Category: Commentary

SCHOOLED BY OBSERVATION OF NATURE

I grew up in an extended family that was not, by any means, excessively schooled in formal classroom settings. That does not mean to infer a lack of intellectual ability or wisdom. Rather the collective insights often gained were from astute observations garnered from a lifetime of being outdoors much of the time. I am reminded of the book All I Needed to Learn Came From Kindergarten. Their book might have been similar but the title ending in Mostly From Nature.
A significant part of The Mantra carried forth in my Family Collection of Life Lessons centered on what Nature could teach us. One that stands out vividly in my Old Brain is about the anatomy of the human face.
Full Disclosure is warranted here. My Mom said I came out of the womb with a story to tell. It did not take long for me to develop the art of excessive exaggeration. Likely it is not by accident that my long career centered somewhat on the use of words, both spoken and written.
During one of many long-winded stories in my Youth, an elderly neighbor whose family still carries the same common land boundaries with us, now into the 4th generation, made a comment to me that still resonates some 6 decades later.
“Boy, he drawled. You ever notice how the Good Lord created the human face?” I am sure my puzzled look betrayed the confusion. He continued, “He gave us two eyes and two ears, but only one mouth that sits between each pair of the others. I reckon that is because HE wanted us to look AND listen with both sides of our brain before we said anything.”
In truth, the EXACT words he used were a GOOD BIT more colorful than this toned-down version. But the point he made was a good one and that wisdom has stuck with me and been confirmed over and over in my own interactions with and observations from time spent outdoors.
I have read and written more than a few words about the land and creatures, domestic and wild, that make up La Brasada. But those attempts to understand and/or explain came as much from being out there and involved with the animals, dirt, and vegetation as any book learning obtained or chronicled.
I am the very first to admit what I have gleaned over the years is a small drop in the bucket of what is available to learn from the University of Nature. But let me be as clear as possible with this parting thought. It is still a WHOLE LOT OF FUN to be blessed with the opportunity to keep on attending that FINE institution of learning. I have no plans to ever stop taking classes and trying to learn more!

Please pass the salt.

