Author: admin

Book written in Devine, Tx makes national news

I was scrolling news online last Wednesday night when I stumbled across an article about my book “Hello from the Great Blue Sea” on Yahoo News! It came as a total surprise.
An article about our book was published on the front page of the Corpus Christi Caller Times last Monday, July 11, and I noticed that article was written by a journalist who is part of the USA Today Network. So Yahoo News apparently picked it up sometime after that.
The book is illustrated by Chad Wildoner, an inspiring young man who battles the same disease as my little niece, but he won’t let this disease stop him from living life to the fullest. He’s gone skydiving, horseback riding, kayaking, you name it–and now he has illustrated a children’s book that made National news! I wrote this children’s book for my niece Audrey (after she was diagnosed with A-T) to help show her that she too, can do anything she wants to do and go anywhere she wants to go, wheelchair or not.
Chad and I are donating all book sales profits to a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for A-T, the A-T Children’s Project.
Because A-T is such a rare disease, the A-T Children’s Project is the driving force behind most of the research that’s being done. So our family has connected with Chad’s family, over 2,000 miles away in California, in our mission to help raise funds for a cure.
You can buy our book on Amazon by typing the title into the search bar: “Hello from the Great Blue Sea”.
The theme of the book is how the world’s oceans connect us all, so how appropriate it is to be a fundraiser for a condition so rare that it only affects 1 in 40,000-100,000 people, but to see so many people come together to help us in so many ways. Small acts of kindness can go such a long way, like the sweet lady, Mrs. Ann, who is the director of the condo at the beach, who agreed to sell our books in her little gift store in Port Aransas. Because of that, the Corpus Christi Caller did a story on our book, because the book is sold at a local store. Then the story ends up on Yahoo News. Pretty cool.
A direct link is as follows on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Hello-Great-Blue-Sea-Wonders/dp/B0B5KXGSYW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NTAACF3YETO8&keywords=hello+from+great+blue+sea&qid=1658175708&sprefix=hello+from+great+blue+se%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-1
Hello from the Great Blue Sea is a non-fiction picture book with sea animals including a starfish, shark, sea turtle, dolphin, whales, and fun facts along the way. A short 5-minute read. At the back of the book, are a “behind the scenes” story and pictures showing the illustrator as he drew the pictures and telling the story of how he continues to overcome his disabilities.

Circus in Natalia Tuesday and Wednesday, July 26th & 27th, Come join the fun at 7:30 PM !!!

The Luna Family Circus will be in Natalia on Tuesday, July 26 and Wednesday, July 27 near city hall, at 2079 State Hwy 132. There will be one show each day starting at 7:30 pm. Ticket Price is $10.00 per adult – and children get in free with an adult.
There will be jugglers, a balancing act, clowns, acrobats, a magic act, and a Sponge Bob character is also part of the show. The family circus act is based out of Houston.
The show is about an hour and a half long, and seating is under the big top circus tent.
“People love our clowns and kids love the our performing puppy,” Jo Luna said. “He is still in training, but I bring him out and the kids love him.”

If you want to see a new tax exemption or freeze for 65 and older, contact your Medina County Commissioner

If you would like to see an over 65 exemption on your Medina County taxes like the school districts offer, please contact your county judge and commissioner to let them know you would like to see this offered to senior citizens over the age of 65.
What the Devine ISD taxing unit offers is an over 65 residence homestead exemption which freezes your tax rate and appraised evaluation from the moment of exemption on as long as that is your homestead.
Medina County is considering and may take action on what they can or want to offer in the form of a tax exemption or freeze at the 10:00 am July 28, 2022 Medina County Commissioners Court meeting at the new courthouse annex which is across the road from the old courthouse in Hondo.
It’s time to speak up and/or show up if you want to see an exemption passed. It would help many people.
“I think people are ready for any kind of tax relief right now,” said Commissioner Jerry Beck.
Contact: Medina County Judge Chris Schuchart at 830-741-6020.
Pct. 1 Comm. Tim Neumann, Hondo, 830-741-6016
Pct. 2 Comm. Larry Sittre, Castroville, 830-931-4000
Pct. 3 Comm. David Lynch, Hondo, 830-741-6006
Pct. 4 Comm. Jerry Beck, Devine, 210-244-3413 cell or 830- 665-8015.

Project Breeze ongoing at Devine PD,
drop off your fans today

10 fans were dropped off at the Devine Police Department by Kellen Nixon and Lewis Stroud from the Devine Lions Club. Devine PD sponsors Project Breeze and distributes fans to those in need throughout the year. Their supplies were getting low, so the Devine Lions Club jumped up. If you would like to donate fans, just drop them off at the Devine PD behind City Hall. Police Chief Kandy Benavides accepts the fans.

