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Friday, May 30, 2025

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.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

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.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

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. 

Friday, April 25, 2025

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

Thursday, April 24, 2025

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.

Friday, April 11, 2025

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.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

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. 

Monday, March 24, 2025

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.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

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.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

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.