I grew up in a family torn between two attitudes related to the importance of a rifle’s accuracy. My Grand Father, Charlie Rosenauer believed if a fellow had a good .22, 12 gauge shotgun, and a 30 caliber deer rifle, he needed 0, nothing, nada, zilch more! “Learn to shoot ‘em good boy and you will do just fine” was his consistent motto to me. My Dad, Johnnie Sr. felt like he should “tinker” with a gun until he had just the right handload that would generate the best possible performance out of the firearm. Once that was accomplished, he would lose interest in 90% + of his guns and trade around for a new one to mess with. When it came to sighting in a rifle for deer season, the same differing attitudes prevailed. Charlie was good to go if he could hit the red dot on one of those old Texaco Oil cans from about 40 steps off the front porch of his old farmhouse. I came to understand that viewpoint as Minute of Deer. Johnnie Sr. wanted to have one jagged hole for 3 to 5 shots that was only 1 inch across in size. That was Minute of Angle. Like many other things in my Life, I ended up somewhere in between their perspectives. As the years have gone by my 20/15 vision has deteriorated into something a good bit less than that. Not yet at the Seeing Eye Dog with a White Cane level, thank the Good Lord, but sure enough no Eagle Eye anymore. A dimension I like to visualize when sighting in on a mature deer is that of a volleyball right on and just behind the shoulder. Obviously, an elephant or a cotton tail rabbit would have a different sized “kill zone”. But I have yet to come across an elephant out in La Brasada, and I am not much on shooting at the bunnies. Now for those pesky old hogs, I tend to enjoy giving them an “ear exam” with a Nosler or Federal Accubond bullet. Sometimes I go for a shoulder shot but prefer not to damage that much meat. Sort of like the Stop and Go Store, but my goal is for the chosen animal to Stop and Drop, cause looking after wounded stuff in La Brasada is NOT my idea of a picnic, especially in the dark. As the candles keep increasing on the BDay Tortilla, that is no longer the kind of fun and adventure I am seeking! In reviewing this Tale, I have stumbled and fumbled upon the conclusion that my attitude is one of Minute of Adequate. The Good Lord has blessed us with some magnificent animals to roam our acres and if we can harvest the excess for food and stewardship purposes in a respectful manner, I reckon that is about all I could wish for. P.S. The rains have sure been timely so far this year in our little part of the world, and I am excited about what Fall 2023 might hold for us. Good horn development and a healthy fawn crop sure sound real nice in my way of figuring out things!
Grandpa and Grandma were babysitting Saturday, so I had a free morning to relax. So what did I do? When I found a good deal at the flea market, I got the wild idea to replace all of our dressers. I completely underestimated how much work it would be to move out the old ones and clean the spot where they had been and bring the new ones in, and then my favorite part, re-folding all of the clothes to put into the new dresser. Long story short, it was an exhausting definitely-not-relaxing full day project. In fact, I was still in my bedroom cleaning that evening when I began hearing what sounded like my oven timer, except exponentially louder. I can burn food with the best of em. So I’ve been known to go on about my day without even noticing the oven timer, but this time it was extra loud and a little funny sounding so I went to the kitchen to investigate. When I walked in the kitchen/living room area I found my son just happily playing with his legos on the floor and imitating the oven alarm as loud as he could…beep….beep….beep. I can remember it vividly, and I can’t stop smiling. I bet every time I hear the oven timer go off, I will think of that day. Tucky is so comical. He didn’t think for a second to let me know the oven was going off; he was just enjoying the sound of it I guess and singing its praises. Oh well, I guess either way, he saved supper.
