August 21, 2017

 

Brigette Tobias, a frequent customer, practically grew up on the back of a horse being coached in barrel racing by her dad, Ronnie Casburn. She has passed the tradition on to her 14-year-old daughter, Lucchesse, who has won several barrel racing championships. The most recent being this month in Waco at the 2017 Texas National Barrel Horse Association State Championship where her winnings included: 1D Youth Champion and 1D Open Reserve Champion (competing with all ages). She also won Open 1D 1st Go and ran the fastest time during the whole competition. That’s quite an accomplishment for a ten year old! Her proud parents are Jason and Brigette Tobias and her maternal grandparents are Deborah (Bourrous) and the late Ronnie Casburn. Keep up the good work!

It was a real pleasure to meet 13-year-old Hannah Hagle who came in with her dad. She is the daughter of Brandon and Heather Hagle of Chireno. Hannah has been in training for Junior International Elite Gymnastics since she was six years old. It began when she broke her arm, was sent to rehab and got seriously interested in gymnastics. She is presently coached by Martin and Stacy Parsley in Tyler. Hannah and her parents are dedicated to this rigid training program which means she had to move to Tyler to live with her grandfather, Harold Hagle. Hannah begins her day in the gym from 7:30 to 10AM. She attends school from 10-2 with 7 others who are also in training and then back to the gym from 2 until 5:30. During the fall she will come home on weekends but during the summer she goes home every other day. In Chireno her parents have chicken houses and cattle and she loves following her 16-year-old brother Wyatt as he competes in showing steers across Texas. In her quest to be a future Olympian, Hannah is looking forward to October when she attends the National Developmental Team Training in Huntsville where she has met several members of the US Olympic Team including 2008 member Nastia Luikin and Gabby Douglas who was a member in 2012 and again in 2016. Good luck to you Hannah!

One of the fun things about working in a feed store is that we get to see people’s pets when they come to us for help. DHS sophomore Jessica Castor came in with her mom, Debora. Jessica found three baby rabbits in their yard and her dad, Fernando, said, “Go to Pouland’s they will know what to do”.

It was good to visit with Joe Flowers (senior) who recently retired in June. Joe has been driving trucks most of his life. He owned and operated his own truck for 25 years and for the last 15 years he drove for Lyons Propane. The first couple of months was difficult adjusting to being retired, Joe said, “you can only mow the grass so many times”. It’s better now that he is driving again, part time, for Johnson Excavating. Joe and his wife Connie just recently returned from a trip to Colorado to visit with her family in Lamar where Connie grew up. Connie now works at Albeldts after working 15 years at Timberland Pharmacy.

Rachael Chapman, daughter of Kim (Placker) and Darrell Chapman, is an independent young lady who earned a degree from Texas A&M and presently lives in Houston’s Rice Village and works in Spring. She proudly negotiated on her own to buy a beautiful new Cadillac SUV. She drove it to Diboll to show her “Granny Jo” JoNell Placker, and parked it under her wooden carport. Rachael told JoNell there would be “no eating”, “no drinking” and certainly “no pets” inside her new car. Rachael took her Granny Jo on a test drive the next day. They were enjoying a beautiful day until Rachel decided to demonstrate the open sun roof, immediately they both were covered in a ton of sawdust from the carpenter bees that must have worked all night in the wood of the carport where she had parked. Returning home they both worked for hours cleaning the new car!

Billie Jean (Walker) Jones took the time to drive from the Humble area to pick up former DHS classmates, Barbara (Vaughn) Spradley and JoNell (Vaught) Placker, to celebrate Barbara’s August birthday at the Olive Garden. Charlene “Polly” Leavell celebrated her August birthday with longtime friends and lunch at the Angelina County Airport. Those enjoying were Betty Hendrick; JoAnn Rainwater; Ginger Capps; Nita Hurley, Billie Jean Capps and of course, Polly; sorry I had to miss. It seems the conversation has switched through the years to discussing doctors’ visits.

