Juneteenth Celebration today

Those who didn't come out to the Anderson County Courthouse this morning missed a good time and a reminder of from where we as a state and a nation have come. The Negro Historical Preservation Society in Palestine began its 16th annual Juneteenth Celebration on the courthouse steps with a brief opening program with thoughts from local organizers and a re-enactment of soldiers escorting the first black voters to the polls, followed by a parade from the courthouse square to Calhoun Park. It was a really nice program and a timely reminder of our history as a nation, since we recently elected our first black President.

Events continue throughout the day at Calhoun Park with food, games, activities and speakers. At 3 p.m., the Ayubu Kamau Kings and Queens will perform an exhibition of African dance and drums. Those who plan to attend are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. From the Anderson County Courthouse, drive north on Perry Street, turn right on E. Murchison Street, then left on E. Calhoun Street at The Antioch Church and follow it until it ends at the park's parking lot.

Check the Herald-Press Photo Gallery later for photos from the courthouse and parade.

What part of 'NO' doesn't Dallas understand?

Just checking the most recent Google alerts in my email and I found a link to a story online in the Dallas Morning News regarding the City of Dallas' latest attempt to lay claim to someone else's water.

Seems that the City of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board have now filed suit with the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn the ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that gave the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service the green light to move forward with a national wildlife refuge on the Neches River along Anderson and Cherokee counties. The appeals court ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed jointly by Dallas and the TWDB in an effort to use the same area of the Neches to build Lake Fastrill to supply Dallas' projected future water needs.

I guess I would feel a little differently if Dallas had a history of water conservation. It doesn't. Why is watering a lawn and washing an SUV more important than preserving hardwood bottomland? Wasn't the State of Oklahoma recently sued by Tarrant County and Dallas for water from north of the Red River? That's apparently supposed to go to trial in December. So when they might not be able to get what they want from Oklahoma they come back - again - to East Texas? If I paid city taxes to Dallas, I'd be getting pretty upset at the legal fees accumulating over these lawsuits. They need to use what resources are already available and learn better habits, like the rest of us.

No means no, whether it comes from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals or the State of Oklahoma. Move on.

Really nice tribute to former Frankston coach

My Google alerts picked up on this letter written by Jeff Austin Jr. about former Frankston coach Vernon Harton. Austin is part of the Austin banking family from Frankston. He grew up in Frankston, graduated from the school there and remains active in the community.

The letter was posted Mon., June 8 on the sports blog on Smoaky.com. It's a wonderful tribute to a man who shaped many young lives while at the school. Kudos to David Smoak for posting it! Check it out by clicking on the word "letter" above. It's well worth your time.

Reminiscing over Saturdays and Mondays past

We've now seen the last of the Monday and Saturday Palestine Herald-Press editions. Seems strange that we won't print a paper tonight, or Friday night. I hate to see it, but at least we're still printing a paper. They won't be doing that at some locations, such as the Denver Post. On the bright side, I guess I should be able to spend Friday nights at home with my family now, or at least most weeks. It may sound strange but I felt honored to be entrusted with laying out the last Saturday front page. The Herald-Press took a chance on hiring me 19 years ago as a young sports reporter, with no daily newspaper experience and a girl in what was almost exclusively a guy's job. It meant a lot then, and I'll always have a special place in my heart for the H-P and for Palestine. I've come and gone a couple times over the years since, gotten married to a Leon County boy and started a family. The H-P has been a thread running through that fabric in one way or another since 1990, whether as an employee or a reader. So being the person "on desk," as we call doing the page layout and editing, meant a great deal. I hope our work on Mondays and Saturdays has in some way been meaningful to you, too. Thanks for being there with us, and keep coming back the remaining five days!

Top 10 percent rule

I just read the Associated Press story about the House vote to amend the "Top 10 Percent" admission rule to Texas' public colleges and universities. I have one response - hogwash! The part that really sticks in my craw is this passage:

Supporters of changing the law say it has caused a “brain drain” at UT-Austin, prompting exceptional students who fall just outside its top 10 percent parameters to go elsewhere, including out-of-state schools.

To me, this is a blatant attempt to limit the number of vals and sals from the Class A and 2A schools, and from the troubled schools around the state, who want to attend UT Austin. Seems to me an attempt to cut out the small country schools to bring in more of the kids fortunate enough to live in a large "name" school district. The kids have little control over where their parents choose to work and live. If a child worked hard enough to be named valedictorian or salutatorian, no matter where the school or how big, then why are we going to tell that student "I'm sorry, you don't look to cut it here as well as somebody from one of the large, prosperous districts."

I won't name names but I call to mind two students - one from a Class A school 13 miles from here and the other from a 2A school 23 miles from here - who either took advantage of the Top 10 rule or could have. I was blessed to have both young women in class when I taught. The Class A student should be graduating from USC with a political science type degree in an international relations field, if I remember correctly. The Class 2A student just graduated from UT-Austin in December with a Radio-Television-Film degree, and could have done computer science, as well. She's working for a PBS station now. These two were exceptional, but they were not the exception. They were the best of some very good, and highly motivated, students at both schools.

Life has plenty of tough lessons to learn. Let the kids prove in the college classroom whether they can make the grade.

Warning: Medicine cabinets may cause drowsiness

This is why you should always close the cabinet doors. Katie the Wonder Cat decided Tuesday that the bottom shelf of the medicine cabinet would be better suited for napping than anything else. Good thing the shelf was empty. Guess I'll be wiping that down today since I'm off work. Maybe she should have some coffee, since the coffee maker is right below her on the countertop. And no, the best part of waking up is NOT cat hair in your cup. Yuck.

Note: The cat did not come in contact with any open medication. She wasn't even annoyed enough by the flash photography to want to move.

UFO or science balloon??

Apparently the good folks at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility got the attention of people in New Mexico and Arizona yesterday.

News stories are floating around cyberspace about reports of an unidentified object drifting in the skies over those two states Monday.

One person in Sedona even went so far as to compare the translucent object to the "gigantic bubble from the Wizard of Oz."

Turns out it wasn't Glenda the Good Witch of the North.

The mysterious object was a 4,000-pound scientific balloon launched from a location in New Mexico on Sunday to measure gamma ray emissions.

Probably the best story appeared in the Arizona Republic, which is where the Wizard of Oz quote originated. Click here to link to that story.

Post election

Palestine Mayor Dr. Carolyn Salter called it last night during her goodbye speech at the Palestine City Council - voters wanted change. In case you missed it, Salter became the odd man out of the three-person mayoral race. Dan Bochsler and Bob Herrington remain in the running. The council will officially canvass the vote next week at its 5:30 p.m. Monday meeting. After the vote is canvassed and made official, the date for the runoff election between Bochsler and Herrington will be set. According to state law, that has to be no less than 20 days and no more than 45 days from the canvassing date, so sometime around mid-June we'll vote again for mayor.

While the mayor's race certainly has resulted in change, the more far-reaching changes occurred in the school bond elections. Three times prior, Elkhart ISD had unsuccessfully attempted to convince voters in the district to pass a bond that will allow the school to build new facilities to house the ever-growing number of students educated there. Palestine ISD also had tried unsuccessfully in the past to pass a bond to improve its facilities. This time, both passed easily. That's very good for the children in those schools. I think Anderson County Prec. 2 Commissioner Rashad Q. Mims said it best last week when he commented that voters in Anderson County had seen fit to build a new jail to house criminals, but were hesitating to do something for their children:

“You invested in a new jail facility, almost 300 beds,” Mims said. “As a taxpayer, you’re paying for those inmates” to eat, sleep and have access to medical care.

“Why not invest in a child’s future that we can turn them (today’s students) into a productive taxpayer?” Mims asked.