This past week was pretty quiet, I spent a couple of afternoons in the gift shop and the other three going to the therapy pool for some exercise. Next week, the activity picks up as I have places to be both on Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday, hopefully I can get back to the pool. Thursday, I will be in the gift shop and on Friday, company is on the way, and I can hardly wait to see them! Several years ago, at lunch time, way, way before, Covid, when meals were cooked at the Senior Citizen center, and since the weather is always a good topic, I asked one of the men if he thought we were ever going to get rain. His answer was different to say the least, as he replied, “Yes, just as soon as this dry spell is over!” We both had a good laugh and went to our tables to wait for our food. I have to agree with what he said, way back then, as we have had clouds several days this week and part of last week and only about 15 drops of rain. These cobblers are all delicious, especially the lemon one, and it’s the one I’m taking to my meeting on Tuesday. My co-hostess has never heard of Lemon Cobbler and she’s excited to get to try it. These are all pretty “kid-friendly” recipes, by which I mean a child can help you measure and maybe even spoon fruit on top of the dough mixture. Where cobblers got their name is unknown to me, but I firmly believe it was some rushed housewife who decided to ‘cobble’ some flour, sugar and milk together and add some fruit from her pantry, who made the first one. Cobblers can be found in cookbooks dating from the early parts of the 20th century and possible even before. They are simple to make and always delicious as you can use any fruit you have on hand to make them. I have made them with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, canned peaches or almost anything. (In fact, at one point in time, my daughter promised her lunch mate teachers peach cobbler for dessert the next day at lunch. She got ready to make it the next morning and had no peaches at home. So, since it very early in the morning, she had to get creative, and used a couple of cans of fruit cocktail that were in her pantry and had a hit on her hands!). Here’s a recipe for One-Bowl Peach and Blueberry Cobbler that could be the easiest cobbler you’ll ever make. Simply throw all the ingredients in an oven-safe dish and top with any fruit you have on hand. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. One-Bowl Peach and Blueberry Cobbler Prep time: 5 minutes; hands-off cooking time; 30 minutes. 4 servings. ¼ cup butter, melted 1 cup buttermilk pancake mix ½ cup sugar ½ cup milk 3 cups sliced peaches (fresh, frozen or canned, such as jarred peaches in light syrup) ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional Preheat oven to 375ºF. Select an 8×8-inch square ovenproof dish or a glass 9-inch pie plate for the cobbler. If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and use a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Melt butter right in the baking dish and use the dish as a mixing bowl. 3. Add pancake mix, sugar, and milk to melted butter. Stir with a fork until just combined. Batter will be lumpy-do not over mix. 4. Scatter peaches and blueberries evenly over batter. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon evenly on top. 5. Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown. You can use apples, pears, plums or mixed berries. Frozen or canned fruit works just as well as fresh fruit in this recipe. The following cobbler recipes are some of my family’s favorites, with the first recipe for peach cobbler being from my Mother. Peach Cobbler 1 cup flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk ¼ cup margarine 2 to 3 cups sliced peaches ½ to 1 cup additional sugar 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional) Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the margarine in a 9 X 9-inch baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into a pot, adding ½ to 1 cup granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of your peaches. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the extract and set aside while you mix the dough. Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk to make a soft dough, and pour the dough mixture into the prepared pan. Top the dough with the peach mixture, (if it has made a lot of liquid, don’t use all of it); sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if desired, bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until done. Cherry or Apple Cobbler 1 cup flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) ¼ to ½ cup margarine 1 can apple pie filling or cherry pie filling 1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt margarine in 9 X 9-inch pan. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add milk and vanilla. Mix to make soft dough and pour into pan with melted margarine. Stir cinnamon into apple pie filling or stir almond flavoring into cherry pie filling. Spoon fruit onto the top of the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with whipped topping or ice cream. Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler 1 box yellow cake mix 2 cans (12 to 14-oz) cans peaches or 1 large can that equals this amount 1½ sticks butter Melt butter in 9 X 12-inch pan. Pour peaches with juice into pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top, press down into pan a little. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes. Hope you enjoy these recipes, they are simple and easy to make, and most also carry well to a family outing. Magical Lemon Cobbler 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) 1 cup flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk*) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 can lemon pie filling (21-ounce) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the stick of butter into a 9 X 9-inch square baking dish and place it in the oven to melt while you mix up the batter. (Keep an eye on this, you don’t want it to get brown, just melt!). In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar). Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extracts and stir or whisk until just combined. Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the pan, do not stir; spoon the lemon filling over the batter, bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown. Cool before serving. *To sour milk, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill the cup to the 1-cup line. Stir to combine and allow to sit until it thickens. To make this recipe for a 9 X 13-inch pan: DO NOT double the filling, make 1½ times the dough as follows: 1½ sticks butter, 1½ cups flour, 2¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ cups sugar, 1½ cups butter milk or soured milk, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoons lemon extract, follow above directions for mixing.
