Columns

Let’s have a show of hands. At the start of this National Football League (NFL) season, how many of you actually predicted that the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams would be battling Sunday (today) to determine the winner of Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles? Don’t feel bad because I did not pick this matchup either.

By the time I completed a dozen trips around the sun, the notion had become ingrained in me that certain possessions were needed; no, were essential; no, were vital for self-actualization as a maturing male. Of course, this ingraining came about primarily through interactions with my school peers but the desire for these possessions was powerfully reinforced by the youth-devoured media of the day — which then included comic books, funny papers, picture shows, and that burgeoning monster called “TV”. And for my core group of mates, the primary possession craved was a BB gun, despite the forceful objections of our parents. And because I was hopelessly immersed in the cowboy culture of the day, my shooting iron had to be a lever-action carbine, like Jimmy Stewart wielded in the movie “Winchester ’73.”

Last week First Husband and I drove to Dallas. This was not a pleasure trip, but a doctor’s appointment. He’s a great doctor and I really like him, but I swear, if we have to go back to Dallas again ever I might have to smack somebody.

Dear Editor, Why doesn’t the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court care as much for county roads, a potential increase to our tax base, as themselves and employees relative to pay increases. One particular road in dire need is the road to New Hope Cemetery in Pct.

For those who don’t keep up with the news, recently in north Texas, there have been eight school superintendents who have announced they are quitting or retiring immediately or at the end of the school year. According to news outlets, most of the separations were self-initiated and without questions of malfeasance related to the job or the law. The number of exits in a threemonth window is much higher than typical superintendent attrition statistics.

On Jan. 18, the Safe Outdoors Dog Act went into effect in the state of Texas. According to the Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN), the Safe Outdoors Dog Act is a law governing the restraint of outdoor dogs by:

I have a confession to make. I’m still trying to put away our outdoor Christmas décor. It seems that every time I get started, it either rains, or another cold front blows through. Weather in our Lone Star State is always unpredictable, but this time I’m going to wear a jacket and tape an umbrella to my back and do it for sure.

Years ago, songwriter Mac Davis penned the lyrics to a song about a tiny orphan girl who evidently longed to experience being loved. In the song, “Whoever Finds This, I Love You”, she writes a note containing those words, and it into the wind. A lonely old man eventually found the note among the autumn leaves and read her plea for love. That was the beginning of a beautiful and warm friendship that both desperately needed.

This was the “runner-up”for the back of my Mama’s funeral program this past February. My siblings and I appreciate your attendance at this celebration of the life of our Mama, Wanda Sipes.

Dec. 10: The Grand Saline Chamber of Commerce is holding a Christmas Bicycle Drive. Monetary donations are also accepted. New bicycles can be dropped off at the Chamber Pavilion, Grand Saline, on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bicycles will be accepted until Dec. 10. For more information contact Mildred Rodgers at 903-962-7147.