Dear Editor:

I am writing to thank San Saba residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.

Because of the generosity of donors in San Saba and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide.

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I hesitated as I typed in the date. My fingers aren’t ready to type 2020. I’m not sure my brain is ready for the date either. Russ and I moved to the family farm in 2005. We lived in our little Techno Ranshed until late November. At that time, I told Russell I was no longer able to go outside and take a shower; it was just too cold. Although our house wasn’t quite finished, we could at least sleep inside the house and take a shower in a warm bathroom. We finished out the house by the end of December in time for Christmas.

That means we have been here 15 years! The time has passed very quickly. No matter what lies ahead for Russ and I, it has been a wonderful 15 years. We are blessed to have a beautiful house, great church family, wonderful work friends and exceptional community. The only earthly thing that would make it better would be to have my kids close by us. The only thing left is heaven.

Time has been bought, answers have been delayed and responses have been hedged as “squirmers” have opted for the “Texas two-step” instead of crystal clear comebacks to probing inquiries.

I’ve “rambled” a bit--again. Let’s shoot for “bullseye centeredness” to sharpen focus on this new year, one when we’re bound to grow weary of ads, speeches and even mere conversations referencing “2020 vision.”

Admission of this probability can rescue us from an evergrowing delay tactic mentioned in paragraph one. We can better use “2020 references” to replace a hackneyed expression used by many of us far too often: ATTHE END OF THE DAY….

Politicians have worn this expression to the nub, but I’ll stick up for ‘em to this extent. Utterance of these six words buys for them a few more seconds to think of answers that will be “okay” for a time, at least until the next news cycle, fake or real.

Once your holiday celebrations have passed and the decorations go back into storage, it is time to deal with your real Christmas tree. Don’t drag it to the curb to be hauled away by the trash collectors. Give it a second, even third life, in your landscape. No live Christmas tree? Don’t worry! I’m sure your friends and neighbors will share theirs.

Start recycling all those needles that landed on the floor. Sweep them up and use them as mulch in the garden. Place them directly on the soil around your plants. And don’t worry, they will not make the soil too acidic. In fact, as they breakdown they will add organic matter to the soil.

Upon recollection of 2019, what are considered “top-ofthe-heap” memories depend on who is doing the recollecting.

This has to be one of the most brain-scrambling beginnings ever unleashed during 17 years of column-writing.

Completing what I thought to be an “okay” discourse to a convention audience long ago, I experienced a “bubble-bursting.” The “flat-as-a-pancake” deflation reduced me to a small size, maybe even “extra small.” An overheard whisper bears repeating, its admonition worth remembering: “He’s a guy with hundreds of well-chosen words, interspersed with thousands that aren’t.”…

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I glanced up as the bells rang to herald new customers walking into the used clothing store. I was looking for a pair of warm dress pants. Visiting my parents in Minnesota, I had forgotten entirely about the possibility of extreme cold and the idea of going out that night in tights and a skirt seemed preposterous.

Luckily, I found a like-new pair of black jeans with just a little sparkle on the pocket for a good price. I was wandering around the store with these jeans in my hand—just in case I saw something else that I might need—while I waited for the line at the check-out counter to get a little shorter. Maybe I could find a silver jacket, I thought, that would look nice on a cold winter night.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Richland Springs is just a little merrier this year as our fighting Coyotes brought home a decisive win over Motley County.

Deep in the heart of Texas our football stars were shining bright on Wednesday. Richland Coyotes are known for their hard hitting, all out play.

Wednesday was no different. The plan of the day was to contain number 4, Jake Richards, and number 13, Demetric Sims.

I felt sorry for Richards because he just couldn’t go anywhere without a swarm of Coyotes falling on him or tripping him up.

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Merry Christmas my dear San Saba loves! I hope you had a wonderful, warm, exciting and loving celebration! I would like to say the parentals and I danced in the light of Christmas morning with excitement but nah, we were just our normal selves, sleepy eyed, a bit slow moving with the sound of creaky old bones pretty much ringing out rather than sleigh bells.

We were without extended family around us this Christmas but that being said as long as we have each other we a have a party and fun. I always think about those who are truly alone, who have no one at all with whom to spend the holidays and I feel very blessed.

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