In the week ending July 9, 2023, Lytle P.D. officers handled 56 calls for service and conducted 95 traffic stops. Of those 95 stops, 73 resulted in a citation and 22 were warnings. This doesn’t even come close to describing everything we did, but it is the best “snapshot” I can come up with. Officers took three reports of property crimes. #1 – Officers took a report of a damaged city-owned manhole and cover. The damage occurred during the construction on IH-35 @ FM 3175. #2 – Big Tex Trailer (IH-35 Access Rd.). The officer on patrol arrested three people for stealing tires and wheels (more details below). #3 – H.E.B. Plus reported a theft, and the suspect was cited (more details below). Officers also took a report of debit card abuse. The card was taken from the victim, who lives outside the city, and was used numerous times in our jurisdiction. Surprisingly, we haven’t had a lot of these lately. L.P.D. officers made five arrests last week. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were from the same incident. Ofc. Roger Garcia was on patrol (just after midnight) and checked the Big Tex Trailer sales and located a suspicious vehicle parked in the back, next to the fence. Upon further investigation, and listening to a bunch of lies, he found the truck bed loaded with new tires and rims. Three suspects were arrested for theft, and their vehicle was impounded, and one of the suspects also picked up a felony dope charge. All three were booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. Sgt. Hanson assisted him. That was first-class police work! Excellent job Roger! I wish your mother would have had triplets…I would have hired all three of you. Arrests #4 – Ofc. J. Cortez conducted a traffic stop on Main St. for no vehicle registration and determined the driver had a felony drug warrant out of Medina Co. He was booked into the Hondo Hilton. Arrest #5 – A suspect was cited for theft (class C) and released at the H.E.B. Plus. He almost got away with fajitas, cream cheese poppers, and beer…. instead, he took home a citation. Just reading the report and looking at the evidence pictures makes me hungry. Please remember that the FM 3175 lanes under I-35 will be closed effective 12 July and should re-open on Monday, August 7th. All this means is that you will need to detour up to the FM 2790 underpass, the one by Lytle State Bank/H.E.B. The access roads should both be two-way, so it shouldn’t be too complicated. This one-way road stuff has been driving me crazy. The 4th of July event at John Lott Park was another success! There were lots of people and it looked like the food trucks were busy. I had a pepperoni and mushroom pizza that hit the spot. I saw a lot of kids with baseball gloves, baseballs, and soccer balls, having a fun time and getting in some physical activity. I sat in my patrol truck with the AC on and watched them while I ate my pizza. Lots of people of all ages were hanging out and having fun. It would have been the perfect backdrop to film a mustard or ketchup commercial. When I am at these events, I don’t take a lot of pictures; I am laser-focused on the safety of the event and eating. Our mayor, Ruben Gonzalez is the picture guy…. check out his Facebook page.
I will always regard the years I taught at Devine High School as the very best years of my 43-year teaching career. Those years are filled with memories of many wonderful students, coworkers and Devine community members. It was definitely a more casual, relaxed, fun filled environment than exists in many school districts today. There is no doubt in my mind that my time at DHS was a blessing to me. I would like to share a few of those special memories today. To this day we subscribe to the “Devine News”. It is fun to read the honor roll, check sports page and look for Lewis Stroud’s picture in the paper. First of all, I will always be grateful for the absolute best principal ever, Bob Bendele, and the best superintendent, Dr. Steele. I was also lucky enough to have many outstanding co-workers …. Nancy McGowan, Mary Rowell, Myra Waters, Richard Malone, Kay Schultz, Gordon Schultz, Susan Frazier, and Bill Lorraine, Beulah Anderson, Phil and Linda McAnelly, to name just a very few. Devine is certainly the most sports-loving town I have ever been in. Football games seem to rule in the fall. Spirit ribbons I think sold for a quarter. There were decorating contests during homecoming week. There was the weekly pep rally with spirit sticks awarded…. I think I still have mine. One time we even had won a pep rally sponsored by 92.9. The DJ’s name was Catfish something or other. It is a little late but I apologize for not arranging that ahead of time with the administration. I didn’t know I was going to win the contest. At the games, former players, some wearing their old letter jackets, were lined up by the fence. Band parents were selling popcorn, pickles, and frito pies in the concession stands. Cheerleaders were throwing little footballs into the stands. I was passing out Bozo Bucks. Ralph Reyes’ mother was ringing a cowbell in the stands. A good time was had by all. The excitement when Devine beat Hondo for the first time in a long time in ’86 was unbelievable! The Talent Show was a lot of fun. Gary English was on drums singing “You Have To Fight For Your Right To Party”. Mary Rowell had a group of teachers pantomime ”Leader of the Pack”. Mr. Hicks sang “Old Man Lucas had a lot of Mucus”. Lots of other “talent” was shown as well. It was a more relaxed time. There were pickups in the parking lot with guns in the gun rack and nobody felt threatened. I was able to send two of my aides to Dairy Queen to take lunch to my junior high kids. Garret Pye dashed over to the junior high to get one of his mother’s hubcaps to illustrate a property of circles during geometry class. Shannon Rackley brought her two-wheel bicycle for the same reason.
