I like to buy birthday presents that are sort of “out of the box” so to speak, especially for kid’s parties. A present is all about the surprise factor for me. When I found out cousin Cody was turning 8, after some thought, I set out to find a camping tent for his birthday gift. My teenager looked at me like I was crazy when I told her I was looking for a tent for a gift. I agree, I’m pretty sure that’s totally out of the realm of his normal activities, but he lives on a ranch now, so I figure he’d enjoy a little backyard camping. To my disappointment, there were none for sale at any of the three stores I went to. So I wandered around a little bit on my way out of the last store when I stumbled upon the perfect gift….a gumball machine. I remember the utter coolness of a coin-operated gum ball machine when I got one long ago, one Christmas in the 90s. I was always a little entrepreneur, and I thought I’d get rich selling gumballs. I wasn’t exactly sure if today’s kids would really like an old-fashioned gum ball machine, but I had a hunch they would. After all, sugar never goes out of style. At least, I figured, I can definitely picture him getting a kick out of selling gumballs to all his brothers and cousins at the party. So I took a chance and grabbed the gum ball machine. And boy did they love it; all the boys and girls hovered around it, scrounging the house (and mama and daddy’s pockets) for quarters. I could have gotten a video game or something electronic because I know he loves those, but to me, it’s so much more fun to see their little eyes light up when they get something new and different. Just as I suspected, he is a true gumball entrepreneur. Here’s to getting rich cousin Cody…one quarter at a time. Hey, maybe I need to find my old gumball machine!
This week at Lytle P.D. … Officers handled 74 calls for service! They conducted 45 traffic stops that resulted in 37 citations and 8 warnings. Officers kept busy – Reported Property Crimes, we had 8 of them: #1 – A construction company working in the Saddle Ridge subdivision reported 140 gallons of diesel missing from two pieces of equipment. #2 – a 2012 Toyota Tundra had the catalytic converter cut off, this happened at the Lytle Crossing parking lot. #3 – An Adams St. resident reported that someone damaged the side mirror on their vehicle. #4 – Lytle ISD reported that somebody passed another fake $20 bill at the concession stand. #5 – H.E.B. Plus reported that a crook made off with 8 trees valued at $58.76. #6 – Officers took a report of a vehicle being “keyed” at the H.E.B. Plus, it occurred during a disturbance. #7 – Burglary of a building, N. Pecan St. Approx. $500 worth of wire was taken from a shed. On an interesting note, the victims had a video of the suspect’s vehicle and saw him a few days later at Dollar General. They confronted the suspect, something I wouldn’t suggest doing. They were able to recover some of their property. #8 – A catalytic converter was cut from a 2004 Toyota Tundra while parked at Hurley’s Funeral Home. Arrests last week, we had 4 of them: #1 – Ofc. A. Lopez (assisted by Sgt. Hanson) cited and released the driver for possession of drug paraphernalia. #2 – Ofc. L. Diaz was checking out a suspicious person at the Lytle Mini Storage and found him to have an active assault warrant out of Bexar Co. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #3 – A welfare check by Ofc. Pena on a female at H.E.B.’s curbside area resulted in a female being arrested for an active warrant out of Bexar Co. for contempt of court. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – Ofc. Pena conducted a traffic stop on Wisdom & Norvell. The driver was arrested for felony DWI and had two active felony warrants out of Bexar Co., both were child sex crimes. So that is it for the crime reports, now on to some other stuff: Perhaps your nose was picking up an odd smell over the weekend? We were scrambling around to figure out why Lytle was using the temporary motto “A City on the Stink.” We were able to find the source of the “fowl” odor as being chicken manure that was recently applied as fertilizer to a large farm just outside of town. We almost broke out our masks again! Our National Night Out event went very well, we ran out of hotdogs towards the end (we served over 300!). Special thanks to the Lytle VFW and their Auxiliary for cooking and serving the hotdogs and providing a DJ. Thanks also to the Lytle HS Honor Society for serving the drinks, and the Lytle PD Civ. Aux. members for staffing our booth, we had numerous businesses and organizations set up as well. I even had my wife and kids handing out ice cream bars. Thanks to all those that participated and or attended the event, there is no way I can list them all here. The Lytle Fire Dept. was able to highlight a new truck and we had a new Tahoe on display too. Plans are already in the works to make the event next year even better. The only downside to the event was Ofc. D. Lopez lost his body-worn camera while taking down the bounce house. Several of the officers got aggressive and jumped on it to force the air out. Later we realized that maybe his camera was rolled up in there. The next morning, we contacted the owner of the bounce house, who happens to be a city council member, and asked about unrolling it and looking for the camera. He found it! The story continues…. he was running a little late, so he texted his wife on his cell phone, and “bodycam” auto-corrected to “body” ……so the text came over as “found body in the bouncer, texting Richey.” I can imagine the thoughts running through her head that we wrapped some kid up in the bouncer the night before.
