I hope everyone is having a great week. Friday will be the 1st of August! You know what that means? School is just around the corner! I can’tbelieve summer holidays are almost gone!

I personally believe the grasshoppers ate the month of July, and we are owed another month! We are on track for at least 9 days over 100 this year. I have news for the weatherman; I think we have had our 9 days already with more to come!

The School Board met last Monday. The agenda was posted on the door per the state and as far as I could see followed to the letter. Great American had two representatives who presented an additional savings plan for the teachers. This would be in addition to, or instead of, existing plans. The plan sounded interesting, and if adopted, will be presented to the teachers during in-service.

Once again, I presented an appeal for a bond election package. The Board is still thinking that people don’t want a bond election. Since the last one was rejected by the community, and the teachers alike, I think they feel I am a one-woman bandwagon with no wheels.

Perhaps I am. I may be the only person who thinks we shouldn’t waste $17,000 a year in interest payments. I may be the lone coo-coo who feels noisy, outdated and under-insulated classrooms should be fixed.

Our school is great, and I may be the only one who thinks it could be greater. If I’m not, will some of you other coo-coos let the Board know soon? Hey, I’m just fine being the only nutcase left on the ground! I’m a squirrel reject and proud of it!

The School Board was presented with a request for a 25-cent across the board increase for school lunches. They approved a ban on pocket knives at school and increased the fine for phones and electronic devices.

There will be a parent and student meeting scheduled to review these rules. School districts across the country are attempting to stop the texting mania that attracts our kids.

The discussion that followed this was intense with a wide range of ideas presented, ranging from complete prohibition to extremely hefty fines. They settled on a $20 fine for first offense. This rule states that the students must have their phones in their locker; they may not have them in their possession during school hours.

The Board also voted to change the ruling on page 18 to read: "backpacks and purses are not to be carried into the classroom." The word 'purses' was added to the statement.

The campus will be closed to everyone except seniors. Seniors must have a written permission slip from their parent.

Mr. Winn was pleased to announce that over $7000 of our unpaid lunchroom charges has been received. We are still short some $3000.

The Board requested that school policy be redefined for charges so that we do not accrue heavy unpaid charges. The limit will be discussed and presented at a future meeting. Children with a set amount of unpaid charges will be given an alternative nutritious lunch but not a full lunch tray.

They are also looking into a used A/C system for the gym. The Board approved an increase in the gas allowance for employees using their own vehicles to attend workshops.

Finally, the Board formally welcomed Nelson J. Smith and Patsy Hall to the staff. They will join Mr. Bishop, who is the new band director. Mr. Bishop comes with many years of experience and a wonderful passion for band. Band students may expect a letter explaining Mr. Bishop’s plans for an exciting and successful year.

Teachers will be going back a week earlier than originally planned to attend GT training. That means in less than two weeks, summer is over for me!

We have wonderful teachers who work hard to plug the gaps that a small school develops. We can’t afford to hire teachers who teach only one subject. Anyone who works here fills several shoes.

The extra duties were one of the reasons I requested decent stipends for teachers taking on those duties that are covered in the "etc." of a contract. I guess the teachers will see if this appeal has been successful when they receive their first check. That decision is in the hands of our administration and School Board members. No matter what, we’ll all be there on the 12th.

We had a house full of relatives this week! What a blessing! I apologize to all of the folks who looked up to see a strange black vehicle parked on their street or in front of their house. That was not the Feds or BATF; that was my company revisiting old haunts and finding family residences.Virginia Glaze, daughter of Betha and Peyton Glaze, looked up every single house and friend she left behind.

Her husband, Don, assisted on the memory lane trip. We hunted one house for quite some time, until somebody in the car remembered it might have burnt down!

Wanda Jean Ransom (Fick), my husband’s sister, spent some time in the old family house here on the farm. We spent many hours laughing over the change in perspectives that age brings!

Houses that once seemed huge seem to have shrunk with age. They tell you never to go back, because the changes will disappoint you, but it didn’t happen on our trip.

Thank you to the wonderful couple who stopped to ask if we were lost. I didn’t get their names as I was in the back seat. It just goes to show you how nice people around here can be!

Everyone was a little saddened by the decay of Richland but I told them we were working to get Richland Springs back on the prosperity road!

We were all shocked to hear of the accident that claimed the life of Thomas Gibson. I understand that Sheila is in the hospital receiving care for her injuries. Our hearts, prayers, and condolences go out to the Gibson family. No further details have been released to the community at this time.

The Cemetery Association will meet August 12th. Everyone is welcome to attend. Should you have any issues you wish to have discussed, please contact Forrest McGregor, the president, or Ginger Skelton, the secretary. I can personally attest to the fact of their hard work in bringing the books up to date. They are not quite there, but there seems to be a goal post looming in the near future! This task was first started by Dean Atcheson. The present members have also pitched in to make some sense out of these old records!

Of course when you say Dean, you also have to say Flo. We sure do miss having Flo around. It was terrible when we lost Dean, but to have Flo move away was like losing them both! Our prayers are with you, Flo!

Pastor talked this week from Romans, Corinthians and Philippians. The bottom line of the sermon was to take every thought captive; don’t let your mind rush around thinking about things that don’t edify. I say "Amen" to that, and stretch it to say take every word captive. Before something leaves your mouth, make sure it isn’t mean-spirited or spiteful. Bite your tongue hard, if you think it will do harm to your neighbor! Try to be a blessing to someone this week!

Bless each and every one of you; don’t forget to pray for our government, our elections, our President and our precious troops. We pray for success in our war efforts, and peace in our country. I think we better say an extra large prayer for rain as well. Have a great week.