Juneteenth Texas-style

The article Forever Free on the Texas State Library & Archives website has a lot of information about the June 19 celebration and what it meant for a black man to live in Texas after the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation. Interesting to note that in 1854 the Republican party was formed by slavery abolitionists. Check out all the links on the site to learn more about Texas history.

Texas-Mexico border conflicts

I wanted to show you some articles written by Christopher Sherman, the Rio Grande Valley correspondent for The Associated Press. He is writing some very interesting copy regarding mounting tension on our border. You can also follow Sherman on Twitter. Illegal immigrants and the cartels have both sides at a boiling point.

What sparked my interest and led me to find Mr. Sherman's articles was that he interviewed my friend Jack Cox (not the Roby one), a land owner at Falcon Lake near Zapata, Texas. They're having trouble with Pirates on that lake because the border runs through the middle of it. Cox is used to being in the middle of the fray, though. He was a hunting guide in South Africa and hunted elephants and lions himself. He was also an oilfield roughneck, which led him to Africa in the first place.

Looking at Sherman's articles in a time line tells a story in itself as tempers flare and patience runs short in the border cities.

Here is the cut-line for the photo; it was taken a short distance off-shore from Cox's camp:

In this May 27, 2010 photo, game wardens from Texas Parks and Wildlife patrol the U.S.-Mexico border on Falcon Lake. Since the Texas Department of Public Safety warned two weeks ago that boaters should steer clear of the international boundary that zigzags through Falcon Lake because "pirates" had robbed fishermen at gunpoint, most of the boats hunting the lake's famed large-mouth bass have stayed on the U.S. side, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Capt. Fernando Cervantes. On April 30 and again on May 6, heavily armed men robbed fishermen on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake. (AP Photo/Christopher Sherman)

Little camel on the prairie

When we drove into Snyder yesterday, the last thing we expected to see was a camel. People had the opportunity to ride the beast that was situated on the Gallery Furniture parking lot. It was very strong, and I mean smelling. I bet the little girl's mom made her ride in the bed of the pick-up after being on that critter.

I was watching the news and they interviewed a lady who had taken her children with her to volunteer in a tornado-torn area, and I got to wondering, how do volunteers survive? I mean, how do they have the flexibility to leave at a moment's notice, how do they pay bills, how do they pay for the volunteer trip? Well, I didn't find any of that out, but I did find some interesting and informational websites about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Volunteer Louisiana, Mobile Baykeeper and the Environmental Protection Agency sites were three that kept to the facts, with a lot of details about the spill and training for volunteers. I have some friends in LA and my take is that they are having a mental struggle between enduring this adversity with the carefree nature of their culture and reeling from the horrific reality of what the aftermath will be.

I recently had a problem with WildBlue Satellite Internet double billing me on my debit card. I could entertain you with the whole story, the yelling, nasty e-mails, etc., but I prefer to be a solution person, so I will advise you on how to maintain control of your bank account when paying online. It is short and simple. My bank gives me the option of having pre-paid cards that I can immediately transfer money to from my bank account. I put only the amount of the bill in the pre-paid account, so the billing company can take no more than what I owe. If your bank doesn't offer pre-paid cards, they can be purchased at Walmart and other stores. Another solution is to use PayPal. They will give you a single-use account number to pay debts with so there will not be a direct link to your main account.

If the company you are using is just downright shystery and you can't get any satisfaction, as Mick says, you may need to report them to the Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau. Even if you are not compensated, sometimes information is compiled about bad business practices until there is enough evidence for action to be taken against the company. Plus you get the satisfaction of getting to do something official instead of just screaming at a clerk on the phone who cannot help you in any way and is so far down the food chain he or she hardly counts as Skittles.

By the way, WildBlue rates D+ on the BBB website. The rating system is on an A to F scale, just like in school.

