The County Line - March 2010, v3i32

This Issue....

Cheap Fun in the Texas Sun ● Building a Water Garden ● New Featured Artist

Mid-March, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 32

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NEW WEBSITE ► www.mycounty-line.com

Business & Community Journal

MID-MONTH EDITION! The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Contents

March, 2010 Mid-Month

vol.3 Issue 32

On The Cover:

Get

OUTSIDE!

I

f you’re like me, you are about ready to get out of the stuffy old house and get some fresh air! The winter months are winding down and spring is afoot...I even saw the sun shine in through the window shades this past week!

Fun is waiting to be had in Texas.

From the beaches, to the hill country, to the panhandle and even in the air.

You just need to look for it!

Illustration by mwnorris

In This Issue:

Growing Up Small Town My First Water Garden Gorman School News Daily Devotional Gorman Peanut Festival Carbon - Then & Now Tumbleweed Smith Ranger Library EMH Volunteer News Out of the Past Life Planning Issues Rising Star Library Notes Tech-Tips Eastland Chamber Out of the Box Featured Artist From the Backside Footnotes

More on the Web...

Of course, I know the little ones are all excited about being out of school for Spring Break...but the money is still pretty tight and there’s just not enough to go around.

Well, there are a few things you do to enjoy some free time together. One is just to top off the family truckster with some (mostly) affordable gasoline and take a scenic road trip!

Another might be to stay relatively close to home, but spend a night camped out under a tree instead of the cluttered bedroom.

Deadline for April First Edition March 26, 2010 The County Line HERE IS A LIST OF EVENTS THAT MIGHT SPUR YOUR INTEREST •

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Spring time is a great time to go camping.

The nights are not too cold, the days aren’t too hot. It might be hard to explain to the kiddos that the water may look inviting, but that 70 degrees will change your mind in a flash...so take along some fishing gear...a kite...a pair of binoculars...a butterfly net...a football...a Frisbee®...a few bicycles...a watergun...a telescope...a camera...a book...the list goes on and on.

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But whatever you do, don’t forget the SUNSCREEN!

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There’s two events coming up that I would really like to take my family to. We’ve never been able to time it right to go down to Port Aransas during the Texas Sand Fest, but it’s been something that we always wanted to attend. My mother has always wanted to attend the event so maybe this year we can.

The other is coming up soon, it’s the Dyess Air Force Base Big Country AirFest! We used to go to this every year, but I haven’t been in a long time.

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Albany, Tx ~ Old Jail Art Center “Sean Scully: Works from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth” Feb 6 - May 23, 2010 Student Art Show Mar 7 - Apr 7, 2010 Abilene, Tx ~ Civic Center Texas Gun & Knife Show Mar 27 - Mar 28, 2010 Taste of Abilene Apr 6, 2010 Annual Central Texas Gem & Mineral Show Apr 10 - Apr 11, 2010 Breckenridge, Tx Stephens County Frontier Days & Idol Competition Apr 30 - May 1, 2010 Brownwood, Tx Great Indoor/Outdoor Extravaganza Apr 10, 2010 Burnet, Tx Canoe Skills Clinic & Devils Waterhole Canoe Tour Apr 3, 10, 24, 2010

Stumpy Hollow Kayak Cruise

Apr 17, 2010

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Cisco, Tx Folklife Festival Apr 24 - Apr 25, 2010 Comanche, Tx Western Tales & Trails Apr 23 - Apr 25, 2010

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Dublin, Tx St. Patrick’s Festival Mar 20, 2010 A Night On The Town Apr 3, 2010 Granbury, Tx Weekend Nostalgia Concerts Fridays & Saturdays, Mar ~ Apr

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Hamilton, Tx Spring Fling Home & Garden Show Mar 31, 2010 Stephenville, Tx Cross Timbers Home & Garden Show Mar 27 - Mar 28, 2010

Published by Mike Norris Wolverine Design

P.O. Box 1156 Eastland, Tx 76448 Phone: (254)631-8407 Fax: (866)633-8715 (toll free)

Visit Our Website:

www.mycounty-line.com Advertising inquiries, article submissions, news releases, comments, please email: info@mycounty-line.com

The County Line is published monthly and distributed in the following cities: Abilene Albany Baird Breckenridge Brownwood Carbon Cisco Cross Plains DeLeon Desdemona Eastland Gordon Gorman Olden Ranger Rising Star Stephenville Strawn Thurber Weatherford

Thank you for reading The County Line!

Mike &rris Ruth No

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Growing

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

Up Small Town, Mike Norris

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A Winter Camping Trip I Will Never Forget!

A couple of years ago, my wife, daughter and I decided to go on a camping trip for my birthday. Camping in January!

You gotta love it!

I love the snow, too. So we decided to drive up into the mountains of New Mexico and enjoy a little bit of snow and camping and camp fires.

Well, that was the plan at least.

We left out and headed for the mountains. We drove through Roswell, NM during the evening hours so we could hit the foothills of the mountains by daylight.

We ate breakfast in Albuquerque.

After that, we headed up into the mountains. We had been on the road all night long and the only thing keeping me awake was the expectation of seeing some snow.

We finally found what we were searching for and I ventured off the beaten path to actually do some slip-sliding.

We drove down a scenic country road, mountains and evergreen trees all around us with houses covered with snow and huge snow drifts against the fences.

We finally went as far as my twowheel-drive Nissan could take us... and I had about as much screaming and complaining from the women folk as I could stand, so we turned around and found our way back to the paved roads.

We passed through a small town with a downtown park and a frozenover pond. Here we decided to get out and stretch our legs a bit... and there might have been a few snowballs exchanged between the three of us.

The afternoon was winding down and we had to find our way to the camp ground which was over the mountain crest on the east-side of the mountain range.

We finally found our camp grounds and to our complete surprise, there wasn’t a single soul camped out there! I was litterally shocked. I couldn’t believe that people wouldn’t be out there camping and enjoying the winter wonderland!

So we had our pick of the place..and we drove around the campgrounds until we found the ideal spot!

It was late in the evening by then, and I was completely exhausted from 24hrs of driving and sightseeing.

We began setting up our tent -yea, that’s right, I said “TENT”.

And we soon had things all ready for bedding down.

I think we built a small charcoal fire in my portable grill and made some hotdogs and sandwiches...to be honest, I can’t remember eating that night because things got crazy pretty fast.

It started snowing on us and that was wonderful. Up until this year with the snows that we have had here at home, I had seen very real snow falls and I was having a great time.

But the mountain weather is a little bit different from the weather down here in Eastland.

The wind picked up and it started blowing hard. I’m guessing about 20 to 30 mph...with snow!

We needed something to block the wind from the tent so we moved the pick-nick table out from under the shelter at our camp and we dragged

the tent into the shelter.

That blocked the wind from blowing straight in on us.

Then I pulled the truck in front of the shelter to block the opened end from the winds wrapping around and all the snow blowing in on us.

At that point, we called it a night and settled in for some sleep -- but my wife and I just kept stirring. It was so windy and noisy that we couldn’t relax.

After trying in vain to get some sleep, after at least 45 minutes...we gave up!

We packed up all our stuff and crammed it all back into the truck.

The daughter we had to literally pick her up and just load her into the back seat because she was zonked!

We left out of the campsite a little before midnight and headed down out of the mountains.

About 6 in the morning we made it to the Interstate and checked into a motel.

That was the last time we went camping in winter!

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•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

■ Around

Mid-Month Edition

the Home, Collaboration of Martha Bryant & Linda Norris

My First Water Garden My mom always loved watergardens and we would sometimes look at them in magazines and wish we could build one.

I had always wanted a back-yard pond... a water garden with friendly little pet fish, with a nice, cheerful waterfall playing music all day long, beautiful flowers bloomin..... and after mom died, I needed something to do that would help me get over, or atleast, come to grips with my grief.

