Monthly Archives: March 2018

An Eerie Tale

It wasn’t the content of the story that was so eerie, but the coincidence that when I read it, the time lapse was almost forty-one years to the day after my mother’s death. But let me start at the beginning. … Continue reading

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Tree Planting Week

When the first settlers arrived North Texas, they found what they called “thickets” throughout the prairies, tree-lined banks along small creeks and even smaller branches. Timber was a necessity for settlement. It was used for building and fuel. By the … Continue reading

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The Tale of the S. S. W. M. Barkley

My DNA says I am primarily Scots-Irish and German. My research tells me my ancestors were here before the Boston Tea Party. So I have a real sense of respect for pioneers, and especially those Scots-Irish who migrated to the … Continue reading

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When the Best Known Cabinet Member was the Postmaster General

When Woodrow Wilson took the oath of Office as the President of the United States, he had four close advisors from Texas. “Colonel” Edward M. House would remain a close friend until the Paris Peace talks in 1919. Thomas Watt … Continue reading

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Colonel Ned Green and the Texas Midland Railroad

Imagine knowing your mother was worth at least ninety million dollars ($90,000,000), yet you and your sister lived with her in the squalor of New York and New Jersey tenements. You grew up shy with no self-confidence. Once a boy … Continue reading

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From Mineral Waters to Spas

When the first Anglo settlers migrated into Texas they discovered numerous natural springs. Water from underground pools that were filled to capacity gurgled up to the topsoil, providing water for livestock and humans. While we think natural springs were found … Continue reading

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Fall of the Alamo

Yesterday was a sad and solemn day in San Antonio and the rest of Texas. It marked the 172nd anniversary of the Fall of the Alamo in 1836. Some say it is also the Beginning of the Republic of Texas. … Continue reading

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Scattering Branches

Most of last month was dreary, cloudy, misty, and generally not inducing to outdoor events. The third week was almost a constant downpour. At my house we received around seven inches of rain. We live on the top of a … Continue reading

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