Last week we were talking of the long summer’s hot days, tropical storms coming up out of the Gulf, and finally breaking past the mid-point of the summer season.

Some San Saba dwellers were fortunate enough to measure a bit of precipitation, while some folks down around the Colony, Holland Hill, the Bend, Chapel & Cherokee even measured more than did people here in Town.

Any received was pretty well appreciated, but other than a few puddles left lying around, it was fairly difficult to see where it had rained.

We finally made it down to the ol’ Towerton Place on the River at the Colony to check on the gate, fences, cabin, well etc. and there was still a pretty good puddle in the crossing on Happy Holler.

The rocks are showing up pretty good at the Doran Shoal below Raven’s Bluff as the Colorado is a couple of feet low in the Big Hole between us and Lorrie Oliver’s. Maybe we’ll get another storm in off the Gulf that will set in around here & dump a good rain on the “Just”.

If you have happened to be out & around in the country as of late, you’ve probably noticed a lot of increased activity with the Skunks recently.

We usually see that sort of activity around late winter, early spring during the mating season, but it might be that new little families of the Pole cat are getting the youngsters out to see the world.

Cousin John Scott Harkey of Shreveport has been in and around Harkeyville the past few days visiting friends & family and lending a helping hand with the Harkey Family Reunion.

As we were making our way back toward town on the Sloan Road a few days back, there was a cute bunch of the little striped Stink Cats crossing the road just this side of Horse Pasture Creek close to the ol’ Sloan School site.

Six of them lined up and presented arms with their raised tail salutes as we pulled over to take a picture. Scott got a good shot (with the camera) & we moved on without getting them too upset.

There was another set scuttling under the slab at the Brown Street Crossing of Onion Creek between Daddy’s place and the Maultsby house. I’m not sure as to all the activity, but Poly Millican used to tell me that he figured “ There must be a scent in the air.”

The City crew has been moving a mountain of rock and dirt up on the north slope of Pregnant Knob just past Shorty Brown Cemetery the past few days.

Curiosity got the better of me the other day and we pulled over to inquire as to their intention. One of the crew informed me that there are plans on the board for some sort of “Welcome to San Saba” sign on the location. Maybe they can paint one of the big ol’ rocks to resemble a giant Pecan so that the visitors will have something to talk about on their way into Town.

John Scott & this humble scribe made our way over to Buchanan this past Monday to visit with H. Bubba Barber & Gloria at their place on the Lake in Buchanan Village up at Tow Valley.

We’d gone over for a brief visit with Bubba to take him some more wheat for souring to bait fishing holes out around Garrett Island, not planning on lingering long as he had been somewhat under the weather the past few days with a toothache and a couple of additional maladies.

Never to be out-done, he said if we would help him launch the boat, he’d take us for a “short” tour of the Lake. I’d not been on the Lake proper since the middle 70’s and Scott had never even laid eyes upon that stretch of water.

Six and a half hours later, we made our way back into the Slough there at Paradise Point after boating around the entire Lake, both Burnet & Llano shores, from the Dam up to the Falls, even going about 5 miles up into the River toward the State Park.

Bubba’s Tour was even better than the Vanishing Texas River Cruise that comes out of Canyon of the Eagles up to the Falls & back. Quite a show; and we even got to hook a fair mess of Channel Cat.

Lady Z has been in a frenzy with some wedding plans for her son, Jason, the past few weeks as well as our celebrating our own Anniversary the last day of July. Surely seems like a lot of weddings going on in July and August.

Scott got his trailer hooked back up & took off for Shreveport Tues. a.m. and things are pretty well turning back to some sort of normalcy here at the Harkey House.

I’ll be saving some time & space to cover more of the details of the 20— something edition of the Harkey Family Reunion for next week’s column pending getting pertinent facts of the affair from Barbara Harkey Horn and we’ll be seeing about all that out around——Harkeyville!!!!!!!!!!