Quintessential DHS math teacher, Sandy Miller, then and now. And now.
Once there were several goats loose on the city street. The animal control officer was not available to catch them. The City Administrator (my husband Bob) came over to the high school and talked to Travis Byrom. Field trip! Travis and his class grabbed some rope, jumped into their pickups and took care of the situation. I think Travis may have given Matt Barber a lesson in roping that day. I only had 5 students, maybe 6, in my trig class one year. One day we all got in my car and I just drove us around town with maybe a stop at Dairy Queen. It was a great study break. UIL was a fun time. Brenda Gardner was an awesome coordinator for that. One time we were I think in Kerrville for a meet. I do not like to drive and was more than a little unnerved about driving back to Devine. I made 16 year-old Royd Graham drive us all back. Maybe he volunteered. I am not sure. I think he had a license…lol. I just know I didn’t drive. One of the reasons I really appreciated Bob Bendele is because he let me hang up a bunch, a whole bunch, of posters in my room. Neva Sessions, as a little girl, would come over in the summer and help me put up posters and words on the wall. I am guessing Jim was hanging out in the gym shooting baskets. I loved the fact that because of my teaching schedule, I could end up teaching some students three years in a row. One year TEA mandated a teacher evaluation form that had 75 components. One of the biggies on the list was Per Cent of Student Participation. I was due for an evaluation, and since I had a good relationship with this one particular class, I devised a way to get that item checked off. It was like a game to me and still makes me smile to remember it. I told my students that when I asked a question during the evaluation, that if they knew the right answer, then they should raise their right hand. If they did not know the right answer they should raise their left hand. Voila ! 100% participation. Unbeknownst to me, the kids had their own little plan. When I asked the first question, they all raised their left hand. I just said “Great, since you all know the answer we will just move on”. Everyone had a big smile, including me. I actually wanted to laugh out loud. Zero hour was a fun addition to the schedule. One time my daughter Margaret was not in class. I gave my car keys to Holly Graham and had her go to my house and wake up Margaret. Luckily, the Graham kids were good drivers. Robert Diaz was late to zero hour one time. His excuse was that he was delayed due to a bunch of chickens being on the road. I questioned that. He said that one was still attached to his vehicle. So, we all went downstairs to the parking lot and sure enough, there was a dead chicken wedged under the grill. Excuse accepted. Getting a computer lab was a big step forward. So then we had a Computer Club. It was a pretty active club, even if we didn’t spend time on computers. One of our first fun activities was a snipe hunt at President Maggie Whitaker’s ranch. I had never been on a snipe hunt, nor had our foreign exchange student, Hakon Rostad. Haven’t been on one since. One of the Computer Club activities was the annual trip to A&M. One time Brenda Weinstrom did not make it back to the bus. Hmm. Don’t think her brother Bruce was too concerned. Maybe he thought it was typical. I believe Kenny Saucedo was the hero of the day when he found her wandering around campus somewhere. Those were fun trips, even if someone did have motion sickness and threw up on the bus. The details escape me, but somehow we managed to hose down the floor. Onward! One of the final grades in my geometry class each year was Hat Day. Students needed to construct a hat using as many different geometric shapes as possible. It was a relatively easy grade and a chance to boost your grade to passing if you needed it. One student, who shall remained nameless, did not pass geometry the first time. I remember the second year when I discussed Hat Day with the class, he turned around and said “She will fail you if you don’t do it, trust me” and then did not do it. He did pass the third year. During our annual awards ceremony, each teacher gave an award to the most outstanding student and to the most improved student. I decided the above unnamed young man would definitely be my most improved (maybe of all time). When I called his name during the assembly, I was told that he was in the Ag barn working on a