Seems that the voters listened.

School traffic rant

It's 2:20 p.m., which means it's almost time for the second of my twice-daily blood pressure spikes, both induced by transporting kids to and from school. There's nothing like feet-dragging, complaining kids and traffic congestion to start the day off right (ahem). Likewise, there's nothing like more traffic congestion and word that the youngest foot-dragger has acted up again in class to make your afternoon. I think for Mother's Day my family can just get me a framed "Terrorist Negotiator" certificate to hang on the wall for having to deal with these unhappy little (or not so little) Foleys.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to suggest a rider to the $64 million bond issue that voters in Palestine ISD will decide upon this Saturday. Carve out a few dollars to paint a line down Wanda Drive as it runs beside Story School to create a "5th Grade Only" pickup lane and clearly mark it with a big "5" painted at the beginning by Moody Street and a road sign or two. Paint a second line parallel to the first and mark that newly created middle lane as "3rd and 4th Grade Only" so that the parents arriving for kids in those two grades can pull up without worrying if they're cutting line in front of other 3rd and 4th grade parents stuck in the middle of the 5th grade traffic. Ban 5th grade parents from parking along the curb on the opposite side of Wanda by the playground so that two-way traffic can flow. (if the bond passes and Story's grades change, you can re-label the lanes with the appropriate grades when that time comes.)

As it is now, if you get there too early, there'll be a line of cars parked along Wanda waiting to turn into the school's drive to pick up kids at the three wings. There'll also be half a dozen vehicles parked on the opposite side by the playground with parents sitting at the pavillion and waiting for their 5th graders to come out, with room in between for one lane of traffic to pass. I really don't see why anybody gets there at 3 p.m. or earlier to wait on the 5th grade when they're the last to be released, sometime after 3:15. It creates congestion and confusion because there's no way for a driver approaching from Moody to tell what grade the cars already there are waiting for until the assigned teacher is able to come outside and direct traffic. (Mr. Lamb, you deserve hazardous duty pay and a medal!) I've been early and sitting waiting to turn when other drivers have cruised right on up and cut in, which can be infuriating. I've also driven up later and mistakenly thought that only 5th grade parents were waiting, and so pulled on up only to find out otherwise. That's embarrassing and ought to be avoidable.

While I'm on my soapbox, I'd also like to suggest that a note be sent home at the beginning of the school year addressing drop-off/pickup driver etiquette. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like for the sake of keeping the lines at each wing from backing up, the driver at the front of the line whose child just got in the car should be allowed the courtesy of pulling away from the curb by the drivers approaching from more than one car length back. Again, maybe I'm wrong but it seems to me if you're driving past, say, the third grade wing and you're more than one car length behind the car picking up a child, you ought to be going slow enough to be able to stop to allow that 3rd grade parent to merge and the ones behind them to pull up. Wouldn't you want that parent to do so for you?

Random thoughts over my 2nd cup of coffee...

Monday morning status report: Kids at school on time (that's always worth noting with our feet-draggers), husband's crutches delivered, work e-mail checked, two chocolate doughnuts devoured and one cup of coffee drank, with one more begun on my day off....

Saturday's Cinco de Mayo Celebration in Reagan Park
I don't know about you but I thought it was great to see the park filled with people enjoying themselves at a family-oriented festival Saturday. What a terrific idea, and implementation! I didn't bring my kids to it - I usually don't to events like this because it's much harder to do my job while worrying about who's wandered off where - but if I'm not covering next year's event, I'd love to bring them. The food looked and smelled great, the music was good and the elementary kids dancing were fun to watch. It made me wonder - why have we waited till 2009 to do this?

Saturday's scary roof collapse at the Cowboys' indoor practice facility
With the violent wind and hail storms they get in the Metroplex, you would think that something like this would have happened before now, not six years after this facility opened. I read the accounts on the Associated Press Saturday night while putting together the Sunday paper, and I just finished reading the Dallas Morning News' stories and blogs, particularly those by Todd Archer. Archer was the DMN staff reporter who was on the field when the structure collapsed, and was pinned to the ground under some of the door frame. It was interesting to read his first-hand account of what happened. It's amazing more people were not injured, or killed. Whatever your opinion may be of Jerry Jones' management style or draft day involvement, he stepped up to the plate Saturday, leaving the Kentucky Derby early to fly back and spend time with those hospitalized. From one report I read, he's expecting Rick Behm to continue on with the team once his recovery allows. Behm is the 33-year-old employee with the scouting and video end of the organization who was paralyzed from the waist down. Good for you, Jerry. That's putting the special in special teams.

From the "They don't make 'em like they used to" department:
Something our youngest daughter said this morning while getting ready for school reminded my husband and me of those old Joe Isuzu commercials from the late '80s. Remember him, the sleazy car salesman who'd tell lies about the products while the car company would put up "He's lying" across the screen? When we tried to explain to the child why we were laughing, she didn't get it, so I pulled up You Tube and found some of the commercials posted there. She watched while putting on her shoes and laughed as hard as we did, then asked why we bought an Isuzu pickup with that lying salesman on TV. Click the link above to watch some funny clips.

Flu and you: Don't panic - use common sense

Flu or allergies? Allergies or flu?
Seems to me both share some - not all - symptoms.
Is your head all stopped up? Sore throat? Headache? Kind of a yucky, "blehck" feeling? (yeah, I made that spelling up - we've all said it or something like to describe feeling bad but how do you spell that???)
I feel that way all the time.
When I first read the swine flu symptoms, I thought, "Dang, I'm really sick." Then I thought about it some more. I don't have fever. I'm not throwing up. I don't feel run over. I'm tired because I'm a mom and I work weird hours. I feel like this because I live with a cat, kids who don't pick up after themselves and create science experiments with half-eaten bowls of cereal hidden under the couch (Fruit Loops create blue milk....ewwwwwww......) and it's spring in East Texas.
We have yet to have any cases - confirmed or otherwise - of swine flu in this region. Before we panic and assume we've got the flu, let's take a deep, wheezy breath and double-check the list of symptoms.

• Nasal congestion
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Dry cough
• Tiredness
  
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Fever over 100.5
• Achiness

According to the health officials I've spoken with, the fever is the big red flag. If you've got any doubt that what you're feeling is more than your normal allergies, call your doctor or call 2-1-1.
2-1-1 is a toll-free information line that can provide more info on the swine flu.
In the meantime, if you want to play it safe, do what you normally would in a flu outbreak.

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap. Like we learned in Girl Scouts, warm water kills germs better than cold. Carry a travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket and rub it on your hands occasionally.
  
• Clean your work area or home with a good disinfectant. Wipe off door handles, faucets, refrigerator doors, TV remote controls, telephones, steering wheels - whatever your hands and mouth might come in contact with on a very regular basis that we normally don't think about. It wouldn't hurt to clean them once in awhile anyway.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue if possible, then throw it in the trash. If you can't grab one in time, try the crook of your elbow. Most people don't shake hands there.
• Wear a mask if you're feeling sick and you're going to the doctor's office or the hospital. That way you don't pass along germs to other people, and you don't get theirs.
  
• If you are sick, stay home. Don't put yourself around a lot of other people unless it's to seek medical attention. Think of it this way - do you want to get what somebody else has?
  

But like with anything, if you think you're sick, use common sense. Call your doctor and let the professionals figure it out. That's why we have them.

