October public auctions 2024

Perdue Brandon doesn't have any local sheriff sales this month. Mitchell County has some parcels in Colorado City, Loraine and Dunn. One parcel is listed as 6,817 acres, but a double-check with Mitchell County Appraisal District shows it to be 6.817 acres, at Lake Colorado City, on the lakefront.

Nolan County: Foreclosure sales for 707 East Louisiana and 806 East New Mexico in Sweetwater. 

Jones County: Foreclosure sales for 1401 12th, Anson; 336 SW Ave D, Hamlin; 17246 CR 467, Merkel. 

Sales this month will be on October 1.

Small town economy growth

- Hardware store site -

It looks like it's really going to happen. 

A "Coming Soon" sign has been placed on the combined lots of the former  Family Dollar Store and White's Hardware.

In a small town like Rotan, this is very exciting. It's been a very long time since the community has gotten to break in a brand spanking new store.

Most businesses make do with old buildings, like both the demolished stores were.

This could be the start of a new trend. Next the town needs a department store. A place to buy water hoses, socks, underwear, pens, paper, curtain rods, bathroom rugs and what have you would be mightily appreciated.

Lots cleared and staked

- Former White's lot -

Two prominently damaged buildings in downtown Rotan have been demolished.

The Family Dollar Store and White's Hardware were both ruined in a severe storm last June.

The photo is a view looking west across the lot from Cleveland Ave/SH 70. The Lance Theater sign can be seen peeking over the tree tops on the left side of the picture and the bank and Landes Furniture can be seen on the right. The white wall straight ahead is the east side of the library (click on photo to zoom).

The local newspaper, The Double Mountain Chronicle, reported that plans are being made to build an Ace Hardware Store on the site.

Miracle Fishing

It's funny how a random thought or action can lead me down a path, sometimes to the future, in this instance to the past.

Someone sent me a photo of themself, holding a piece of paper with their name and date on it, in front of a blown-out tire, to prove to me that their tire was indeed ruined on the day in question. Okay, it was my son, asking for money to fix yet another tire. He goes through about five a month.

I texted him back that I appreciated the proof of life. I first heard that term from Tom Hargrove when he was telling me about his Colombian kidnapping, and that the kidnappers would send a picture to the family of the victim holding a recent newspaper to prove they were still alive. 

I did an internet search of "Tom Hargrove proof of life" to get a photo to send back to my son, and I came across a link to a documentary titled "Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped Abroad", produced by Miles Hargrove, Tom's son.

I used to be in contact with Tom and I wrote a few articles about him. He was a fascinating person, brilliant, really. His work with rice and its life-saving properties was on the scale of miracles. 

That time in Tom's life has been thoroughly pored over in books, interviews and feature film, but this documentary brings it all together. It is the overlay needed to completely understand and fathom what the family went through to get Tom back.

I watched it for free on Plex, a streaming service I found through Roku. It looks like it's also available on Prime Video, Vudu and Redbox. I highly recommend it.