You can call the office phone at 830-663-4403 to arrange or ask for further information if needed. “With the weather like it is, a fan is a big help and always appreciated. The Lions Club is always needy and willing to help those in need!” said Lion President Lewis Stroud.

Gun Trading

I recently wrote a Tale about a Cattle Trading trip with my Grand Dad Rosenauer when I was a young boy. Because some days you can say Good Morning to me at Sunrise and I am stuck for an answer till Noon, it caught me by surprise when this Tale came to mind while right in the middle of writing the first one.
So, I figured I better put it to paper right quick before it “melted away” into that dark empty crevice called My Brain, to be lost forever. I mentioned how my Grand Dad would “meander around” a while before coming up with an amount to buy or sell something.
My Dad was the exact opposite most of the time. He had enough of the livestock business growing up in La Brasada, and never owned a cow or horse in his life as an adult. But besides his family and hunting, he sure did love to “mess with guns”.
My Dad would tinker and work with a gun and reload for it, until it shot as good as the rifle possibly could. Then he would lose interest in it and go to the next one. My Momma said it was a good thing he did not have the same attitude about his Wife and Kids!
As an adult I came to realize Dad had about 6 or 8 “gun nuts buddies” (his words not mine) who shared this passion. I don’t think they ever made much money on their many trades, but they sure did “swap” a lot of guns around.
Please keep in mind that was a VERY different point in time and all those men know each other very well. I guess a few “outside sales” did occur every once in a while. But mostly they simply traded among themselves.
I distinctly remember one time Dad had a sweet rifle that fit me, and I shot it really well. I told him not to sell it, and about the 3rd or 4th time it came back into his gun cabinet I asked how much he wanted for that gun. He told me and I wrote him a check for it on the spot. I clearly and somewhat strongly said it was now mine. But he could keep and use it. Just don’t ever sell it again. I believe he shot that gun for 11 more years before sending it “Home” with me. And I used it till the barrel wore slap dab out!
My Dad’s negotiating techniques were somewhat limited in style and format. His words were almost the same:
“I dont’ have to seel this gun and don’t owe no money on it. My family is gonna eat whether it sells or not. So, pay me $XXX or let’s forget about trading and talk about something else.”
As a reasonably successful marketing teacher, speaker, writer, and sales practitioner, I was always trying to point out other strategies or options to them. Grand Dad would “wander around in the desert” with his approach and Dad was a “take it or leave it” kind of a guy.
Far be it from me to question the integrity or character of these two significant role models for me and others. But is sure does seem like having a few more “sales tools in your selling portfolio” was a good thing. But then what does an old backwoods south Texas Aggie Doc know about much anyway? After all I am still trying to come up with a prompt response to Good Morning!