And another thing: Texas State Railroad in Texas Highways

While I was at Kroger's this morning buying milk, I picked up a copy of the current Texas Highways magazine. It's easy to spot - Engine 201 of the Texas State Railroad is steaming toward you on the cover. The railroad is the cover story of the May 2009 issue, with the story and beautiful photos beginning on 24 with a cool double-page photo similar to the cover shot. The story details the railroad's passage from state park to American Heritage Railways and mentions some of the unique events that AHR owner Al Harper has brought in to boost ridership. Written by Randy Mallory, a talented freelance writer/photographer in Tyler and photographed by Erich Schlegel, an award-winning Dallas Morning News photographer, it's a nice read and wonderful publicity statewide for the railroad.

Videos, more photos from FSB's 100th anniversary

Seems like troubled, faltering banks have been in the news a lot over the past few months. They could take a lesson from one based here in Anderson County. First State Bank of Frankston celebrated 100 years in the banking business yesterday at its Frankston home. Several representatives from banking organizations and the state spoke and presented framed certificates, and bank president Russ Gideon presented each member of the bank's founding family, the Austins, with a commorative clock. The Austins are still very much an intregral part of the bank and the Frankston community. The bank must be doing something right by its customers and employees. Jim and Mary Johnson have kept their money there for over 50 years, and Lella Tipton worked for the bank for 48 years before retiring. Today, the bank is holding a reception at its Noonday branch, with another reception scheduled for the Palestine branch on S. Loop 256 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday).

Check out our story in today's paper, "Centennial Celebration: First State Bank of Frankston marks 100 years," and check our web site later today or tomorrow for video clips and photos in the H-P photo gallery. (They're coming. I haven't had a chance to edit and upload them yet, though.)

The mayoral forum and newspaper deadlines

I attended the first half or so of last night's mayoral forum, held at Old Magnolia Sandwich Shop and sponsored by the Palestine Young Professionals Network. All three candidates - incumbent Mayor Carolyn Salter and challengers Dan Bochsler and Bob Herrington - participated in the event, which was attended by approximately two dozen people. The way it worked was like this: Candidates were asked 12 questions, which were written by the PYPN, with order of answer rotated for fairness. Each person was given plenty of time to respond. Also, before the forum began, Palestine High School principal Shon Joseph spoke for several minutes to urge those present to vote for the PISD school bond in the upcoming election on May 9.

It was interesting to listen to what the three candidates had to say, and to observe reactions to each others' responses. You can learn a lot through body language and tone of voice. I won't tout one over another - it's not my job to do so - but I will say that each comes across as smart, successful and well qualified, with different personalities. They obviously care enough about the town in which they live to give up their personal time and money to serve. Regardless of who wins, they're all to be applauded for that.

But I'm chasing rabbits now and need to get back to the point, which is this: I had to leave well before the forum ended, due to our change in deadlines and print times. Just a few weeks ago, I could have stayed for the entire thing, written my story at 1 a.m. if I wanted to, and still made deadline. Our last pages were due to the production people by 8 a.m., with printing mid-morning. Now, our last pages are due by 11:30 p.m. with some built-in "wiggle room" and they're printed a little after midnight. That's why some of you are getting your paper at 6 a.m. now. That's great for getting fresh news on the street when people get up in the morning. However, it means we've got to have a cutoff point in the evening to have time to get stories written and edited and the pages built and checked. It also means, instead of writing an overview of the entire forum, I had to choose something out of what I heard and go with that. Because of the economy and job concerns, I chose to focus on the candidates' responses to the question about the Palestine Economic Development Corporation and its future. Some people like the PEDC, some people don't, but with director Brian Malone officially resigned to take a similar job in Athens, the corporation's future is very much a timely topic and something to continue to watch.

One more note on our candidate coverage: We try not to appear to favor one person over another. That's why the photo from the forum shows all three people, although only one is answering a question. As much as reasonably possible, we try to keep the number and length of quotes about the same, for the same reason. Obviously, incumbents have an advantage in, say, a meeting story because they're already on the council or commissioners court or school board. We also try to run candidate announcement stories and Q&A's at the same place on the front page, with as close to the same size headline as possible. With early voting beginning April 27, we'll begin the Q&A's soon. Keep watching.

Mayoral candidate forum set for Tuesday

If you're interested in what the three candidates for Mayor of Palestine have to say about their candidacies and their ideas for the city, head over to Old Magnolia Sandwich Shop in downtown Palestine at 120 W. Oak St. The event starts at 7 p.m. Those running for mayor include incumbent Dr. Carolyn Salter, who is seeking a third consecutive two-year term, and challengers Dan Bochsler, who is president of the Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce, and Bob Herrington, who heads the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Preserving your past

Cheril's devastating house fire and Scott's near-miss house fire have me convinced that I need to get busy digitizing our Foley family photos. Cheril lost nearly everything when her mobile home burned a couple of months ago, while Scott was far more fortunate - he and his wife Lauren were in the middle of moving, with everything packed already, when a fire started in the kitchen ceiling. They didn't lose anything but got a hefty scare.

So I've begun scanning family photos, creating labeled folders in My Pictures on the computer and naming each photo with pertinent info, such as who's in it and when it was taken. I intend to burn CDs and lock them in a safe deposit box. In the meantime, though, I've created an account with a free online photo service, Flickr.com, and I've begun uploading to it. My goal with that is to link my Flickr account to our family blog. That way, not only can the extended family post info about what we're doing, we can also swap family photos and information about who's in the ones already posted. Seems like it take a funeral to pull us all together, so I'm hoping this blog and photo account will help improve that.

To anyone who's been thinking about doing something like this with their own photos but hasn't yet, it was pretty easy to set up the Flickr account and to upload photos from our computer to the website. You have options about who can view your photos - everyone or only those who you invite. I like that. Same thing with our family blog, which is also hosted on Blogger.com (also called blogspot). If you already have an email account with Yahoo.com, you can use your Yahoo user name and password for Flickr, since Flickr is affiliated with Yahoo. Likewise, Blogger.com is affiliated with Google.com.

One thing to note: If you create a blog or photo account and want to keep it private for only those whom you invite and not the rest of the world, the people whom you invite will have to have an account (ex., Google mail for Blogger.com, Yahoo for Flickr) to open your blog and to post to it. This doesn't seem to be a big deal to people who are online a lot, but for people who do very little on the Internet, it could take some hand-holding to walk them through the initial set-up process.

Heartbreaking loss for Elkhart

My condolences and my heart go out to the family and friends of Leonard Grabs. Losing anyone is difficult and painful, but when it's a young person, the pain and the hole carved out in your heart are that much worse. I didn't know Leonard but from covering several Elkhart football games over the past three seasons I certainly remember him. He may not have been the biggest or the fastest player, but he always hustled and gave 110 percent for his Elks, no matter the score. He was a leader with the way he played. To Leonard's family and to Elkhart High School, you are in my prayers and thoughts. God be with you.

Little Mexico fire blog now up and running

Richard Keller, longtime host at Little Mexico, has started a blog to keep customers and friends updated on the progress of the popular eatery. The restaurant on W. Oak Street was damaged by fire on March 25, most heavily in the kitchen area. Richard's blog includes photos from fire, as well as photos taken since of the work being done to stabilize the ceiling/roof and remove equipment from the roof. Check it out at www.littlemexico.wordpress.com.

Local NASA mission making big splash

The NCAA March Madness has evolved into a cultural event around the country, drawing millions of viewers to watch 65 college basketball teams battle to see who's the best.
Taking a page out of the NCAA's playbook, NASA this year posted its own version of March Madness. Dubbed Mission Madness, the online game pits 64 NASA missions against each other to see which will come out on top as being the favorite of space program followers.
Mission Madness began on March 19 and has whittled its way down to the final two missions, one of which originated right here in Palestine at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.
The Superpressure Balloon, or SPB, is a pumpkin-shaped balloon designed to carry 1,000 pounds of scientific payload into orbit above the Earth for up to 100 days at a time.
Its challenger is SOHO, or Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a spacecraft created to investigate the outer layer of the sun, make observations of solar wind and probe the interior of the sun.
Voting is online and open today and tomorrow, until midnight Tuesday. According to Danny Ball of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, anyone with an Internet connection can go to www.nasa.gov, scroll down the page and click the link for Mission Madness. A "tournament" bracket will appear and you can cast your vote by clicking on either SPB or SOHO, then clicking "Submit Vote" and re-typing the code that appears (it keeps spammers from getting involved).
I just did. As of 1:20 p.m., SOHO holds a slim lead, 7,819 votes to 7,431 for SPB.
According to the website, you can vote as often as you'd like, kind of like the old adage, "Vote early, vote often," except that it's legal here.