project there so that he would pass that class. I liked that as a teacher, we would be a sponsor to the same class for all of their four years in high school. There was a lot of fundraising involved during that time. Page Pye showed her business skills early on. I heard her sometimes going down the hall reminding others about paying dues, or working at a fund raiser, etc. One time Andy Zapata, Dawn Hoog and I were in Andy’s truck late at night moving chairs from a fundraiser. We were stopped by the police who were wondering why we were out riding around that late, I guess. It was a little awkward to me to admit that my husband was their boss. All was well though. My son Chris told me an interesting story that I had not heard before. He called it The Lawyer’s First Loss. In one of his classes they had a mock trial. Chris and Greg Estes were on one side. Paul Noak (lawyer’s son and future lawyer) and Chris Navarro were on another side. David Yarbro was the judge. Apparently Paul and Chris N. really had the better case; but David ruled in favor of Chris and Greg. It seems there had been a bit of bribery involved. One of my best memories from our time in Devine was when we moved from our rent house to our new house. Instead of hiring a moving company, a bunch of my students came over and moved us. It was a trail of pickup trucks all day Saturday. When I went to school on Monday, I had to ask each class if anyone knew where my coffee pot was. I have tried my best but some of these facts may be a little off. I just know I loved my time in Devine. I will always miss it. It was such a great pleasure to meet some many wonderful people. I have loved seeing those “kids” grow up and have kids and grandkids of their own (thank you FaceBook). I have thought of many other former students and associates as well. I would love to hear from you. I am on FaceBook under Sandy Miller .
Saturday night was good to a lotta folks in our area. Phil MacAnelly got over a couple inches of rain out in Yancey and Frank Runnells got bout the same in Biry. We, the Black Creek folk, were on the edge and I only found 2 tenths of an inch in my rain gauge. Aint heard from Mawmaw or Billy Grote in Moore. We lost a good man last week. Dale Stehle finished his tenure on this side and went on. Didn’t see him much after he moved to Leakey but, talked once in a while. Got a quick Dale Stehle story explaining how he and I got into law enforcement. Dale and I were workin for HEB Construction Co. in the summer of 1974 up at the HEB on Fredericksburg Rd at West Ave. It was bout as hot then as it is now. Round lunchtime one day, Dale and I were eating our sammidges out on the sidewalk in the shade cause they wouldn’t let us eat inside in the air conditioning and we were trying to drink our Big Reds before they got hot. We looked out on West Ave. and saw a San Antonio Police car drive by. The policeman had the windows rolled up, his right arm draped across the seat just enjoying the drive in an air conditioned car. I looked at Dale and said “I could do that”. He said “I think I could too”. After work that day, we went down to the SAPD Headquarters and picked up an application. Dale went a step further and went down on New Braunfels and got an application for DPS. Guess DPS called him first cause, as we all know, he went with them. Both of us got into Law Enforcement at the same time and both were blessed to retire from our respective agencies. There are a number of other Dale Stehle stories out there that I am sure will surface in the near future. I got a few more, just ain’t enough space here to get them all in. Bottom line, Dale was one of the good guys. Always happy to see you and even happier to talk your leg off. If you asked him what time it was, he would tell you how to build a watch. I see where our Supreme Court came out with a couple of decisions with which our current Administration did not agree. Now our President and others close to his way of thinking are saying that the Court does not understand our Constitution. Sounds like some of them are gonna throw a temper tantrum cause they didn’t get their way. Next Election, our country better wake up. Still waitin on my notice to appear for my Protest Hearing at the Tax Appraisal Office and, speaking of taxes, I was glad to see the Devine City Council act to freeze City taxes for folks 65 and over. Now if the State would get off their keesters and act along the same lines… Keep praying for rain. Medina Lake aint full yet.