Summer desserts

All I can say about our weather is: Hot, hotter and hottest. With all the days with triple digit temperatures, it’s definitely a heat wave. A local friend of mine commented that the Devine area was having even more heat than we are. She had been watching a weathercast on the news and they mentioned it.
My week was not too busy, just two half-days in the gift shop, but my weekend was wonderful. It started out that two of my daughters were coming to visit, my youngest and my eldest. It went down to just one coming in, and we had talked about shopping rather than crafting. We had a supper Friday night of one of her favorite dishes, fried catfish, with a salad and some French fries, cleaned up the kitchen and then we mostly sat and visited afterwards and played a couple games of Rummikub. She also did some chores that have gotten a little difficult for me, and then before we knew it, bedtime was upon us. Since she had worked all day and then driven for several hours, she was worn out. Saturday morning, we were both up, having breakfast, and deciding what we were going to do, and the shopping trip was looking great! She has not been here in a while and thought about maybe Ross and a couple of other places. As we were sitting with our coffee and talking, I turned around at a sound behind me and there was my eldest daughter! Talk about a surprise, it turned out that some plans changed, and she was able to be with us after all, and yes, the daughter who came in on Friday knew all about it, so the surprise was for me. We sat and visited and drank coffee most of the morning, then decided that with the heat, and because the daughter who had just come in had an injured foot, that we just needed to stay cool, so that is what we did. We took a short drive to town to get a couple of things, and then came home for the day, had a quick lunch (that my daughter brought in with her), and then spent the rest of the day playing Rummikub, in front of the AC and a fan, nice and cool! Since my older daughter wasn’t staying overnight, she left to go back home and the other one checked out a couple of electronic problems I was having, had a supper of boiled shrimp and some leftovers from Friday, played a few more games of Rummikub and called it a night.
I got up early Sunday morning for church, and came home, to find she had already dried the sheets we put in the washer late Saturday evening and had her bed stripped and these sheets washed and dried. We had breakfast and then decided to go to the next town to Wal-Mart for some things she needed, for a totally fun morning. We had an early lunch and by 1:00 p.m. she was on the road to home. And, it goes without saying, she left the kitchen spotless and the whole house neatened up!
Here are a couple cool desserts using lemons. These desserts are always so cool and tasty, especially in this hot weather.
Luscious Lemon Dessert
1 can fruit cocktail
1 can sliced peaches, (cut into smaller pieces)
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 box instant lemon pudding mix
Pour fruit cocktail and peaches with their liquid into serving bowl, add drained Mandarin oranges, stir in pudding mix. Stir well. Chill before serving. Can be served with whipped topping if desired.
Lemon Pie in a Bowl
1 box instant lemon pudding and pie filling
1 carton (8-oz) whipped topping, thawed
Mix the pudding according to directions on box. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the whipped topping. Serve in bowls. With this dessert, the first time I made it, I had baked a pie shell and it broke, so instead of putting the filling in the shell, I mixed the whipped topping into the pudding, poured it into a bowl and broke the pie shell into pieces and stuck them into the mixture. As my daughter always says; “When you get hold of a lemon, make lemonade”. Cooking flops are not always that simple to fix, but many times with a little imagination, you can salvage what you have messed up and fix it!
Dewey Lemon Salad
2 packages (3-oz size) sugar-free lemon gelatin
1 can (16-oz size) crushed pineapple
1 can (21-oz size) lemon pie filling
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups hot water
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup Cool Whip
Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add pineapple juice and cool until it begins to set. Fold in fruits and marshmallows, then place in either a 9×13 pan or a 9×9-inch dish. Chill until firm. Combine pie filling and Cool Whip, then spread over gelatin. Chill. Yield: 10 servings.

Inflation is over 9%

Think I might need to replace my rain gauge. Dang thing hasn’t been used in so long, I think it quit working or the battery died or something. Then, the rain was sent and I found out that it still worked. Got 4.2 inches on Thursday.
We canceled the Budget Meeting for Thursday evening and rescheduled it for Tuesday at 9 AM. Hope some got the message on Facebook cuz this comes out after the meeting.
Went to my Appraisal protest hearing. Shoulda stayed home. They don’t care what you present, the number is set. When I asked for a comparable sale in the area, the District could not produce one. I believe that Johnette Dixon took offense to me printing a story about her raise. Guess she didn’t want to advertise it. I would sure like to be on the Appraisal Board once I retire from this job on January 1st next year.
I sure hope some of you have contacted your Commissioner and explained how tough times are now. According to the news stations, it costs the average family over $450 more a month to maintain their level of existence without increasing their income. Inflation is over 9%, people are selling off their cattle cause the cost of feeding them is too high, fertilizer to put on crops is outrageous and it’s almost too late to plant anything that could produce in a timely manner. We need to do something about taxes soon….mid-term elections is a good place to start. Term limits is another place to start.
Concerning property taxes, if you have a 7 or 8 figure bank account, a couple hunnerd dollars don’t affect you. But, this happens EVERY year and it mounts up. If you are living on Social Security and a fixed income, it is a big burden. Sometimes, it’s pay your bills and skip eating or eat and let the electricity get cut off.
I have asked our County Judge and our Tax Assessor/Collector to look into the possibility of County taxpayers getting a break. Why can’t we (County) offer the 65 and over crowd a break like the Schools do? Why can’t we freeze their taxes too? Just my opinion but, I think the school system needs an overhaul as well…
This year is my last and my focus is not on improving the financial status of a couple hunnerd employees without taking into consideration the 50,000+ taxpayers of our County that fund this endeavor that some call a circus. Nowadays, if you have a job that is a blessing.
I am fixing to be one of those living on a fixed income. Hopefully, my retirement checks and my Social Security check will suffice enough so that we don’t have to deplete our savings accounts.
Hope that I don’t have to find a job after retiring a second time. If I could make a living on the advice given by Bubba Hanson and Mike Schott on Wednesday mornings at Las Palmas, I would try but, that advice ain’t useful at all….colorful but not useful.
Heard that rain falls on the just and the unjust so, just in case, keep praying for rain even though some of us got some…

