Rural frustration is real - and it’s growing

For the first time since 2008, Democrats outvoted Republicans by roughly 500,000 votes during early voting in the Texas primary. That signals something important: enthusiasm and energy inside the Democratic Party are rising.At the same time, I fear something else is happening.

Candy is Dandy

From the 1940s through the 1970s, Southern grandmothers always had candy dishes on the living room coffee table.The tradition dates back to the late 1800s, when Emily Post etiquette books dictated that you kept some sweets in the parlor for when company came.

Get your spam out of the can

It seems like everyone has something they find disgusting because they’re not used to it.For me, potted meat is a no-go but I know plenty of folks that grew up eating it. As the son of an ex-Navy man, I grew up in a spam household with the square lump finding its way into many a sandwich.

True Grit

Today, someone at the front door is greeted by a doorbell camera. But the world was friendlier just a half-century ago. And that’s what gave door-to-door salesmen the opportunity to make a decent living.Traveling salesmen once made up a significant part of business revenue in America.

Tarleton plant play is no trap

“Feed Me, Seymour!”The words were shouted all around Wyndi and I as we headed back to our car Friday night (Feb. 20).

Faith: Good Pride, Bad Pride

When we hear the word “pride” we generally think of it as being a bad thing. We read in Proverbs 16:1819, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” See what I mean?

Faith: What Did Jesus Mean When He Said the Holy Spirit Will Tell You Things to Come?

“The Holy Spirit tells you stuff before it happens,” says Sawyer, 8. “He told my mom that Grandma was coming over, and then she showed up with cookies.”Now that’s a spiritual gift I’d like to have: the ability to sense cookie arrivals.

Aging Matters

If you’ve recently spoken with family or friends, you may have noticed a curious trend: tales of retirees slipping quietly into the background, sometimes only to “pass on” shortly after, or experiencing a mental decline so dramatic it leaves everyone wondering if Sudoku should be mandatory.

Ag: Berry’s Picks

Peach Tree PruningThe late freeze last year was devastating to our local peach crop. Let’s keep our fingers crossed this year that there are no late frosts and we have a good peach crop. No one loves fresh juicy peaches, peach cobbler, peaches and ice cream and so forth more than I do.

Ag: Fenceline Chatter

Prune your roses and your lawn but leave the fruit trees alone.Larry Stein, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulture specialist at Uvalde and professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Horticultural Sciences.Garden Tips for February 1.