On June 1 I celebrated my Birthday. As an interesting aside, The Boss Lady was born MANY years later June 2, and we married on June 3. Having just had some successful major surgery (Thank the Lord) and still recovering, she asked what my plans were for my Day. I had thought some about that question and decided to spend most of the day down at the Home Place with an old friend of over 60 years. This friend came into my world in the form of a Christmas present when I was 11 years old. It is a Model 94 Saddle Carbine in 25-35 caliber. I hunted with it as a 12-year-old the next fall and used it to harvest my first deer. Dad had put a 3 power Weaver scope on it, side mounted, and it made the nimble little rifle unwieldy for me. We removed that scope, and it has been an open sight option ever since. Mostly a SAFE QUEEN, ever so often I take it out for a spin, but only for shooting “paper”. I set up a target at a range finder measured distance of 50 yards. Peering through those Buck Horn Iron Sights, that target appeared to be close to 300 yards away with my old eyes. None the less, I managed to shoot a 3-round group of under 2 inches with 2 of the bullets being under 1 inch apart. Not exactly Minute of Angle but then not Minute of Acre either! I was well pleased, and that firearm felt comfortable snuggled up against my shoulder. Just like many times over the years. I am not sure how long it will be before we make another “round” together as my scoped bolt action options are numerous, and most days, I can shoot any of them better than that lever action. But while they are all more powerful, accurate, and expensive, I can honestly say NONE of them hold the same “spot” in my memory. Like any long time, GOOD Friend, I am honored to have had it in my life for so long.
Hello from Lytle! Last week, Lytle P.D. officers handled 66 calls for service and conducted 126 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 94 drivers receiving citations and 32 receiving warnings. Officers made four arrests last week: #1 & #2 – Officers responded to the H.E.B. Plus for a report of a shoplifter. It was another mother/daughter duo! The daughter was arrested for theft (approx. $130 worth of merchandise) and the mother was cited for criminal mischief for damaging some of the property. I have complained in the past that my dad was, and still is, a workaholic and that he seldom took us on vacation. I guess I should appreciate the fact that he and dear old Mom also never took us shoplifting. Arrest #3 – Officers were dispatched to the Star Food Mart (Chevron) for a report of a man who took a beverage without paying for it. Officers arrived, located the suspect, and determined he had a felony burglary of a habitation warrant out of Medina Co. He was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. So, his one free “stolen” drink led to free food, drinks, and lodging at Randy Brown’s hotel in Hondo. I like Randy, but I wouldn’t want to be an overnight guest at the place he runs. Arrest #4 – A verbal disturbance on Main St. resulted in the arrest of a female, that had a felony warrant out of Medina County for injury to a child/elderly/disabled w/bodily injury. She, too, was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. Back maybe in 1997 or 1998, there was a Schlotzsky’s in Hondo that was on Highway 90 and wasn’t there very long. I worked part-time for Lytle P.D. and looked forward to taking prisoners to the Medina Co. Jail, so I could stop by and grab a sandwich and a cup of broccoli cheese soup. Sorry, my stomach started wandering down memory lane. Property crimes from last week, three were reported: #1 – A mini-storage unit on N. Somerset was burglarized. A ladder and some tools valued at $370 were reported stolen. #2 – That is the H.E.B. Plus mother/daughter theft I mentioned earlier. #3 – H.E.B. Plus reported a suspect walked out with about $120 worth of beer and other items. The mayor provided me with some good info. to pass on. You will want to pay attention to this (unlike most of my written rambling). The FM 3175 lanes under I-35 will be closed effective 12 July for a few weeks. This is necessary for construction related to the ongoing TXDOT projects. Both frontage roads will return to two-way roads before this closure. Travelers on FM3175 will need to use the frontage roads to get around the construction. The plan is to have the lanes open by the start of school on the 9th of August. Imagine what a mess that would be if that intersection was closed and the school buses and parents coming in on FM 3175 had to re-route! The city is still accepting applications for an Animal Control Officer and a Public Works employee. You might think “It’s too hot to work outside”, don’t worry about that. The weather around here gets pleasant for at least a month or so each year.
