THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS

Was there ever any doubt in your mind that the American cowboy is still alive and well? This sign appeared a couple of weeks ago in front of the San Angelo Feed Yard between Miles and San Angelo. A little over a week later it was gone! One cowboy hired, I guess. To be politically correct, it probably should have read "One Cowboy/Cowgirl".

Shortly after that picture was taken, June Hash Curry was in Ballinger for the funeral of her beloved mother-in-law Kathleen. She and I had a wonderful, though brief, visit at the new Heritage Funeral Home. She told me that the two beautiful round stained glass windows on the building were made by her sister and brother-in-law, Mildred and J.B. Terry. The weather was in the 80s for a couple of days and the night we visited, it was still warm outdoors. I looked out the window into the parking lot and commented on a cute miniature dachshund walking with a man across the lot. June said that they better be careful... that a four-foot long rattlesnake had been killed in that lot that very afternoon!

Texas!! 80 degree weather, snowfall, and rattlesnakes in the parking lot -- all within a two week period in December. Nothing dull about it for sure.

The blog about the Broadway Hill House has stirred a few more memories. This one came from Barbara Sharpes Brooks:

"The house in the picture belonged to a woman named Jewel Cooper. She ran the house as a room and board place. My mother worked for her in the kitchen for a while as did Ruth Jarrett. She rented to single men only, I think, and always had a table full at lunch. I've sat on that front porch a many a time. This was in the early 50s. I remember I thought it was a huge old house at the time. I don't remember the garage apartment though. In its time it was a really grand house. I also worked at Keel drug for a short time and then at the drive-in at the y, can't remember the name of the place. (Editor: Was this the Dairy Barn?) Gail Kirk and I were working together one night and it was time to slide the awning back. Welllllll, the rope we were pulling got caught on a tray that was in a car window and spilled everything in the lap of the driver! I took off and poor Gail was blamed for the whole thing. I was scared to death and Gail laughed it off. Just a little trivia..."

Charles Fikes had this to say:

"I have really enjoyed the blog for our class. I am learning things about good old Ballinger that I didn't know. Sue Herring is right, Chock and Jeep did live in that house. Am looking forward to more input on the blog."

I don't know how many of you paid attention to the weather news this week, but parts of the Midwest had horrendous ice storms that left many folks without power for days. Our own classmate June Curry was one of them. She sent this to me yesterday:

"We finally got power (we're total electric at 12:30 pm today). We could not go to a hotel or motel as all were immediately booked--no vacancies anywhere. No one had any wood for fireplaces to sell, and we only had enough for two fires as we had not ordered expecting to move at any time. We had no power from early Monday morning (pre-dawn) until after noon today. May I NEVER take warmth for granted again. It was 27 degrees here last night and almost that cold each night with little or no warming up in the daytime. We wanted to kiss on both cheeks the Public Service people who poured in here by the hundreds. I have never before been so grateful for a HOT shower and shampoo as I was today. Wow. What an ordeal! Glad to have it back!"

I leave you today -- this Second Day of Christmas with another little scene from the Concho River Light Tour. Sorry I don't have a shot of the "turtle doves". Last winter I had a live pair of them that ate from the bird feeders in my back yard. Wish I had photographed them! They were magnificent.

Let me know what/who you'd like to hear about or see photos of. I thought I would try to keep this up for the entire "Twelve Days of Christmas".
Marilyn