Proud Louisville alum tonight

Not news-related but....
I'm wearing my somewhat faded red University of Louisville sweatshirt with pride tonight in support of the UofL women's basketball team. The Lady Cards are playing in their first-ever NCAA championship game Tuesday night against unbeaten Connecticut, making it an all-Big East Conference final. They beat Oklahoma and Courtney Paris in the semifinals earlier tonight, as well as Baylor in the Sweet 16. I'm thrilled to see the program reach this point. When I was in middle and high school and going to basketball camp at UofL, the program drew fans by the hands full, not the thousands. I can remember going to a few games at Freedom Hall, buying tickets and being able to sit a few rows back from the court. If you shouted, you'd be heard clearly. Now they're playing for a national title. Wow. Even if it is against unbeaten UConn, which handed UofL two of its four losses. Wow. You go, ladies! Give 'em L!

Back in the office today

I'm back to work today (Monday) after being out since Tuesday morning with my mother-in-law's death. For those who emailed condolences, thanks! Betty's funeral was Friday afternoon. We seem to be doing as well as could be expected. Kids and Bill are headed back to school today (well, they should be -- it's nearly midnight Sunday night, so I'm jumping the gun a bit).

A note to anyone who has tried to contact me over the time I was out: I had been summoned for jury duty in 349th district court but when I called the number on the card to check the status, the scheduled jury duty had been canceled so I'll be at work in the morning. I'll be sifting through my accumulated emails and any voice mails when I get in and I'll contact any who need contacting as soon as possible. I'm probably going to be the only one in on Monday, due to there being fewer of us these days and mandatory time off, so if anything comes up, tag, I'm it.

Thanks for your understanding and patience over these past few days. My family appreciates it!

Death in the family

For anyone who might be trying to get in touch with me at the newspaper, I will be out of the office for a few days. My mother-in-law, Betty Barnett, passed away late this afternoon. She had COPD and had been in the hospital for about a month with an upper respiratory infection of some kind. She had lived with us for the past couple of years and was very close to the kids, and to me. We'll miss her dearly. Arrangements are pending at the funeral home in Jewett. I'll catch up on emails and phone messages early next week. If you need to get something in the paper that I would ordinarily handle, please contact Cheril or Angie. Thanks for your understanding.

Beth

Wings of Freedom Tour

If you can, make time today or tomorrow morning to stop by the Palestine Municipal Airport to see the planes here for the Wings of Freedom Tour. They really are something special to see. It's amazing to think that these planes carried tons of ordnance over Europe and made it back through the flak and fighters, and that they're still flying today. It's also interesting to look at the size of the B-17 and the B-24 bombers. They look large when you're standing next to one, but when you start to think about the size of the commercial passenger jets we're used to - 727s, 747s, MD-80s - they're actually small. There's not much plane in between the young men who crewed those planes and the metal being shot at them from the ground and the enemy fighters. It really gives you something to think about, particularly when you listen to the stories of the men who flew them. The P-51 Mustang, the small silver fighter, was one of the most well-known American fighters from World War II. It's much smaller than the two bombers, particularly the B-24, but most of the planes were designed for only a pilot, although some models had a passenger seat.

Walk-through tours are going to be available regardless of weather. Cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children. Not only do you get to see the planes up close, inside and out, you also hear about what it was like to fly in them from people who really know. Pretty cool experience. In addition, flights are available on all three aircraft, but for a much higher, and tax-deductible, price. The money raised by the flights helps to keep the aircraft in the air for everyone to enjoy. I had planned to fly in one of the bombers yesterday but was unable to due to family illness. I'm still planning on today sometime. I'll post after I do, as soon as I stop grinning.

The tour is here courtesy of the Veterans Historic Education Center, which sponsored this stop. The VHEC also brings the Vietnam War era Huey helicopter to the Armed Forces Weekend each year at the Texas State Railroad, and it sponsored the traveling Vietnam Wall nearly two years ago on Veterans Day. The group is a non-profit and has been digging into its own pockets for events such as these, so if you see Anne Coleman, Reba Hays or other VHEC members, why not tell them thanks and maybe pass on a little donation if you can to help recoup some of the expense? After all, the drive to our airport is shorter than the drive somewhere else.

Gearing up for Weekend 2 of Dogwood Trails

It's an almost rainy Tuesday -- it looks like rain, sometimes it even spits a few drops, but there's still plenty of pollen on my truck -- and I think we're all recovering well from Weekend 1 of Dogwood Trails. By now the sunburns aren't stinging like they were, the feet have quit complaining and we've had a couple nights of sleep. So let's talk about Weekend 2.

THURSDAY
The weekend's events actually kick off on Thursday with the start of the annual Old Time Music and Dulcimer Festival. The festival is held throughout the rooms and hallways of the Museum for East Texas Culture, 400 Michaux St., behind Reagan Park. To someone who hasn't been before, holding a three-day music festival in an old school building now used as a museum may seem strange, but it works well. It's an intimate setting, meaning that the audience can be knee-to-knee with the musicians, and considering that there are plenty of break-out jam sessions, that's a really cool thing. Then too, the timelessness of the music and the nostalgic feel to the building blend together well. This is an awesome good time and VERY family-oriented. Cost varies depending on whether you attend any of the offered workshops, and how many days you want to go. The festival runs through Saturday with varying times.

FRIDAY
In addition to the Dulcimer Festival, the Palestine Community Theatre's production of "Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming" continues this weekend at the Texas Theater, 213 W. Crawford St. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday for the final performance. Cost is $10 in advance for adults or $12 at the door; $6 for students age 18 and under either in advance or at the door.

SATURDAY
The Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce needs volunteers to help out with Saturday's 8 a.m. annual bicycle rides. This year, the Gatherin' Steam Bike Ride begins downtown, just down the hill from the newspaper in Old Town. (this means i need to be here really early Saturday after a late night on Friday if i want my usual parking spot :( ) As usual, there are several distances to choose from, but all start and end at the same location. If you're considering participating as a rider (or a walker in the 1-mile fun ride/walk/run) maps of the routes are available online here. Registration forms may be downloaded from the Chamber website by clicking here.

For those who enjoy rodeo and good Southern rock/red-dirt country music, the Boston Porter Memorial Scholarship Bullriding will be at the Anderson County Riding and Roping Arena, with a concert by local band Whiskey Myers to follow. The money raised goes to fund a scholarship in the name of Boston Porter, the grandson of Kim and Jimmy Ray who died at 14 months old in 2006. Boston’s Little Buckaroos Kid Rodeo will start at 11 a.m. and the Boston Porter Memorial Scholarship Bullriding will be at 7:30 p.m.

Prior to the rodeo, local animal lovers can have a barking good time at the BARC, The Humane Society's Critter Fun Day at the Anderson County Youth Livestock Expo in front of the riding and roping arena. The Critter Fun Day runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and costs $10 for ages 7 and up (pets and kids age 6 and under are free). The event includes dog trainers running their furry buddies through obstacle courses, Bill and Star from the TV show "Greatest American Dog," and more. It's a fun thing to watch, although I have to do it upwind because of my dog allergies.