Monthly flea pills for pets is a new item for us and seems to be very popular. In a month or so, we can ask Louise Ellison, Ronnie Kilgore and G. B. Treadway, “How did it work?” R. W. Oaks comes to Diboll quite frequently to his childhood home place where he loves to garden. He came in to buy pea seed for his fall garden and came back later with his great-granddaughter, Mattie Neiman, to get local honey and watermelon seed. Max Purgahn is a serious farmer; he plans to sell his crop and came in to buy enough cream pea seeds to plant on seven acres! Billie Jean Capps was in buying birdseed, sunflower seeds and reported, as always, busy making her famous jellies; mayhaw being the most popular. Glenda Tobias frequently comes in to buy chick feed. She’s learned from my experience how chickens love “Happy Chickens Mealy Worms”. These delicious treats make your chickens love you. Joel and Tammy Cheshire enjoyed visiting and looking around while waiting to get a lawnmower tire repaired. Earl Hutson was angry at all the wasps and ants around his house and had plans to get rid of them. DEMON XP is hard to keep in stock because it is such a good product to keep the unwanted pests away. Our thanks to Roy Lee Lyles for the fresh okra.

I appreciate friends who feel they can use this column to ask for prayers from its readers. A longtime friend, Janet Kilgore, called to share with me the devastating news her youngest son Johnnie has been diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Janet is home after being in Oregon for a month with Johnnie and his wife, Teresa and children; 14-year-old Gracie and 9-year-old Wesley. Janet grew up in Diboll and retired from Memorial hospital after 33-1/2 years. She worked as a surgical nurse so you may not have seen her. Janet is a strong woman and has battled with cancer for a few years but she is surrounded with love from her five sons: Lonnie, Ronnie, Donnie, Tommie and Johnnie. Please remember this special family in your prayers.

Come see us…’round the table

 

August 14, 2017

 

More than 60 years ago was the first Fastrill reunion. Established in 1922, the Fastrill logging camp eventually became the largest and longest-lasting of all the Southern Pine Lumber Company (SPLC) camps in East Texas. The camp operated for almost 20 years, and served as the home for 600 residents. Three of those original residents attended the small reunion last Saturday. Mary Lou (Stokes) Havard, Sherrill Fears and John Richard Powers all remember it being the best part of their young lives. Fastrill was a company town, owned and operated by Southern Pine Lumber Company, SPLC. But, it was also a permanent site that differed from the mobile logging camps that sprang up across the region. A post office opened shortly after the town was founded in 1922, and soon thereafter Southern Pine opened a general store, barber shop, cleaning and pressing shop, gas station, cannery, school and church. SPLC provided electrical power at certain times of the day. Mary Lou’s dad, Fisher Stokes, operated the dynamo and would “flick the lights” at 9PM and leave them off all night unless someone had died in which case he left them on.The camp employees worked six days a week, getting Sundays off to go to church and spend time with their families. Mary Lou also remember a favorite recreational activity for the people of Fastrill, swimming in the nearby Neches River. The Fastrill camp operated through the Great Depression, lasting until 1941, when it finally exhausted the available timber in the surrounding forest. That September, the local post office closed, and the town quickly shut down as well. The residents of Fastrill were sent to Diboll, where the men were given new jobs with Southern Pine. John Powers has been heard to say more than once, “That’s the best move that ever happened to Diboll”. John and his wife Mable and daughter Natalie enjoyed the reunion. Also present was Wanda (Burchfield) Guidry whose Aunt Gertie White was well known among the residents. Ada (Smith) White who was married to Herman “Mousey” White attended with her children: Morris who was there with his two children, Natalie and Nick and granddaughter, Aria; her daughter Lori Boonstra came from the Tyler area.

Burlon and Jan Wilkerson have returned from a week in Maryland.  The couple flew from Dallas Love Field to Baltimore where they were met by their daughter Krista Canfield. Krista is a third year student of the Texas A&M Vet School.  Her husband Shaun is stationed at Walter Reed Hospital in Silver Springs, Maryland and Krista is spending the summer there with him in Middletown. During the visit the Wilkersons spent a day in Washington, D.C. visiting the Memorials and Monuments.  They also went to the Museum of American History and the Native American Museum. One day was spent in Luray, Virginia at Luray Caverns which is the largest cavern on the east coast.  In addition to the caverns, there is a huge maze, a ropes course and several museums.  It was a fun adventure that was located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the Amish country, the group visited Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania and took a tour through the farm land with a stop at a dairy farm and ended the day with homemade ice cream made with fresh milk.  The Amish live a very uncomplicated life and visits are so peaceful. Jan and Krista found plenty of shopping there. The last trip of the week was to Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  All things chocolate!  The group enjoyed a 4-D movie, a trolley tour of the town, a chocolate tasting and a tour of the factory.  The highlight was making their own Hershey chocolate bars.  Each of them designed their own labels for the bars.  Hershey is a must for families.  It was a fun day, filled with chocolate treats at each activity. The last day, Burlon and Jan joined Krista and Shaun for Trade Days.  Jan carried several of her handmade crochet items to sell and also enjoyed walking around seeing all the unique items for sale.

