Better call ahead...

- Setting Up -

If you want a table to sit at for the Jody Nix dance, you need to get your phone call in to Judy Gordon. I talked to her today and she said half the tables are spoken for already. The home side bleachers have been removed to accommodate seating, with the stage situated where the visitor's side bleachers used to be. It looks like it's going to be a blowout, and they've already lined up a band for the next dance! More about that after this one is done.

$15 a head, call to reserve a chair! 325-574-4170.

Jody Nix at the Hobbs School on Friday

- Jody Nix -

Hey, pretty Mamas! Time to put that red dress on, and Fellas, shine up the boots, 'cuz Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys are gonna raise the roof of the Hobbs School Gym this Friday at 8:30 p.m. Out-of-towners, put 1317 FM 1614, Rotan, into the GPS to find the way. We're actually about 11 miles west of Rotan, but that'll get you here. The gym is on the backside of the school, so be sure to drive on in and behind. Tickets are $15 a head and can be bought at the door or in advance by calling 325-574-4170.

Sheriff's sale and changes

-  Commissioner Martin -

This week I ran into Precinct Three Commissioner Preston Martin at the local sheriff's sale. I've been looking into the process of buying county property that's in arrears on taxes, trying to figure out where the best deals are (school sales?). The people I've talked to about it are friendly and knowledgeable, like Penny Kiser and Elsie Pierce. I also talked to a man in Scurry county who's been buying such properties for years and he had some good stories and information for me. He buys lots and his brother buys houses. I never did catch his name. By the way, neither Martin nor I bought anything at the sale.

I'd like to mention some changes around the area. Things evolve so gradually that it becomes the norm before I think to say anything.

Something I wouldn't have thought there would be a difference in is the increase in air traffic. I see helicopters and small planes flying by on a daily basis. We have electrical, oil field and wind companies doing their business out here, and I guess they use a lot of different means to observe their sites. I don't know, maybe they're just on the way to work.

The traffic on the roads has also increased, but that was to be expected. There are a lot of tanker trucks and company vehicles.

There are big above ground water tanks everywhere. Big, square, dirt berms lined with heavy plastic, filled with water, and large nozzles on a couple of sides for tanker trucks to fill up with. I counted eight on the way to work the other day.

A temporary change in Snyder that is affecting commuters as far away as Rotan is the repair of the bridge next to Rip Griffin's Truck Stop, the one that crosses over US84. Talk about pick-up in traffic, Camp Springs Road is really getting the business as the alternative to US180. You better set your cruise to 60mph and have all your lights in working order and stickers current, because the Department of Public Safety is patrolling this area.

A dog is found

- A Nice Puppy -

I saw this dog walking in the barditch today, when I was going to and coming from work, and I decided I had to pick her up. She's very emaciated, but in good spirit. She seems healthy, young and good-natured. She's had no problems with my animals or the cows in the pasture. If someone knows who she belongs to or would like to take her home, email me at hobbsholler@yahoo.com.

That white thing to the left, under the dog's ear, is just a cinderblock in the background. She is all black with brown underneath.

ARN's Mangalonzo reports on Hobbs School

Be sure to read this recent article about the Hobbs School written by John Mangalonzo of the Abilene Reporter News. Maybe we can get Howard to come make our bed! In another forum, it was commented that Judy probably came right along behind him and remade them all.

Hobbs School back on the market

According to the big For Sale sign out front, the school is once again for sale. Keller Williams Realty has the property listed at $2,000,000. The cafe and rv park are open and thriving, making for a good investment opportunity.

View Oil & Gas Completions on the RRC

View Oil & Gas Completions on the Rail Road Commission website. Some experimentation is necessary. Searches need to be narrowed down to just a few months or a month at a time. Fisher County is in district 7B. Clicking "Search", "Tracking No.", "W-2" reveals interesting information.

I get an error message when I try to "View Form/Attachment". I "Click here to activate the Adobe Acrobat plug-in" and it brings it right up.

I had sort of figured this out myself, but Wade Caldwell on the Mineral Rights Forum for Scurry County explains it well.

Unraveling the house

I am in both of these photos and both were taken in the same spot in my front yard. The pretty lady in white is my mother. Yeah, I've been here a long time.

My connection to Hobbs is insular, consisting of memories and the knowledge that I am at the site of my history. I sometimes wonder why I'm still here. It might be because I feel like the memory keeper of those who have come before and after me, and because I feel some sort of obligation to be where my family expects me to be, here in Hobbs. Or maybe it's because I got a sweet deal on the house and I would have never had the opportunity to own my own home, otherwise.

Speaking of the house, I went to paint a room yesterday, and uncovered a hornet's nest. Well, actually, many, many dirtdobber's nests, which seem to be all that is holding the place together. I decided to pull off some trim, and that led to me knocking a hole in the sheetrock, which led to me realizing that in some spots there's no sheetrock beneath the many layers of paint, and behind that no insulation but many of the aforementioned dirty, larva-filled nests. Then I decided to demo a little and now I know that I need a new house. The man who takes care of these things (the husband) is evaluating the situation, which is probably not so dire. You should see what he made happen when I decided to pull up the living room carpet. He's a magician with the hammer and nail.

I'm off to paint the kitchen cabinets, because I'm hell-bent on painting something. I'm trying real hard not to pull a thread. Just paint. But I did notice a hole in the baseboard under the sink...

Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys play Hobbs Feb. 22

The date is marked "tentative" on the Jody Nix website, but I heard it directly through the grapevine that the band would be playing at the Hobbs gym next month.

If you go up around the school, you'll see that the grounds are overrun with equipment, rvs and people. An electric company has taken up residence for the next couple of months.

I was driving east of Camp Springs the other day and spotted a beautiful pheasant rooster. The photo doesn't do him justice. It's funny because I was just talking to someone the other day about how long it's been since there was one up by the school, near the McCombs heifer pasture. This dude was cool as a cucumber, just like the other one I saw. He didn't take any notice of me making big u-turns so I could snap his picture. He's probably used to the paparazzi, being so glamorous and all.

A country party

- Black-eyed peas fans -

Here are a few photos from the Hobbs New Year Dance. It looked like there were about 150 people there all at once, maybe more with coming and going. Ages ranged from little bitty babies to people who have been adults for quite a while. People were rarin' to dance and the music was accommodating. Greg Maldo's band was really good, and a local talent Kyndra Vaught sang two songs, with the band accompanying. Howard and Judy served black-eyed peas and cornbread in the little annex building connected to the gym. You could also buy soft drinks, water and coffee in there. The band stood on a stage that has been built where the visitors side bleachers used to be. It was a good set-up and the crowd flowed in and out of the spaces. Maybe more of these events could be coming?