Columns/Opinions

By Jo Price 

Still no rain, but it seems everyone around is getting some of the good wet stuff. We can be thankful for the nice warm weather for this past week and hopefully rain will be coming to us around the Bend before too long. The wind blew out of the South just about all day long Monday taking with it what little moisture there was.

Jane Clark reported that Boyd Clark came for the weekend and they had a Valentine dinner Sunday after church before he left for Lubbock.

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Biodiversity: More Complicated, and Perhaps More Important Than We Thought 

Regular readers of these columns have probably read something along the lines of: “One of the most important characteristics of a healthy, sustainable, productive native habitat is that it is biodiverse.”

And there is certainly nothing wrong with that statement, as far as it goes.

When most people think about biodiversity, they think in terms of the number of plant and/or animal species that can be found on any given property or natural area—the more different species, the more biodiverse. But there is no single number of species that above that number is good biodiversity and below that number is not.

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By D. Harkey

By Sue Ransom

In spite of the fact this year is advancing at a fast trot, I have tried to jump a week. Perhaps it is Freudian so that we can get all this hospital stuff behind us. Whatever the reason, I am disappointed that this is only the week of the 12th instead of the 19th. In a few short weeks I will get to see my eldest son. He will come home for a short visit before going back overseas. I am praying that God will make his next assignment easily accessible to Russ and me. I know it is silly, but I just feel better when he and the family are nearer to us. Bad things can happen anywhere in the world, but I just want them near me. That worry issue is something that all military families face on a daily basis.

By Sue Ransom

Saturday was another sad day for our Richland Springs community. Shirley Benton was laid to rest at the Cowboy Cemetery.

Although a sad occasion for her loving family, I have no doubt she was glad to be with her sweet Jerry. I first met Shirley in the spring of 2005. The cement trucks rolled up the hill to pour my foundation, and there to meet them was an odd assortment of people who came to share the task of smoothing and tamping. They did such a great job that Tim Brockman suggested that I stain my floors. Throughout the day I listened to the friendly banter and enjoyed the sound of Shirley’s laughter. That group of people were my first introduction to the good folks of Richland Springs. Since then Shirley and I have crossed paths many times, and she will always hold a special place in my heart. She was a feisty but loveable lady.

By D. Harkey

This is supposing that you made it through Super Bowl Sunday with little distress and no mishap. Gene Craig and this humble scribe watched the game and festivities down at the Craig Brothers' abode on the banks of the Colorado just this side of the Bend. Getting down to the Bend a bit early gave me time to take a brief pass by the Bend General Store. Cali is about done with the painting job and the Red with white trim sure stands out. We also visited with a couple from Lampassas that knew Cali from his General Store in Llano. I think the husband might be the wine-maker at the vineyardwinery in Nix. Seems like the name of the enterprise is Stone Ledge Vineyard and Winery; a fitting name for that area.

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By Dr. Don Newbury

Childhood illnesses in the mid-20th Century were rarely treated by physicians who practiced medicine. Instead, mothers practiced home remedies with abandon.

Many among us can remember times when the treatment was worse than the illness, as well as accompanying psychological damage that won’t let go.

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By Jo Price

Mother nature is going to really give us some bad weather this week.

They are already posting weather alerts on the TV Monday. It would be wise for everyone to stock up on groceries and what ever else you might need before the bad stuff hits. Make sure your pets have a warm place to stay.

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