Super Seniors of Diboll First Baptist traveled to the new Del Rio for lunch on Tuesday. Driving the church van was a young adult, Marcie Fenner, who also drives for the children’s activities. When asked her if the seniors behaved any better than the children, she responded “Well, I only had to tell the seniors to sit down one time.” Some folks met at the restaurant and others rode with Marcie including her grandmother, Garvis Baldree; Billie and Leonard Robison; Leonard, Jr. and Camille Robison; Betty Kee; JoNell Placker; Joyce Carlton; Isabelle Hardy; Ruth Mullins; Jim and Polly Leavell. Others were: Bro. Kenny Hibbs; Earl & Joyce Carr; Geneva Ard; Ginger Capps and Sue Baker. Hopefully, I didn’t miss anyone.

Bro.David Goodwin, pastor of Diboll First Methodist, is recovering from knee surgery and having to slow down and take it easier. He came to the round table early one morning bringing a sugar free pumpkin pie that his wife Melanie, had made. Several folks enjoyed a slice including a couple from California who have decided to move to beautiful East Texas.

I learned more about the recent 61st commissioning ceremony for Texas Game Wardens during which 21-year-old Justin Lenderman was memorialized. Justin was an SFA senior criminal justice major from Jasper when he passed away on Feb. 12, 2016. He had already been accepted for this 61st training session. The rugged seven months of training took place in Hamilton and during the commissioning ceremony Justin’s dad, Ray Lenderman, was presented with the US flag that flew over the cadets during that time. Ray was also presented with Justin’s official Game Warden badge.

The film crew of Lone Star Law was present at the commissioning ceremony and interviewed Ray Lenderman afterwards about Justin’s dream of being a game warden. That episode will air during this fall season.

Buddy and Susie Jordan attended the “Meet the Jacks’ Friday evening and returned to Diboll Saturday morning to watch them and their grandson, Brady Jordan, scrimmage  They arrived at 9AM and learned it didn’t start until 10AM and decided to visit the RT. With five children and 15 grandchildren Buddy and Susie stay busy following and supporting them plus they are all invited every Sunday for lunch after church. Their children are: Manonne Johnson; Matt; Muriel Pope; Marian Ellis; and John. Most everyone lives rather close except Marian who lives in Boerne. Matt’s daughter, Allie, will be moving to Sweden this month to work two years for Campus Crusade for Christ. Susie encourages everyone to follow her daughter Marian’s blog on Redeemedgirl.org which is also available as an “app” on your phone. Check out her website for many good bible studies and devotionals.

Vera Jones had let her family know that she didn’t want a party for her birthday that is on August 16th. Little did she know that her family had planned a party last Sunday in the home of her granddaughter Jennifer and Aaron Smith. All the family members were present to surprise her with a 103 birthday celebration but they also surprised her son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Brenda Jones with a 45th wedding anniversary party. Each special occasion had its own cake. Congratulations to Vera, Brenda and Gary.

Come see us…’round the table.

 

August 7, 2017

 

You may know Leo Lytle as the pastor of Faith Family Church for the past two years but he is also a phenomenal and rare wood craftsman. Leo stopped by to show us a photo of his latest project that is completed and ready to be delivered. It is a beautiful white oak curved staircase that Leo said, “requires using all of your skills and critical layout but it’s also the ‘dessert’ to a seasonal craftsman and makes you look forward to going to work”. Leo began his career sweeping up in his dad’s shop who did architectural millwork and owned Southern Woodcraft in Shreveport, LA. By the age of 16 Leo had been trained in the millwork and earned $1.65 an hour. Through experience and work ethics he became a foreman at the age of 18 responsible for 20 men who worked under his management. His life changed at 19 when he surrendered his life to the ministry and attended night classes at the Baptist Theological Seminary and worked during the day. With his hammer, a few tools and a skill saw he left footprints all over New Orleans including lots of work on the World’s Fair in the 80’s and the many hotels that were built during that time. July 21st ten years ago he married Valerie Culp and moved his business to their home in Pine Valley. He is a bi-vocational pastor and continues to do specialty work in Louisiana. Presently he is working on a plantation home north of Alexander that was built in 1835, the only one that didn’t get burned during the Civil War.