The Dulcimer Festival wraps up today, but if gospel music is more your style, check out the Gospel Music Festival today at North Jackson Baptist Church, 1213 N. Jackson St. The event is free and runs from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Also, the Lakeview Methodist Conference Center on Texas 294 between Palestine and Elkhart will have its gift shop open for visitors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to view its Dickens Village. The village is an entire collection of ceramic buildings designed around the Dickens Christmas theme. It was donated to Lakeview by Don and Jo Strickland of Bryan so that people could enjoy it year-round.

Good start to 71st Dogwood Trails Festival

You couldn't ask for better weather this weekend to kick off the Dogwood Trails Festival. The weather was near perfect Saturday for the parade, arts and crafts show and all the various church fundraisers timed around the festival's biggest weekend. Pleasant temps, mostly sunny skies and a breeze make it a lot easier to be out there, whether as a visitor strolling along W. Oak Street, a vendor outside selling his/her goods or a reporter walking throughout downtown.

People seemed to enjoy the parade, which was longer than normal, lasting over an hour this time. Lots of cars. Lots and lots and lots of cars. Personally, I'd like to see more groups enter floats, but that's a personal preference, not a knock on the parade. Too bad spring break week coincided with the parade. That probably kept out two, and probably three, of the high school bands normally marching in it. I love to listen to a good band play, and personally, I'd like to see ALL of the area school bands participate. It's a chance to show the community how good your kids are.

A note about the video posted of the parade: I enlisted the help of my 14-year-old son to shoot video while I shot still photos during the parade. A technical problem with the camera -- it shut off when he thought he was filming, and it's happened to me, too -- led to no clips of the first few minutes of the parade, when the Dogwood Queen and court and the Palestine band passed by. Sorry about that. The problem got fixed and we shot more video (mostly, he did) throughout the rest of the parade, as well as the day. I'll be editing and posting festival videos beginning Monday.

Glad to see a long Dogwood day at its end

It's 11 p.m., and I do know where my children are. They're all still up instead of in bed. But it's spring break and two of the three children were at the 71st annual Dogwood Trails Festival all day. Our son signed up to help the Chamber of Commerce at 5:30 am direct the vendors to where they were to set up their booths, which netted him three hours of community service for Scout rank advancement. After that, he helped me with photos and videos throughout the day. Our older daughter arrived at 6 am with her Girl Scout troop to set up their booth to sell cookies in Old Town. They stayed until after 3 pm when the crowds became sparse. Both are tired and all need to go to bed, which they've been told to do. Following directions is not a strong suit when it comes to bedtimes around here.

Congratulations to Slocum

Congratulations to the Slocum Mustangs on their state championship! Slocum defeated Lipan on Friday night, then beat perennial heavyweight Nazareth on Saturday to win the Class A, Division II title. To put some perspective to it, Nazareth won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. The Swifts (a long-eared fox) have won like 13 state titles. To beat a team that expects this kind of success in your first trip to state is like little Hickory High beating the big-city school in Hoosiers, even though the school size is comparable. I've played on a pair of basketball teams that reached the state tournament in Kentucky back in 1982 and 84, but we didn't win. This is a great achievement that you should be very proud of! My hat's off to you, Slocum!

Victory for the Neches River National Wildlife Reguge

The word is spreading now that the judge in the appeals case has ruled in favor of those pushing for land along the Anderson and Cherokee County banks of the Neches River to be allowed to become a national wildlife refuge, rather than be flooded to make Lake Fastrill for the City of Dallas. The City of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board had sued to halt the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's efforts to set up the Neches River NWR, so that Lake Fastrill could be built to help meet Dallas' projected water needs mid-century. The first ruling had been in favor of the refuge, prompting the appeal. Groups such as the Conservation Fund, the Sierra Club, the Texas Conservation Alliance and the Friends of the Neches River all have lobbied public and political support for keeping the river and its bottomlands as they are, not flooded with lake water.

Word came down late last night that Judge Solis ruled in favor of the refuge. Watch the Herald-Press' Saturday edition for a story with local reaction.

High School Basketball

Congratulations to the Neches Lady Tigers on their state semifinal win last night. The Lady Tigers unfortunately lost tonight to Roby, 44-34, in the Class A, Division II championship in Austin. It's a tough time for the shooting to go cold, but it happens to the pros, too. Dwell on the success!

Congratulations to the Slocum Mustangs, who just defeated Laneville in Nacogdoches to advance to the Class A, Div. II boys state tournament next weekend in Austin. Best of luck next week -- win two more!

Congratulations, as well, to the Cayuga Wildcats, who lost a close game to Tenaha earlier this morning in Nacogdoches in the Class A, Div. I regional finals. Coming that close and not winning hurts (been there, years ago) but what you've accomplished as a team is something to be proud to have been part of. Good luck in the future!

Extreme Makeover, Park Edition

With the economy as shaky as it seems to be nationally, it's really great to see so many people here open their wallets and give their time to help the Palestine Junior Service League purchase and install the new playground equipment at Reagan Park. Crews from the prisons did the pad work earlier in the week, volunteers dug holes and set equipment into position for assembly yesterday, and this morning a little army of blue-shirted volunteers has sprung into action to assemble everything and get it in its final position as the concrete cures. Junior Service League leaders estimated about 10:30 this morning that they'd had around 160 people working on the project, with more stopping by to drop off homemade cookies and treats, or to offer checks to buy pizza for those doing the work. They estimated between $225,000 and $250,000 has been raised for the project, and everything has been donations - money, time, materials, labor, etc. It's heartwarming to see a cross section of the community come out to do something that benefits all of the kids of the area. We have a story and photos in the Sunday paper and online, as well as a short video.

Incumbents all sign up to run again

According to city secretary Janelle Williams, councilman Vernon Denmon Jr. has officially entered his name in the hat for the District 2 council race, meaning that the current office holders - Denmon, Jim Yelverton in District 4 and Steve Presley in District 6, as well as Mayor Carolyn Salter - all have filed for re-election in the May 9 city election.

So far, the mayor's race and the District 2 race have drawn multiple candidates.

Joining Salter on the ballot are Bob Herrington and Dan Bochsler. Herrington is the president of the Planning and Zoning Commission and son of former Mayor Johnnie Herrington, as well as the stadium announcer for Palestine Wildcat football. Bochsler is the president of the Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce, teaches as an adjunct instructor in engineering and business at UT-Tyler, has been involved in a number of community committees and also substitute teaches at Palestine Middle and High Schools.

In District 2, local resident Julie Abston is seeking the council seat held by Denmon. Abston and her husband Pat have become active in the community since moving here and purchasing a historic home.

The final day to file an application to be on the May 9 ballot is Monday, by 5 p.m. The applications are available for free in the city secretary's office in city hall, 504 N. Queen St. City hall is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Good luck to area hoops teams!

The UIL Girls State Basketball Tournament is under way in Austin at the Drum, with one of our own competing for a state title. The Neches Lady Tigers (34-3) tip off today at 7 p.m. against Leggett (29-6). The winner will play the winner of Roby (32-3) and Vega (26-9) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Class A, Division II championship game. While we try to stay neutral when it comes to covering area schools, I'm not a sportswriter anymore, I'm not covering the games and I taught two years (1998-99 and 1999-2000) at Neches, so .... Go Lady Tigers!!! Paint Austin green.

On the boys' side, two other Anderson County Class A schools are two wins away from Austin. The top-ranked Cayuga Wildcats are playing Bland right now (1:10 p.m.) at Stephen F. Austin State University. The winner plays the winner between Tenaha and Waskom at 10 a.m. Saturday at SFA for the right to advance to state in Division I next weekend. Later this afternoon, the Slocum Mustangs play Avalon in Division II at SFA. The winner will face the winner of the Universal-Laneville game at noon Saturday for the chance to advance to state. Best of luck to both Cayuga and Slocum!!! Let's put Anderson County small school hoops on the map!

