Well, the temperature was a wee bit more cool this Monday morning on the back porch, showing a low of 73 degrees at a little after 7:00 a.m. Not having checked the official means & extremes of the temps. as of late, I’m a bit hesitant to report on those. However, I don’t mind quoting someone else. Anyhow, Ms. McRorey said they had 107 degrees at their house this past Sunday afternoon. Richard & Darrin were visiting at the Donut shop yesterday morning and Richard said they went down to 67 degrees early in the morning up on Jerry’s Branch between Liveoak and Fairview. I’d guess the prize winner for the week’s low would be J. Timmons as I visited with him on the phone Mon. a.m. and he said it was 48 degrees as we were talking. Two things probably had some effect on that as he was an hour earlier than our 8:00 a.m., being that they were in Red River, New Mexico. Anyhow, it would probably suffice to say that most inhabitants of our Valley of the San Saba will welcome the cooler mornings and evenings that begin to creep into the country around the midst of August.

Wayland Perry & I were visiting in the hallway of the Courthouse a few days back and pretty well mulled over a bunch of our pet projects in a brief period of discourse. A few of the topics included present condition of the deer population, here and Trans-Pecos, Quail sightings of recent years, Prairie Dog towns of Potter Flat, as well as the welcome for the next rain. He indicated a possibility of hope for more quail out around the Yoakum as he spotted one lone hen one day & then she was accompanied by a rooster the next. Some of the Whitetail "watchers", (Ledbetter, Shaw, Burnett, & Perry), have reported sightings of several pretty fair bucks in the brush, as of late. Antler development still has some growing to go this last month, but the herd should experience fairly favorable conditions. Tony Navarra & yrs. Truly were traveling out around China Creek and Fairview this past weekend and came across two different coveys of Bobwhites, about 2/3 grown, on the upper reaches of Merriman’s draw where it crosses Perry Lane. Most I’ve seen at one time in about 10 years. We’re just about even in the mid-summer season and that is pretty well mid-season for nutlet development on the Pecans, as well. Some of the trees around town are experiencing what most of us term "summer drop" about this time of the season. This can be caused by several affecting factors, but what I’m seeing so far is more than likely caused by hot, dry weather. Pecan trees need about an inch of moisture per week, whether by rain or the water hose. Lawn sprinkling helps, but timely deep watering, as in irrigation, is your best bet. The next 30 days is crucial to nut filling, so you can help that, if you have a pretty good crop, with a timely fertilization within the next two weeks. Any fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen is recommended for Pecans and will give your turf grass a boost as well. Take care to apply the recommended amount so as to not burn your lawn during these hot months. Prof. Begnaud happened to have a complete Column on Pecans in the "Angelo Std. Times" this past Saturday if you want to refer to that or you can give the County Agent a call down at the Courthouse. Begnaud also gave a timely report on the predicted Pecan crop for the coming harvest. Early season reports on expected crop estimates bring to mind one of Dean Bagley’s quotes on the subject. A producer was in R.B. Bagley & Sons’ office several years back and was asking Dean about the coming crop. Dean dryly quipped that he could give him a better estimate about the middle of September. "Big D." Gilger was visiting with J. Johnson at Town & Country yesterday morning and mentioned that "Highlights" was a bit too long this past week. With that in mind and the editress’ deadline at hand, I’d suppose that it’s time to get on with the Mayor & yrs. truly, out around—————Harkeyville!!!!!!!!!!!