Fajita Dinner for the RHS Class of 2010

I spent the morning helping out at the Rotan School Cafeteria for the fajita dinner the class of 2010 had to raise funds. I don't do such things often and found it surprisingly enjoyable. I felt like part of a fine-tuned machine, and I met some really cool kids, as well as someone from the long gone past. I guess they made some money, because we ran out of a lot of things and it was pretty steady from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Shown serving in the photo is Cheryl Speck, Katie Martin, C.J. Flannagan & Tricia Spikes. I might have mispelled or gotten the wrong names, so excuse me if I have misnamed you or a relative or friend.

Computer Helps

I found two helpful articles for cleaning up your computer. Tune-Up Windows tells you how to clean up files and keep Windows updated, but the thing I liked most about this article was that it told me how to get rid of all those start-up programs, you know, all that stuff that you have to wait for to load when you first turn on your computer. I've been trying to figure that out forever.

Free Your PC from Spyware is a thorough article on cleaning up all that nasty spyware. I use Spybot Search & Destroy along with AVG Anti-Virus to keep my pc clean. It seems to be a good combination.

Oh, and a revise on the engine story. Dad says it was the train engine at the Rotan depot that used to sit idle and some boys put it into gear and it ran along the tracks to Hamlin before it was caught. I was kind of wondering how they would have found a lost tractor wandering in the Texas wilderness!

Fair to Middlin'... or Odessa

Okay, I put the Rotan water well was drilled to 25,000 feet, which is what the article says, but Dad says that it couldn't have been that deep, because the deepest well is 30,000 feet, which was drilled around Midland or Odessa, just to see how deep they could go, then they hit granite. If you know the correct depth, give me a holler.

Dad says he remembers the tractor with the steam engine, that you could hear it idling while they were sitting on the square on Saturday night. He said that one night some local boys went up there and knocked it into gear. It was nearly to Hamlin before authorities got it stopped. It only moved about 5 mph.

He's got a million of those Saturday night stories. I'll have to be sure to get all of them in here, gradually.

The Old Rotan Water Tower, Jo Hariman

Dad ran into Dub Underwood at Dairy Queen the other day and Dub had an old calendar with a bunch of pictures on it. Dad got some copies for me, so I thought I would share with you.

I can't tell if this is a painting or a photo, but the artist is listed as Jo Hariman. Here is the caption for this print:

Rotan Pioneer Water System

• The first attempt to obtain water for the town of Rotan was made around 1908 when Mr. Akins and "Big Boy" Kyle, local cafe owners, drilled a well where the swimming pool is now located. Their intentions were to make a lake and the dam at the south end of the Little League Field was built to contain water. This well was 25,000 feet deep, and in reaching water, they also struck oil. Little was known about oil at that time and there was no market for it. As the water was unfit to drink due to the oil content, the well was abandoned and later capped, but not before it had made quite a little pond. Finally, in 1909, a well was drilled on Tom Green hill at the site of the present water tower. Gyp water was struck and the pictured stand and tank was erected over the well. The stand was of wood and was approximately twenty feet high. The tank was about twenty feet in diameter and about thirty feet high. It was made of corrugate steel. The tractor shown was a wood burning steam engine and it served a dual purpose. It was used to drill the well, then to pump the water into the tank. The stockyards were at the far west end of town and there was no water there. The cattle, which were waiting to be shipped by rail, were driven through town twice daily to the well to be watered. T. M. Green managed the first water system. This tower and tank served Rotan until 1920, when the tower that is now standing was erected.

I believe the calendar this information came from was produced in the 1970's. This article captures a little of everything in the history of Rotan.

Bluebonnet blanket

The bluebonnets at the Hobbs Cemetery were not stunted by last weekend's cold spell, as you can tell by the picture posted here. The caretakers are doing a good job keeping the place nice.

Well, as usual, I have lost one of my newspapers, but some kind of news is better than none, so here goes:

Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record for March 29, 2007:

• Roby School Board Minutes, All Teachers Rehired for 2007-2008
• Rotan School Board Minutes, All Personnel Rehired, Early Reports Good Financial Status
• Roby CISD One Act Play Photos
• Engagement Announcement for Josh Craig & Traci Dawn (photo)
• Rotan ISD Honor Roll
• Roby Middle School Band Receives Sweepstakes at Festival
• Fisher County Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture Meeting Minutes
• USG Openings, check with the Texas Workforce Commission
• Roby Middle School Band Earns Superior Rating
• Lots of Real Estate, check Williamson and Branson Real Estate, Edwards Real Estate and Railhead Realty
• Obituary for Amaleeta Willhite McCright
• Joy Walker's Fisher County Round-Up, Kloe Copeland Turns Five
• Fisher County RV Club News, Trip to Graham Planned
• Fisher County Hospital Board Minutes, Election Cancelled, Slots Filled by Unopposed Board Members
• Spring Sports Page, Baseball & Track Photos
• Engagement Announcement for Lacey Michelle Moore & Cory Don Rains (photo)
• Fisher County Art Association Formation, Call 776-2806 or 776-2600 for more info, or discuss it in the Fisher County Forum

During the chamber meeting, Mike Wilks said that plans were underway for this year's Hog Fest, to be held the weekend of October 13. Matt Martindale and the Hogg Maulies are slated for entertainment.