My week was fairly quiet until Saturday when my twin grandsons and the family of one of them came for a visit. The one is in transition from being stationed in Hawaii and his next posting; the other came along as he hadn’t gotten to visit in a while. The family was his wife and three children that I hadn’t seen in three years. To say the children have changed would be putting it mildly; they grow a lot in three years! We had a wonderful day, the youngest one learned how to cast his line fishing, of course he just had a bobber and no hook, but he got pretty good. The girl learned very quickly also and actually had an artificial bait on hers, but unfortunately nothing was biting, the oldest boy knew how to cast, but had no luck also. They all were happy to shoot at turtles with my favorite Red Ryder BB gun…they came close a couple of times. My granddaughter-in-law had not ever had the chance to shoot even a BB gun, so she had a good time also. Their next post will be in Florida, and they seem to be looking forward to it, I know they will miss the friends they’ve lived around for several years, but they seem to just deal with it. The practice of decorating “Jack-o-lanterns” began with an Irish folktale about a man called “Stingy Jack”. Back then, large turnips and potatoes were used, rather than pumpkins. As the Irish immigrated to America, they brought customs with them, and this was one of them. In America, pumpkins were available, and this is what they started using. Following is the story of “Stingy Jack” as I found it in a search. As I was typing this, I realized that parts of the story were not continued in a cohesive way, probably due to a mistake of mine. How the History of the Jack-o-lantern came to be An old Irish tale of folklore tells the tale of “Stingy Jack” and the Devil and how trickery led the man to become forever famous. There are variations of the story, as tends to happen with any story passed down through the generations, but the general idea remains fairly consistent. It starts with Jack having a pint at the pub with the Devil himself. Having the nickname “Stingy Jack” obviously meant that the man was always looking for a way out of paying, and so on this particular occasion he saw the Devil as a way free and clear of paying for his drink. He asked the Devil if he would consider shifting himself into the form of a coin that could be used to square away the bill. Old Stingy offered up his soul in exchange for this deal. The Devil of course agreed and turned himself into a sixpence. Of course, once the Devil had done so, Jack got to re-thinking the deal they’d made and was tempted by the feel of money in his hand, so he slipped that Devil coin into his pocket, keeping it near a silver cross so that there was no chance of a change back transformation. After some time, Jack thought of a better deal he could strike with the Devil. He agreed to set the Devil free, as long as this demon assured Jack he would not try to steal the mortal’s soul for ten full years. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. (This is where a part is missing, sorry!) When Jack finally did die and tried to enter Heaven, God wanted no part of allowing entry to this man wh had demonstrated such terrible behavior while living. The Devil could not allow jack”s soul to enter Hell, and therefore, sent Jack back to where he came from The way was dark, and Jack, unable to see his way out from Hell requested something to light his path. The Devil then tossed a hot, burning coal ember for Jack to carry. This ember would never burns out since it was from the flames of Hell. Since the coal burnt his hands, Jack looked for a vessel to use to carry this coal and eventually came across a turnip which he carved to create a lantern. This created the legend of Jack the Lantern, also known as Jack O’Lantern. Tomatillo Guacamole 7 (medium sized) tomatillos, husks removed, and tomatillos washed and dried 2 large, unpeeled cloves garlic 2 large jalapeños, seeded and halved 2 tablespoons chopped red onion ½ teaspoon white or red wine vinegar ½ cup chopped cilantro 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 2 or 3 large avocados Preheat broiler. On a cookie sheet lined with foil, roast tomatillos, garlic and chilies (skin side up), for 7 minutes. Remove garlic and chilies, and turn tomatillos over, and broil until charred, about 5 minutes more. Remove from pan to cool. When tomatillos cool, chop into small pieces and set aside. Remove skin from garlic and discard. Mash garlic. Remove skin from chilies and chop or dice chilies. Place chopped onion in bowl with vinegar, stir to coat. Pour into colander to drain and discard vinegar. (This rids the onion of a strong taste). Add cilantro, salt, pepper, mashed garlic chilies and