Columns
Happy New Year!
Posted on January 7th, 2011
Mr. Herb Remington, Steer Guitarist
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
We had a very well planned evening set for New Year’s Eve. My bride and I were to make several functions and spend a set time at each in order to get them all in.
That all went to pot when I heard Herb Remington play his steel guitar at the All Around Cowboy Church in Sealy.
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Big family, big Christmas
Posted on January 4th, 2011
We usually rotate Christmas and Thanksgiving with our kids and this was the year for them to go the other direction for Christmas.
We went to spend the first Christmas with our newest granddaughter in Yancey. It was wonderful, our son-in-law has a large very gracious family and we had a fine time.
We planned to return the day after Christmas for a small birthday celebration with son Michael on Dec. 26.
However, my bride and a niece got on the phone while we traveled on Friday and decided it would be nice if all of my brothers and sisters who were able came to our house on Sunday to celebrate four family birthdays from Dec. 25-27 including my mother’s 91st on Monday.
I have six siblings. Not many had plans for the day after Christmas. We ended up with 38 folks for lunch on Sunday.
It finished a wonderful Christmas. I hope you had a great time as well.
Happy New Year.
Wow it’s dry
Posted on December 27th, 2010
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
I recently received another rainfall report from our local camp cook and rain recorder, Vance Cooper. Vance makes incredible campfire biscuits, but he hasn’t been able to make it rain lately and he is not writing anything down on his rainfall reports of late.
Great rains during May (5.42 inches), June (3.24 inches) and July (7.05 inches) saved area hay crops and pastures, but they did give grain farmers a large share of grief.
August put us right back in dry conditions with only 0.94 inches for the month. September put everyone right back into good attitudes with 5.49 inches measured for the month.
But, there was no measured precipitation in October, November only brought 1.16 inches and the most at one time was 0.22 inches on Nov. 27. It hasn’t rained since, save a miniscule 0.02 inches on Nov. 29.
We are at 31.85 inches for the year which is 12 to 15 inches below normal.
The recent frosts have only compounded the problem.
Every county surrounding us has a burn ban on and Austin County just passed another ordinance restricting the use of any flying fireworks such as “skyrockets with sticks” or “missiles with fins.”
A little common sense is also needed when using any type of burning device. This weekend at my son’s wedding, they treated the guests to smores and everyone held sparklers as the couple left the reception.
We used a safe, enclosed fire ring for a small fire on bare ground for the smores and instructed everyone specifically not to throw the sparklers and to hold them until they were out.
We also had water hoses available. That didn’t take a lot of effort and everyone enjoyed the experience.
When barbecuing, frying turkeys or cooking anything outside over the holidays, please be careful. The same goes for fires at hunting camps.
Fireworks are fun, but take a few moments for planning a little safety before lighting up.
Remember, the house you save may be your own.
Living legends
Posted on December 10th, 2010
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
Last Sunday I was blessed again as I was able to attend a luncheon for this year’s Wallis Christmas Parade Marshals at the Wallis Chamber of Commerce offices.
The folks selected for this year are all lifelong residents of Wallis and those lives have been long. They are Rudy Knesek, Irene Petter, Viola Holub, Lillie Hunter and Pauline Gutierrez. Mrs. Hunter was unable to attend. I already knew some of the honorees, but not all of them.
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Granddaddy sitting
Posted on December 1st, 2010
Thanksgiving was wonderful. All of our kids and grandkids who live in the United States were present and we watched as a family as A&M beat Texas.
We missed the group that lives in Okinawa, but they were present in thoughts and via electronic communication devices.
The best parts of the holiday for me were actually the weekend before and the day after the holiday.
The weekend before Thanksgiving our oldest son and his wife went to California to a friend’s wedding. We kept their 3-year-old daughter for the weekend. Saturday I got to be the designated babysitter.
On “Black Friday” my daughter, Michael’s fiancé and my bride decided to go to Houston furniture shopping. I was again tapped for babysitting duties, this time with a 5-month-old darling baby granddaughter.
The biggest differences I noticed between keeping a 3-year-old and a 5-month old are both pluses. You don’t have to change diapers on a 3-year-old and you don’t have to answer “Why” every time you say anything to a 5-month-old.
Both require pretty much full time attention, but the rewards of that attention are incredible. When they are treated like something special, both ages are completely capable of a smile and a hug. That makes a granddaddy feel pretty special too.
Holiday tips from the Sergeant
Posted on December 1st, 2010
By Sgt. Kyle Fredericksen
Financial Crimes/Fraud Investigator
Austin County Sheriff’s Office
It always amazes me at how willing people are to give their money away. As the holiday shopping season arrives, it is good to be reminded that cyber criminals are always coming up with new ideas to steal your money and personal information.
Scammers use many different ways to fool potential victims, including conducting fraudulent auction sales, reshipping merchandise that was purchased with stolen credit cards and selling fraudulent or stolen gift cards at auction sites at discounted prices. These are just a few things you need to think about when you are spending your hard earned dollars online.
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Dare to be thankful
Posted on November 24th, 2010
Thanksgiving is a very special time of year for me. I am thankful for the many blessings God provides such as family, friends, our daily bread and other necessities.
I am particularly thankful right now because a young horse I have been riding miraculously had an epiphany and began to become a real roping horse I may be able to actually compete on some day. We went through some really tough times on the way to his success.
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A kid’s look at government
Posted on October 11th, 2010
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
At the Wallis City Council meeting in September, a special speaker requested a spot on the agenda and was granted a place.
Cierra Risinger, a Brazos Middle School student, wrote a letter to the Mayor requesting the city to consider a more active recycling program. She came to the meeting, read her letter and stood confidently before council. She had obviously done her homework and had several valid suggestions for the council to consider.
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Childhood heroes
Posted on September 29th, 2010
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
George Blanda passed away on Monday. The Associated Press article I first saw on the internet said Blanda was most remembered as the ageless quarterback and kicker of the Oakland Raiders. He played pro football for 26 years and retired one month shy of his 49th birthday.
I was 10 years old when the Houston Oilers and the American Football League started operations. George Blanda was the first quarterback, kicker and punter for the Oilers. (more…)
Is this how the health care bill is supposed to work?
Posted on September 28th, 2010
By Johnny Griffin, Editor
I am 60 years old and in good health. I had a serious illness two years ago, but have been declared healed from that situation. No cancer, no pregnancy or fertility issues, no smoking, no tickets for driving under the influence and no dependency programs. My electro cardiograms are good, circulation is fine and my lung capacity is well above normal for my age.
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