs budding and a batch of chicks. I try to pick up the eggs before the hens get to sitting, but miss one day and suddenly they have 14 eggs under them and a look in their eye that tells me I might lose an arm if I try anything funny. At least 10 hatched. They are very cute, as usual, and just ready to break my heart when they get caught under a board and die, or are eaten by a fox or coyote or raccoon or skunk or bobcat, etc.

Well, I've got to go get a load of laundry out of the dryer before the wind gets too high (the dryer is outside. I'm a hillbilly!). I'll hold off dusting until mid-May.

Living on the edge

- Hobbs, TX sunset -

Sometimes it's not so easy living between counties, between states, between states of mind, heh, heh.

The  name of this community here on the west side of the county is Hobbs, but if I'm trying to find any news online, I can usually only find information about that other Hobbs. The one that's not in Texas.

And the Fisher County Hobbs isn't the only Texas one. There's another one out by Temple. I bet they can get delivery pizza there. That's the one thing I wish I could have out here. I'll pay mileage! Oh, it's probably better that I don't, I'd weigh 500 lbs. before I knew it.

Looking at weather, the forecast for Rotan (San Angelo area with the National Weather Service) talks about I-10, north and south, 350 some-odd miles south of here. Snyder forecast will peer way over the mountains to the west and north, referencing the four-corners: Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. That's a little ways from here (650 miles or so). The local news is mostly Abilene-centered - that's about 60 miles south east of here. So, to live in this little outback, it's best to have a few radars and a few forecasts and to look out the door to keep up with the weather. 

It is pretty funny that if I want to go to that other, non-Texas Hobbs, I just take a right out of my driveway and keep driving west for 160 miles. There may be a few jigs here and there, but mostly west.

Breaking ground, things going on

- FM 611 IREN site -

IREN has earnestly started in on their new location on FM 611, by the Wetsel Substation in Fisher County. Click on the photo to see the detail of the water truck and earth moving machines. This will be a data center for mining bitcoin.

Fisher County ACE Hardware in Rotan has opened. It is now possible to buy whatever you need in Fisher County. A trip to Dollar General, Comprehensive  Land Management (chicken scratch), Ace and Thriftway will get the groceries.

There's been a lot of work going on in downtown Rotan on the median islands. They've been cleaned out and cleaned up, ready for new installments of electricity and artsy figures.

Nolan County will be having their yearly tax foreclosure sale tomorrow, March 4, at the courthouse in Sweetwater. Start time is 2 p.m.

Rattlesnake Round Up is coming up. This year it will be the weekend of March 14.

I've seen some spring time creatures moving around, either prairie dogs or lizards; they're too fast for me to identify. If they're moving, then rattlesnakes are bound to be, too. 

Giving up on the kiosk

My water bottles are piling up. Those empty gallon jugs that I haul around with me every time I leave the house. 

A thought occurred to me today: why am I paying .25-.35¢ more per gallon over my water bill? I pay about .024¢ for municipal water, which is a really good deal! Why would I pay more? It's cheap and convenient, and it comes right out of the tap!

Thinking back, I can trace my first use of filtered water back to the fires of 2011. The drought was so severe at that time that the City of Snyder, where my water originates from, had to use reserve wells for residential water. That water reeked of dirt, with a cellar-like smell. While I appreciated that I had water for washing clothes and bathing, I would not drink it. 

The tea made from the filtered water is so clear and pretty. That advantage was another factor, besides the smell, that convinced me that the decision to gather drinking water from a kiosk was worth the effort.

These days, I don't make tea that often. There isn't a household full of people to serve. It goes bad before I can drink a whole pitcher. Back when the kids were still home, I had to keep two pitchers of tea going; one sweet, one unsweetened. It was a never-ending task to keep up with a family tea drinkers. 

The city water ceased to be odoriferous quite a while back, years ago. Clear, pretty tea is no longer a goal of mine. I drink coffee all day long. It tastes and looks the same with or without the extra filtration. 

I've been perpetuating a long held habit that is no longer sustainable due to a change of circumstances.

I think I'm going to chance it and save myself the extra effort by going full tap.

A satisfactory substitute

I have missed the old Twitter. I used to have it embedded on the home page of Hobbs Holler and I could quickly post thoughts, observations and photos.

It changed when ownership changed. A person had to be logged in to see the posts and then it kinda got weird in the feeds, so I cancelled my account.

I tried BlueSky, which worked much the same way as old Twitter, but there was a mind-reeling amount of pornography in my feed. I cancelled that account the same day I opened it.

Thought bubbles (notes) in Messenger are sort of a satisfying substitute. I can't add them on my HH page, but I like the idea of posting something without expectation of response or comment. There's a large collection of music on Messenger where you can choose little snippets of songs to play in your bubble. Right now I'm using it to purge the music that is constantly playing on my internal jukebox. I'm finding it's a good way to get rid of an earworm.

It's a cool little gizmo, but it doesn't have all the songs that pop up in my head. Where's Donnie Iris's Love Will Rock You? Oh, well, can't have everything, right? Not too much of a loss. I'll just wait for the next song to play.

District court set for February 5

The 32nd Judicial District Court will convene Wednesday morning at the Fisher County Courthouse.

The following cases are on the docket for Fisher County: 

• State vs. Cruz Antonio Fortuna - motion to proceed pretrial
• State vs. Willard Leon Roddy - disposition hearing
• Eagle Permian Partners, LLC vs. Wales, et al - application for appointment of receiver

Arrest details can be found under Bail Forms on the Texas Online Public Information site.