How to sustain love

This would be the name of the experiment I am currently participating in, no final report yet. I'm always curious how people stay together or have life-long relationships with people other than blood relatives. I also wonder how to make it so the final words people say about me are more than "She was here". I guess you have to live life to find that answer.

My pondering was brought about by a message sent to me from Tom Hargrove regarding his late wife, Susan. I wanted to share it with you all. I am glad to have insight into the lives of two exceptional people.
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From Thomas Hargrove:

Friends,

I want to share the epitaph for the grave marker of Susan Hargrove. I drafted the words, but Miles, Geddie, and Emily all made inputs.

Susan was cremated. A third of her ashes were buried at the Hargrove Family Cemetery, established in a Hargrove cotton field 13 miles west of Rotan, Texas. That's where this grave marker is being placed. The marker is flat (horizontal), of "Texas pink" granite (like the Texas state capitol in Austin), with a clear view of a lot of cotton and ranch land, and the famous (in West Texas lore) Double Mountains standing clearly in the distance.

Then we held a special celebration of her life on Nov. 8, her birthday, at Lucas Terraces, our home in Galveston that she loved, and where she died. Friends and family told "Susan stories," then spread another third of the ashes in the yard. We had a catered Texas barbecue.

Most of Susan's other ashes were spread on the graves of her father, mother, and brother in Granbury, Texas.

Susan and I met at age 12 in junior high at Rotan, Texas. We married in 1967 when I was in graduate school at Iowa State University. Then came the Vietnam War, then back to Iowa State. We later had a wonderful life and great adventures at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, plus two sons (and a lot of dogs and cats) to raise. Then a good life in Colombia that ended tragically...and changed our lives forever...Susan's brave and strong actions--and those of our sons and some close friends--obviously saved my life.
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I appreciate Tom for sharing this with me. I found it to be very touching and inspiring.

Please note that the photo is an etching of Susan's headstone. Click on it for a magnified view of her epitaph.

All the kids are doing it

Managed burning, prescribed burning, controlled burning. It's not as simple as grandma burning the yard off to make it green in spring.

It's considered a science and proof of that can be found in college and university articles discussing the pros and cons of using fire to get the highest yield from the land. Planning and strategy seem to be vital in the burning process.

The question to burn or not to burn is highly debatable around here. You might be pegged as a hippie liberal if you're for it. Kind of a hippie in cowboy boots, though. The others are too busy with their LSD and fighting against the man and making up anti-war songs. Anyway, for more information, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife site. This particular link will take you to prescribed burn associations in Texas.

Also, the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch will be hosting a Prescribed Burn Tour this Friday, April 30, at the ranch house located near the intersection of US 180 and FM 611.

In the photo is the east field of the old Templeton farm. The burn was done in late March, early April and the land quickly greened up afterward.

Laying it on the line

- CO2 line -

Or laying it in a line, really. The Kinder Morgan Eastern Shelf CO2 project is well underway, and contractor Strike Construction is on the task of laying, connecting and burying the 92 miles of 10" cross-country conduit.

Right about at the prison on Camp Springs road, you can see it on the north side of the road coming across the cotton fields. It runs all the way down to Camp Springs on the Hench Ranch, behind Johnnie Ballard's, crosses over CR 1154, runs behind Anson Martin's, then cuts across FM 1614, just east of the Hammitt's, then heads east across lots of land, the Beaver's, Maule's, Gordon's, Martin's, then here across from us starts going south east and comes out and crosses FM 611 just north of the Hobbs Cemetery, on the south side of that blue house. Then it takes off east and disappears into the horizon.

A map of where the pipeline is running can be found on the Kinder Morgan site, page 12.

Speaking of the Hench Ranch, it is featured in an article of the Sept. 2009 issue of Beef Magazine. Author Larry Stalcup researches the merits of brush sculpting by interviewing Rod Hench, owner of the ranch.

I remember someone actually laughing at me a few years ago because I wanted to manicure the 80 acre pasture we were leasing at the time. It kind of made me give up, and look, now it's in style. My timing is always lagging.