Sophie and Raymond Lenderman were proud to attend the 61st graduation of the Game Warden Academy held on the floor of the House of Representatives in the Texas capitol. Their grandson, Justin Lenderman, would have been the 42nd member of this class until his untimely death in 2015. Justin’s dad, Ray Lenderman has worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife for 16 years and was very influential in Justin wanting to become a game warden. At SFA Justin was an honor student who made the dean’s list while pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice and would have graduated in May of 2016 and had been accepted into the academy the following January. A black draped desk was present during the entire training to remind those trainees that Justin was “watching over them”. During the solemn graduation many fine comments were made by Carter P. Smith. Afterwards, a portrait of Justin and a framed poem signed by all 41 new game wardens was presented to his family. Dennis and Karon Lenderman drove his parents to this special occasion which was also attended by about 20 other family members and friends. Raymond and Sophie were glad to have a short visit with their grandson Zach on their way home. Zach is a highway patrolman in Polk County and was glad to see his parents and grandparents.

JoNell Placker was invited to celebrate her birthday in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Derrell Chapman who live in Bullard. Granddaughters, Elizabeth and Rachel Chapman were also present for Granny Jo’s party but JoNell was surprised to see so many others that had been invited for the special occasion. JoNell is part of a special group that call themselves “the Park Street Kids” as all of them at one time lived on Park Street here in Diboll. That group included: Linda (Johnson) Cook and her son, Jim; Mary Alice (Bunch) and her husband, Billy Shivers; Elaine (Bunch) and her husband, Donald “Pinky” Pinkerton. Others family present were: William and Vivian Vaught; Carlie Vaught and Emily Vaught. Classmate, Barbara (Vaughn) and Roxann Spradley. And, Diana and James Wilson; Hunter Rush, Trace Turgood, Ann and Allen Koch. It was a good day and memorable birthday.

Two longtime friends since the church nursery at First Methodist in Lufkin, Jonanna (Perry) Reidinger and Alyceanne Baggett, made a special trip to The Everything Store. They came to purchase Green Tomato Pickles after seeing them on Facebook. Jonanna’s dad was A. G. Perry and Alyceanne’s dad was Ele Baggett. We also learned that Joe and Beth Denman were Alyceanne’s godparents. She followed in her family’s footsteps and worked as a banker in Austin for 50 years. Jonanna who lives in Ft. Worth shared memories of having butterscotch pie at the Pine Bough. She also was hungry and anxious to get to LaUnica’s for lunch.

Rolando Salazar came in with his mother Juana, carrying a cute solid white puppy that was part St. Barnard. Rolando graduated from DHS in 2014 and attended two years of college on an academic scholarship. He will be transferring to Illinois College where he plans to complete his major in Mathematics and Spanish. He has been on a tennis team since a sophomore at DHS.

JJ Wyatt will be leaving DISD to accept a teaching and coaching position at Texas City. He will be teaching high school and coaching wide receivers in football and also girls JV basketball. The good thing he will be living near fresh seafood, just two miles from the boardwalk in Kemah.

Don’t forget should you be interested in hearing stories and learning more about the logging camp, Fastrill, to meet at Catfish King for lunch this Saturday, August 12th at 11:30. I’ve heard that John Powers and already been rehearsing his stories at the Burchfield family reunion last Saturday.

Come see us..’round the table.