After last Sunday, spending time and working at the church picnic, my week was pretty quiet. Monday was my pokeno day and it was fun, our hostess served a homemade pumpkin cake that was absolutely delicious! We’ve seen a shortage of players recently, due to the fact that several have dropped out and not been permanently replaced. However, we still had a great time.
This coming week is going to be a little busier, since I have family coming in on two different days! Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some work done cleaning out a couple of storage buildings. Since I don’t have a pickup, it’s hard for me to do anything that requires stuff to be hauled off, and just maybe, we can accomplish that since they’re coming in on a weekday and staying over!
Now, let’s talk about salt, it’s something we all use frequently, sometimes too much and too frequently. When you order food in a restaurant or order take-out, do you taste the food and then add salt, or do you just grab the saltshaker and start sprinkling, think about it?
We have used salt all our lives, from everything from brushing our teeth to mixing rock salt with ice to make ice cream, to sprinkling it in and on our food; we’ve made play-dough for our kids or grandkids, and in some places spread it on the roads and sidewalks to prevent icy buildup during snow and ice storms, all without giving it much thought as to where it comes from or what we would do without it. It is almost as important in our lives as is honey!
The human body incorporates a certain percentage of salt, which plays a critical role in controlling and regulating the water content of living tissues and cells. Long before the chemistry of salt was understood, people were aware of its importance for the maintenance of life and health. Origins of salt manufacture and the salt trade appear to date back to the most primitive stages of human civilization. In Roman times, salt was used to pay the soldiers. In fact, this is where we get the word salary for payment of wages. We have all heard the old expression “not worth his salt”.
In many parts of the world, rock salt occurs in massive underground deposits, while saline lakes and salt flats on sites of former salt lake beds provide plentiful salt supplies in some countries. In some warm or tropical coastal areas, with low humidity, salt is often extracted from seawater through natural evaporation.
Sodium is widely distributed as the mineral halite. This is common salt or sodium chloride. Beds of halite in Germany have reached a depth of over 4,000 feet. Poland is said to have deposits which are 50 miles long, 20 miles wide, and 1,200 feet thick. The leading producer of salt is the United States. There are also salt mines in the Chinese People’s Republic, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. It has been estimated that the oceans contain enough salt to cover the earth to a depth of 400 feet.
The United Salt Corporation was incorporated on March 29, 1928. Magnolia Oil Company when drilling for oil on the Warren Ranch in 1906 discovered the Salt dome in Hockley, Texas. This dome is about 2.5 miles wide and is estimated to be about 5 miles deep. The salt was reached in 1930 and mining was begun in 1932 at 1,500 feet below the surface of the earth.
Another mine belonging to United Salt Corporation is located near Houston, Texas in Fort Bend County. it is the Blue Ridge facility and the salt there is nearer to the surface than at Hockley. Brine wells are used to extract the salt in brine form. It is then crystallized by the use of evaporators. Once this step is completed, the salt is dried for further processing. This salt is a high purity salt that is used in food processing and for human consumption.
Their other mine, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, was acquired in 1962. The salt there is harvested on a 2,600 acre salt lake. It is gathered from the surface of the lake after the sun has evaporated the water from the brine. The salt is then washed three times before it is produced into a variety of solar salt products. Originally, the salt at Carlsbad was primarily used for deicing roads in Western Texas and New Mexico. Today, much of the salt harvested is used in water conditioning.
Salt is very important in cooking. It is necessary to the rising process when baking. In a cookbook that came with a bread maker, it stresses the importance of not cutting back on the salt called for in the recipes or omitting it completely. In cookie recipes, one teaspoon of salt is generally called for, this can be safely decreased by half. In cake recipes, I usually use exactly what is called for. In a sauce, (such as spaghetti sauce or enchilada sauce), if you are using tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, you really need to taste and see if it is necessary to add salt. Sometimes the ingredients you use have salt in them and you don’t really need any extra. A good example of this is soy sauce, unless you purchase one labeled, low sodium, it is pretty salty. A small amount of salt added to vegetables while they are cooking enhances their flavor. Many people are now on low sodium diets. You gradually learn to eat vegetables and meats with or without salt or at least without added salt. You can purchase canned salt-free vegetables in your local grocery store. Of course, they are more expensive than regular vegetables. By now, what with regularly reading labels, you will have noticed, I am sure, how the more they remove from something, the more you have to pay for it, (i.e. salt free, caffeine free, fat free, sugar free!).
Since we’re still having warm weather, here is a taco salad you might enjoy.
Texas Taco Salad
1 pound ground beef
1 can (15-oz) Ranch Style beans, drained and rinsed
8 cups shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, cut into small dice
3 avocados, peeled, diced, and dipped in lemon juice to prevent darkening
1 bunch green onions, sliced, including tops
1 bottle (8-oz size) Catalina style dressing
1 package shredded Cheddar cheese (1 to 1½ cups)
1 bag (8-oz size) corn chips
Brown meat, drain well on paper towels, cool slightly and set aside. Rinse and drain beans. Combine meat, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, onions, and cheese in large bowl. Pour dressing over all and toss to coat lightly. Stir in chips just before serving.
Here is a delicious sugar-free dessert to try for summertime!
Diabetics Delight
1 box yellow cake mix
12 oz. diet soda (Sprite Zero® or your choice)
1 can crushed pineapple (16-oz size) (divided use)
1 large tub Cool Whip®, sugar free
1 large box of sugar-free vanilla instant pudding
Empty cake mix into large bowl, add diet soda and mix well. Then add one-half (½) can of crushed pineapple and stir well. Pour into 9×12 pan that you have lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake as directed on package. While the cake is baking, mix the Cool Whip®, the remaining crushed pineapple and the pudding together and stir well. Chill thoroughly. When the cake has finished baking and has cooled, spread the Cool Whip® mixture over the top. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 12 to 15 servings.
Glaze Cheesecake Puffs
2 packages cream cheese, 8-oz each at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box vanilla wafers
Muffin tins and liners (20 to 24)
Preheat oven to 375º*. Thoroughly beat together cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Line muffin tins with liners and place 1 vanilla wafer into each liner; fill ¾ full with cheese mixture and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly. Spread pie filling on top of each one, dividing evenly among the cakes. Makes 20 to 24. *If your vanilla wafers seem to be browning too much, turn the temp down to 350º. Blueberry pie filling could be used for these instead of cherry.