tomatillos to the bowl with the onions and stir to mix. Peel and pit the avocados, add to above mixture, mash with a potato masher until well blended. Taste for seasoning and serve at room temperature with chips. May be made up to 8 hours ahead of serving time and refrigerated. Use in 2 days. (Mine never lasted that long, as we always snacked while waiting for everyone to get there for a meal! If you weren’t there early, you probably didn’t get even a taste). Stuffed Avocado Shells 2 avocados Chicken salad or seafood salad Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Using a spoon, scoop out about 1/2 of the avocado meat from each one, leaving a shell with some avocado meat still in it. Make up (or buy) your favorite chicken salad or seafood salad, dice the avocado you removed and stir into the salad, mound into the avocado shells and serve on a lettuce leaf. 4 servings
Greetings from all of us here at the Lytle P.D.! We had 60 calls for service this week and 71 traffic stops. Of those 71 traffic stops, 63 were issued citations, and 8 were given warnings. We took 6 reports of property crimes, here you go: #1 – Some aspiring artists hit John Lott Park with graffiti. The pavilion sign, building, and trash can were targeted. #2 – A Wisdom Rd. resident reported that their trash can was stolen. #3 – A catalytic converter was taken from a 2015 Toyota Tacoma while it was parked at the TXDOT Park and Ride across from Lytle State Bank. #4 – A homeowner on CR 6842 reported someone was inside their home. Officers arrived and arrested a male for burglary of a habitation. #5 – A catalytic converter was taken from a 2018 Honda CRV while it was parked at O’Reilly Auto Parts on McDonald St. #6 – H.E.B. reported the theft of some trees, looks like the same vehicle from last week. The items taken (28 trees) were valued at approx. $720. These guys were pointing out what to get like they were filling a shopping list. We got better video this time……maybe we can track them down. Officers made two arrests last week. #1 – A man was arrested for burglarizing a home (the incident on CR 6842). The homeowner caught him on camera. He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #2 – A man with 2 parole board warrants (possession of a firearm by felon & controlled substance possession) was sitting in front of the PD and turned himself in. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail without incident. We had a lot going on last week, this including assisting with 4 pursuits. #1 – Thursday (9/29) around noon officers assisted with a pursuit that ended just south of the city limits on IH-35. This incident involved human smuggling. #2 – Friday (9/30) around 4:30 PM officers assisted with a pursuit from the south on Main St. The vehicle (a stolen F250) turned up 2790 N, looped down Blume Dr., and then took off towards La Coste. The pursuing officers lost the vehicle. It most likely involved human smuggling, the vehicle was stolen out of SA, and so I doubt our crooks were simply returning it. #3 – Saturday (10/1) just after midnight, officers assisted with a pursuit from La Coste that ended in the LHS parking lot. It was not related to human smuggling. #4 – Saturday (10/1) about 9AM, State Troopers pursued a vehicle into town on Main St. from the south. The suspect vehicle collided with two vehicles at the intersection in front of city hall and then came to rest in front of a house next to city hall. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. This vehicle was engaged in human smuggling. My family was just up the street conducting a garage sale in front of some old buildings we have. My wife and son saw the crash; I was inside and heard them holler for me. I sprinted down the street as the officers were taking the suspects into custody. The road was shut down for a while. I was later told by a witness that I didn’t sprint down the street; it was more like a fast walk. Well, it seemed like I was sprinting. On a positive note, my wife said sales soared at the garage sale due to the road closure. Just be careful out there, I have never seen so many pursuits and incidents involving human smuggling in my 30+ year career as a peace officer. We are well over 100 miles from the border, so I can imagine what it is like further south. I’m not talking politics, just letting you know what is going on in our community. My advice: Be extra careful at all intersections, even if you have the right of way. If you see and or hear emergency vehicles get off the roadway as soon as possible, I suggest pulling into a parking lot or well into the grass if that is your only option. I’m so proud of myself; I focused on a serious topic. I was going to scrap all that and rave about the Italian food place we ate at in Helotes after the garage sale.