For those interested in keeping up on the Internet, our sports editor Scott Tyler is in Nacogdoches covering the two boys games and posting updates on his blog, Inside Pitch, located on the paper's web site. The UIL is posting live updates from the girls state tournament games, so check that site (click Live Scoreboard) later for Neches updates.

As of 1:10 p.m., Cayuga holds a 65-46 lead over Bland in the fourth quarter, according to Scott. Go Cats!

Boy Scouts to honor Jeff Gordon

According to an article in ScoutingNews.org, NASCAR great Jeff Gordon is being honored for some of his off-the-track work by the Boy Scouts of America. Those of you with boys in Cub Scouts over the past few years may remember promotional material at sign-up time featuring Gordon's photo and urging boys to "Race into Cub Scouting." In addition, since 1999 The Jeff Gordon Foundation has raised more than $7 million for children's charities. So on March 24, the BSA will honor Gordon's efforts by awarding him the Silver Buffalo award, which is the highest honor that the organization bestows on adults for their contributions to youth on a national level. Others who have received the award include Charles Lindbergh, Walt Disney, Hank Aaron, Gen. Colin Powell and 13 Presidents of the United States. Great job, Jeff!

Coming this weekend

Reagan Park playground
As those of you who have driven past Reagan Park over the past week have undoubtedly noticed, the city's flagship park isn't looking quite the same. City workers removed most of the old playground equipment last week and prison work crews have been hard at work this week preparing the site for the installation Friday and Saturday of new equipment. This is the fruition of the Palestine Junior Service League's big fundraising efforts. The PJSL raised approximately $250,000 in donations to use to purchase new playground equipment, and around 150 volunteers are expected to turn out over the next two days to install it. Rather than toss away the old equipment, the city is planning to move it to a different park. No word yet on where it will wind up.

Classic Movies in the Park
Saturday marks the first Saturday of the month, which means it's Movie in the Park night. This month's feature is 1963's "Hud," which stars a young Paul Newman as a young man who's willing to cheat his way to whatever he wants, no matter who's in the way. The movie won three Oscars - one to Melvyn Douglas for Best Supporting Actor, one to Patricia O'Neal for Best Actress and one for Best Cinematography. Newman was nominated for Best Actor, Martin Ritt for Best Director, and the movie also earned nominations for Screenplay and Art Direction. The movies are free, but donations are taken for the Pleasant Hills Children's Home on U.S. 84 near Fairfield. If you go, take your own lawn chairs or blankets for seating.

Embrace the Arts
This Saturday is an "Embrace the Arts" Saturday. The Museum for East Texas Culture will be hosting an art exhibit entitled "Color Me Spring," featuring the work of local student artists. The "Embrace the Arts" reception will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; the exhibit runs through the end of March.

Looking forward to flying

I'm really excited to circle Wed., March 25 on my calendar. That's the first of three days that the Wings of Freedom Tour will be in town at the Palestine Municipal Airport, featuring a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator and a P-51 Mustang. I really enjoy World War II history since I had an uncle and a great uncle who served in the European Theatre, and my parents were teens then. I've read several of Stephen Ambrose's books on World War II (Band of Brothers, Citizen Soldiers, D Day, Wild Blue) as well as James Bradley's book, Flyboys, about the Pacific air war near Chi Chi Jima and Iwa Jima. I've also had the privilege to interview several World War II veterans. So I'm very excited about the chance to fly in one of the aircraft for a story and photos (videos, too, hopefully). Now I just need the weather to cooperate.

Why 8-year-old girls should not have cats

This is Katie the Wonder Cat, the most patient cat in the world. She only wants to be loved, fed and scratched, not dressed in a teddy bear's graduation gown. She has since been advised that the wise thing to do next time is run and hide, not wait to be picked up.

NOTE: No animals were harmed and no children were scratched. However, there's probably something to be said about people who take photos before disrobing the cat.

Don't forget to submit Eagle Scout news

This is a note to adults connected with Boy Scouts, whether Scoutmasters, troop advancement chairs, parents or other legal guardians. As you're planning for Eagle Scout Courts of Honor, don't forget to pass on the good news to the Herald-Press. We gladly publicize the accomplishments of our local Eagle Scouts (and likewise for Girl Scouts who earn their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards). Here's the information we need:

• Scout's first and last name, age, Troop number, school and grade currently attending, and parents' names
• Scouting information: How long your new Eagle has been involved in Scouting, whether he started in elementary school as a Tiger Cub or in middle school; what awards has he won (think Arrow of Light, Order of the Arrow, Lifesaving and Meritorious Action awards, 50-miler hike, etc.; if he's gone to a high adventure camp like Philmont or the Northern Tier or has served as a camp counselor at Pirtle or elsewhere; how many merit badges he earned
• Eagle project: A sentence or two briefly describing the Eagle project that the Scout designed and led;
• Educational plans: A sentence stating what your Eagle plans to do, such as attend a particular college or enlist in the military
• A photograph that we can print, preferably in digital format or an original print. Paper copies do not reproduce well because they've already been printed once and the dots show up when we reprint. We will certainly return your photo.

Click here to link to a previous Eagle Scout announcement published in the Herald-Press.

If you have any questions, or would like to submit information, please feel free to contact me (Beth Foley) at bfoley@palestineherald.com or to call 903-729-0281. Leave me a message if I am not in. Thanks!

Scout stuff going on

Girl Scout cookies have arrived, which means orders should be delivered and booth sales have begun. The cookies are still $3.50 per box for all flavors, but they are slightly smaller. According to the Girl Scouts office, with rising costs, the choice was either raise the price or shrink the size a little bit. So they shrunk the size, which is fine with me.

Cookie flavors this year are: Samoas (chocolate, caramel, coconut); Thin Mints (chocolate-covered mint wafer); Trefoils (traditional shortbread); D0-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich cookie -- certified safe peanut butter); Tagalongs (my personal favorite -- cookie wafer with a thin layer of peanut butter and covered with chocolate); Sugar Free Chocolate Chips (diabetic-friendly chocolate chip cookies); Dulce De Leches (cookies with caramel striping and chips); and Lemon Chalet Cremes (sandwich cookie with lemon filling).

Don't forget that the Girl Scouts offer the opportunity to donate boxes of cookies to military troops serving overseas. The cost is the same but instead of walking away with a box for yourself, the money is directed to the Gift of Caring program for the purchase of cookies for troops.

As for the guys, the Three Rivers District will hold its annual District Pinewood Derby competition right here in Palestine at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 28 at VFW Post 3907 at 3800 W. Oak St. If you've never had a boy enter this event, it's a blast! The boys are Cub Scouts, which means grades 1-5, and they use the BSA Pinewood Derby kits - basically, rectangular blocks of soft pine with axles and wheels. The boys (with varying amounts of help) design the cars, cut the wood to the desired shape, sand and paint it, add stickers and wheel assemblies. Some choose to add weight to improve the distance that the cars will roll when released at the top of the track (they're limited to how much weight and where, I think). The designs are really great that these kids come up with and it's a lot of fun watching how excited they get to see their cars in action. In addition, the district is also doing a Raingutter Regatta at the same time, same location, so the boys can double their fun. This is the second weekend of Dogwood Trails -- same Saturday as the Gatherin' Steam Bike Rides starting a little earlier in downtown Palestine, so if you're coming through the downtown area to get to the VFW, plan in a few extra minutes, or take Loop 256 to US 79 West by Jack in the Box and avoid downtown.