“up and up”

Lytle P.D. officers made it through last week by handling 53 calls for service and conducting 98 traffic stops. Of those 98 traffic stops, 69 resulted in a citation and 29 were either verbal or written warnings.  
       We had five property crimes reported last week: #1 – H.E.B. Plus reported a female with a child attempted to make off with $88 worth of product. The property was recovered by store staff, the case is under investigation. #2 – Somebody thought it would be cool to graffiti the baby changing table in a restroom at John Lott Park. #3 – A Harbour St. resident reported their Waste Management trash can as stolen. On a side note, these normally turn up a day or two later after ending up at the wrong house. #4 – A complainant reported his wallet containing $117 cash, a Mexico DL, and his Mexico Consulate card was lost at H.E.B. Plus. #5 – A suspect attempted to cut into a storage unit at Lytle Self Storage on FM 2790, he damaged the lock and door (an arrest was made, see the arrest section). #6 – A suspect threw a rock and broke a window at Tots to Teen Dentistry. The suspect has been identified. 
       Arrests for last week: #1 – Officers arrested a male for a domestic violence charge, before being booked into jail he requested medical care for an existing condition. He was taken to the hospital in Jourdanton for clearance, it was determined he needed to be admitted. He was released and officers will seek an arrest warrant on an assault charge. (So that is kind of an arrest, un-arrest situation). #2 – Officers arrested a 39-year-old male for criminal trespass on H.E.B. property, he had been given a trespass notice in the past. #3 – Ofc. J. Cortez was patrolling the Lytle Self Storage on FM 2790 and happened upon a burglar trying to break into a unit. The suspect was charged with criminal mischief, and he had a felony dope warrant out of Bexar Co. Good job Ofc J. Cortez! #4 – A traffic stop on N. Prairie resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old male on a warrant out of Bexar Co. for domestic violence. 
There are still some companies and individuals that go “door to door”. Door-to-door soliciting in the city limits of Lytle requires a permit. The permits are obtained at the city hall. If you have someone come to your door you can always ask them if they have a permit and ask to see it. We see this commonly with those wanting to do yard work (back when it rained), tree trimming, etc. We issue a few for products and other services too, solar panels got popular for a while. Many times, these solicitors don’t have permits, often because they are less than on the “up and up”. Feel free to call our 24-hour dispatch at 830-769-3434, an Atascosa Sheriff’s Communication Officer will dispatch an officer to your location to check the status of the solicitor. My best advice is if they offer something that seems to be too good to be true, you need to put some thought into it. Some people and groups, such as religious organizations, don’t require permits since they aren’t selling a product. Feel free to email or call if you have any questions. I have questions about anyone willing to go “door to door” in this heat!
On Monday, August 7, 2023, Sgt. D. Lopez and Ofc. L. Diaz responded to a disturbance on Magnolia St. Our officers encountered a subject in a mental health crisis, he was armed with a handgun and had already discharged the firearm. I am very proud that our officers used their training and experience in this critical incident, and the situation was resolved without any injury. The outcome could have been much different. 
In other Lytle P.D. news …. We mourn the loss of our break room refrigerator. After 8 plus years it gave out, I have stored many unhealthy snacks in there through the years. Fortunately, I have a new one scheduled for delivery.
-Richey

41 days without rain… but one day closer

Special to the News
Forty one days without rain and counting..but with each passing day, we are one day closer.  Some of you scallawags aint prayin’ enough.
Got my Appraisal protest this Thursday.  Got a better chance of winning the Lottery than getting a break on my property appraisal.  But, I intend to have them get involved in a conversation about the increase of everything imaginable and the stagnant retirement checks that most of the retirees are getting.  
I guess we could lay around and claim to be unable to work.  That way, the government would just send us a check once a month and we could lay around and do nothing all day.  Or…you could just have more kids and add them to the welfare rolls and get an increase every time you have another kid.  Don’t work for most retirees…  
Thanks to Gov. Abbott for signing the tax relief bill that increases the Homestead Exemption from $50,000 to $100,000.  Big woop (no offense to the Aggies), my Appraisal went up $98,000 this year.  This increase will be eaten up in a couple years and he knows it will have a short-lived effect.  We need to overhaul the Appraisal system before we are taxed out into the streets.
Social Security increases are way behind the rate of inflation and these checks do not go very far.  At the rate that the politicians steal from SS, it will be a thing of the past in the near future.  On top of that, the US credit rating was downgraded as the US debt continues to skyrocket…guess that is Bidenomics hard at work.  We need to get rid of him and his cronies.
Election season is fast approaching…local offices are going to be contested for sure.  This election cycle, we need to show up in force if you want a change.  If not, guess we better learn to speak a foreign language or carry our money around in a wheelbarrow. Don’t do this to your grandchildren.
Couple weeks ago, ex-County Judge Schuchart called and wanted to have breakfast in Devine.  He asked if I wanted to ride with him to Frio Town so that he could turn on a well and water his cattle.  I said “sure”.  When he showed up, he was wearing a brace that kept his arm in place due to shoulder replacement surgery…sorry ss bottom feeder just needed a gate opener..least he bought breakfast.
It’ll cool off eventually so, keep rain in your prayers and do it often… 