I scheduled a fishing trip with a couple of my amigos, and it was agreed that it was my time to drive. I informed the Boss Lady of the arrangement and she commented it was good because taking other people around was the ONLY time I ever really cleaned up and out Old Whitey. In retrospect, like most things she is not wrong. I always taught in my real estate marketing classes, as well as practiced in my own long ranch sales career that people don’t mind their own dirt but don’t like other folk’s messes. In doing that “clean up and out” project I got to thinking me and my truck are a lot alike. I never did like change too much and so pretty much bought the same “make up” of truck for over 40 years. Same design, with a few improvements as they came along, same color, same most everything. The current one has been “kept around” longer than the others because there is now much less time with “my bucket in the bucket seats” due to retirement. In truck years I guess we are about the same age. WELL past our prime, neither are nearly attractive nor powerful as when we were newer. Scarred up with a good many bumps and bruises adorning our carriages, both internal and external. But we both “start up” MOST days and can still rumble on down the road. Maybe a little slower and with more maintenance than in times past. We have pulled some pretty heavy loads with livestock or farm equipment in or on a trailer behind us. And gotten into some pretty “hairy” drives in deep sand and mud or on a few rocky slopes. But we made it out most of the time without incident and the few times we did not make it, not a lot of serious help or repair were needed. And I reckon we BOTH could be replaced, but I don’t think it would be worth the time, trouble, and cost to trade either of us in just yet! Yep, me and that old truck sure do seem to have several things in common!
Heifer Hunting
With the start of a new school year, it is a bit more complicated to arrange trips down into La Brasada with my Grand Kids. The 3rd Grade and Kindergartener girls have scholastic duties that outrank our country runaways. The nearly 3 year one is not quite so restricted with his weekday obligations. Our daughter said she was taking the kids down on Saturday to feed the gentle heifers we have on the place before they go back to their “real home” next week. On Friday I left a bag of cubes and some corn out there so they could feed the livestock and wildlife. Much to my dismay we had obligations that precluded me enjoying the weekend event with them. I asked Jesscia to report back to us after their adventure and it seemed like in a fairly short period of time, we received a video call from our Home Place. As luck would have it the cattle were around the Water Trough by our Pens not far from the front gate. So “the hunt” was not too hard. There was a great debate on who saw the animals first between the two oldest. The youngest seemed happy to be yelling into the phone “Look Mimi, Look Poppi, it’s the “Hifers”! After a quick count we agreed there was one missing. Our nearly 6 year old said it was because she was mad at her Friends. The older one was afraid she got lost or was hurt. The youngest seemed to have no concern about the absence. That, in a nutshell, tells you where those 3 are in this phase of personality and life development. There was a significant debate on where to put out the corn and who got to carry the Big Old Coffee Can that is our official deer corn holder when feeding by hand. I wisely decided to let their Mom sort that out without my interference in such an important negotiation. On a “just today” level, I am hopeful they had a real good time. But on a longer- term point of view, involvement with those activities has a different perspective for me. It is my fervent desire for those precious little ones to develop a deep- seated love and connection with that place and the animals who roam around on it. That way heifer hunting and other similar activities can continue, Lord Willing, for another generation or more. Seems like 5 generations is just a good “getting started” goal for our involvement out there on our little piece of red dirt and creek bottom country.
