I sat in awe tonight at a local community center in Sealy, Texas. It was a benefit to raise funds for the local public library and the guest of honor was none other than my great cousin, Mr. Elmer Kelton, renowned author of Western fiction. We didn't get to chat for long, as he was hosting a book signing for his latest book, an autobiography, entitled "Sandhills Boy, The Winding Trails of a Texas Writer".
The last time I met Elmer, I was a teenager, sitting in the basement of the Houston Public Library in downtown, wondering why my parents had dragged me along. Needless to say, I'm glad they did, because it explains a lot about my family history.
Elmer Kelton is not an easy read. It's like he explained tonight - it's all about West Texas, cattle ranching, the oil business and all the inherent, unspoken jokes and suggestions that go with it. It explains a lot to me - why, for instance, my grandmother always had such a smart mouth, and perhaps why her oldest grand daughter (me) locks inside her some of that brashness and outspokenness, and lets it out in mini-meltdowns.
As I always tell my son, you can learn a lot about the present, by looking into the past. Cheers for a great weekend! Terre
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
25 days until school starts
This year the State of Texas finally decided to start school on a decent date, August 27th! Hurrah! I hope some state legislator will read this and learn how delighted I am that the kids got 3 whole months off from school this summer.
We were always starting school here sometime between August 7th - 15th, which makes absolutely no sense because it is the hottest month of the year in Houston.
To the school districts, it made a lot of sense, as the State would pay the schools a certain number of dollars a day, per student, for how many days the children attended school. That extra week or two of time adds big bucks to the coffers of a school district.
It also puts a lot of pressure on the parents to keep the children in school all year. After your child misses a certain number of days of school, whether legitimate or not, the district sends you a nastygram about your child's absences. We've always made sure we get our flu shots and try to stay as healthy as possible. And inevitably, my son always comes down sick on the last day of the school semester, after his finals are finished.
I've got to admit it has been challenging to keep my child busy this summer. However, that extra time has allowed him to spend time with his grandparents, start taking guitar lessons, and also learn that he loves computer animation.
Now it's time to start that back to school shopping. At least I have 25 more days, instead of 5 days to get it all done. Thank you, Texas!
We were always starting school here sometime between August 7th - 15th, which makes absolutely no sense because it is the hottest month of the year in Houston.
To the school districts, it made a lot of sense, as the State would pay the schools a certain number of dollars a day, per student, for how many days the children attended school. That extra week or two of time adds big bucks to the coffers of a school district.
It also puts a lot of pressure on the parents to keep the children in school all year. After your child misses a certain number of days of school, whether legitimate or not, the district sends you a nastygram about your child's absences. We've always made sure we get our flu shots and try to stay as healthy as possible. And inevitably, my son always comes down sick on the last day of the school semester, after his finals are finished.
I've got to admit it has been challenging to keep my child busy this summer. However, that extra time has allowed him to spend time with his grandparents, start taking guitar lessons, and also learn that he loves computer animation.
Now it's time to start that back to school shopping. At least I have 25 more days, instead of 5 days to get it all done. Thank you, Texas!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Soldier's Angels - one way to support our soldiers
I had wonderful news last week. I received word from the Soldier's Angels organization that my soldier that I had been writing to last summer had come home from Iraq. With this news, came the chance to volunteer again and write to another soldier whose unit has been held over for at least a month past his going home date.
What is the time commitment and cost to the cause you might ask? You write one or two supportive letters to your soldier every week. In addition, you send him/her a care package a couple of times a month.
Will you ever hear from your soldier? You might not ever hear from him/her. But isn't that the purpose of being an angel, the silent partner in the background, praying or thinking good thoughts for that individual?
If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, or would like to read more about the organization, please check out this link:
http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=home
God bless you for taking the time out of your day to read this. Let's hope this war ends soon!
What is the time commitment and cost to the cause you might ask? You write one or two supportive letters to your soldier every week. In addition, you send him/her a care package a couple of times a month.
Will you ever hear from your soldier? You might not ever hear from him/her. But isn't that the purpose of being an angel, the silent partner in the background, praying or thinking good thoughts for that individual?
If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, or would like to read more about the organization, please check out this link:
http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=home
God bless you for taking the time out of your day to read this. Let's hope this war ends soon!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
A brief respite
Intermittent greetings from Houston. I'm experiencing a few home PC problems, so hang with me while we blast our way through summer electric bills.
Would you believe that we had 49% humidity in Houston yesterday and the high was only 88F? It was almost like fall is in the air.
The rain? Yes, it will be back by the weekend. When we Houstonians get weather like this, we get out and enjoy. I personally took an afternoon break outside, and then came home and played outside with my plants.
Would you believe that we had 49% humidity in Houston yesterday and the high was only 88F? It was almost like fall is in the air.
The rain? Yes, it will be back by the weekend. When we Houstonians get weather like this, we get out and enjoy. I personally took an afternoon break outside, and then came home and played outside with my plants.
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