Memories from Mrs. Linda McAnelly:

When Kathleene asked me to share my DISD recollections, I wasn’t sure that there was much that I would recall from those early years. However, I did know that relationships with the DISD staff and my students are and were my most important memories. Relationships with students, staff, and parents are the greatest and lasting reward of the “call to teaching”.

Mrs. McAnelly served 8 years as the Devine ISD Superintendent.


My career began at Devine Junior High School in 1977 with staff members: Linda Stanton, Richard Malone, Louis Stroud, Bill Herring, Kathleen Outlaw, and Cynthia Strait along with many others. It was an interesting start to my career because no one knew on which campus I would work. There wasn’t a room for me at Devine Junior High (now DMS), so Principal Gordon Bryan sent me to the elementary school.
I met with John Ciavarra, the elementary principal, who also had no job for me on his campus and sent me back to Devine Junior High. I was quite frustrated for several days about my “job” and no classroom. I resorted to a visit to Mr. Barnhart, superintendent, to determine if I had a job or not as I had signed a contract. Mr. Barnhart told me to report back to Devine Junior High for a new position called Title 1 Reading for which no one had information. I received a notebook of Title 1 information to read and follow as I set up the new Title 1 Reading program for grades 6-8. Mr. Barnhart told me to follow the Title 1 Reading program guidelines in the notebook and identify which students in grades 6-8 qualified for the program. I was sort of on my own with this new Title 1 program.
Imagine my frustration as I returned yet again to the junior high, and Principal Bryan told me to find my own space to teach reading. Thankfully, I met Mrs. Alta Chant, a kind, knowledgeable, and highly efficient paraprofessional, who assisted me in locating a space to teach. With Mrs. Chant’s help, we moved the teachers’ mimeograph (copier) machine into the smokers’ lounge and set up a classroom in the teachers’ workroom, locating and moving desks on our own. After a few days, Mrs. Chant and I had a classroom with desks, developed my student roster, and created my own schedule. Without Mrs. Chant’s help, I am unsure how long I would have waited for a room, the desks, and students. I worked at Devine Junior High for only one year, and I was forced to seek a job in Hondo ISD for the next five years; DISD didn’t accept transfer students, and our older son was entering first grade.
Finally, I returned to Devine ISD in 1982 when Superintendent Byron Steele hired me to teach G/T grades 1-8 and several English classes for grades 7-8; board policy now allowed student transfers and our two sons became Warhorses to my delight! I enjoyed setting up the Devine G/T program with Mary Conrad, and I had wonderful support from parents for many interesting projects! Beth Ann Noak helped me with many projects including a Christmas gingerbread project that would make Bobby Flay proud, and Joyce Bendele added her “artistic” talent to my limited art skill set! For two years, I had great support from many people for the G/T program; however, I knew that I was a secondary person and was better suited at grades 9-12.
By 1984, Bob Bendele was DHS Principal, and I approached him about teaching English or speech. I offered to take any job that he had as I wanted to work for him at DHS. Bob had five different English classes with one each of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 along with a CVAE English as the fifth class. Also, if I took this position, I would not have my own classroom (here I go again without a room) and would share five other teachers’ classrooms during their conference periods. The difference on Bob’s campus was he offered the solution to my room problem. Bob reminded me that I would move every hour (five times each day), and I would have five different grammar books and five different literature books. I was thrilled to be on a high school campus; I took the job regardless of not having my own room.
In typical Mr. Bendele style, he took care of “his people”. Bob provided me a two-drawer rolling file cabinet which he happily delivered to me before classes began; I was in business as the itinerant English teacher. With five different preps, I was often at school late in the evening; unfortunately, my room light was visible from highway 173 as Mr. Bendele drove by DHS. One evening about 7:30 PM, there was a rapid knock on my door. It was Mr. Bendele, who asked what I was doing on campus alone so late; I told him that I had five different six-weeks tests to prepare and print for my students. Bob told me to go home now, and to ensure my departure he escorted me outside to my vehicle. His parting words were that I needed to be home with my children, and he didn’t want to see me there alone late at night again! After that, I took all my work home for fear that I might get another visit from Mr. Bendele and another escorted walk to my car! How Bob cared about us all-students and staff!
I taught a variety of classes for several years but never had five preparations except those first two years. Eventually, I was moved to the English IV teacher in 1989-90 school year, and I loved that job. I had wonderful students, and I worked them hard to prepare for college English. In summer of 1993, I was trained at the Advanced Placement Institute at Texas A & M, which allowed me to add AP English to options for DHS seniors. Our first year, I had about 15 students take AP English and then sit for the AP exam; these students scored 4 or 5 (with only one 3) on the AP exam! DHS students proved themselves on the national level with those AP scores, which gave them college credit; I was so proud of these students in the first year of AP English. I continued AP English only two years. We learned some universities wouldn’t accept AP English except as an elective. Dual-credit English was a guaranteed English college credit course; therefore, I began work on a master’s degree in English so I could teach dual-credit English. This extra degree work required nightly drives each week to UTSA after teaching all day (no virtual classes in the 1990s or early 2000s); the highlight of my M.A. English work was my summer study abroad at Oxford University in England. I was able to bring dual-credit English to DHS and the wonderful students met the challenge and excelled! I loved the classroom, the students, and the content! The classroom was always a joy for me despite the long hours of grading compositions and research papers, and I believe that God called me to my teaching career and into education.