Everyone knows by now that the Rotan Sale was cancelled yesterday because of rain. It has been rescheduled for May 8. That gives three more weeks for people to take their items up there. It's sure to be a spectacular sale, with concessions and everything.

If any of you out there would like to live in our little bit of nirvana, there are two nice homes for sale out here on FM 1614. Well, actually there are three, but one is off the record and is by word of mouth only. The other two are listed with realtors. The Glen Williamson home is listed with Williamson-Branson, and the J. C. Cave home is listed with Stevenson Real Estate. We'd be happy to have you as a neighbor!

It has sprung

Ah, the first day of spring. How the snow does fall and the north wind does blow! Yesterday was Winter's last breath, we hope, and the shining sun promises that today will be brighter and warmer.

The wet season has left the window for plowing open just a crack. Mr. Husband finally got to prep the field to be sprigged with Tiftan 85, a grass that is supposed to be hardy and full of protein. We've decided to get away from growing careless weeds.

I was sad to read about the recent death of Sweetwater's Dr. Densmore. He was such a kind person, and Jim Drake's blog will give a sense of how the community saw him. Such a sweet, sweet man.

The annual Kevin Hutson Rotan sale is coming up, Apr. 17, at the rodeo grounds. There's already some things to look at out there. Surely they're still taking consignments. Call them up if you've got some items to put in the sale.

I can't say I appreciated "Reader's Digest The Best, Worst and Deadliest Roads in America: The Rankings" being touted on the local news at face value. Best roads, New Mexico is ahead of us? Hah! I'm basing my findings on what I've seen. We drove clean through the United States from here to Canada (well, North Dakota) and we actually laughed at outdated and substandard guardrails and fencing. Deadly roads are based on per million miles driven? Guess what, Texas is big and we have more lane miles.

Also, it is no reflection on the roads when the criteria is being based on actions of the driver.

I may be a tiny, tiny bit biased because we're a TxDOT family. You can draw your own conclusions from statistics posted at the Federal Highway Administration portal, which is where RD got their basic info.

Now I'm going to plug Don King, owner, editor and publisher of The Roscoe Times. He did a fine memorial to Densmore on the front page of the March 19 issue. It seems that King has hit his stride with the paper and it is quickly becoming a popular bi-weekly source of regional and local information. If you would like to subscribe, e-mail amwemes@yahoo.com, write to Roscoe Times, P.O. Box 43, Roscoe, TX 79545, or leave a message at 325-235-0203. These contacts are also good if you have news you would like to share with the Roscoe community.

Oh, and I can report it is truly spring, not just because the calendar says so, but because I saw a buzzard on Friday. It's so nice nice to have the helpful carrion-eater back, he does such a wonderful job of cleaning up the roads. Gruesome, but true.

Happy Spring, and tulips to everyone!

Round Up kick-off

The Rattlesnake Round-Up is gearing up and the big kick-off is today and tonight with the parade and Queen contest. The park is filling up fast. It's looking like this is going to be the biggest round-up yet.

I wanted to mention that Java Jax will have live entertainment this Friday and Saturday. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Butch Hancock will be the feature performer both nights, with special guest Angela Virgen on Fri. & Lance Richburg on Sat. Check it out at 325 Oak St., downtown Sweetwater. BYOB, smoke-free environment.

Rites of passage

We have a new driver in the family! It was made official this week after my daughter passed her driving test in Roby. I cried as I handed my money to Ms. Bright, the test administrator. My girl was proud, but she let me drive home. She said she was too stressed out from the test.

I had my own initiation this week, into middle age. I was buying some snappy new shoes and started talking about phones to the salesgirl, whom I thought was around my age (I keep thinking I'm 18, 24, around there somewhere). She said she remembered the old phones at her grandmas. I said, oh, yeah, the big black rotary phone. She said, no, it was peach-colored, and you had to stick your fingers in the slot and turn it. There was my clue that I was out of the conversation. Obviously, her grandma and mine had years between them. And if someone doesn't know what a rotary phone is called, well, jeez. I didn't realize what it would mean to know so much. I feel very experienced (euphemism for nearly 50).