On our way to go get snow cones, me, Audrey and Tucker walked out to the car. He always jumps in the front driver door and crawls over the console to his seat, while she gets in the passenger door because her car seat is by the window. Tucker is usually always racing and rushing to get where we are going, but on this particular day I stopped and smiled as I saw him jump down from the running board and open the car door for his cousin first. I was so proud to be his mother. Tucker is one of those kids who just doesn’t slow down and think about things very often. He is always in a race to the finish line, so it was a pretty big step for him to stop and think and perform this kind act. In fact, it was just so sweet, I literally started crying when I told my mom a story about it later. Later last week, my sister, my mom and the kids all went to the SA Aquarium. It is a really cool place–more like an aquarium/petting zoo/and arcade with jumping castles all-in-one. Of course, when someone asked Tucker what he saw at the aquarium, Tucker answered loud and clear–”there was a huge gift shop!” This is true. My favorite event of the day was when we all stopped to talk to a parrot who was sitting up on stage greeting crowds as they came along. He was up there on his perch saying “Hello”–”Hello”–”Pretty bird” and things like that calmly when Tucker came along. Tucker wanted to talk to the parrot too, but not in English. Tucker started making his high-pitched bird like shrieks, and that Parrot just stared at him for a minute. I’d like to know what that parrot was thinking. He stared right at Tucker for a few seconds before he surprised us and answered Tucker’s calls–loud and clear–with a shriek so loud we could hardly stand it. That parrot was mimicking Tucker in his own annoying way, with a much deeper and boastful croaking sound. Tucker was of course very amused and I’m sure their conversation could have carried on forever, but my ears could only take that shriek-fest so long! Thankfully the fish in the next exhibit couldn’t talk back to us. Parrots sure are entertaining animals. I don’t know what makes us so infatuated with hearing them repeat us, but even us adults we are indeed drawn to it and can’t resist it. But no one was as thrilled as Tucker! I’ve never seen a parrot so engaged in conversation–if you can call it that!
Yea, when I got up this morning to go to church, it was only 69ºF outside! Fall may be here anytime. My week in Devine was truly a fun and exciting week. Not only did I get to spend time with my newest great-granddaughter and her precious big brothers, I got to see their Daddy also! I got there too late to have lunch with the family, but we had a great afternoon. There had been illness and fevers in my other great-granddaughters, so I didn’t get to see them until Thursday. My son and I had lunch at our favorite BBQ restaurant in Hondo. Friday morning before I left to come home, I went to LaCoste as my other daughter was in, as well as a friend of hers, so I got to see both of them. The house in LaCoste is looking great, she is painting it in colors that were prominent at the time it was built and it’s looking good. Her sister and the little one she keeps came over also and after her friend left, we went out to lunch. Truly a fun and happy time for me. Of course, I would have cheerfully done without the traffic coming home…it was not good. I was trying to figure out why there was so much of it, when it dawned on me that it was Friday evening…of course there was traffic. However, I made it home just fine without any problems. One of the most delicious smells to have in your kitchen is the fragrance of cinnamon as it bakes into something luscious and tasty. Some of the things to bake that come to mind are such as an Apple Crisp, Apple Pie, baked apples and of course let’s not forget good, old-fashioned Gingerbread. Any type of oatmeal cookie usually has a teaspoon or so of cinnamon amongst the ingredients, snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before baking and molasses cookies are full of wonderful smelling spices. Gingerbread is something that my family has always loved. My recipe is one that came from a cookbook that Mother used when I was growing up. It smells so spicy and wonderful when it is cooking and is really not difficult to make. Many years ago, when I was hostess for the bunco group I was in at the time, one of my substitutes was a young woman who had never tasted gingerbread in her life. Of course she was teased that she must have had a deprived childhood, when in reality, she simply had a mother who didn’t really like to cook! Here are a few recipes for you to try, apples are pretty plentiful at this time, even though some varieties are pretty pricey, there are good tasting can be used in many ways. Quick Homemade Apple Crisp 5 cups peeled, sliced baking apples (Granny Smith, Rome Beauty