Teaching was not all that I loved at DHS; Mr. Bendele praised our students and celebrated our staff for successes! UIL Academics became a huge focus with Mr. Bendele’s leadership and with Mrs. Gardner as UIL Director. I loved working with Brenda on UIL Academic events for 18 years; we rode countless miles on unairconditioned buses and spent many Saturdays at UIL tournaments from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. We usually traveled about 12-15 Saturdays each year to UIL tournaments; all that practice paid dividends as our students excelled in their events, winning district year after year! DHS students were winners at district, regional, and state competitions. I call these years the “golden years”, and it was grand to take my UIL Poetry and Lit Crit teams to these competitions. A number of poetry readers made appearances at state UIL, but only one of my students, Edie Bramhall, placed at state. A state UIL appearance allowed students to apply for a UIL scholarship for college whether they placed at state or not. There are so many wonderful memories of these poetry readers-mostly girls-including two whom we’ve lost: Rachel Ramirez and Kim Hamilton. Both were in many UIL events, and both were very successful. Brenda and I both coached them in different UIL events, and they were extremely talented young women!
UIL was not the only thrill of working at DHS. In the mid-1990s, Marion Randow, Joyce Bendele and I began to take DHS girls and some of their mothers to England on summer tours. These trips allowed me to share my love of all things British and help prepare these girls for English IV the next year. These trips were a great adventure for girls and adults alike. The teenage girls tolerated being lectured to about British literature/history from me, art from Mrs. Bendele, and drama from Mrs. Randow. These trips were a wonderful experience for the girls and the adults. These are still great memories for me to this day as I hope we enriched these young ladies’ lives with these trips.
In 1998, Bob retired, and I was heartbroken to lose his leadership at DHS. I considered leaving DHS and applied for jobs in the area as well as in San Antonio districts. I had very favorable interviews at Northside with two different directors; I attribute my successful interviews to being from Devine. Both directors knew Louis Stroud from officiating; I will never know if I interviewed well, or if knowing Louis got me the job offer. Both directors recommended me for the position, and I was offered a final interview for a Reading Coordinator. I didn’t take the position even though I knew that I’d make more money in Northside ISD, but my commute would be over two hours per day. The money wasn’t worth my leaving all the Devine friends who cared for us throughout our careers in DISD. I remained at DHS in English IV, and then I had a call from Devine Central Office.
Superintendent Jim Davis offered me some administrative work while I remained the English IV teacher. I served as the DISD District Testing Coordinator for the state testing (TAKS at that time) grades 3-8 and high school EOC tests; and I also coordinated all dual-credit courses during my last two years at DHS. Then Mr. Davis offered me the curriculum director position, which I accepted. It was very difficult to leave DHS; I knew that I’d miss my DHS family and my students! However, I truly felt that I could contribute in the area of curriculum, so I started a new chapter in my educational career.
At central office, I was blessed to work with Jim Davis, Dora Fernandez, Marie Talamantes, Debbie McCormick, Mamie Navarro, and Pat Brown in those early days, and I knew all of them well. I had been blessed to teach at least one child or more of every central office person! Three other great ladies, Glenda Allen, Elaine Hoog, and Kelly DuBose, joined the central office team a year or so later after I moved into CO. It was a great group of caring people! The quality people in DISD have been the key to years of student and district success through many changes and new requirements.
There have always been mandates and programs with which Texas school districts are to comply, but no matter the challenge in DISD, people stepped up and helped solve the issue! The DISD staff has always been wonderful and so supportive through the many challenges we faced in curriculum, finances, testing, or each new mandate. I loved working with the DISD staff to solve problems, which they always faced with optimism and hard work. I don’t believe that there are better people than those in Devine ISD and the Devine community. To serve the students and people in Devine is a great reward in itself, but little did I know the new service area that awaited me.
In February 2008, I received a call from Board President Cindy Morales to consider serving as interim superintendent. At that time, I was the assistant superintendent and quite satisfied with my position in a back office. I was unsure that I wanted the front office with the superintendent’s stress and knew that position would require longer hours with many difficult issues to resolve. I agreed to the interim position temporarily with the caveat that I could return to my assistant superintendent’s position if either the board or I wanted to terminate the agreement. I continued with my duties as assistant as well as assuming the duties of the interim superintendent from February until August.
In August 2008, I began a new challenging chapter in my career as I agreed to take the superintendent’s job. The Devine Board of Trustees, the DISD staff, and Devine community all contributed to making those rewarding years for the district and for me. My first board was comprised of a great group of people all of whom were either DHS graduates or a parent of a DHS graduate; this led to a greatly invested group of people, focused on students not politics. My first board consisted of: President Cindy Morales, Vice-President Wayde Anderson, Secretary Nancy Pepper, Trustee Carl Brown, Trustee Dwayne Gardner, Trustee Eva Marquis, and Trustee Henry Moreno. Other board members who followed included: Rhonda Korczynski, Paula Samudio, Robert Morales, Gina Champion, and Wes Herring. With these dedicated board of trustees, the Devine community members passed two bond elections in four years, providing funds to renovate every campus, add the new DMS west wing, and build the DSAC complex.
Despite some very difficult financial years and the many challenges that a school superintendent faces each year, my eight years as DISD Superintendent were a wonderful time in my life. My greatest hope is that I treated all people fairly and kindly, that DISD made some lasting improvements, and that student achievement improved. Thank you, Devine, for being a wonderful community in which to live and work; I was so blessed to have a career serving in Devine ISD!
.

