Columns/Opinions

By Sue Ransom

The final push is here, and the teachers and students are trying to get it all done. I have students in my classroom constantly working to finish their science fair projects. I don’t know what I will do next year because I will only have one classroom from which to teach. It has been convenient for all the teachers to send students with extra work to the vacant classroom. We will be getting a new teacher and that person will be using my classroom. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. The extra teaching time will more than make up for the loss of a room.

By Jo Price

The last day of school is May 24th and everyone is excited and making plans for the summer months ahead.

No rain this past week, but just maybe there will be some this next week.

Sunday was Mother’s Day and it would seem everyone had a very enjoyable day. Jack and Lanell Daniels went to Lometa to eat lunch and ran into Thomas and Sheila Smithhart, Jerome and Shirley Meischen and Louise Barefoot and her son from Lampasas.

The home of William and Jane Clark was also a busy place Sunday.

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By Dr. Don Newbury

My Mother’s Potato Salad…

Soon after the inception of this column more than 15 years ago, I committed to sharing noteworthy recipes with readers from time to time. A dozen weeks into my writing regimen, I shared a cinnamon toast recipe.

It elicited no response- -favorable or otherwise--so I have been reluctant to make culinary suggestions--until now. I expect no drumrolls, but I do admit “chest-swelling” with the mere mention of my saintly mother’s potato salad.

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By Donna Blossman

Dear San Saba Community: It has been an honor to organize Mission San Saba for the past 14 years. God grew this mission into more than we ever dreamed. That being said, 2017 was my last year to organize Mission San Saba.

This year there is a new team in charge. Jesse and Jamie Hunt and Winston and Kristen Millican have felt Gold calling them to take over this mission. They intend to stick with the vision Mission San Saba has always had.

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By Sue Ransom

“The wind is blowing again, the wind is blowing again”, so goes the song to suit this beautiful Sunday. I feel a little bit silly even mentioning the wind after seeing the pictures my deployed sent me of the massive towering cloud of sand that was bearing down on him and the base. He said the daylight disappeared and pitch dark descended. Apparently they have had several sandstorms lately. The last one was followed by a hailstorm. So no complaints other than the fact the last front that blew in brought my first sinus attack of the year. I am not believing that I am sick one month before school lets out. That is exciting news for all involved. Even more exciting is the fact my soldier son will be home within six weeks give or take a few days. Hoorah.

By Dr. Don Newbury

A Rotten Day…

“Ya can’t fix stupid.” It’s a line tossed about daily with abandon.

In my case--and this is an admission made “frogthroated” and typed with shaky fingers--I plead guilty.

The sting is even greater when our judgment--in certain moments when efforts are squeezed to save a few bucks- -is sorely lacking, maybe totally absent. Sequentially, I “flubbed.” One would think I’d never traveled before….

By Sue Ransom

Zipedeedoodah we only have five weeks left of school. If I can only make the kids understand that means we have five weeks of school that they need to attend, pay attention and complete work. The spirit of “school is over” has permeated the system. No one wants to work, even my super hard-working students. I have thought for some years now that spreading the long summer break over the year would work better for everyone. We still do have some farm kids who have to help harvest, but for the most part we could do yearlong school with adjustments. We could take two weeks for Easter or spring break. We could have the week before Thanksgiving as well as Thanksgiving week.

That would still leave two months for summer. If we wanted to we could take three weeks at Christmas. I am preaching, but no one is listening. It would help with memory and material retention. No one remembers what they studied three months ago. It’s a thought worth pondering.

By Dr. Don Newbury

Looketh Unto the Hills…

Waxing biblical comes easily when one visits beautiful Colorado. If we “looketh up”--as the psalmists did--we can do them one better on the topic of elevation. In Psalm 121, they “lifted their eyes unto the hills” from which “cameth” their strength. How about gazing even higher- -yea, toward the mountains, for relaxation and refreshment? (Colorado leads the nation with 53 peaks towering more than 14,000 feet, well ahead of Alaska’s 29.)

On April’s second weekend, my wife and I flew to Denver, then drove upward to picturesque Mt. Crested Butte. It is one of the numerous Colorado meccas that induces skiers to salivate, dreaming of silken slopes by day and cozy fireplaces by night.

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By Sue Ransom

We had to dig out the generator Friday evening thanks to the tremendous w in ds that blew in from the northwest. My house shook several times after a particularly strong gust. Strangely enough, very few of the big dead braches in our tree out front lost dead limbs. I was hoping we could have a little judicious pruning without having to climb a ladder, but no such luck. As strong as the winds were, they didn’t blow my lawn chairs around or my plastic watering can. It was just strange. However, the winds were strong enough to knock out the power for about seven hours. I tried out my new cob lanterns, and they work just fine. I had three, but one was enough to light the main room. The power came back on around 4:30 a.m.

Most of the folks around had no rain from this storm. The little corridor around me and a little east of here did get some rain and hail, but nothing was very damaging or particularly satisfying. We definitely need some rain around here.

By Dr. Don Newbury

Give Smiles a Try…

Songs are often slathered in over-simplification. We’ve generally gone along with the musical proclamation that our smiles trigger the rest of the world to smile with us.

Wait a minute. The world ignores, remaining ambivalent, whether we’re smiling or not.

This is not to say there is not value in smiles; they are worthwhile if they do nothing more than brighten a few lives in our own little world. Even slight grins help, and they buy a few seconds while we’re trying to think what to say next….

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