Family emergency

To anyone who has tried to find me at work since Friday morning, I apologize for not being available. My mother-in-law, who lives with us, became very ill early Friday morning and was rushed to Palestine Regional Medical Center, where she's been in ICU since then. Her long-term prognosis looks good, but she's still very weak and sick and being transferred to a long-term acute care center in Tyler. Therefore, I'm anticipating being in and out of the office more than usual (either going to visit or watching kids so that my husband can go) so please shoot me an email at bfoley@palestineherald.com or leave me a voice message at work. I do not have Internet or texting enabled on my cell phone (I have an 11-year-old who would use it too often) but I'll try to check for and return messages as often as I can. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

More on the road trip - Mary's Restaurant in Strawn and historic downtowns

We took this road trip as a chance to get out of the house. We hadn't done anything lately outside of our normal routine so it was a chance to get out and see something different, without spending a lot of money. So Bill and I and two of three children hopped in the car and headed west, with no particular destination in mind. (The youngest saw her chance at unimpeded computer game and TV time at home with her grandmother and grabbed it with both hands.) We stopped for photos of the courthouse in Meridian, where we got the Dr Peppers, then headed more northwest, passing through Stephenville and winding up in Strawn at suppertime. For those who don't know, Strawn is a small community at the intersection of Texas 108 and Texas 16, just north of I-20, about midway between Fort Worth and Abilene. It's also home to some of the best chicken-fried steak you'd ever want to eat, at Mary's Cafe. We'd seen Mary's featured on Texas Country Reporter (episode #1050, aired Oct. 13, 2007) before so we decided to stop and see for ourselves since we were there. Wow! Not only were the chicken fries very good, they were HUGE! The large that Bill and our 14-year-old son ordered covered virtually all of the platter-sized plate that they came on. The fries and salad came in separate dishes. Everything else may seem to be getting smaller for the amount paid, but not these. Wow.

We also drove up to Graham before heading back this way and were impressed with the way the community has maintained its downtown area around the Young County Courthouse. Besides being clean, there are shops and stores and a restored movie theater.
Graham became a Texas Main Street City in 1994, according to the city's Web page. It's an example of what we could do here in Palestine with the architecture that we have to work with. (We've seen this in other communities of similar size, such as Bay City, a 2003 National Main Street City.) Seems like when we take our occasional road trips, we come back reminded of what could be done here given our heritage, location and remaining historic structures. If these places can accomplish all that they have, why can't we over the next few years?

That thud was me falling off the wagon

For the two people who read this blog (Hi, Mom!), you've probably noticed I kind of quit talking about exercising. That would be because I fell off the wagon, so to speak. (my apologies to those who struggle daily with addictions way more serious than my cola fix) I'd been doing good - for me - with making it a point to walk more frequently and to drink water instead of soft drinks. So much for that. What happened? A Sunday afternoon road trip out west of Fort Worth two weekends ago. I was feeling tired, sleepy, needed a pick-me-up and didn't want a hot cup of coffee (or a cold one -- yuck). So when we stopped at a convenience store by the courthouse in Meridian to get the kids a snack and take courthouse photos, I gave in and drank a Dr Pepper. Yes, there are certainly a lot worse things to drink than Dr Peppers -- but there aren't many better than a cold Dublin Dr Pepper (the kind with Imperial Cane Sugar!!) still in the glass bottle. It was very good, as always. I climbed back on the wagon the rest of the day, ordering water at supper and drinking a cup of coffee later. Since then, though, I've had a couple of RC Colas and Dr Peppers (unfortunately, not Dublins) but I am trying to stick to my water guns.
And unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off of my exercise wagon, as well, so I've got to regroup and get going again.

Mom rant: Tired, cranky people

Warning: This blog entry contains mom-rant. Those without children may want to proceed to Sports.

The third grader sure picks her moments. For the past two or three weeks, she's done much better at waking up and getting ready for school. (Background: this is the child who accumulated tons of tardies in the fall because she refused to get up and get ready without a major tantrum, resulting in cups of water on the face, raised voices, spankings and once even being pulled out of bed and to the front door in her pajamas before grudgingly getting dressed. Yes, we did try getting her up earlier.) Today, though, she decided she was too tired to get up when awakened the first three times. Why? Today's reason: I hate school. It's not fair that my brother and sister get up and get ready (don't go there) and that everyone in my class hates me and makes fun of me and my brother and sister have friends and that doesn't happen to them (she speaks in run-on sentences). Third grader has a very selective and short memory, and a loud, feel-sorry-for-me voice. Third grader is grating on mom's sleep-deprived nerves. She finally gave it up after mom told her it didn't matter because the law doesn't require her to have friends at school, just to show up on time enough days. At least the eighth grade brother got ready and left with dad and other sister. He likes to move in slow motion in the mornings, to the point where he's also in tardy trouble, despite parental efforts. For anyone who remembers watching the Carol Burnett Show, the boy is like the little old man that Tim Conway played, the one who shuffled along in exaggerated slow motion. It's like watching paint dry. These people frustrate me greatly. I NEED coffee....

Texas Music Awards voting

The deadline is nearing to cast a vote for nominees for the 2009 Texas Music Awards. Voting ends Friday for the awards, which will be presented here at the Civic Center on Sunday, April 26. To be eligible for an award, these artists have to be members of the Academy of Texas Music and the categories generally (with some exceptions) are for the 2008 calendar year. Two of the nominees have local ties - KBHT 93.5 FM DJ Dave Wheaton, nominated for Disc Jockey of the Year, and singer Crystal Sands of Frankston, nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and the Rising Star Award. Many of those nominated are familiar to fans of Texas country music, whether through radio air play, Internet radio and videos or live shows around the state. Probably the most well-known name among this year's nominees is Michael Martin Murphey, nominated as co-producer of his album "Ridin' the Rio Grande," and for Entertainer of the Year. Murphey had big commercial success in the 1970s with "Wildfire" and "Carolina in the Pines" and is a member of the Western Music Hall of Fame. Murphey will be performing the after-awards show concert, as well.

Nice to see

While driving over to Palestine Middle School to exchange cars with my husband yesterday afternoon around 4:15 p.m., I noticed something that's been a long time in coming, in my opinion. I don't know how many people use Crestline Drive, but vulgar graffiti has been an eyesore for a long time on the back of the old gas station on the corner of Loop 256 and Crestline. A few months ago, Charlotte Moore had a crew of juveniles do community service by painting over some pretty bad stuff on the front of the building and that was good. But the stuff on the backside remained, until yesterday afternoon. Someone was diligently covering up the vulgar taggings and if I hadn't been in a hurry, I would have stopped and thanked them. I don't know if the person was performing community service hours or just a service to the community, but I'm appreciative and I'll be the neighbors are, too. Whoever you are, thanks!!!

Tidying up (fitness stuff)

It's a good thing that the people in Austin who set up this Governor's Fitness Challenge consider housework to be a form of exercise. Remember when you were a kid in gym class, having to bend over, twist and touch your toes to do what the teacher called "Cherry Picking"? That's good practice for picking up dirty laundry and stuff around the house. I think I'll rename it "Sock Stretches," in honor of attempting to pick up a pile of clothes and having at least one sock fall out that you have to bend back over to get (and not drop the other stuff). It's kind of like that first "Karate Kid" movie where Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) has Daniel (Ralph Macchio) doing the cleanup and painting to teach him proper hand and arm technique - wax on, wax off, Daniel-san.

Getting back to point, count me as an hour of light housework on Wednesday and two hours of moderate housework yesterday. I've parked and walked to the third grade wing to pick up a child every afternoon. This morning, I found the time to do three laps around the big block and cool down in 30 minutes. I'd like to do more on the walking side, but with three kids in the house, keeping up with housework is a competition in itself.