I'm about to let you know how ignorant, once again, I am about the voting process. They started running the election tallies on tv Tuesday night, and we noticed the proposition numbers were coming up. I didn't see the propositions on my ballot, I thought we would be voting on them when we vote for governor Nov. 2. Surely they weren't only on the republican ballot? Maybe they were on the back? I don't know. I may never understand politics. But I'll keep trying!

I saw in the Feb. 26 issue of the Sweetwater Reporter that Matt Counts, son of late Fisher County Sheriff Mickey Counts, was promoted to Sergeant by Sweetwater Chief of Police Jim Kelley. Mike Counts, brother to Matt, is a Sergeant in Snyder.

T. Baker Smith has been busy surveying up and down FM 1614 and FM 611. I'm supposing this is for the Kinder-Morgan CO2 pipeline. In the Clay Johnson letter I received in 2006, it said the line would run through several counties to include Scurry, Fisher and Stonewall. They've been putting sticks on the south side of 1614, about 50 feet inside property lines.

I want to remind everyone that Hobbs Holler is on Facebook and Twitter, two networks that are fun to browse and peck around on (waste time).

I've been feeling guilty about this, so just in case some of you grammatically correct readers want to knock me around for constantly ending sentences with prepositions, Grammar Girl helps me justify my usage. With or without justification, though, I am a proponent of grammatical freedom. I figure that if I've conveyed my thought to you through words, then any means is justifiable.

Okay, okay, okay. Have a nice day, talk to you soon.

Applecore, Baltimore

- Prickly Pear cactus -

The photo won't give you a clue about the title, it's just one that I took at Rough Creek Saturday afternoon. I like the red hue of the cactus. That was one sweet day.

We got a call Saturday morning at 6:41 a.m. from a number in Baltimore, Maryland. That's early even by telemarketer standards. I answered, but there was no one on the line.

I looked the number up on the web and found that many people had been getting calls from the same source. It ended up being the time and temperature number for the state of Maryland. I e-mailed them and apparently it is some kind of glitch and they've had many people contact them. They were hoping to report it to the phone company today and resolve the problem. Apparently, some folks got as many as 11 calls at 3:00 a.m. I'm lucky to have gotten just the one.

In a note of passing, Tim Counts died Sunday week. He was the brother of Sheriff Mickey Counts, who died in December. Jimmy D. Parker, Jr., Kenneth Gordon Allen and Judy Rushing Clifton also recently died. In Sweetwater, well-known business man and former mayor Jere Lawrence died Feb. 18.

Voting will take place tomorrow, so get ready to hit the polls. I actually voted early at the court house, first time. I had no idea how to do it. I wandered around asking a stranger where to go. I finally found the polling booth in the county clerks office. They were very helpful and lined me out. It only took a few minutes and I got to have a small adventure. On the way out, I told the woman, whom I had first asked, where the voting place was in case she was asked again. She was very nice, sitting on the bench in the atrium with a broken leg. She said she wasn't even from this county.

The Hobbs School is the voting place for local constituents. I know some people think voting doesn't count, but it's kind of like the lottery: if you don't play, you can't win. I'm still working on understanding the voting process. If you want to vote local, you have to vote democratic because there are no republicans running, and frankly, there never are. I think it's funny, because I don't know anyone in farm country who likes democrats on the hill, you know, that one in Washington. They think they're liberal.

I guess there's a big difference between country democrats and city democrats.

I'm thinking of doing a run of Hobbs Holler in print. There would be a lot more info, stories, photos, etc. if I decide to do so. Let me know if any of ya'll would be interested. Before anything else, I need a mailing list.

Keep snug, April showers aren't that far away!