Not long after my mom died, I decided that I was going to build that pond that she and I had always talked about.

I spent a few hours scanning the internet, gathering all kinds of information and getting a better idea of what was involved, deciding where and what I needed to do.

First, I needed an area that was close to a water supply, as well as electricity. It could not be in a low spot, because any run-off from rain and such would cause too much contamination and could possibly get under the liner and float it to the top.

Once I had decided where to put it, I had to mark off the area and shape I wanted my pond to be. I knew what width I could dig was pre- determined by the liner I would be able to afford... I knew my hole could only be so wide and so deep, plus if I wanted shelves to sit my plants on, I had to figure that in, as well as the 1 foot or more overlap at the top to hold everything in place.

I marked the outline with spray paint, and gathered up my wheel barrow, shovel and pick axe.

I thought I would have that little old hole dug in no time! I had forgotten that I lived on top of a sandy hill with solid red clay a few inches below the surface.

I made good progress for the first couple of hours. I would fill the wheel barrow full of grass and sand, cart it over out of the yard, dump it and head back to my hole in the ground.

Then, I hit the clay... At the end of the day, I had my shelf on one side, one foot down and one foot wide, and on the other side I had the shelf eight inches down and about ten inches wide... and I was a few inches down below that... with almost two feet more to dig, if I was going to dig it deep enough for koi.

When I woke up the next morning I ached all over and decided that I really liked gold fish as well as I did koi! So, I would not have to go so deep and I could make my pond a little wider! In our area, koi need atleast three feet deep water and gold fish do very well at eighteen inches, especially if you have plants to give them shade and protection. Also, koi will destroy your plants, but gold fish don’t, so I would not need to put in a barrier of some kind to keep the plants healthy.

I corrected the width of everything, but did not manage to dig any deeper...

My son had an early day from college, as well as a free weekend, so he came in and finished digging the pond for me. He also built the berm for the waterfall.

He had picked up my liner, pump and plumbing supplies before coming home.

We smoothed the bottom and the sides, making sure there were no rocks or sharp edges to damage the liner. We made certain that the top edge of the pond was level all the way around. Then we put a thin layer of sand down on the bottom for cushioning. Next, we put in the liner, smoothing out as many wrinkles as we could and trying to round the corners so there would not be as many wrinkles to collect the debris from the plants and algae that grows in a pond. When we were reasonably satisfied with that we started adding water.

He worked on the plumbing while I worked on the filter. I had decided to use a rubbermaid square tub as a filter. It needed to have an open area for settlement at the bottom, and, ideally, would have a way to drain that area when I needed to clean it. I cut out a hole for the fitting and valve that I would use. I made a screen to fit in the tub that would rest about 2/3’s way down the sides of the inside of the tub, that would be strong enough to support the weight of my filter material when it was wet and weighted down with algae. I cut a hole in the center of the

istockphoto.com

screen big enough for the pipe I would be using to get the water below the filter material. Then I made another screen to fit inside the filter a few inches below the surface, to hold the filtering material down and to support what plants I would put into the top of the filter. It also needed a hole in it for the pipe. Then I cut a hole for the water pipe to enter the filter, just slightly above the top of the screen.

I had planned on putting a large fitting in the top front for the water to run the water for the waterfall, but as we looked things over, we decided we would tilt the filter slightly toward the pond and the water should sheet off of the front edge, falling onto the rocks, toward the main waterfall, serving the same purpose as that fitting would have.

We placed the filter box on the berm, pulled the liner up and into the filter, smoothing it around all of the areas we had built to help support the rocks for the waterfall as best as we could. We cut the holes for the water intake line and the

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Around

the Home, continued

drain spigot in the liner, applied sealer and tightened everything up.

My son had made a pvc fitting that was basically an upside down L shape that ended with a pvc T fitting that he had added 6” peice to both ends and plugged. Then he had drilled several holes at different angles for the water to flow out of. We put that thru the bottom screen, added our filter material, then the top screen, then connected the main water line to it, and thru the fitting in the side of the filter. We connected the pump and checked for leaks and made any adjustments to the liner that we needed to, to help prevent the water from overflowing on the sides of our waterfall.

All RIGHT! Now I had a pond!

The next morning, I went out to look and what I saw was a pool of water with clear water streaming out of the filter and it was all black... nothing pretty at all, just clear, clean, moving water, ending in a pond, with lots of black liner showing... But NO LEAKS! Time to haul some rocks out of the pasture! I had already spied the rock we were going to use for the base of the waterfall! It was a flat rock, big, with the neatest hole in one side of the top of the rock! The hole went all the way thru the rock and I could hardly wait to see what it would look like with the water pouring down on it!

We hauled several loads of rocks out of the pasture and from the little creek that was on the backside of our land. We placed them carefully around the pond to get the look I wanted, and we left some pockets open for flowers around the border and in the edge of the waterfall.

In the week or so that I waited for the pond water to stabilize, I dug flower beds and planted flowers. I put in a trellis to support a passionflower vine, or honeysuckle to invite butterflies and hummingbirds. I planted several bananna trees, calla lilies, cannas, umberella palm, hibiscus and a combination of other plants, mostly stolen from other parts of the yard or from the creek.

I potted up my water lilies and other aquatic plants that I had found and dropped them in the pond. I ordered several more from a watergarden supplier and from ebay.

Finally, it was time to add the fish! My husband brought me home some gold fish and I added plants to the bio filter, planted some parrots feather in the falls and added pennywort, parrot feather and some duck weed into the pond.

I built a pre filter for the pump. I used a large black container, with a lid. I drilled large holes in it to allow the water to enter and lined the inside with a sheet of air conditioning pads, (NOT the straw ones!) cut to fit. I glued them to the inside of the box, making sure I did not get glue in the holes. Then I cut out a hole for the exit line from the pump and tied a small rope around the box, so I could easily lift it out to clean. I added the pump, fastened the lid and gently placed it in the area fartherest away from the waterfall.

Then I relaxed and enjoyed the piece of paradise that was in my backyard. It was so much fun to watch all the plants mature and bloom! I was as thrilled as a little kid with a forbidden ice cream when I spied my first waterlily bloom!

Every morning, I would take my first cup of coffee out and sit by the pond, watching the fish, butterflies and hummingbirds and it was almost like my mom was right there with me, grinning as big as I was!

I could almost hear her say “Looking good! Don’t you think we need some more plants and another pond right over there?!” :) Yep! Another pond in the making!

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32• ■ Gorman

High School News, From the Students

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By Jaime Johnston This part of the school year is always hectic. We have so many different activities going on like baseball, softball, track, UIL, stock shows, TAKS and so much more. Although these activities tend to slow us down, we’ve been competing very well.

Friday, the softball team played Cross Plains and Comanche.

We fell short of victory, but we played very well. This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the softball team will be playing in the Ranger tournament. Last Thursday, Gorman held a track meet for Junior High and High School. Everyone did a great job. This Thursday, the high school track team will be competing in the DeLeon track meet, and then the junior high will compete at DeLeon on Friday. The tennis team will play in their first meet Monday at Brookesmith.

7th, 9th, 10th and 11th grades will be taking the English TAKS test on Wednesday, March 3rd.

Everyone remember to come out and support the Panthers and Lady Panthers!

By Jonathon Flores This year sure is going by fast. It feels like it was only yesterday when school began. Now spring break is less than a week away and Gorman High is as busy as ever. With track, baseball, softball, tennis and various other school activities going on, spring break is a welcomed set of holidays. Another welcomed benefit from the spring break holiday is the return of shorts to the acceptable dress code, along with the better weather that is sure to ensue. I’m sure I speak for many when I say this is some of the best news of all.