 

 

June 19, 2017

Claire Roche, daughter of Merrick and Diana Roche, graduated from Lesley University’s School of Art and Design (Cambridge, MA) on Saturday, May 20, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with an emphasis on photography. The commencement ceremony was held at the beautiful Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, overlooking Boston Harbor. Claire assumed that her parents and brother Zach would be the only family members attending her commencement; however, she was surprised the day before with the arrival of two of her aunts, Julie Mettlen and Allison Amason, as well as cousins Mallory Dorman and Parker Amason. Zach had arrived Thursday night and was in on the surprise. He told Claire that they were meeting their parents at the airport Saturday at noon, where the four of them would then leave from there for a day trip to York Beach, Maine. Of course, upon arriving at the airport, Claire had a wonderful surprise awaiting her! Her Aunt Allison was ready with her cell phone to video Claire’s arrival and reaction to seeing her family members there. The look on Claire’s face was priceless! Blessed with absolutely perfect weather, Merrick and Diana rented a Ford Expedition that would accommodate all eight of their party and headed north to York Beach, Maine, a little over an hour’s drive from Boston. Merrick’s mother, Evelyn, is from York Beach, so Merrick and his family have spent many vacations in Maine, and wanted to share a few of their favorite sites with their guests. Their first stop was at Cape Neddick, (in York), where the Nubble Lighthouse, one of the most famous and most photographed lighthouses in the country is located. Within walking distance from the lighthouse is Fox’s Lobster House, a popular mainstay for lobster, chowder and ice cream. It was here that Claire and her family enjoyed Fox’s clam chowder, lobster bisque and ice cream, while soaking in the warm sunshine and the beauty of the Nubble Lighthouse. From there, they took a short drive north to Ogunquit to see the picturesque Perkin’s Cove. On the way back to Boston, they stopped in Kittery at the famous Bob’s Clam Hut, which has been in operation since 1956, known for their fried clam strips, lobster rolls and other traditional coastal Maine comfort foods. Claire and her family pretty much sampled everything on the menu! The lobster rolls were definitely a favorite!

On Saturday morning before her commencement ceremony, Claire gave her family a quick tour of her school and the art center, where some of her work was on display. From there, they took the subway to Harvard Square and walked around the Harvard campus. After the commencement ceremony, a celebration for Claire was held at Ristorante Limoncello, in Boston’s famous North End Italian District. It is one of many incredible Italian restaurants located along the historic cobblestone streets in the North End and is actually located right next door to Paul Revere’s home. After dinner, Claire took her family to her favorite bakery, Modern Pastry Shop on Hanover Street, where they purchased cannolis and other sweet treats. From there, it was on to Quincy Market and finally, the beautiful Boston Gardens and Boston Common. Despite sore feet and exhaustion, a wonderful weekend was had by all. Claire is currently employed at The Knot, in Boston, and is also teaching a weekly hip-hop class at the Dance Complex in Cambridge.

Over the years we have heard lots of fishing stories but the following from Robert Ramsey who works in sales for GP, tops every other story. Robert tells it as follows.  I was fishing with two hook droplines in a local creek catching a few fish for supper with my two buddies in Albany, TX when this monster showed up.  Two fat grown men in a canoe, no net, and trying to wrestle a 60lb op into an already unstable canoe was quite a rodeo.  We landed it, took pictures, and let it go about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from where we caught it.  We doubled up on bait the next night expecting to catch another one. As we were running the lines on the second morning we found we had “another” big’un.  I and our other friend finally landed another one under same conditions only to find out the fish looked very similar; had the same cut and abrasions.  We were able to identify from the pictures that were taken the day before; it was the same fish!  A couple of observations…..either the fish was stupid, hungry, or we were just that good of fishermen.  We went with the latter!!

Kathy Sample is thrilled that Cindy Barmore has moved to Diboll. Kathy and Cindy were friends in high school. Bonnie Donovan said it made her day when she stopped by and enjoyed visiting and reminiscing at the round table with Harold Maxwell, Sherrell Fears, J.R. and Mark Hafernick. Mark came another day with his daughter, Lauren Johnston, who decided to spend more time in Diboll with her family. Her plans were to travel on to Lafayette but decided to stay in Diboll due to possible stormy weather. She was looking forward to her dad preparing shrimp that evening, Cajun style. Our thanks to Mark for the wonderful sweet corn and tomatoes he brought us from his garden. Our thanks to Skeeter Scarborough who also brought us sweet corn. Keith Spencer brought cucumbers and figs that Andrea preserved.