or any tart apple) 3 tablespoons sugar TOPPING: ¾ quick cooking oatmeal (not instant) ½ cup brown sugar (packed) ¼ cup flour ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 6 tablespoons butter ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix apples and sugar and place in a 2-quart baking dish. For topping: in a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add pecans if used and mix to combine; sprinkle over apples in baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Grandma’s Gingerbread ½ cup shortening 2 eggs ½ cup granulated sugar 2½ cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or cloves 1 cup boiling water 1 cup molasses Sift together: flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices; set aside. Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy; and add sifted ingredients with the molasses. Add boiling water last and stir in gently, just until mixed. Pour into 9×13 pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done. If you like, sprinkle the top of the dough with a tablespoon or two of sugar before baking, or when cake is done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
I heard a person recently refer to their opinion as being “ambivalent” on a certain topic related to current events. The statement reminded me of a term not heard nearly as often as it was a few decades ago. Straddling The Fence means about the same thing to many of us old timers. Just not sure which “side” to be on. I can truthfully say that term brings back a very vivid Tale from La Brasada for me. I was between 8 &10 years of age and had helped my Grand Dad build a new fence that summer along the county road boundary of a small pasture he leased that joined our Home Place. I ultimately bought those acres, and it has been included in our operations for many years. School had just started and dove season was beginning. That tract of land had and still has some big old Bull Mesquite trees and Live Oaks along a drainage that runs through it and continues to flow across the county road, ultimately joining into San Miguel Creek. Charlie Rosenauer and I went “sneaking” along that creek bottom in hopes of seeing some doves sitting in those big trees. He was never one to “waste shells” on flying doves. That aspect of dove hunting was left to his family and guests out in the fields or by the Big Stock Tank. I don’t recall if he harvested any birds or not, but we finally came to the road where that new barbed wire fence was stretched tight. I was gingerly trying to get between those wires, hoping to not get cut with those razor spikes, still shiny and sharp. With one foot on each side, I looked down to discover a BIG Rattler coiled up right there under that fence. I cannot tell you which side I ended up on, but I do recall “yelling loud and moving fast”! Grand Dad sent Mr. Rattler into the Great Beyond courtesy of a 12 gauge with # 7 ½ shot. Fired from about 15 feet away there was a pretty big and bloody mess left to confirm the story. After a quick check that there were no fang bites or other permanent injuries, we walked back along that red sandy road up to the Farm House which had been built in 1866. Grand Dad relayed the events to Granny who had 2 questions and 1 statement. Are you hurt? No Ma’am. Did you tear your clothes anywhere? No Ma’am. Good. Now take better care to watch where you are going and STOP straddling them fences! Good practical words still all these years later.
Where did that come from?
I am not too sure that all who are reading this rambling will relate to the content. But I feel pretty sure a good number of you will. And just FYI, if you don’t already comprehend the experience, hold on to your hat…it’s coming to many of the rest of you. And just maybe faster than you want it to arrive! I find myself routinely “stumbling” across things that seem significantly “out of place”. Or maybe discovering something that has no business being where it’s found. There were times in the past when I could put the blame on my children, and more recently on my 3 young grandchildren. But truth be told, I find stuff way too often in the “wrong place” when no person, save yours truly, could be the culprit. Now I guess I could blame Aliens or Ghosts, but in my rational moments, few and far between as they sometimes can be, I think it is has to do with my “Some Timers” stage of life. My reactions upon these finds run quite a gambit. From happiness to know where a certain lost item is found, to bewilderment of how it got there. And then there is those moments of frustration at having no ideas the steps that lead to the placement in that spot. But the thought just occurred to me. Why not just accept that it is part of the aging process and enjoy having the opportunity to live long enough to experience this stage. Seems like the best solution. But on second thought…I wonder where THAT idea came from????