However, the weather has been very impressive so far this week. Hopefully it will be compliant the rest of the week so that all the games and track meets that are scheduled to take place this week go off as planned.

Unfortunately this bad weather that has plagued us has also taken up all of our bad weather days. This means that instead of having an extended weekend on Good Friday, we will have school instead. So don’t forget to take that day off your calendar if you marked it as a day away from school.

That’s all for now and I hope you have a very safe and exciting spring break.

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•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

■ Daily

Devotional, Wanda Lee Beck Skinner

The Past May Be Your Adversary

“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:6 I was faced with an adversary as I prepared for an event one day. My adversary came not with a roar but with the stalking thoughts from the past. As I struggled and prayed I realized they would ruin my enjoyment of the day. I put the thoughts from my mind and replaced them with precious memories of the good times.

We as human beings have a tendency to dwell on the bad instead of the good. We need to plant seed of accentuating the good and downplaying the bad things in life. Yes, I do know that there is much bad in our world but I also know there are a lot of good and wonderful things for us to enjoy.

Love Is The Vital Ingredient

“Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7 Consider planting a seed or two of love on the pathway that is hard and stony. Life is filled with so many rocks and hard places that we often forget that a brother is traveling the road of life. We often expect others to know and care just what is going on our lives.

I am here to urge you to look at another person in their time of difficulties and see if you can plant some seeds that will soften the soil of their heart and take some of the boulders that lie before them and remove them from their pathway.

Try to make someone’s path a little easier to travel.

Harmony Baptist Church

There’s a church in Morton Valley called Harmony, From Eastland, it’s up the dirt road to the north.

It has stood tall and proud for many a year.

Through the storms of life, the flood and the drought.

The gentle rains have fallen and the sun has shined.

Leaving a pretty white building fresh and clean The pews have been packed with sinners who have come.

Many have been redeemed by Jesus’ precious blood.

Others are hearing God’s Word for the very first time.

Good people pray for cleansing by his flood.

Many tine babies have been welcomed at their birth.

How quickly they’ve grown and walked down the aisle.

To become man and wife and once again it begins.

This process seems to take such a short while.

The fellowship hall is very often filled with food.

As the country women bring goodies from their garden.

Aroma and tastes of delight fill this precious place.

The mistakes of others, one and all will pardon.

The church in Morton Valley, Harmony is a sight to see.

Its influence reaches out for miles and for years.

The witness it gives is of Christ who desires to set men free.

■ Gorman

Mid-Month Edition

Peanut Festival News, Jill Rainey Gorman City Clerk

The Gorman Peanut Festival Committee met Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 5:30 for their monthly meeting. Members present were Jennifer, Chasta, Kristin, Ina and Jill. Sara was also present. Those unable to attend were Tiffany, Jeannie, Veronica and Tacy.

We discussed a “slogan” for this year’s festival that will be held on September 11, 2010. Being that date, we also discussed our Grand Marshalls. We decided to ask the Gorman Volunteer Fire Department and our Police Department to lead our Parade this year.

There have also been questions as to the actual date the Peanut Festival began. Jill is going to check with the Gorman Progress to see back issues ’84-86 to try and get an exact date.

Jennifer made a motion we accept Sara as a new member, Kristin seconded and the motion passed 5-0. Welcome Sara!!!

The committee is also searching for an alternate place to hold the street dance in the event of rain (like the 5+ inches we had last year).

So if anyone knows of a good, covered place, please feel free to let us know.

We discussed the possibility of having different events take place throughout the day to add to the festivities. Things like a dunking booth, pie toss or maybe a Tug-of-War Tournament with all the local Fire Departments (we’ll have to get the invitations sent out to see if anyone’s willing to participate). We would love for the high school classes and boosters to get involved and sponsor booths like they use to.

We have got members designated to head up each function of the Festival. Basically, it is staying the same as years past with a couple of changes in the venue, Jill will be helping Jennifer with the entertainment and street dance.

Jill made a motion to donate $25 to the Gorman Annual Easter Egg Hunt, Jennifer seconded and the motion passed 6-0.

The Peanut Festival Committee wants everyone to know we are always accepting donations of every kind (monetary to information).

The best way to get in touch for more information is to call City Hall at (254)734-2317 and talk to Jill or Tacy.

With all business being discussed and the next meeting being set for April 8th at 5:30pm, Sara made a motion we adjourn with a second from Jennifer, motion carried 6-0, time was 6:30pm.

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Carbon

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

- Then and Now, Linda Neeley

Football Comes To Carbon Carbon High School Wolverines!

In response to my request for information concerning the naming of the Carbon Mascot, The Wolverine, I received an email from Wanda Donaldson Bryant. She graduated from Carbon High School and worked for several years at the school in the administrative office. Wanda said she had a copy of a letter from Grady Morton, Class of 1924, which detailed the beginning of the Carbon Football program and the selection of the Wolverine as the school mascot. She said she would be happy to share its contents. I was in Carbon last week and stopped by her home and picked up the document. Thanks a million, Wanda. It is reprinted here in its entirety. Enjoy!

October 1988 I was in Carbon the other day for the Golden Exes gathering for 1988.

The Class of 1938 was the honored group of the day. There I saw a bill board calling attention to the Carbon High School Wolverines. It stirred memories: The year was 1924 – September. A new school year was beginning.

There were thoughts of football throughout the land.

Little Carbon boys were playing their own version of the game in the sand bed along side the path to town, where most of us had our introduction to the sport.

Cisco Hi, “Big Dam Loboes,” were getting ready for big time competition. Cecil and Harrison Couch from Carbon and Ted Huestis from Dothan, were outstanding players on that team. They would be playing the Waco “Tigers”, the Oak Cliff “ Panthers,” and the Abilene “Eagles.”

Gorman would field a team for their third year.

DeLeon and Comanche had been experimenting.

Rising Star, Strawn, Moran, Pioneer, Cross Plains and Thurber were all ready to try the new game.

That was the year (1924) the right combination of circumstances, meant football for Carbon.

That was the year Professor W. Reed (we called him Prof), and Howard Boswell came to Carbon as teachers. They had been together for two years at Tarleton Junior College. Reed had been quarterback for the Tarleton team. He was ready to be our coach. Boswell was not a player but was ready to do his bit as trainer, assistant and business manager for the team.

That was the year our school had an outstanding roster of “sand bed” players ready for bigger and better things. Bill Jackson, Floyd Gilbert, Lois Hines, Tex Reese, Matt Graham, Grady Morton, Merritt Dunn, Gorance Owens, Lexton Martin, Sexton Martin, Weldon Tate, Gilbert Thurman, Dillard Elliott and Travis Reese. Most of these had never seen a regular football game before they played in one.

Prof. Reed set about the task of molding us rag-tags into a coordinated cooperative, competitive team. The huddle had not been invented at that time, so the quarterback (Matt Graham) would line us up in the doubleVisit our website for more articles, photos, and news about the things that interest you -- http://www.mycounty-line.com

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•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

■ Carbon

Mid-Month Edition

- Then and Now, continued

wing formation and start barking signals. The numbers he called out indicated whether pass or run, who would carry the ball and the direction of the play. In those days a team had four plays to make a touchdown.

If not successful the other team got the same try. There was no need for ten yard markers, head linesman, or field judge; just a referee with a little knowledge of the game.

Howard Boswell along with Dr. Jackson, blitzed main street for money to buy uniforms -- Trading Co. , Gorman Bros., Yarbrough Drug, Elliott Drug, Dingler Hdw., Foster Gro., Hall Gro., Trimble Barber, Camp Barber, Tate’s Music, Rockwell Bros., Gilbert’s Gin, First State Bank.

These and others contributed. Twelve uniforms were ordered, padded pants, numbered jerseys, and plain shoulder pads. Each player provided his own shoes – any old brogans would do – Boles Shoe Repair would remove heels and put six cleats in place for fifty cents. I paid one dollar for helmet with ear flaps. Most wore baseball caps.