Enjoyed a nice visit with Joe Anthony, retired post master from Lufkin. Joe grew up in Diboll. He and John Ralph shared lots of stories, most of them had been told and retold but we still enjoy hearing them over and over. Joe brought us beautiful “Champion” tomatoes from his garden. He told us that Myrtle Parker, who is a faithful reader of the Diboll Free Press, is recovering from hip surgery in Larkspur and looking forward to going home after completing physical therapy. A special note to Myrtle; do all that the therapists tell you to do, they know what’s best and thank you for your faithfulness to read The Diboll Free Press.

It’s been a happy “homecoming” for the postal employees in Diboll. As of June 10th, all the mail carriers are elated to be back working in the Diboll post office. We are happy too, our mail is arriving much earlier. Glenda Tobias shared this with me. She is one of the five carriers; the others are: Carolyn Stover, Christina Zamora, Arnold Buenustro and Blake Nerren.

It was a bittersweet celebration for the family of Dalton Powell who recently graduated from DHS, turned 18 on June 14th and will be leaving for the U.S. Army on July 3rd. His grandmother, Betty Powell, said friends, family and neighbors enjoyed a hamburger cookout at their home.

Dwayne Stanford fried fish at his and Stephanie’s home for another bittersweet celebration for his nephew, Jacob, who is also going into the Army; his older brother, Daniel, will be following him in a couple of months. Jacob’s twin brother, Michael, plans to attend SFA. These three boys are the sons of Lynn and Diana Stanford. Others of Dwayne’s family enjoying the delicious fried fish cooked on the Cajun Cooker from Pouland’s were Caleb and Hannah Stanford from Corrigan; Morgan and Julian Rios and four grandchildren.

Our granddaughter, Cheyenne Swor, is still having fun showing animals even though she is a senior at SFA. She and the show team from SFA recently attended the World Pork Expo in DesMoines, Iowa where she exhibited a Chester gilt and placed 4th in her class!

We have some interesting new yard art that’s just arrived. It will be very obvious when you come see us…’round the table.

 

 

 

July 31, 2017

Jimmie Woodard was on another one of her adventures Friday.  Her sister-in-law, Cindy Parish, invited her to go with her and husband Andrew Parish to the Longview Hot Air Balloon Race and Show.  Also along for the fun was Cindy and Andy’s daughter and son-in-law Traci and Andrew Hall and their daughters Remie and Sadie, daughter Hannah Parish and her son Aiden and daughter Emily Hale and her step daughter Kynsleigh and niece Josie Hambrick.  Andrew Parish drove the front caravan vehicle and Cindy navigated!   The only problem was, Cindy thought they were on their way to Longview where they saw Santa Land, which was totally incorrect!!!  Santa Land — was in Lindale!!!!!  SSOOO, 45 minutes into the trip it was noted that they were headed to the wrong city and going the wrong way!  No problem for Cindy, she immediately checks with SIRI, who lead them down some narrow, bumpy, curvy, dusty, yet scenic back roads. Vehicles following them were in tremendous wonderment as to where they were headed and would they arrive in time for the show. At one point Andrew decided to get a paper map out and check to see what was up??!!

The 1 hour 45 minute trip only took 2 ½ hours, but the journey was definitely well worth it.  There were 55 balloon teams and as they began to prepare their balloons, audience members were invited to come and help roll out the balloons.  It was a fun experience as adults took children to the field to participate in the balloon roll out and the children definitely enjoyed participating in the event!   The teams began to inflate their balloons. One team member informed them that the balloons held an average of 88,000 cubic feet of air.  Balloons were extremely colorful and beautifully designed.  Some of the balloons were designed in animal shapes such as a cat, Keystone cop, bulldog or a clown.   After all balloons were inflated the National Anthem was sang and there was a countdown for the balloon glow.    The teams ignited their fuel and the glow of the flames filled the balloons with light which reflected their colorful beauty.  It was exciting and totally awesome!!

Since the event is produced by the Detached Marine Corp League, there were helicopters and jets on display for viewing.   At this event, there were vendors and food booths to take your money but also live musical entertainment.  It was an awesome adventure and everyone should attend the event to experience the excitement of the Hot Air Balloons!!!