Progress? Yes. I feel good, and I don't feel guilty about not walking on days when I was busy since I'm allowed to count the housework I do before I go to work. I think I'm much more apt to keep this going for that reason. Soft drink status: still none this year.

The sound, the fury and the beautiful morning after

Tuesday night's severe thunderstorm brought a light show, wind and rain but thankfully little damage inside the City of Palestine. Here at the Herald-Press and elsewhere in the downtown area, we lost power from about 11 p.m. to around 1 a.m. when a tree blew down and took the electric line with it. In the process, traffic lights went out at Loop 256 and E. Palestine Ave. and probably a few other places, as well, but at that time of night (and in that kind of weather) traffic tends to be pretty light. We've heard that the county commissioners are out with their crews tending to trees down in areas around Anderson County, but luckily we were spared the destruction that Oklahomans are dealing with today. My prayers go out to those folks.

Nice to see interest in what's going on

Last night's Palestine City Council meeting drew a standing-room-only crowd into the council chambers at city hall. Normally, the "crowd" consists of the city department managers, the cable access person broadcasting the meeting from the back of the room, me and maybe a half dozen other people. A good many in attendance last night came because their kids were being recognized by the city for their outstanding efforts in the YMCA Youth & Government programs at Westwood and Palestine High Schools and Palestine Middle School. Still, several dozen (maybe three dozen or more???) were there to hear discussion and witness the votes regarding the old Senior Citizens Center property on Kickapoo Street and the contract to provide senior services at the new facility (still being renovated) on N. Church Street. As a journalist, you're not supposed to take sides and I try not to. I'm not taking sides now. But I did notice a few things about the group that came for the senior center votes. First, they showed up on a rainy night, regardless of which way they wanted the vote to go. Second, most of them made their preference known by donning baseball caps printed with "Support Your Seniors" on the front. Third, they fit the voting (and newspaper reader) demographics - the generation either nearing retirement age or at it. Let me reiterate - I'm not "for" or "against" either group represented in the senior center discussions. I don't have a dog in this fight, so to speak. I'm just glad to see people taking notice of what's going on in their local government and participating by being present. Come back again.

Kudos to the Palestine Middle School band!!!

Here's a shout-out to the Palestine Middle School band, both students and directors. On Friday, band students traveled to Nacogdoches High School for the middle school Solo and Ensemble competition. I haven't seen any official results for all who took part, but according to my sixth grade clarinet player, nearly all the sixth graders who competed received high marks, both as individuals in Solo competition and in their Ensemble groups. Wow! I couldn't even make squeaks come out a horn when I was a sixth grader. I'm VERY impressed with the band directors who A) have the talent themselves to be able to teach someone how to play an instrument; B) have the patience to do so without killing someone when they do stupid things with expensive instruments; and C) pour so much of themselves and their passion into these kids. THANKS from a grateful mom!!!

Band directors - Please e-mail the Herald-Press (either bfoley@palestineherald.com or community@palestineherald.com) a list of who did what and we'll run it in the paper. If you've got a group photo, we'll run it, too.

Sunday chats and Monday rains, Fitness Day 3

It didn't occur to me when I started this that I was creating two new habits - exercise and writing about stuff, including exercise. So...

Sunday
3:30 p.m. - Deciding it's time to take advantage of nice weather (and make sure kids are where they said they'd be) I figure I'll do my two-lap walk again in the neighborhood. This time I'll stretch my muscles first as a warmup. This does two things - it loosens up my legs and amuses Bill, my husband. I'm glad I can provide cheap comic relief. When his toe heals, he can get out here and I can laugh back.

3:34 p.m. - 3:52 p.m. Two of three children are in the yard when I head outside and down the driveway. The 14-year-old boy has the water hose turned on, showing his 11-year-old sister how sediment flows downstream in a flash flood. I remind them that I'm paying for their flash flood experiment, not FEMA, and to turn off the water. Of course they want to know where I'm going (with the unspoken hope that it involves a store and something for them). When I tell them I'm going for a walk, they decide to tag along, probably for laughs. (You can tell who their father is.) The boy jumps on his sister's bike and she decides she's going to run, because after all, she's a (former) soccer player and runs in PE and I'm 43. She yells for me to stop and wait. Um hm. I keep going. The boy, all 6-foot-5 of him, is hovering nearby, riding back and forth in sort of circles, kind of like a Labrador puppy - all legs and feet and excited to be out. I keep going. The girl catches up, talking the whole time and telling her brother not to run into her. I keep going. Halfway through the first lap, they start insulting each other in the middle of the street. I tell them not to have a family fight in the road. As I keep going.

After the first lap, the boy finds other things to do and departs. Not the girl. She's still got more to say. I haven't heard everything yet about Taylor Swift, the band's Solo and Ensemble competition or the latest sixth grade gossip. I keep going. So does she. I'm actually glad that she's talking to me about anything, and that she's exercising. I'm just not going to stop walking right now to listen. She can keep up. She is, after all, 11 and I'm not. I have to take advantage of momentum when I have it. However, when she brightly suggests that we should extend our exercise by walking to her Girl Scout leader's house several blocks over, I can visualize my momentum shaking its head, saying something like, "Are you mad?!?" and I say no, my limit is the remainder of the walk home.

Monday
Was it the Carpenters who sang, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down?" No walk today. We've had enough trouble with colds and sick days this year without adding more. I do, however, park the truck and walk to the third grade pick-up point when school is out to retrieve the youngest child. It's only drizzling at this point. No one in our family will ever melt. Tuesday I'll get back after it.

How many points for laundry??? Fitness, Day 2

I am sooooo out of shape. No way should my legs hurt the day after two brisk trips around the big block but they do. This is embarrassing. Today I didn't do another two laps. Saturday morning and early afternoon became housework time before I had to go to work. According to the Governor's Fitness site, housework can count (I'm sure they're thinking of something more than dusting) so I'm counting the 120 minutes of dishes, laundry, kitchen counter and cabinet cleaning and picking up as light housework. According to my activity log, that gives me 138 minutes for the week and a cleaner kitchen. I'm liking this...

My Latest, Greatest Attempt at Fitness, Day 1

10:16 a.m. to 10:34 a.m. – Okay, I’ve begun. Ignoring the old wives’ tale about not starting things on a Friday (what’s that about?), I kicked off my fitness project with two laps of brisk walking around our “big” block. Our neighborhood is roughly a square – three one-block-long streets running north-south hedged by an east-west street on either end. Weather report: partly cloudy, around 60 degrees and a strong, gusty south wind. Made for headwind resistance part of the way and a nice push up hill part of the way. I managed to hack off dogs at three locations by daring to walk by – twice. How do I feel? Good. This was a good start.
3:05 p.m. - Instead of driving around to pick up a child from school, I parked and walked. It's not far but it's something. Considering how drivers will cut in front of others clearly waiting to turn at the school, it's better for my blood pressure.

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for making the effort to click your way here. I was never much good at keeping a diary or a journal as I was growing up. It felt too weird to write down what I was doing or thinking and possibly have someone else read it. Being a teenager was embarrassing enough without piling that on. As a journalist, blogging seems less like a diary and more like an online column, offering another way to publish information besides the standard printed page. So.... I foresee this blog space as a way to talk about what's going on with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts around the area, or to offer quick hits on upcoming meetings or events, and finally to post updates on my newest attempt at improving my fitness level - the Governor's Fitness Challenge. That should be good for a laugh for those of you who are actually in shape. Lastly, the name, Chattin' Over Coffee, seemed like a good fit since I love a good cup of real coffee and I intend for this to be more of a friendly conversation than a rant. So, off we go!