Merritt Dunn got the extra uniform. He became known as the phantom substitute in tennis shoes. He would roam the sidelines hoping for a chance to play. We did not want him to play – he was too fragile. The starting team went all the way in all games, playing offense and defense.

Not one got seriously hurt.

Someone gave us the loan of his cow pasture, over west of the cemetery for a playing field. Wrather Gilbert provided lumber for goal posts. We cleared brush and weeds from the area and wore out the grass-burrs and goat-heads by rolling around on them.

Finally, about the second week in October the big day arrived – we would play Rising Star at 2:00 p.m.

Howard Boswell called for a pep rally at 12:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

All high school pupils were there to find out what a pep rally was all about. The first order of business was to select an appropriate name for an up and coming grid-iron power. Howard explained that an animal name was sort of traditional. He suggested that we list several names on the black board then vote for one.

Some nut in the back called out “Pole Cats.” Howard declared him out of order, then wrote in rapid order – Bears, Wolves, Armadillos, and others. Someone suggested “Wolverines.” Howard wanted to know if anyone knew what a “Wolverine” was.

Bill Jackson spoke up. He had just read all of Jack London’s books about the North country. London described the “Wolverine” as a small, short legged animal with a frightening disposition. He could hold his own with much larger animals. So, it was no contest. We would be the Carbon Hi “Wolverines.”

I was there. It seems so short a time ago – 1924-1988, 64 years. I was full-back on that team. I wore the #1 jersey. Beautiful memories.

Yea “Wolverines!”

P. S. October, November 1924. We played six games that year. We won over Rising Star, Cross Plains, Pioneer, Strawn and Moran. We lost the last game to Gorman. They were old experienced hands at the game.

There was no football for Carbon the next year. Most of us had moved on and Prof’s Reed and Boswell were off for further educational pursuits.

Remembering.

Grady G. Morton

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The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Tumbleweed

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

Smith, Big Spring

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FAR TO GET AWAY We took a short four-hour trip around our part of the state the other day. It was amazing. We didn’t realize there was so much to see within just a few miles of where we live. My wife Susan and I started out on the Snyder Highway headed for Lake Thomas. We heard it was very low, only five percent capacity. I had been there only once years ago. Susan hadn’t been there in a long time.

Since I’ve been teaching some radio and writing classes at Western Texas College in Snyder, I’ve always wanted to explore some of the canyon lands between Big Spring and Snyder. One morning when we didn’t have anything pressing, we hit the road. Almost immediately we fell into vacation mode. We were relaxed and enjoying the scenery. Ribbons of sand hill cranes seemed to be bobbling and floating in the mid-morning breeze, their pulsating honks creating some interesting sounds.

The trip was, among other things, a picture taking adventure. It seems that when I bring out my bigger camera I immediately feel like I’m a long way from home, away on some kind of adventure. I stopped the car numerous times to photograph the fascinating terrain, which most drivers pass right on by without noticing the hills and valleys, the cliffs and canyons typical of so many parts of West Texas.

Once I stopped at an entrance to a ranch to take a picture of a deep depression in the land and a couple of winter plants. As I crossed over the iron bar above the cattle guard, some birds caught my eye. They were a bright blue and they were gathered around a small pond of water. When I moved, they flew away.

I stopped, giving them a chance to get back to the water. The small, beautiful birds bathed, drank and hopped around. We thought they might be some sort of mountain jay, but the local bird expert said they were blue birds.

Back on the road, we noticed the cotton had been stripped and some fields were green with young wheat. In one of them about fifty antelope were resting.

Most of them were lying down. Only a couple of them were upright. I passed them, turned the car around, handed the camera to Susan and she got some good photos. The antelope didn’t seem to mind that we were there at all.

We drove on the Lake Thomas and indeed saw it had little water. Some docks were a couple of stories above the dry ground. We came back home by way of Moss Creek Lake, east of Big Spring, which was full of blue water and looked so inviting. We drove across the dam and along some of the roads on mesas above the lake. There are no homes around the lake, one thing that makes it so pristine. Lake homes have a tendency to rot when a lake ceases to be an attraction.

We came home refreshed and renewed, thinking we ought to do this more often. We tried it again the next weekend when we spent Saturday night in one of the new motels in town. Same deal. You don’t have to go far to feel like you’re on vacation.

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does. He grew up in the cotton patch and was greatly influenced by it. The following words are his: “I was born a musician. I realized it when I was six years old, in the cotton field in Elgin, Texas. I was demoted from picking in the field to being the water boy because it was too hot and by then my hands were bleeding a lot from being cut. So they bandaged my hands and put me under the wagon and told me ‘just bring water to them.’

“On this day in particular, when we got to the field early in the morning, everyone was talking about things that were going on in the community, like who got married, who ran off with whose husband or wife and who was pregnant, those kind of things. And then, as it got to be around one o’clock, the sun became an enemy. People began singing. And I saw the effect it had on their body. And I wanted so much to help them because you could see the heat radiating like spirals from the ground and from their bodies. It was as though they were baking, which literally they were.

“And all of a sudden my grandfather would start this prayer and he let out this song: (at this point, Hannibal started to sing the words his grandfather sang) ‘I love the Lord, He heard my cry.’ And everybody would respond, singing those same words in a slow rhythm and I got chills. I still get chills when I remember that day.

“And so I said ‘I’ll help them.’ I ran out with a bucket of water. On this day they were so immersed in that power they threw the water in the air. The water was of no use to them. It wasn’t what they needed. It was the music.

“When I was thirteen my mother bought me a trumpet and I played my first solo in public at the football game. And I had that same feeling those people had in that cotton patch in Elgin. Then I knew I was born to be a musician. I knew that was my path.”

Hannibal was commissioned by the Detroit Symphony to do a musical tribute to Rosa Parks, the mother of the modern day civil rights movement. “I’m happy to have been chosen to have that music come through me. Some musical sections depict what I felt in that cotton field that day. I used that sensibility in the opening section of the piece. A critic called the music ‘shimmering squalls of expression.’ It touched him.”

TO HANNIBAL, EVERYTHING IS MUSIC “If people could do what they were born to do, there would be less tension in the world.” Those words were spoken by Hannibal Lecumbe of Bastrop, a trumpet player and composer of musical African portraits. He lives on land his great-grandfather bought a few years after he escaped from slavery. When he’s not performing, Hannibal enjoys staying home with his family and tending his garden. He creates music for orchestras, choirs, string quartets and solo viola works. He has composed music and played his trumpet for symphony orchestras in Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore and other places in the US and Europe. Some critics have compared him to Miles Davis. I had the privilege of visiting with Hannibal, a man with a passion for what he Visit our website for more articles, photos, and news about the things that interest you -- http://www.mycounty-line.com

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•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

Mid-Month Edition

Advertise Online and In Print With

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

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Mid-Month Edition

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

Ranger Library, Diana McCullough

11 ..

Rays Of Hope

“Find a ray of hope and clone it.” These words have played in my imagination ever since I read them in a Fast Company magazine article, which was adapted from a book called Switch (How to Change Things When Change is Hard) by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, that was released last month. I think I should order the book, but the article was probably a good summary.

Change is hard. We resist change. The only thing consistent is...change. Our town cannot stay the same, it’s impossible. We are going to either improve, or not. It’s really up to us. Improvement doesn’t happen by accident.

I know I repeat Dr. Gohlke’s words every so often, and I am again. He once asked my teenage Bible class, “What’s the biggest room in the world?” And his answer, “The room for improvement.”

Now for more words from this Fast Company article (think about our own little hamlet): “Find a bright spot and clone it. That’s

the first step to fixing everything (and the author gives specific examples, but I’m thinking MY TOWN).

