My goodness someone call the police; March has been stolen from the calendar! I must be getting old, because they say time goes faster as you get older. I can hardly believe we have raced through March and are headed for TAKS tests next week! If you’re a sunshine person, then our weather is about as perfect as it can get. If on the other hand, you have animals to feed and crops to grow, then water is foremost on your mind. Looking at those weather maps does not inspire me to predict rain. Those silly computers weathermen use, don’t know any better and keep predicting rain, but I see no stormy days on our horizon! Everything is popping out with new green leaves. I can see some of those mesquites; I thought were dead, resurrecting their miserable selves to new life! I did see some Bluebonnets on the way back from San Angelo. It may be a light year for flowers. I suspect it’s going to be a slim pickings year for blackberries as well.

I survived two firsts last week. I have had very few flats in my life and the two or three that befell me were close to repair places. I arrived early Thursday morning to get the students loaded into the Excursion only to find I had a flat on my own car. The One Act Play kids had come home late, so they left the cargo van attached to the Excursion. Chad left on his bus route, so I was privileged to back that silly thing, and put it over on the grass, so that I could unhook the trailer. Valerie and I struggled for several minutes trying to figure out how to disconnect the lights, until Candi Lewis came and rescued us. Thanks to Candi, we were only a few minutes late getting on the road. Our conference was great. The 4

th grade students met Bruce Hale, author of some 25 books and speaker for the writing workshop. Our kids were wonderful, and we learned some neat writing tricks. I have to say that Valerie Gossett was the chief motivator for this trip. ‘Round about this time of the year, I go into survival mode, and don’t like to emerge from my classroom unless my life is in danger. Thank you Valerie for the extra push!

The second first was the blow out on the Excursion. The boys and I were within two miles of the school and the car started to shake. Levi Shannon said to me, as I was complaining abut the shake, "Usually when my dad’s car shakes like this we’re fixin’ to have a flat." I may be a teacher, but I am not stupid. I took the "out of the mouth of babes" saying to heart and slowed down. He then asked me what you did if you had a blowout. Since I’m a teacher, I gave him the textbook explanation of what to do in the event of a blowout. The saliva was still wet on my lips when "BANG", the Excursion gave a sudden jerk and we headed for the ditch! This is the practice what you preach moment in your life! It seemed as if we were doomed to hit a pile of rocks immediately in front of us, but our guardian angels turned us ever so gently, and we stopped smoothly some twenty feet away from those ugly looking rocks. The boys were great! Their voices were raised and worried, but they never screamed out and disturbed my concentration from the task at hand. Mr. Fowler, Russ and Brad Shannon came and rescued us from our disabled vehicle, and took us home. I can now say I’m a veteran blowout person. My son says I must be losing my driving skills. We shall discuss that remark when next I see him. Of course, for the boys, it was a great story of a near death collision with a gigantic pile of rocks! Some people will do anything to get out of taking the TAKS tests! Just joking!

Mrs. Hall will probably write extensively about the success of the One Act Play, but I will give you a brief synopsis. They won everything but one category. They will advance to the next round and hopefully wow the judges at the next level. It takes an enormous amount of dedication from students and Mrs. Hall to pull this off. I need to add the people like Mrs. Starr and Mrs. Miller who usually have to drive some vehicle to each event. The rewards are great, but it takes a tremendous amount of cooperation from everyone. I must admit I’m not always patient, especially when I have to cancel tennis because I have no players! We just don’t have enough kids to go around.

I heard a request was put in to have a baseball/softball team and even a golf team, but I can attest to the fact that we have neither the coaches nor the players, to attempt more sports. Coach Brand and I have to share the track and tennis people with the One Act Play. You just can’t get prepared by practicing a few hours a week. So, even though it would be nice to have these options open for our kids, there just aren’t enough resources. That means no kids, no coaches and no time. Last week I was only able to have the tennis people for one day. You can’t win with a practice schedule like that! Mr. Nelson Smith would also like to have some time to work on academic UIL events.

There is to be a fund raising event at the rodeo arena in April. Friends and family of Paul Gibson are planning to have roping starting at 1:00 p.m., a dinner, an auction and a dance on the 30

th of April. The senior class is also planning an event for their class, but the date will not be determined until their next meeting.

The fundraiser for Ed and Lara Smith was well attended by friends and members of this community. The event was actually run by the National Honor Society members, but the VFD members did the cooking and preparing. The evening auction was enlivened by the bidding for Gladys Powell’s luscious cake. Apparently my husband and Wayne both wanted that cake very badly. Russ finally backed out before my heart stopped beating. As Wayne said later, it must have been what God wanted to happen, and he felt good about winning his wife’s cake. Tina Poe was doing the beaming Grandmother trick. John and Christan Poe were the proud parents of newborn Hayley Lynn Poe. Tina had pictures of her new granddaughter on her phone. I’ll bet she had to recharge those batteries when she got home. Every time I turned around she was proudly showing the pictures of her little cutie! Congratulations to all. I spoke a few moments to Douglas and he said Paul was doing well and responding to the cancer treatments. Speaking of responding well, Susan Luna received the doctor’s report that she was 99.94% free of the disease that struck her down last summer. We are all excited about that as well!

I know I’ve said this before, but I need to remind everyone again from time to time. I don’t know very many folks around here. I certainly don’t know who belongs to what family. I write what I see and hear, and you can bet I have no agenda, unless it clearly pertains to me. If someone calls me and asks me to put something in the paper I do. I had a lovely note from someone who asked me not write abut their family. In all honesty, I can’t really do that, because I have no clue about the "whom." I write what passes by my life. Unless you write to me, I have no idea what passes through your life. I can assure you that I don’t write maliciously or with intent to harm. That’s the best I can do.

The 5

th grade trip is almost upon us. I sometimes think I should have myself committed for even thinking of taking an overnight trip with school children, but they get so excited that I can’t say no. I also have to say, I have never had any trouble from our kids. It is a wonderful experience, and well worth the time and effort it takes to get it done! So Lexington here we come! If you are a parent planning to attend, please remit your payment of $49 to me as soon as possible. There are several parents planning to stay at a nearby hotel. You can pay at the gate, but that will not allow you to stay for the evening’s activities. I’ll pray for that Excursion before I leave!

Please make sure your babies get lots of sleep and good food this week. I want everything I have pounded into their brains to come oozing out next week! Mrs. Brockman wants them to keep practicing those fact families and times tables. Mrs. Gossett would like one more big push for box tops,and Mr. Fowler would like us to be a recognized campus. That’s quite a wish list, but totally attainable!

Have a great week. Please pray for our government, the turmoil around the world and our President. Please God, protect our service men and women and their families. We need rain urgently and we need God to bless and protect America in this time of peril.