Public sales and auctions February 2025

Perdue Brandon doesn't have any local tax sales for the upcoming month.

The City of Snyder is accepting sealed bids for 3102 El Paso in Snyder. The deadline is February 14.

Jones County has three foreclosures: PR 4286, Hawley; 10 acres located at 2306 CR 475; and 1432 Avenue K, Anson. These will be disposed of by sheriff sales at the courthouse in Anson on February 4.

Texas Communities Group has one property for sale, 631 Ave H in Anson. Bidding ends February 4.

Rotan Self Storage will be auctioning off the contents of a unit on February 3. There's more information about that in this week's issue of the Double Mountain Chronicle.

Love's is supposed to be posting some storage units from their Sweetwater site on Storage Auctions. The Sweetwater Reporter is running a classified ad with specifics on those sales.

District court set for January 22

The 32nd Judicial District Court will convene Wednesday morning at the Fisher County Courthouse to choose a new grand jury and to hold council for relevant hearings.

The following cases are on the docket:

• State vs. Charles Curtis Dodd II - motion to revoke
• State vs. Francisco Sergio Campa - extension of commitment
• Travis Dean Lee vs. Peggy Coffman Williamson - dismissal
• Fisher County Appraisal District vs. Carreon - tax hearing
• Fisher County Appraisal District vs. Van Loon, Rogers - tax hearing
• Rotan ISD vs. Boone - tax hearing
• Marina Sofie vs. ASC Transport, LLC and David George Warner, Jr. - pre-trial

Source: 32nd Judicial District Court Calendar

A better experience

Here's a tip on how to view the Hobbs Holler website. While the mobile version is fine, it does not show the links and information on the right-hand side of the full site.

On the desktop/PC version, everything shows up. To get the same experience on a mobile device, go all the way to the bottom and click on "View web version". Then you won't miss a thing.

Thanks for reading!

McMurtry book store legacy continues

Since I was on a Larry McMurtry redux this week, I decided to look up his book store in Archer City to see how it was faring.

Booked Up is no longer a physical store front, but books are available online. 

Khristal Merklin, McMurtry's book-selling partner, sold the buildings and books that were left to her after his death.

She brought the store name back in virtual form in 2022. It looks like a good source for researchers and readers alike.

Of course, you can also find McMurtry's books for sale there. Personally, I would like one of those t-shirts Merklin is wearing in her photo on the About Us page.

According to the Archer County Appraisal District website, the current owners of the former stores on South Central are the First Baptist Church, on the west side, and The Archer City Writers Workshop on the east.

Notes from the west Jan 2025

- Cats rule -

It was so cold this morning that the cat was hogging the heater. She sat her little chin on the bar and gave no thought to my comfort.

I went out to the mailbox to post a letter just as a fellow working for the appraisal district was slowly driving by in the barditch. He got out and introduced himself, but I didn't catch his name. It's too bad he had to see me in my pajamas.

The commissioners meeting yesterday was a two part deal, both very short. Stuart Posey, the new commissioner for precinct three, had his first day with the court. 

It was good to see that Jeanna Parks, county treasurer, was there.

The quorum went into a closed session about 10 minutes into assembly, then returned for about six minutes before adjourning.

One thing that caught my interest was something said by Micah Evans, the commissioner for precinct four. The meeting had resumed after the closed session and a motion was made by Judge Ken Holt for approval on a professional services contract with Sterling Burleson, agenda item 12.

Right before a unanimous vote of yes was given, Evans said, "This is just in regards to the case that's...".

I wonder what case that is. I'm hoping to see some clues in the next issue of the Double Mountain Chronicle.

Commissioners meeting

Fisher County Commissioners held a meeting at 9 a.m. this morning. The agenda and the meeting (2 part) can be accessed from the home page of Fisher County, Texas. Click the YouTube link in the upper right hand corner for the videos.

McMurtry got it right

- Scott's Corner & Rotan -

When I get frustrated with all things political in Fisher County and the outlandish behavior of some local high profile individuals, I am just going to think about Larry McMurtry's Texasville and know he hit the nail on the head. It's not so far-fetched that a giant wall of tumbleweeds would take out the town. Not at all.

The water line project has gotten to Scott's Corner. Further lines have been staked out along FM 611, going east towards Rotan.

Now that Dollar General in Roby is open, I can make a little drive to Rotan to get .25¢ gallon jugs of filtered water from the kiosk next to Dairy Queen, then on to Roby for shopping. It's nice to wheel a cart around a brand-spanking new store and pick up some essentials.

The Rotan DG looks finished and the lights are on, but the building is sitting empty at this time.

Ace Hardware is coming along. There are a lot of workers there finishing up the store.

The condemned house is still standing on the corner lot of Sammy Baugh and North Richard in Rotan. City council talked about getting someone to tear it down in their meeting this week.

The old hospital hasn't had any work on it since the city sold it, but the grass is cut and foliage is trimmed.

The photos are of Scott's Corner, Ace, the condemned trailer house and the Callan Hospital building.

Another new sheriff

During a special meeting, called for December 31, Fisher County Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint John "Pat" Dickson as sheriff.

Commissioner Micah Evans, Precinct 4, advised Dickson that his duties would be administrative. This is due to Dickson not holding a peace officer license. 

Officers who have been appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office have two years to get licensed.

Commissioners also voted unanimously to accept Sheriff Tom Pohlman's resignation.