A problem may look hopelessly complex. But there’s a game plan that can yield movement on even the toughest issues. And it starts with locating a bright spot—a ray of hope.”

A natural mindset, according to this article is, “What’s broken and how do we fix it?” which serves Pictured L-to-R: Nellie Chalmers from Eastland’s Chamber of Commerce with Ranger’s us well—most of the time.

Diana McCullough, Mary Crenshaw, Phyllis Thompson, Ken Charman, Kay Levi, and Patrick Ready at the Texas Midwest Community Network meeting in Abilene But in times of change, this Photo courtesy of Diana McCullough mindset backfires. We need to ask ourselves, “What’s our Ranger Citizens Task Force. Six members working and how can we do more of it?” Our rational brains focus more of our Ranger Citizens Task Force attended the “Reclaim Your Community” meeting on on problems than solutions.

“Seeking solutions” leads me to this... the TSTC campus, hosted by Texas Midwest Community Network, featuring a regular citizen who is a powerful motivator—Gary Decker— the founder of Reclaim Stamford. I’d listened to Gary before, at the TMCN Annual Conference, on the same subject—how REGULAR citizens have successfully partnered with the City of Stamford, the taxing entities, and property owners to CLEAN UP their town. We took notes!

Gary Decker says all of our towns are in the same boat—budgets are shrinking while our problems are increasing. Cleaning up a town...how do you make it happen? It’s not magic and it’s not rocket science. He told us it was the PROCESS that made them successful.

Key word! PARTNERSHIPS. (See above paragraph.) I like this part: We have to SHOW kids involvement and we need to include kids.

Our kids need to be part of the SOLUTION. Poor is NOT a choice. CLEAN is a choice.

What are we willing to allow? What do people think when they drive through OUR town?

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Mid-Month Edition

Ranger Library, Continued

Stamford has taken down 60 falling-down houses, and Breckenridge may have removed more than that many. Imagine Ranger replacing 60 derelict properties with 60 attractive lots with large, lovely trees and mowed grass. If Stamford can do it, so can Ranger. Yes, there are issues. I have lists of issues. Like asbestos, and absentee owners. “Every challenge is an opportunity!” Let’s add scripture: ...but with God all things are possible...Matthew 19: 26.

We want to offer a “hand-up”, not a “hand-out”. Our fourth Git ‘Er Done Day is Saturday, April 10th. And can you believe that I spelled “get” with an “i”? It was painful. I cringed. THIS is what you call peer pressure— and positive peer pressure is what we need in Ranger to make needed changes. I think it was Motel 6 that used to advertise, “No one minds a clean room.” Well we have a whole town to clean! And we didn’t get into this shape overnight and it will take more than a day to fix us—but we HAVE started! (There IS a ray of hope.) If YOU need help, or know someone who does, please call Leslie at 254/210-1471 or call me, here at the library. Our first three Git ‘Er Done Days were tremendous. And fun!

Randy, the UPS man, just delivered the 2010 – 2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning collection of 20 children’s books! Yay! I also ordered 22 adult books this morning from my favorite vendor Brodart. Other new books that we’ve added to our collection in the past two weeks include House Rules

by Jodi Picoult, Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah, Big Girl by Danielle Steel, Flirt (another vampire story) by Laurell

K. Hamilton, and Long Lost, the audio book (yes, we own the hardback) by Harlan Coben.

Harlan’s newest book, “Caught” is expected soon. Thank you, Texas taxpayers, for your support of Texas libraries.

Congratulations to Joe Vickers for being chosen RHS Student of the Month. If I had a ballot, I’d vote for Joe too. He helped me shelve about 100 books last week—I don’t trust just anyone to put our books in the right place—but I trust Joe.

Fox’s General Store has re-opened! New owners are Jeff and Robin Angus. A long, long time ago, when I was a little girl, my parents owned Western Auto in that building. I used to play in refrigerator boxes in the back. We’d lean in a big box until it fell over--and I don’t remember why it was fun, but it was. Now there’s new life in the old building, and I’m so glad!

Please find that ray of hope, and clone it! Take care everyone, and as always...

ENJOY READING!

YOU COULD BE ADVERTISING RIGHT HERE IN THE COUNTY LINE!

Affordable!

Better!

Creative!

Dedicated!

Experienced!

Friendly!

Growing!

Helpful!

Independent!

Just a phone call away!

(254)631-8407

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

â– E.M.H.

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

Volunteer News, Kelly Davidson

E.M.H. Volunteers The Eastland Memorial Hospital Volunteers were delighted to purchase a table and attended the Chamber of Commerce Banquet this year. Everyone had a wonderful time.

The Shades of Hope section of the SunShine Gift Shoppe is featuring diabetus awareness for the month of March. The colors to highlight this important disease are white and gray. Please visit the SunShine Gift Shoppe located downstairs by Earl & Billye Bradley Rehab and Wellness Center Monday- Friday from 9:30 to 5:30.

The week of April 18th will be National Volunteer Week. During this week the hospital will honor their volunteers with an appreciation dinner.

The volunteers would like to thank EMH in advance for this kind and thoughtful gesture.

There has been a change for the scheduling of the upcoming Scrub Sale that was to be held on April 1st. It will now be May 14th from 7:00a.m.-6:00p.m. in the new Board Room downstairs by the SunShine Gift Shoppe.

During the monthly meeting for March more decisions were made regarding the one day golf tournament at Lakeside Golf Course. We are already hard at work with tournament preparations. We invite everyone to come out and play. Save the date, Saturday, June 5th. More details to follow soon.

YOU COULD BE ADVERTISING RIGHT HERE IN THE COUNTY LINE!

Affordable!

Better!

Creative!

Dedicated!

Experienced!

Friendly!

Growing!

Helpful!

Independent!

Just a phone call away!

(254)631-8407

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Mid-Month Edition

of the Past, Luther Gohlke A Painful Limp

You might think this was a story about one of my patients and in a way it is.

It was a hot summer afternoon, a Saturday, I believe, since I was at home and not on call in the emergency room. The humidity was high for this part of Texas and it was easy to break a sweat.

My wife and I live off the access road of a busy east/ west highway in central Texas. We say we live in the country, but we are within 10 miles of town either direction.

This day I had my ranching work clothes on and I was checking on some yearling heifers that I was raising as replacements in our Brangus cattle operation. This time of year in west central Texas water is a commodity and often in short supply, and we were in one of the worse dry spells in a long time.

Fortunately for us we are on city water. There is a 14” water main crossing our property on the back side about a half mile from our house and barn. The 1” tap that we have off this main line supplies our water needs. But the water trough at the barn was low and I was seeing about a problem with the float valve when the calves spotted me and started walking towards the barn single file, follow the leader style.

As any good cattle man would do, I made a quick count of the calves and discovered one was missing.

I quickly left my work and drove to the adjoining pasture and there she was, all 600+ pounds of her limping badly.

Now cows can hardly get around on 3 legs so after a quick assessment, I could readily see that this calf had a broken right leg just below her right knee. I gently coaxed her and finally got her to a small pasture in front of our home. There she just fell to

the ground, exhausted, hot and dehydrated. She was breathing heavy and needed help. Cattle in pain or distress never make a sound.

Well, seeing as how I was a country doctor in family practice in a small central Texas town, I got back in my pickup and drove to my clinic. There I loaded up with 6” sheet wadding, rolls of 6” plaster and our cast bucket which would hold the water for softening the plaster of paris rolls.

I then headed back home and found the young heifer still laying at the same spot I left her 15 minutes before. Without hesitation I wrapped her leg heavily with sheet wadding and 6” plaster from body to hoof, straightening the leg as best I could. She didn’t seem to mind she was so weak and animal instinct told her that help was there. The plaster was hard as a rock in no time.With a shallow bucket and help to raise her head, she drank the 5 gallons of water down quickly.

