By the time this edition comes out we will be about through with February. All teachers are on a crash course for STAAR tests in April. The months seem to be flying by at an alarming rate. What is even more alarming is the lack of rain we have had on this end of the county. It is more than time for all the Christians in the area to get down to some serious prayer for our county and others as well who are experiencing this severe drought. It’s supposed to be cold and windy all week. That means blowing sand and more dry land. The creeks in the area are suffering as well as the trees.

My students have been studying water conservation this week. They did a great job of outlining the issues of water conservation and proper use. I sent a picture of the group. We didn’t get posters done in time to send them to the Water Conservation Contest, so we had our own little contest. Mrs. Gossett rounded up judges for us and we were able to choose the best of the best. Jaianna Smith won first place. Julie Moore won second place and Madison Ford and Kimberly Nilson tied for third. See picture on page 15. We enjoyed this project and I hope it transfers to their daily use, especially if this drought continues.

The 4th and 5th grade will be coming out to my place on Tuesday. We are going to take pictures of drought stricken trees and vegetation. We are also going to check for nesting sites and animal burrows. Mondo is going to point out areas of concern for rattlesnakes. I have not seen any here in years. I have a racer and a bull snake wandering around somewhere, but no rattlers. Still, he will help make the students aware of potential areas. Although we won’t get to handle a snake, he is going to bring one in a cage, so that anyone who hasn’t heard that bone chilling sound can hear and recognize it in the future. Of course we will have to have a snack before we come home. All that walking around is going to make us hungry!

Beatrice Soto made a quick trip to Arlington to see her sister in the hospital. Louis Hyman’s kids are taking great care of her while her broken foot is mending. The ballpark vandals have been found and repaired the field for use. The softball team had a Saturday tournament, but not on our field. The EMS was called out Sunday for a crash near the school. One young person has hopefully learned that speed does not work well with gravel roads. No major damage was done. As usual, people in the community came to the aid of the motorist, and made sure they and their vehicle made it home safely.

There is a fish fry coming up some time soon, but I’m not sure when or for which organization. The lower elementary grades will be selling World’s Finest Chocolates to pay for a field t rip. Eighth grade is earning money for their graduation. So please bite the bullet and buy a few bars from these young people. I’ve finally lost a few pounds, but I can already see that I will have to help them reach their goal and buy some bars from them. I hear the Stagecoach has been sold. I guess we can look forward to the reopening of our major restaurant. The new General Store has opened and seems to be doing well. Naturally we can’t forget our three oldest businesses; the Coyote One Stop, The Little Yellow Duck, and last but not least Skelton’s Hardware. Please do your best to support our local businesses.

Unless God comes back to take me home, I’m going to have a busy summer. I hope to be in Europe during the month of June, and I will be in classes most of July. I’m going to miss Florida this year because I really have to help Russ clear some dead trees. I pray I will have enough time left over to run up to Canada and see my sisters for a week or so. Maybe I’ll drive up and take Glen with me. My sister Bev can help me with Glen. We started working with the shock collar this weekend. It is on a low setting which will not stop him from chasing the cows, but if he makes a move in that direction I will have to up the ante. He is getting better at obeying “leave it,” but he is not yet good. If anyone knows how to stop him from sampling poop; I would love to have that information. He is an equal opportunity poop eater. Small deer turds, big cow patties, and a few rabbit pellets thrown in for good measure are all just fine with him. They can be old or fresh, it just depends on his mood. Needless to say we do not exchange doggie kisses. I am not falling for that dogs have a clean mouth myth. I know what goes into his! Did I mention the dead carcasses that catch his attention?

Our box top levels have dropped a little. Will everyone please search their cabinets for those wonderful little pieces of paper that help put new books in our library? I’m feeling in the spring cleaning mood, I think I will get busy on my closets and clean out some of the clothes I haven’t worn in months or years. I was reared in a very poor household and nothing was discarded. If things weren’t passed down they were remodeled by my Mom to make something else. She was very resourceful. It always seems as if I need the thing I gave away the very next week. I’ll have to clean my yard too, thanks to Glen. If it can be chewed, just call Glen. Russ’ power cords have suffered a few times, the hose is a toothy challenge and even the pooper scooper is not safe. I will have to get a new one since the old one is in many tiny pieces scattered by my back door. Some day he will be a big boy and not have to destroy things around him. To his credit, he is a great watchdog. When those huge ears go up and he stands at attention he is very impressive. He accidentally bit me last week while grabbing for a toy and it is still sore.

I hope everyone has a great week. Please pray for our sick, our home bound. We have one more to add to our cancer prayer list. Laura (Skelton) Garcia was diagnosed last week. She will have to wait to see what treatment they are going to use for her. Please pray for our government, our President and our judicial system. God bless our precious troops and their families.