Freedom Walk

Lytle P.D. stuff for the week ending July 30, 2023, Officers handled 48 calls for service and conducted 83 traffic stops. Of those 83 stops, 54 resulted in a citation and 29 were warnings.
I missed one property crime in last week’s report. A rental trailer at a residence on Main St. had the ramps stolen! They probably wanted the whole trailer but decided to just get what they could. I’m not sure I would want to run into whoever stole those ramps; they were on the heavy side. For the past week, we only had one property crime reported! A resident in the 14400 Blk. of Main St. reported that someone entered his vehicle and removed an American Tactical .45 Cal. Handgun (1911 style).
Arrests: Lytle PD Officers arrested 4 people last week: #1 – A male was arrested for public intoxication after he was found passed out behind the H.E.B. C-Store. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – A traffic stop on FM 2790 N. resulted in the arrest of a female who had an active warrant out of Bell Co. for Tampering with Govt. Records. She was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #3 – A disturbance in the parking lot of the Lytle Community Center resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of Marijuana and unlawfully carrying a firearm. She will also be charged with possession of a stolen firearm. A Sig 9 MM was recovered, it had been reported stolen to San Marcos P.D. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – A traffic stop on the access road of IH-35 resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
We recovered one stolen handgun this week and had one handgun reported stolen. I guess that means we broke even.
The Lytle VFW is planning an event to commemorate the events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. They will hold a Freedom Walk at John Lott Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. From what I understand, the route will start at the park and then take about a one-mile walk through some residential streets and then end back at the park. I think they have some other plans in store, but I don’t have the details. Rumor has it you might get a free hotdog out of this! We have always been a community that appreciates free hotdogs. On the police side, we will make sure we have plenty of officers to keep the walkers safe so don’t hesitate to bring out the whole family. Maybe we will get lucky and need a light jacket.
August is upon us so it might start getting hot. A fellow at church last week said he knows what it feels like to be under “house arrest” because the heat is so intense you can’t leave the house. Yep, I look outside and think I need to work on something and then I open the door and change my mind.
Our schools will be back in session next week, please take extra caution when motoring around the schools. I agree, traffic can be challenging with the construction and now school traffic. Try to be patient and go with the flow. If you can figure that out, then let me know the secret.