In about an hour she was trying to get up and finally did. She hobbled slowly to the barn with my help.

I kept that calf in the lot at the barn for 4 weeks. Extra feed and pampering made her somewhat of a pet.

After one month she was ushered into a chute and with no restraints the cast was removed with an electric cast saw. Again, by animal instinct she knew that she was being helped.

Cast off, calf walked, her leg was still crooked below the knee and

she still had a slight limp. Soon a callus could be felt at the break site. She remained in the lot a few more days then I placed her back with the rest of the bunch. They butted heads which is a sign of renewed friendship. At first I could spot her easily, but with time she blended in with the rest of those black cows.

I kept that heifer and the others and finally at about age 15 years I sold her.

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Life

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

Planning Issues, Jim Kennedy

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Roth IRA Conversions—Little Known Traps You Should Know About…

Yes, it is the financial buzz of 2010: Covert your IRA or qualified retirement plan to a Roth IRA this year even if you earn over $100,000 annually. What’s so great about it?

1.Earnings on a Roth IRA accumulate income tax-free, unlike a traditional IRA whose assets grow tax deferred and on which you pay subsequent taxes when those assets are withdrawn, and; 2.There is no required minimum distribution at age 70 ½, unlike traditional IRA’s.

And, by the way, if you make the conversion this year you can choose to pay the taxes on the amount you convert over 2 years (2011 & 2012). Sounds like a great idea, right?

Well, maybe. There are several traps this conversion could cause you to fall into and which might require more than a bandage to fix it. Listed below are five of them.

Number 1 is about splitting the tax bill and it pertains to everyone. The tax itself is not split over 2 years, the income is split. Example: You want to convert $100,000 in an IRA to a Roth IRA in 2010. You will have to pay income tax on $100,000 assuming all of the contributions you made to the IRA were deductible contributions. Now you have 2 choices. The first is to add $100,000 to your taxable income for this year (2010). Or, you can add $50,000 to your taxable income in 2011 and $50,000 to your taxable income in 2012. The trap is that your total tax bill will depend on a ton of variables over the next two years, many of which may be out of your control, such as tax rates and overall income levels.

Any little change could cost you way more than you expected.

Number 2 is for those of you who have young ones at home who are planning to attend college. Eligibility for financial aid is calculated from a number of factors. However, one the most critical factors is the parents’ income. The higher your income is, the less likely your child is to qualify. A Roth IRA conversion could create a spike in your income for the year or years where the income is included on your tax return. And, yes, it counts.

Number 3 is for those of you taking social security and using Medicare. You could be accustomed to tax-free social security benefits. However, depending

on how much income you have (the income created by the Roth Conversion), anywhere from 50%-80% of these same benefits that were not taxed in the past could be included in your gross income, resulting in a higher tax bill. Moreover, your Medicare Part B premiums are based on income. A Roth Conversion, which will increase your taxable income, could move you into a higher premium bracket.

Number 4 is if you are 70 ½ or older this year. If you plan to convert your IRA to a Roth IRA, you still have to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) for 2010. This amount cannot be converted to a Roth IRA. Once you withdrawal your RMD for 2010, you then can convert the remaining IRA balance.

Number 5 is if you are 59 ½ or younger. You are probably already aware that if you withdraw money from an IRA before age 59 ½, there is a 10% penalty plus the taxes. One of the benefits to a Roth IRA is that there is no penalty for withdrawing the principal before age 59 ½ IF AND ONLY IF the funds converted are withdrawn after 5 years. Any money withdrawn before these 5 years or before you turn 59 ½ , whichever is sooner, still takes a 10% penalty. This also applies to using these funds to pay the tax initiated by the conversion.

These are just 5 of many traps a Roth conversion could trigger. We didn’t even begin to discuss different qualified plans, inherited IRAs, individuals taking 72(t) payments, partial conversions, after-tax and non-deductible contributions, etc.

My goal today is to remind you that you really don’t know what you don’t know.

And more often than not, it’s what you don’t know that will hurt you. Bottom Line: No matter what your situation is, a Roth Conversion requires working with a professional who does know.

Securities & Advisory Services offered through VSR Financial Services, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser and Member FINRA/SIPC. Kennedy Financial Services is independent of VSR Financial Services, Inc. VSR does not provide tax or legal advice.

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■ Rising

Mid-Month Edition

Star Library Notes, Ginger Johnson Tobin IS IT REALLY MARCH SO SOON?

Can it possibly be March already? Do you feel the surprise too when you look at the THIRD month of the year on our calendar?

When I hear the word “March” the phrase that comes to mind is that of William Shakespeare when Caesar was warned to “Beware the Ides of March.” Well, call me stupid, but I always thought that the Ides of March must be something ominous. However, after a bit of research, I learned that the Ides of March (March 15) in Roman times did not necessarily evoke a dark mood; it was simply the standard way of saying “March 15” in those times.

The term “Ides” comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been divided by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days: Kalends: 1st day of the month Nones: The 7th day in March, May, July and October & the 5th day in other months.

Ides: The 15th day in March, May, July and October & the 13th day in other months.

Well, if YOU are not confused now, you’re the ONLY one! But…we now know what the Ides of March mean…the 15th of March.

The above research was accomplished on our online computer at the Rising Star Library. Come by and do your own research!

MORE SHAKESPEARE

I suppose all of us studied a bit of Shakespeare in school; but it’s surprising how quickly it evaporates in the midst of our everyday lives, right? While researching the above, I came upon some wonderful quotations attributed to the bard himself, William Shakespeare.

“How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?”

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!”

“I am not bound to please thee with my answer.”

“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”

“Having nothing, nothing can he lose.”

“Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.”

The website “Brainy Quotes” also informs us that William Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564 and died April 23, 1616. His home in England is open to tourists and is a huge attraction.

DAILY GUIDEPOSTS-2007-LARGE PRINT EDITION

I found this book on the shelves while looking around this week; this is a really neat book with many inspiring thoughts for daily life. It doesn’t matter that it is 3 years old-these books are timeless. My own Mother subscribed to “Guideposts” for years and passed them on to her friends. My brother still has a subscription. Here are some examples of what this book contains: (Each of these readings is dated.) Friday, April 20: Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Isaiah 62: 2 This is a short story about a woman named PTOLEMY. While in grade school and tired of endless questions about her name, she asked her father if she could change it. “Why on earth would you want to do that?” He’d given her the name because he’d been reading about an Egyptian philosopher named Ptolemy the night her Mother had gone into labor. “Why don’t you wait a bit before changing it?” he asked.

Ptolemy became a writer for Guideposts and thought her name would be a burden, as usual. However, she received a wonderful letter from a reader named Susan who said that she’d won a contest many years ago to name a pet mouse at school and had named the pet Ptolemy. Susan went on to say she’d taken the pet home and cared for it and loved it. Susan thanked Ptolemy (the Guidepost writer) for helping her remember her first pet Ptolemy (the mouse). Lord, help me to remember that You know us all by name, no matter how unusual it may be. From Ptolemy Tompkins Saturday, June 23: She has done a beautiful thing…Mark 14:6 This short story tells of Marilyn King and her friend Mona, who usually spend Saturday afternoons together. Marilyn is having back surgery in a few days, so after eating the carry-out lunch that Mona brings, they sit and share with each other. Mona encourages Marilyn to share her feelings about the back surgery and life and death and God and healing. Their discussion seems to clear out Marilyn’s fear she’d been feeling.

After Mona’s departure, Marilyn sat in her dining room, eating the wonderful lemon pie that Mona brought. She savored its sweet tanginess and its rich yellow color as well as the frothy feel of meringue on her tongue.