Following is news from Jan Wilkerson about their latest adventure: Each summer we (Jan and Burlon) take the grand kids on an adventure.  This year we went to Waco for a couple of days.  We left Diboll on Thursday morning with grandchildren; Annabeth, 11, and Ryan Wilkerson, 8.  We stopped in Marquez to pick up 4 year old Neely.  After lunch in Waco, our daughter Melanie and 11 month old Jake met us at the Mayborn Museum.  The Museum is a hands-on experience for children.  Adults have almost as much fun in the different rooms where everything from a small town, the electricity and music to telephones can be experienced. It is all indoors and offers hours of fun for everyone.  Following a full afternoon, the kids were ready to head to the hotel and swim.  We had picked a hotel with an indoor pool–pretty smart for hot July days! On Friday, the morning was spent at the beautiful Cameron Zoo.  The Zoo is laid out in a circle and is very shaded making for a comfortable walk through to see the animals.  That afternoon was spent at the Dr. Pepper Museum. A stop back in Marquez and the kids getting to swim again topped off the trip.  Everyone had a great time.

Recently Jan was a guest at the Texas PTA Summer Training held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.  As a past president of the association, Jan was invited back to help with the event and Burlon joined her for part of the weekend.

Ruth Mullins recently attended a Neil Diamond concert in Houston’s Toyota Center. Her daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Bob Pennington, treated her to this special event.  Although he is 76 years old he still has devoted fans as Ruth and thousands of others. Neil Diamond is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, he has sold over 135 million records worldwide since the start of his career in the 1960s. With 38 songs in the Top 10, he is the second most successful artist in the history of the Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10 charts.

Earl and Carolyn Hutson heard it was time to fertilize azaleas and came in for special fertilizer. Trey and Rachel Brown came in to get a tire repaired on their cattle trailer. They were taking cows to the auction and had plans to pick up their daughter, Kynlee from her great-grandparents Alma and Billy Wayne Breazeale. Kynlee loves going to the auction and seeing the cattle. One of the newest people to move to Diboll from Texarkana is Erna Adams who is a sister to Leonard Robison. We are happy that she came in and purchased new tires and enjoyed visiting at the Round Table. It must have been the day for flats: Jerri Kay Minchew came in for tire repair as well as Don Bess who was trying hard to get hay cut, raked and baled before it rained. Not worried about the rain was Skeeter Scarborough, Joe Paul Stovall and Jimmy McCall who enjoyed visiting at the RT. Poor Rodney Cheshire had to get out in the heat to use his new Stihl weed eater

It was a sad day for Kathy Sample when her mare “Goldie”, died. Her full name was “Twice the Gold”. Once retired from the race track, she was a gift from Clifford Grum and became a broodmare for race horses at the Sample’s on FM1818. Kathy said Goldie was a good mother and took care of the calves, donkey and horses. Kathy said when the cows got out of the pasture, Goldie would come to the back fence and “whine” to let Kathy know something was wrong. Goldie was truly Twice the Gold and “queen of the pasture”.

Anyone that has heard of Fastrill, an early Southern Pine logging camp near Forrest, Texas might want to join others who have stories from that time in the history of Southern Pine Lumber Company. Several who remember living there plan to meet at Catfish King on Saturday, August 12th at 11:30. John Powers remembers growing up in Fastrill and is encouraging anyone that is interested to join them for lunch. The name Fastrill came from three men who had an important part of the logging camp: Farrington, Strauss and Hill: Fa-Str-ill.

Stay cool, send me your news and come see us…’round the table.

 

July 17, 2017

HIS & HERS PICKERS ON THE ROAD AGAIN

David and Charlotte Carter owners of His & Hers Trade Days in Burke shared the following about their recent trip. We left Diboll with the goal of going to the famous  Brimfield Antique Flea Market in Brimfield Massachusetts.   It is held 3 times a year –  May, July and September – for 6 days each time.  We arrived in Sturbridge Monday evening ready to hit the sales the next morning.   The flea market consists of several fields and each field had many vendors set up. The key to success we had learned in preparing for the trip is get to the market area before 6am to get the best parking because you will do a lot of walking.  We were about 25 minutes from Brimfield so we were up at 4:30am and shopping by 6am.  We spent the most part of 2 full days visiting the various fields and finding treasures.  There was a lot of back and forth to the van but thankfully the temperatures were wonderful! Among other things we brought back were vintage metal egg collectors used for mailing, several spindles, a table pin ball machine, lockers,  a checkerboard table, manual ice crusher, lots of galvanized watering cans and a couple of sleds. We are working on a special section at trade days at His & Hers for our finds. In our shopping we met a wonderful family in a small town about 45 minutes from the flea market who invited us to go to their home place and go through old buildings. We chose to do this Thursday while doing some sightseeing in the area. The home site was the lady’s parents’ home and her father had been dealing with antiques before he suddenly became ill and passed away.  The family has been overwhelmed with so much stuff in outbuildings which were in disrepair. David found a milk box which the gentleman had used to store several Winston book matches. Great condition!