Lawless Flatz Now on MySpace

I've been working on the site for the band Lawless Flatz, just click on the name and it will take you there. Terry, Chip, Bob and sometimes Corrina make some good sounds.

They will be playing Katz Club and Jessie Jane's in May. Be sure to check out the calendar on the band site.

Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch Official & Officials

The RPQRR is now officially a non-profit foundation. The following have been named as the Board of Directors:

President - Richard A. Snipes

Secretary Treasurer - Ray Stoker, Jr.

Member - John J. Hagenbuch

Member - Maurice G. Hornocker

Member - A.V. Jones, Jr.

Profiles on members can be found here & here .

Advisory Board members are:

• Paul Melton
• Rod Hench
• Dr. Darrell Ueckert
• Don Aiken
• Deborah Clark
• Chuck Ribelin
• Rory Burroughs
• Chip Ruthven
• Ricky Linex
• Alan Heirman
• Wayne Jacobsen
• Chip Martin
• Robert Perez
• Roy Wilson
• Justin Trail
• Kent Mills
• Jeffrey SoRelle
• Dr. Jason Johnson

The advisory board profiles can be found here.

A strategic plan and budget have been drafted. To put it in plain language, this ain't no rinky-dink deal. The long range plan calls for RPQRR to be one in a complex of research ranches covering a Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico area. I know it's still just in planning stages, but it's very exciting to see the vision that these folks are putting together for this land. I can hardly wait until the May 11 open house. I would also like to hear some of these whistling quail I've heard about. I might have already, and just didn't know it.

The official RPQRR website is up. It is descended from the TeamQuail site . The photo above is of the headquarters on US 180, near the FM 611 cut-off.

Big, big things for the Hobbs, TX area! Keep an eye out here and bookmark the sites listed above for more updates on the RPQRR.

Easter Sunday 2007, October Fests Info

We had some errands to do in Rotan this morning and I got this photo of John's Barber Shop. I don't know if he has regular hours, maybe a catch as catch can schedule. If you can find him there, he's a real good source for local news.

Jason Watts, a Texan living in Minnesota, and who is one of my readers, has some cool tunes on myspace. He and Wesley Hale (hmm, that name is familiar) have a band called The Tonesters, of the techno genre. Be sure to read more about them and the other band members on the website.

There are two October shindigs that I've got some information about. The first is Hog Fest. In the last issue of the Rotan Advance / Roby Star, the Fisher County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture meeting minutes stated that Mike Wilks informed the chamber he had contacted Rode Morrow and the Hogg Maulies, and they would be performing at the Hog Fest in October, along with Matt Martindale. He also stated Martindale had a website and the chamber should be hearing from him soon with a contract. Wilks stated the Hog Fest will be listed on his website.

Matt Martindale's myspace has October 13 marked as the play date for Hog Fest.

The second event is the White Buffalo Bikefest, which will be happening in Snyder, TX, October 5-7 this year. There will be a concert Saturday night featuring GRAND FUNK RAILROAD! Very Cool! I had contacted Lori Cleveland, the do'er for the Bikefest, early in March and she said that they had also signed the MotorDrome (which I'm thinking is a motorcycle daredevil show), the Globe of Death (with a team of ramp jumpers and a back flip guy), and Hooters with their hot wings wagon. I've talked to some folks who went last year and they said it was a lot of fun, especially if you bring your motor home and make a weekend of it.

Look for more news later this week, such as info from the RPQRR meeting on April 2 and some newspaper updates, and a few tips for cleaning up those computer files. We hope to see some sunshine tomorrow and to put away the firewood until next winter. Have a good work week!

Smart Scissortail Not Sighted

I had been wondering about the notorious, but yet unseen, scissortail today, then my husband came home and told me to expect snow this weekend. I'll keep that little bird in mind next year when I'm looking for the signs of spring. We went and cut wood for the stove and it seemed a bit ironic to search for the cut pieces among the wildflowers and tall grass that are growing in the pasture. It was a different kind of Easter hunt.

I have been trying not to bore all of you with my passion for wildflowers this season, because I tend to go overboard. I find myself taking pictures of the same flowers year after year, filling up disks with repeats. But I had to stop and back up to snap the photo of this beauty I've posted. Thanks to the Wild About Texas Wildflowers website, I've identified it as downy paintbrush. I don't remember seeing one of these before. I spotted it on FM 611, just south of the cemetery.

I'd like to mention that my friend Michael Paul has redesigned his site, Daosu. Be sure to pop over and take a look.

So, throw another dog on the bed and have a happy Easter!

The Business of Judy Green

I was thinking about my friend Judy Green today, who is an artist as well as an ebay entrepeneur. This sketch I've posted is my very favorite, and that's what really got to me to reminiscing. I designed a website for her a few years ago, and looked to see if it's still up. Judy Green Art is a project I did for a college course, and I'm proud to say it doesn't look half bad. It has morphed a bit since 2002, but it's basically the same.

Judy has some unique items for auction at this time, be sure to check them out.

If you would like a t-shirt or clock with the cute and cunning pups on it, be sure to order one from her at Cafe Press.