She breathed in the lovely scent of the peonies Mona had also given her. She enjoyed the pale pink beauty of the petals and the quiet solitude and realized that this was a holy moment. Perhaps such moments are reason enough for living. Marilyn realized that without a body and senses, she could never have known the sacredness of this moment. She asked herself “could it be that holy moments fully lived can transform the world?” Creator God, help me to remain alive to Your magnificent creation and to pass that joy to others. From Marilyn Morgan King The above story is personal for me, as my birthdate is June 23 and my FAVORITE pie in the world is Lemon Meringue. I can almost taste it as I read about Marilyn eating it!

This book is available at Rising Star Library.

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ Tech

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

- Tips, Cameron Buck, Bryan’s Computers

17 ..

News From Bryan’s Computers

Bill Arlt shown at his retirement reception at Bryans Computers in Eastland. Bill, with wife Lana, received an award from Bryan Jackson for his many years of contributions to not only Bryans, but to the many customers throughout the Eastland and surrounding area.

Bill went to work for Bryan & Russ Verner in the later 90’s doing onsite computer repair services for TXOL Internet. Bill was later promoted to full-time manager of a new start up dot com company called INOL. In 1998 Bill moved on to the corporate world in Austin to work with a large world wide technological company called Wang Global, that was eventually acquired by Qualex Serve. In 2002 Bill retired from the company but had worked his way up to being program manager. In January of 2003 Bill decided to reenter the workforce and once again was reunited with Bryan and Russ doing onsite technological services.

In September 2003, Bill decided to focus mainly on in-house computer sales and services with Bryans Computers but continued onsite services for TXOL part-time. In 2006 Bill setup Bryans Computers to be one of the first Texas resellers

for DELL Computers.

Bryans was recognized at the end of 2006 for being #1 in that segment of their business in Texas. Bill spent the last 4 years building that segment of business for Bryans, which Bryan discloses is what saved his computer business. When asked about it Bryan said, “we were trying to build all of our own systems and we couldn’t keep up, plus quality is tough to keep up when quantity is needed. Bill took the initiative to get us hooked up with DELL and it’s been the one of the best things ever for my computer business. We’ve sold over ½ million dollars of DELL since that day in 2006 and I can’t thank Bill enough. DELL is good!

They have a good name because of quality, price and availability, and when you combine that with the great people we have on our team such as was with Bill Arlt, it’s just a winning combination that continues to speak for itself.”

EASTLAND

COUNTY CLERK ANNOUNCES NEW SERVICE

Photograph courtesy Bryan Jackson

Even though Bill has decided to once again retire from full-time employment, he intends to start once again offering onsite services.

So if you need some help with your computer system, network or wireless needs, give Bill a call at (254) 631-2845.

Bryans Computers continues to provide in-house sales and service and is still one of DELL’s premier Texas resellers. Please drop by today at 925 E Main and see the world famous espresso man himself, Cameron Buck, for all your computer sales and service needs.

The new service is called Eagle Web. It allows the public to view index information and images from the comfort of their home or office. Documents are uploaded to the Eagle Web on a nightly basis after they have been scanned, indexed and verified. This usually occurs within two business days.

You must be a registered user but there is no charge to register and search the index.

Images may be purchased in one of two ways.

1.

Images may be purchased at the cost of $1.00 per page 2. A monthly subscription may be purchased for $250.00 per month, which allows unlimited access to document images.

To take advantage of this new technology go to: https://www. countygovernmentrecords. com For questions or assistance contact: Cathy Jentho, County Clerk at 254.629.1583

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■ Eastland

Mid-Month Edition

Chamber of Commerce News, Nellie Chalmers 2010 Music Jam

Texas country artists Brandon Rhyder and Charla Corn will perform at the Lakeside Country Club, in Eastland, Texas, on Saturday, June 19, 2010, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are $25.00 and will be available at the following locations: The Gold Lantern, Bryans, The Eastland Telegram, Amy’s Cards and Gifts, Hardin’s BBQ, and online at www.

MicroplexNews.com and www.eastlandtexas.com.

Tickets purchased online will be available for pick up at will call. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the artists, go to www.brandonrhyder. com and www.charlamusic.com. No refunds, and in the event of inclement weather, the concert will be rescheduled. Feel free to bring lawn chairs, and enjoy the sounds of Texas.

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors: Lakeside Country Club La Quinta Inn & Suites Holiday Inn Express The Gold Lantern Amy’s Cards and Gifts The Eastland Telegram Bryan’s Computers MicroplexNews.com TXOL.net KATX Hardin’s BBQ

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of the Box, Joellen Hodge

19 ..

My Name Is Stupid

I am arrogant and opinionated. My take on the situation is usually right…just ask me. If I agree with me on that, then the following must be true; I sure am stupid sometimes. This has recently occurred to me on several occasions about things I do that make no sense at all. The following scenarios are presented for evidence: 1.)Perming my hair is not going to make me look younger or cute.

It is only going to kink up my hair into one tight knot and make me look fat and messy for the next six months. I have to stop going to the hairdresser and paying for perms that make me look really bad. Note to self: there is no hair do that will make me look 16 and thinner.

2.)I am too stupid to respect and appreciate Russian literature.

Giving up nine months of my life to slough through pages and pages of Dr. Zviagho and Ana Karina is not going to make me smarter. It is not going to make me interesting. It is going to give me a headache trying to keep up with all those names that end with “tchoksy”.

3.)A bloomin’ onion at the Outback is not, nor ever will be, a vegetable substitute for a green salad and I cannot eat a whole one and stay on my diet. Especially when I have a side order of cheese sticks.

4.)Glass jars should be disposed of when they are emptied. Dying and leaving 87 half gallon glass jars in boxes on the back porch is not going to make my relatives think I died in the middle of another project…It is going to make them wonder why I bought and ate so many pickles over the years.

5.)Baking all my bread, sewing all my clothes, including my socks and underwear may be green, but is never going to happen. The time to stop buying fabric, elastic and those little bra hook things to sew into my home made bras is right now. Also, 50 pounds of bread flour is enough to keep on hand at any one time for any person unless I plan to open my own bakery.

6.)Having any family group over for any holiday that lasts longer than one meal period is never going to be like a Little House on the Prairie rerun…at least not in my family. My youngest brother is always going to eat my favorite piece of turkey and I am always going to insult his performance in the last football game he played.

The only way to avoid this is to have the family meet at a restaurant for lunch and pay the ticket myself. At least in pubic we show some kind of civilized behavior.

7.)No matter how much I love my dogs and think they are smarter than most children, nobody else does. I cannot force people to like

my dogs, hug them, play with them or excuse them if they potty on a neighbor’s carpet. (They on the other hand should understand that no matter how they love their grandchildren and think they are smarter than most dogs. I do not.)

8.)Hand crocheting any garment as a gift for an adult is a disaster waiting to happen…especially if that garment is a school bus yellow pullover sweater for any person who tips the scales at 300+ pounds.

Adding HUGE sunflower buttons to the sweater is not going to make it any better. Crocheted potholders are acceptable gifts if done in neutral colors.

I once heard that people who do the same thing over and over and over, expecting a different outcome each time is a sign of being crazy. I rather think it may mean a severe case of stupidity. It is not crazy to keep on crocheting the sweaters…it is stupid to keep giving them to people expecting them to wear them.

So, I am officially admitting that I may be incurably dumb in some of the things I do again and again. Be patient with me because my heart is in a good place. Not sure where my crochet hook is, but when I find it, I am going to make someone a nice orange and green sweater for Easter. If you are lucky…it won’t be you!

Check out the website…I had added Nascar, NBA, Weather, World News, Food Channel Recipes and so much more! Write me a note: johodge@bboxlady.com It would be great to hear from you! http://bboxlady.com/home.aspx http://www.examiner.com/x-35302-Rural-Family-Examiner http://www.etsy.com/shop/eccentric57 Y’all go be nice to each other!