Aint no need to talk about the weather

Aint no need to talk about the weather…hotter’n it oughta be and if it was to rain, it would only turn to steam before it hit the ground. Need more prayers for rain sent.
Lost another good one last week. Wanda Gardner was a staple at City Council meetings in the late 80’s and 90’s. Nothing got past this lady. She was not the least bit hesitant to hold Council’s feet to the fire and ask the questions that are sometimes hard to answer honestly but, she insisted on an answer. If she was ever absent from a Council Meeting, it was suggested that someone go check on her.
She was a staunch (yellow dog) Democrat…unlike the ones in power now, she had morals and believed in holding her local government accountable. I liked to joke with her and bring up the fact that her son, Bobby, was a State level elected official in Colorado…AND was a Republican. She would respond with something like “we have our differences of opinion but, doesn’t everybody?” It was usually a short lived subject as she moved the conversation along.
As her eyesight failed, she would call me and give me her two cents worth and I appreciated hearing from her. Always respectful, short and to the point with a comment about having to read my column with a magnifying glass now.
Speaking of Democrats with no morals, the head of the snake told the American people that “America is moving again and your life is going to improve for the better” as he pitched the 2021 Infrastructure Bill. Well, it ain’t happened yet.
For example…Jan 6, 2021 gas price was $1.59 and last week, gas was over $3.00. In the time period of the $1.59 gas, America was the biggest producer of crude oil in the world. Since then, the Senile Puppet in Chief went begging for more from the Arabs…what a maroon. He and his handlers are the reason that America is in what seems like a death spiral.
Don’t know what happened in Commissioners Court last week…didn’t go. I’ll check with Danny and see if anything newsworthy happened.  One day closer to rain…keep praying.

Division of Labor

In my “growing up days”, the chores assigned to my sister, and I were well defined. While we shared some common inside duties, the kitchen was pretty much her domain, and the outdoor tasks were mine. We started out young with jobs, given my Mom’s paralysis due to Polio. Rhonda was cooking meals under the eagle eye supervision of Verna Dell Walker Rosenauer by age eight, and I was banished to the yard assignments a bit earlier in life. My first job for pay involved mowing lawn for other parties by the summer of my 8th year.
That limited exposure to culinary experiences has continued over the many years married to The Boss Lady. She was an Award Winning 4-H young person, earning Statewide and National honors in a variety of Home Management areas, and I am below average support person, ranking below our Son and Daughter in terms of ability.
Recently she was somewhat annoyed that I did not know where to put up certain “cookery items” while unloading the dishwasher. Foolishly I asked her if she would like to go check the oil in her vehicle or reset the game feeder clocks at the Home Place. Needless to say, it was NOT well received.
That exchange, followed quickly by my hasty retreat from the kitchen area, caused me to ponder the implications, both positively, and negatively, of such a division of labor. Both of us are intelligent, well-educated people with long-standing successful careers, and a very blessed lifestyle. But like in all successful organizations, we do what we do best to support the entire process.
While I am hopeful neither of us will have to “take on” each other’s respective jobs anytime soon, I imagine she could figure out some of the jobs I have better and quicker than I could hers. But just in case, maybe I should start a contact list of local cafes and other domestic services companies near me. After all, an Old Aggie Doc like me cannot be too careful!