This past week was a truly fun week for me, I left for Devine fairly early on Wednesday morning and was there before noon. My great-grandson was visiting with my daughter and shared some hugs and we got into a different car and headed out to LaCoste. My other daughter had come there so we could get together and visit and I could see her two granddaughters. The one is in Texas for a summertime visit with both sets of her grandparents, as she lives in Florida. Those cousins and the boy from next door had a great time playing, running in and out of the house and even playing a couple of quiet games inside. Before they were ready to quit playing, it was time for us to head back to Devine. My daughter and I had bunco that evening and my great-grandsons’ treat was to go to Dairy Queen for supper with his Granddad! I got the impression they had a great time! Thursday, we were back in LaCoste and he got to go play with his other cousins before we all met up and went to lunch in Hondo with my son. Those kiddos sure do love their uncle, they took turns coming and talking to him or just hugging him, and maybe to steal a couple of his French fries, which he is always willing to share. Friday, we went in different directions as I wanted to visit with the other greats who live in Natalia, and my daughter had children to return to their parents to get ready to go to the river with some friends. She and I met back up later and went to a plant nursery that a friend owns, and I managed to find a couple of plants, for my yard, an ixora and a red ice plant. Will they survive? Who knows! The one will be on my front porch and the other in a bed close to my house! With this weather, anywhere from lows in the 80s to highs in triple digits, I will have to keep a close watch on them. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe July 4th holiday! My family used figs only for preserves as I was growing up and it was not something that I was particularly fond of. Like most kids, I liked grape much better! Of course, back then, the grape was homemade also, but boy was it good, especially in a jelly roll, or with peanut butter in a sandwich. The fig tree in our back yard that my Dad planted not too many years after we moved into the house, was literally that, a tree. You could climb up and out on the branches to get close to the top, which was taller than Dad’s workshop, (15 or more feet tall), and you could sit or stand on the roof of Dad’s workshop when they were ready to pick. The trunk was about 12 to 15 inches in diameter and a lot of the branches were 4 to 6 inches in diameter. There are five varieties of figs that do well in our area, Alma, Celeste, Texas Everbearing, Black Mission and Brown Turkey. The fig belongs to the genus Ficus. There are over 600 species that are native to the widely scattered warm and tropical regions in both hemispheres. Some species are evergreen, but most lose their leaves over the winter. The leaves are broad, tough, and thick with deep lobes. (They are not only rough to the touch; they can make you itch when you are picking the figs). Ficus Carica is the common fig of commerce and the trees can grow 25 to 30 feet tall. There are many varieties of edible figs that range in color from a deep purple, which is the Black Mission, to a beautiful brown, which is the Brown Turkey. They are also almost white in varieties such as Adriatic, Smyrna and Kadota. The Smyrna, is known as Calimyrna in California, is raised there exclusively and is the only one that needs pollination. To produce fruit the Smyrna must be insect pollinated from a wild variety of fig. The fig wasp, genus Blastophaga achieves this by laying its eggs and developing to maturity in the fruit of the wild Capri fig. The wasp then carries pollen from the flowers of this fig to the flowers of the Smyrna fig. They also lay eggs in the Smyrna fruit, but the eggs do not develop in this fruit. Pollination results in the production of seeds and therefore of edible fruit. This process is called Caprification. In the Mediterranean region, figs grow wild. Since time immemorial, it has been cultivated as a ‘poor man’s’ food, because this nutritious fruit can be grown without irrigation. After maturity, they are picked and dried in the sun to preserve them. The earliest of Hebrew books mentions figs. Greek writers have long referred to it. Even the pyramids contain pictures of the fig plant as well as the fruit. (How many paintings by the old Masters have you seen where a fig leaf is used to cover parts of the anatomy)? Fig plantings are mostly confined to the Mediterranean type of climate and, other than from California, the greatest portion of the World’s commercial production and trade is in dried figs originating in the Mediterranean basin. Turkey leads in commercial production and the United States is next. The best dried figs from either area are allowed to partially dry on the tree and then drop to the ground. After they are gathered, the sun drying is completed on trays or in boxes in which they are sent to the packers. In California, some of the figs are dried by artificial heat. In Italy, the figs are picked when ripe and dried in the sun on trays. Fig Preserves 4 pounds chopped, peeled figs 3 pounds sugar 2 large lemons Slice one lemon into slices one-fourth-inch or less thick, set aside. Remove juice from second lemon. Combine in a bowl, figs, sugar, lemon slices and lemon juice. Set aside for about one hour, stirring occasionally. Place in a large pot and heat slowly to a boil, stirring frequently, as they scorch easily, and also spatter. Lower heat and continue cooking on medium heat until the fruit is transparent and the liquid is as thick as cool honey or molasses. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars and seal. Fig preserves can also be cooked in the oven. That is how Mother cooked them for many years. There is no spattering and no scorching. Simply place all ingredients into a roasting pan, stir well, set the oven at about 250ºF to 275ºF and bake until texture is as stated above. Stir occasionally. Place in jars, etc. (I’m not sure if it’s there, but you can check on a box of Sure-Jell® to see if they have a recipe for fig preserves/jam). I quit doing any type of canning many years ago, so I’m not up on the more modern recipes and instructions. I do know, however, that you can’t go wrong if you purchase a Kerr or Ball canning book that gives you all sorts of tips, recipes and instructions. Mine are all out of date! Mock Strawberry Jam 4 cups ripe figs 3 cups sugar 1 small box strawberry gelatin 1 box Sure-Jell® Remove stems from figs and peel if desired. Mash figs to a pulp with your potato masher or chop finely. Mix together the fruit, sugar and gelatin, bring to a boil and cook and stir for about 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully as it will scorch easily. Add Sure-Jell® and boil for 2 minutes longer. (Begin timing after it comes back to a full boil). Ladle into jars and seal. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Even though this recipe is entitled “Mock Strawberry Jam”, you can use any berry-flavored gelatin you desire with the figs. At one time, a friend gave me some beautiful peaches that had absolutely no peach flavor. I decided that what worked with figs would work with peaches and purchased peach gelatin. It worked beautifully and gave the peaches the boost they needed.
