It is once again time for San Saba to open its beautiful arms in welcome. People from all over will be coming to town for our Pecan Jam celebration on Saturday, October 20th. Risien Park will be dressed to the nines with display booths for vendors, an enchanted play area for the children, wine garden for older children, a stage for a wonderful line-up of musicians and lots of great food for the hungry event goers. It hardly seems possible a year has already gone by since Harold, my son, Shawn, and I sat out on a gorgeous Saturday and were introduced to the Gordon Collier Band and Classie Balou Family Band.I am particularly excited for this year because Shawn will be making a return trip from Houston and bringing his fiance, Minna, and her parents will be riding up with them, too. Minna comes from a large Greek family and they are so wonderful, so loving, kind, funny and I know having her and her parents with us at Pecan Jam this year will make it ten times more fun! In addition, our daughter, Lani, and her husband, Roy, will be coming in from Dickinson, Texas to come stay with us and join in on all the Pecan Jam festivities! It has been such a long time since my house has held the laughter of even two of my children at the same time and for me that is beyond a priceless thing!I have held off on discussing Pecan Jam with Patches because as we all know if you mention something to Patches he takes it to heart and has immediate expectations. If I tell him Shawn is coming for a visit he will be pacing the floors, looking out windows, scratching at doors when he hears cars go by and coming in my room to ask me if they are here yet? He will want to help me with the grocery list, taste everything to make sure the food is up to standard, inspect my housework for company fitness, write, produce, and star in his own off Broadway show to entertain our guests and be in charge of sleeping arrangements so it is clear he gets the best bed in the house with the warmest person! He would probably make sure Peepers slept in the San Saba jail because he asked me the other day how to get in touch with Ray Riggs and where to look up assault in my Texas Penal Code law book? The real reason I have exercised my right to remain silent is because it will actually be Patches who will feel as if he has been put in jail on Saturday. Yep, while we are out enjoying our wonderful day at Risien, he will be on the back porch with only his water bowl, a little food and a tightly secured gate. He will not be wiggling his tail to the likes of Six Market Blvd, eating sausage on a stick, watching children romp in the enchanted garden or laughing at the antics of people dancing to their own music! I know, I am a mean mom! I wish he could attend, I really do but if I brought Patches to Pecan Jam with me I would never hear a note of the music, get to have a moment with family or see any of what was going on because when one has Patches nothing else exists for them other than Patches. I don’t want to make it sound like he is a prima donna...oh wait, yes I do because truth is truth and that is exactly what he is! So next Saturday morning there will be guilt in my heart when I shut that front door and lock it but no malice, no criminal intent, no actionable cause, no probable cause and while he may think about calling Ray Riggs, social services, the Humane Society, 911, or anyone who will listen...he will be just fine and is loved more than he could ever know.I am hoping Pecan Jam is an enormous success this year and that people from far and wide come to enjoy the day. I hope too our San Saba residents come out to show support for the beauty, wonder and special unique magic our little oasis of kindness is. I realize there are people who feel torn by the tide of change and the invasion of what is new and different into their tranquil, peaceful life but the only way to insure things are done in a manner conducive to your liking is to become a part of the wave that is washing to shore. I love you all with all my heart and I thank each of you for continually doing things to increase the size of that heart. I figure by the time I leave this earth my heart will be as big as Texas because I ended my days living in a little town called San Saba, Texas!