We went shopping at both of the local thrift stores in Devine last week-my absolute favorite kind of stores-because both of the awesome thrift stores here donate all their profits to helping others. Plus why pay full price, when you can find a thrift store treasure? Indeed that is what we found. I was looking for a fancy dress, but very quickly, my little boy spied something else, a pair of really cool looking shoes. It ended up being our most treasured find. The pair of shiny white tennis shoes with cool looking black rubber cleats on the bottom. I won’t lie; they are pretty snazzy looking shoes, though I didn’t know just HOW cool they really were. Tucker, 4, tried them on, and immediately stated, these were “really fast” shoes, using his deep little man voice. He raced across the small room only about 10 feet wide to demonstrate, and I could tell, he had fallen completely in love with these thrift store tennis shoes. Tucker wouldn’t even take those shoes off to try on any other tennis shoes in there. In fact, he walked to the register IN those shoes, only handing the cashier the tag. And as of this writing, he has not worn one other pair of shoes since! Naturally, I shared the legend of the “PF flyers” with him that day. You remember the PF Flyers from the movie Sandlot-the shoes that made Benny the Jet run faster and jump higher than any others? The shoes that helped Benny “pickle the beast”? I myself have never owned a pair of the actual PF Flyer brand shoes, but I always enjoyed it when my daddy talked about how our best pair of shoes were “our PF flyers”. And I was so happy to get to share this magic moment with my little one. I, too, believe everyone has their own pair of special PF flyers in their life, brand name or not. For some, it’s that favorite pair of cowboy boots, and for some, it’s that one special pair of thrift store tennis shoes. When I was a kid, I can remember that we had a race around the goal post everyday in PE, and there was only one girl faster than me in that class…Briana Mann (I can’t remember her maiden name). Every day my dad and I would strategize about how I would eventually get fast enough to beat her. Eventually I found myself the right pair of PF flyers and I believe I did beat her, at least once or twice. In the past three years, Tucker has lost more pairs of shoes than I can count, so in all honesty, I hope this love affair lasts awhile! Here’s to my daddy for instilling the magic and power of “PF flyers” in us-the shoes that can make any kid run faster and jump higher than ever before-even if they are regular old shoes, whatever brand they may be. I am not exactly sure if my rambunctious little son needed anything to make him run faster or jump higher, but then again, I guess everybody does. If you’re feeling a little beat down by the “beast” of stressful days and wearing uncomfortable shoes, you know what to do- find yourself some PF flyers!
The Lytle P.D. numbers say we had a “slow” week. We had 45 calls for service and conducted 47 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 43 citations and 4 warnings. There was not a lot to report this week. There were no arrests last week! That is a good thing, a lot of crooks just see a night or two in jail as a chance to regroup and refocus. We had two property crimes reported last week: #1 – A TXDOT contractor working on the IH-35 Access Rd. project had a hand-held compactor and a jackhammer taken. The loss was valued at $4,000. #2 – A person in a brown Dodge P/U lifted over $1,100 worth of trees from H.E.B. Plus. The theft occurred on Saturday morning at 3:06 AM. We usually see AC window unit thefts when it gets this hot, I guess the rising electrical cost have forced people to steal shade trees. If you haven’t heard…. the temporary ramp closure project for IH-35 (the one by Lytle State Bank) has been delayed. We will let you know when we have new dates. It’s never too early to mark your calendar for our annual Christmas Hayride! It will be held on Saturday, December 10th. This is one of our most popular events. Please join us for our National Night Out event that will be held next week on Tuesday, Oct. 4. It will be at the Lytle Community Center on Priest Blvd. The times will be from 6 PM – 8 PM. There will be numerous community groups set up as well as displays of fire and police vehicles and equipment. The Lytle VFW and their Auxiliary will cook and serve hotdogs for us. We also will have a DJ! There will be plenty of drinks and snacks too. It’s a fun time to come out and meet your public safety workers. We will have gun locks to give away as well as our new 1 oz mini bottles of hand sanitizer. If nothing else, you will be able to leave with a full stomach and hand sanitizer. Plus, the joint has air conditioning and indoor plumbing.