A Little Reprieve

We got a little reprieve last week; we only had 38 calls for service! Officers had some extra time on their hands and conducted 110 traffic stops. Of those traffic stops, 94 resulted in a citation and 16 were warnings.
There is not much to report this week, so brace yourself for boredom. We only had one property crime: #1 – The Animal Control Director reported a possible burglary at Diamond S Buildings (19650 IH-35 Access Rd.). We discovered that someone pushed out a window AC unit and made entry. The owner reported 2 Takamine acoustic guitars were missing; they were valued at $350 each. Somewhere, some crooks are strumming on those guitars. If you happened to hear them, give us a call.
Officers made two arrests this past week: #1 – Officer S. Pena observed a Hondo ATV being operated on a public roadway. He attempted to make a traffic stop but the ATV rider opted to “run.” A pursuit ensued and with the help of Ofc. J. Cortez and ACSO Deputy E. Lopez the suspect was taken into custody. He was booked on a felony charge of evading arrests. #2 – Officer J. Cortez (assisted by Ofc. Pena) conducted a traffic stop on Main St. at Bank. A female was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and a handgun was seized (the serial number had been altered). More charges are pending.
What else is happening around town? To put it simply; lots of growth. The city has three new subdivisions in various stages. Saddle Ridge Estates (which got out of the gate first) is building strong, by Halloween that will be some prime “Trick or Treat” territory.
The 7-Eleven / Stripes is getting close to completion. They were hoping to open in early August, but it looks like it will be a little later. The old Days Inn (originally the El Cid) hotel is long gone, replaced by fuel pumps and Slurpee machines.
I can’t believe it, but school starts in less than a month! August 11th will be the first day back for students at Lytle I.S.D. This year, like all the years in the past, the Lytle P.D. will do our part to get this school year started on a good note. Please take notice of the school zones and be understanding of the heavy congestion that comes along with the first few days of school. After the first few days it becomes just moderate congestion.

Don L. Hoover

Don L. Hoover of Castroville, Texas was born on February 2, 1961 in Hondo, Texas to Herbert Norman Hoover and Julia Leal Hoover passed away on July 12, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 61.
Don had worked as Interim Chief for Eagle Lake Police Dept.
He is preceded in death by his father: Herbert Norman Hoover; his mother: Julia Garza; his wife Betty Hoover (Sept. 1, 2020) and his niece: Delsa Osti and nephew: Noah Hoover.
He is survived by his sons: Sean H. Hoover and wife Mia of Angleton, TX and Joshua P. Hoover and wife Heather of Spring, TX; six grandchildren: Jasmine Hoover, Jaiden Hoover, Hayes Hoover, Mila Hoover, Brenden Burgos and Emma Hoover; great grandsons: Ezra and Adonis Hoover; brothers: Daniel Hoover and wife Angel of Castroville, TX and Delbert Hoover of Natalia, TX; sisters: Dalia Hoover of Natalia, TX, Dora Osti and husband Antonio of Natalia, TX and Darlene Sanchez of Natalia, TX; nieces, nephews and other relatives.
A Rosary will be held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 11:00a.m. at Hurley Funeral Home-Devine Chapel led by Deacon Jerry Whitley followed with a Funeral Service at 11:30 a.m. at Hurley Funeral Home with Deacon Jerry Whitley officiating. Graveside Services at 1:00 p.m. with Deacon Jerry Whitley officiating. Internment of his cremains (along with his wife’s) to follow in Evergreen Cemetery, Devine, TX.

Ronald Martinez

Mr. Ronald Martinez, of Devine, age 48, passed away on July 10, 2022.
Ronald was born in Denver Colorado, on December 13, 1973 to Eusebio Martinez and Sylvia Lopez.
He was preceded in death by his father Eusebio; his maternal grandfather: Antonio Lopez; and uncles: Danny Lopez, Tony Lopez and Ruby Lopez.
Survivors: include his mother Sylvia Lopez of Devine, TX; his daughters: Clarisse Martinez of Abilene, TX, Vanessa Martinez of San Antonio, TX and Cecilia N. Martinez of Devine, TX brother: Juan Antonio Guardiola of Phoenix, AZ; sister: Avilia Guardiola of San Antonio, TX; Grandmother: Minnie Lopez; 5 grandchildren; and numerous other relatives.
Visitation will be held Friday, July 15, 2022 from 5:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. at Primera Iglesia Bautista Bethania, 404 E. Hondo, Devine, TX 78016. A Prayer Service will be held at 7:00p.m. that evening. Services to conclude at the church. Ronald’s family has elected cremation.