As the ranch father worked, riding the tractor, feeding the cattle, and repairing the fences, his young son played in the sand with his toy trucks, threw rocks off the hillside, and sat under the shade of an oak tree marveling at the red ants and their intricate “road” system branching out in various directions from the central bed.
As the boy grew into youth, the father eased him into the ranch work.
We have been blessed with our great grandson Tanner visiting us for over a week. He went home today, Sunday, and the house is very quiet with him gone. He is a very busy two year old. I found him in the utility room this afternoon trying to fill the little cup with laundry detergent from the big jug.
People get stuck with nicknames in odd ways. Big guys are often called ‘Tiny’ or ‘Slim.’ Bald guys are sometimes called ‘Harry.’ More often though, nicknames actually fit, like Dish Boggett, the cowboy character in Lonesome Dove. He got the name Dish because, while on a cattle drive, he came into camp really thirsty and drank a tubful of dishwater.
Noah Sweat is another example.
This is a topic I have discussed before, but it is a message that needs to be repeated. Simply put, for the health and sustainability of the local ecosystem, native plants are essential and non-native plants are either mildly or severely detrimental.
Unfortunately, most of us grew up and learned whatever we know about plants and gardening without any regard to the distinction between natives and exotics.
Next week will be busy at the library with both an adult and a children’s program. On Tuesday June 15th, Sigrid Carter will speak for the adults in the Stribling Room, while on Wednesday June 16th, Dinosaur George will perform for the kids. Read-to-Swim also started June 7th and will run until July 16th.
Going through memories from the month of June and beginning of summer, we spent nearly every Sunday in June going to reunions. The Eckert reunion was always the first weekend and was held at Doss. It always so fun seeing my Eckert cousins. We usually would sneak into Reeh’s Service station/store for a cold soda pop and a candy bar or go “Pich-pochin’” in Threadgill Creek.
This is a “cheating” recipe, since it calls for cans of refrigerated biscuits instead of “scratch made” biscuits. If using the store-bought ones is not appealing to you, feel freee to whup up a batch of your favorites and use them instead.
Ingredients:
½ c. pecans (chopped)
2 cans Jumbo Biscuits (use Grands, don’t use the flaky kind)
¾ c.
You Know You’re In a Small Country Town if…
…its Zip Code is “E—I—E—I—O.”
… “Main Street” isn’t paved.
...there are more dead people in the cemetery than people living in town.
…the local Veterinarian is also a Taxidermist. The sign over the office door says, “Either way, you’ll get your dog back.”
…it’s known as a “Poke and Plumb” town.
June veggies to plants with seeds include cantaloup, warm greens, okra, southern peas, and pumpkin. If the vine borer got your squash, re-plant at the end of June or around the first of July. Transplant sweet potato slips.
Flowers for this month include Mexican heather, marigold, flowering balsam, lantana, impatience, nicotiana, periwinkle, verbena, camellia, begonia, salvia, purslane, zinnias, petunias, pentas, gomphrena, cosmos, cleome, coreopsis, dusty miller, coleus, aster, Jacobina.
...
The rain has been a welcome introduction to summer. Showers have been spotty with areas accumulating varying amounts of moisture. We are grateful for every drop.
Children’s Sunday school at the Art Methodist Church has gone on vacation for the month of June. Adult Sunday School Classes meet as usual at 10 on Sunday Mornings.
The Community Bible School is not scheduled this year.