Class of ‘82: L-R: Clarice Wood, Jennifer DuBose, Debbie Bush, and sitting, Shirley Baker at the FBC Hobo Party.
As told by Shirley Baker Humberson: Ode to Seniors 82 Now that summer time is near Anticipation grows. Graduation brings new worlds Of fun for you to sow. Details you may not recall But surely you will deign To know Shakespeare or Macbeth’s lines You won’t have learned in vain. Meanwhile let us reminisce Once more of student’s ways— Things you’ve done throughout the year In time will muse your days, Journalism, paper staff— You labored under fire. Deadlines kept you working hard To lessen B.G.’s ire. Other courses bring to mind Debates with Coach Malone. Worries over chemistry Exams brought mournful groans. Football taught new strategies; Each year we struggled through. Basketball brought some success— The Warhorse spirit grew. Honors came to special ones; Our Queen was Mary Lou. Shirley was the favorite girl of 1982. Malefactors used free time To mow and paint and clean. Student council worked to start a campus-pride campaign. Silly things somehow remain Like glasses someone smeared — Sacrifice our dignity To pass the stress-filled year! Seems so many things Would surely bring us doom. Later on we’ll understand that here our lives have bloomed.
KAVTR
I found this poem written by Kathleene Runnels, our senior English teacher, to be a perfect fit for remembering the class of 1982 – the happiness, the details, and even disappointments of our years in high school. Lots of laughs and silliness ensued, from the annual green hand inductees for F.F.A. to the Halloween water balloons! The stories I can recount, too many to mention. One in particular came just after the “Around the World” party. We had finished up with the country of Australia at the Baker’s house, where everyone ended up being thrown into the pool. Fun times, except not everyone knew how to swim, a brief yikes! Once cleared from any harm the party ended and several friends headed to the DQ for the infamous drive around to see who was there. My friend Debi Crouch (prior to Campsey) and I devised a plan that we would tell our mothers that each one of us would be spending the night at each other’s homes. To this day I have no idea what we thought we would do! The town shut down and the lights began to blink at 10:00pm. At the time I was driving Paul Haas’ old 1959 Chief Apache pickup. I proudly purchased that from him with the money I saved from working for $2.25/hour all summer long at Devine Nuts. In our cruise around the DQ, we happened upon Kenny Lessing. He, too, had a very old blue truck he called Bessie. I pulled up next to him and asked if he would like to race out at the quarter on 2200. He gladly accepted the challenge, and off we went, neither truck having the ability to break 60 miles per hour (laugh laugh). Just when we were to turn off 173 to 2200, we began to pass my mother’s car. With a stern face and in her night gown, she pointed a finger right at us and commanded we get home right away. My mother looked directly at me and stated that my father wished to speak with me. Instant tears began to flood my face for fear of my father’s wrath. Debi Crouch assured me that “WB” would not be that angry. Once we arrived, my dad was sitting in his recliner, calmly reading the Devine News. He lowered the paper and grimly stated that “stupid people do stupid things. Don’t be stupid. Now go to bed.” I was shocked and relieved by his response, and promptly grabbed Debi’s hand and headed to my room. Of course, Debi had to tease me for crying so much. She said, see “WB” wasn’t that mad. I never did get to race that quarter of the highway, and I believe that Kenny Lessing would have blown me away. This didn’t stop me from blooming, as we all did in this sweet tiny town of Devine!