Visit our website for more articles, photos, and news about the things that interest you -- http://www.mycounty-line.com

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•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

Mid-Month Edition

Brian Walton I am 27 years old I have lived in Eastland my whole life.

When I was a kid my mother would give me paper to draw on during church to keep me quiet. As I grew I continued to draw and make art all the time I enjoyed it more than anything. I have always loved creating and being creative.

I have had my share of adversities in my life. My father died when I was ten so my mom was left to raise me and my sister. We have never had much but everything we have, we have earned on our own.

Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to go to Art School and earn a degree and get a good job in the field that I love.

As well as an artist I am also a musician and I’d love to work in both. I have found that the Art Institute of Dallas has just what I need to accomplish my goals. I currently am enrolled at the Art Institute of Dallas but since I have no where to live in Dallas I am taking online classes here in Eastland.

I am offering up my art work for sale as a means to obtain the revenue needed to pay for moving to Dallas while I am going to the school. The school doesn’t offer dorms so I will have to find a room for rent or affordable apartment. I am hoping that I can earn enough money to do so and get me moved up there so I can fully start my journey into world of media arts and animation.

I have about 15 pieces that I am wanting to sell, but I am also available to do pieces specifically for anyone that is interested in having an original piece of art work done just for them. I have a pretty unique style -- I work mostly in pencil and pen, but I do paintings as well.

I tend to do work that is ironic and often strange, but I am not limited to just those types of things.

I feel I can draw just about anything if I wanted to.

Contact the Artist: Brian Walton Eastland, Tx notsomeguynamedstephen@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=577651132 The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

■ From

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

The Backside, Henry J. Clevicepin ~ Collaborated by Nellie Frecklebelly and Agnes & Ophilia Fudpucker

21 ..

Butt Whoopin’!!!

Well, Spring is trying to spring here in Buzzard’s Roost, but with Spring comes that darned wind. I looked out of the door of the mule barn today and saw a herd of Buzzards flying backwards & wearing goggles….now that is blowing.!!!!!

It may be all of that hot air coming from Washington. Them pompous , arrogant suckers, I don’t know what we are going to do with them.

Did you hear what Pelosi said this week???? She said they needed to pass the Healthcare bill so people could find out what was in it……then work out the details….

What????

Do them idiots think we are all idiots too? They just keep spending money and running things like a dictatorship up there. Ol Pelosi likes to mix with the high & the mighty, so she went over to Rome to see the Pope.

They were standing out on the balcony in front of this huge crowd, when the Pope leans over and says “Mrs. Pelosi, did you know with one wave of my hand I could make every person in this crowd go wild with joy?

The joy would not be a momentary display, like that of your followers, but would last for the rest of their lives when they speak of this day, they will rejoice.” Pelosi replied, “I seriously doubt you could do that, but show me” So the Pope slapped her!!!!!!!

Now ol Estee K. Bibbles, my mulebarn partner & beer drinking buddy, was talking about how crooked all of our Congressman had gotten and told me a little story about a little bunny rabbit and a snake that were both blind and met up in the forest. They got to talking about since they were blind, that they didn’t know what they were. So, the little bunny said to the snake, let’s feel around of each other and see if we can figure out what we are. So the old snake curled around the little bunny rabbit and felt of him and said you have a little twichin nose, little ears that stand up and a little cotton tail, so you must be a bunny rabbit. Now, see if you can figure out what I am, so the little rabbit started feeling around of the snake and said, well, you have little beady eyes, you’re slimy and you are crawling around on your belly….you got to be a banker, lawyer or a Congressman !!!!!

And what is this deal about ol Matta, Massa or whatever his name is, the Democrat from New York that is resigning because he says that Obama and his hinchmen were putting pressure on him to resign because he was not going to vote for healthcare. He even said that Rahm Immanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff and head hinchman, came up to him in the showers of the congressional gym while both were naked and started punching him in the chest and screaming because he was not going to vote for the healthcare bill. Now, is this like the way Chicago thugs run things where Obama came from or what ??????? Now ol Estee K. said he would like to have seen that little deal…he said he bet ol Immanuel standing there naked with his little hummingbird butt and his little skinny legs that look like he is standing on a chicken, was a sight to see. Course, ol Estee K. said Immanuel probably needed a good ol Buzzard’s Roost naked hummingbird butt whoopin !!!!!

And talking about dictatorship….have you heard about the sapsuckers up there and the environmentalist talking about regulating and basically tryin to put an end to recreational fishing.

Now that is plumb un-American!!!!! But that is what is happening.

The so called preservationists are working on this little deal with Obama and the gang. Now there is just nothing better than going out to the lake and drinking beer and drowning worms and they’re going to try to take it away from us. Now somebody ask ol Estee K. what he thought we could do about it and he came up with a brilliant idea….just go whoop a preservationist’s butt !!!! That boy may need counseling, he is into this butt whoopin mode.

Now folks, I know yawl think me & ol Estee K. get down at the Buzzard’s Roost Bar & Grill and get to drinking a little too much some times, but this deal is serious. But if you don’t want to give some ol preservationist a butt whoopin, especially if he is a big ol boy, go to www.savethefish.org and see what you can do. We got to do something to stop Obama and his dictator thugs or this country is going to be a wreck.

Well, I got to go take ol Estee K. down to the Buzzard’s Roost Bar & Grill for counseling….we may both need about a six pack of it !!!!!

Words of Wisdom from Henry J : Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die .

You can email Henry J at: henryjclevicepin@aol.com Editor’s Note: For a copy of the administration’s report regarding the future of the nation’s sport fishing industries, please visit: http://www.mycounty-line.com/opinions

From the Backside Sponsors

Joe Bond Construction Fencing, Metal Buildings, Dirt Hauling Motorgrading Roads

Call: 254-631-2658

Axxess Funding

No Credit Needed Merchants, if you need a 90 day credit plan for your customers you get your money in 72 hrs !!!!

Call 254-433-1928

Visit our website for more articles, photos, and news about the things that interest you -- http://www.mycounty-line.com

22

•County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32

Mid-Month Edition

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com

Mid-Month Edition

County Line Business & Community Journal ~ March, 2010 v3.32•

■ Footnotes, Announcements and Parting Thoughts

CISCO AARP Chapter 2447 4th Friday Night Musical March 26, 2010 Hillside Village Wheatley Community Center 1007 Humble Ave Good Country & Gospel Music Doors Open 4:30pm Start Serving at 5:00pm Chicken & Dumplings, Salad, Cornbread, Sandwiches & Deserts Coffee, Tea, Coke, Dr.Pepper & Bottled Water We hope to see you there!

We are a smoke free, alcphol free, and druge free establishment.

■ Classified

CISCO AARP Chapter 2447 Next Regular Meeting Thursday, March 18, 2010 Hillside Village Wheatley Community Center 1006 Humble Ave

RISING STAR

Saturday Night BINGO Every Saturday Night Doors Open 5:30pm Play Starts 7:00pm Concessions Available American Legion 205 S Main Kenny Rutledge

(325)642-2983

Angel Food Ministries

Cut-Off Date Wednesday March 17th

Join us for a potluck supper.

Distribution Saturday March 27th

Drinks, paper plates, and cutlery are furnished by the Chapter.

Call Ilene (254)442-1969

We eat at 6:00pm Followed by a brief business meeting.

Come join us for Fun, Food & Fellowship.

We hope to see you there.

Eastland County 912 Project Meeting Myrtle Wilks Community Center

You can now order online from our website: www.angelfoodministries.com

6:30pm until 8:30pm Thursday, March 11, 2010 All Invited

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•County Line Business & Community Journal

The County Line Business & Community Journal ● P.O. Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com