We left that area Friday morning and started toward home.  Friday night we stayed in Staunton, Virginia where I visited with friends. Saturday we had one goal, to go by Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia.  We enjoyed looking at the beautiful pieces they make by repurposing items. We noticed they now have a warehouse so we drove over and found one of the cast crew members for the TV show ‘Salvage Dawgs,’ Grayson Goldsmith. She was busy cleaning items from a salvage job and getting them ready to sell.  We love that show and what they do.  The warehouse was very nicely organized. We bought bowling pins and ask Grayson if she would autograph them for us; she graciously agreed.  She then told us that other guys were in the office at the main store so we drove over there.  Once there a nice gentleman we had met earlier took our pins and got them autographed from Robert Kulp and Mike Whiteside. We have great plans for these special items.  That made our day so we then set forth toward home.  We made a couple of stops at flea markets but when you have been to Brimfield there wasn’t much you have not already seen.  Great trip of almost 4,000 miles.

Another couple, Burlon and Jan Wilkerson, recently drove to Mountain Home, Arkansas to meet their son Trey and his family.  On Friday, Burlon, Trey and his two young children, Annabeth and Ryan, floated the Buffalo River and had a wonderful time while Jan and her daughter-in-law, Michele, enjoyed shopping and having lunch together. Saturday was spent driving toward home on scenic Highway 7 through the Ozark Mountains.  It was a fast trip but one that made memories for the kids.

A group from Fairview Church enjoyed an outing that included a Swamp Tour on Caddo Lake. After the impressive tour they enjoyed a delicious meal at the Pine Lodge. The group included Earl & Joyce Carr; Trent & Carlene Squyers; John Barnes; Kay & Ronnie Fitzgerald; Terry Jo Murray; Frank Miranda & Tracy; Alma Cagler; Kenneth & Rita Hays and friends. When everyone else headed back toward home, Earl and Joyce Carr got in their bright red Toyota Corolla and headed toward Raton Pass in Colorado. They encountered a detour due to a land slide before arriving at Royal Gorge where they did the traditional drive across the bridge and gondola ride but no zip lining. They spent the night in Manitou Springs in the same Eagle Inn where they stayed 25 years ago. They had been enjoying pleasant 80 degree weather until they rode the cog train up Pikes Peak where it was sleeting. These two were retracing a trip they took 25 years ago that included Cripple Creek and saw lots of changes since then. During the trip they had a blowout but Triple A came to put their spare on and the next day after getting a new tire at a Toyota dealership, they headed toward Texas stopping to eat in Amarillo at The Big Texan before arriving in San Antonio to visit with their daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Ralph Isham. Joyce was praising the new toll road from Katy to New Caney that misses the Houston traffic.

Barbara Camp was treated to a special birthday meal at Manny’s in Livingston where they were met by her son Chris Wells and her two beautiful granddaughters, Pressley and Kennedy. “Pa”, Sherrel Fears, also enjoyed seeing and visiting with Chris, his grandson and great-granddaughters.

Caleb and Cristin Ellison became proud parents on June 15 when their son, Case Quinin, arrived. Case’s paternal grandparents are Larry and Aundra Ellison of Diboll; his maternal grandparents are Ricky and Paula Burton of Nogalus Prairie. Caleb is building a good reputation as a fine cabinet maker and also has a commercial and residential lawn care service. Should you need his services, call him at 936-635-2144.

Joyce and Edward Terrell came in for fishing licenses, hopefully to go fishing between the many showers we have had that is making everything green and grow, especially the weeds. Debbie and Mike Haas purchased some of the Rocky’s Seasoning that we sell and market for Rocky Thompson. We get great reviews from people who try his famous seasoning. Sam Coleman came in for new tires while Billie Jean Capps came in for bird and sunflower seeds.

Glenda Tobias and Joe Paul Stovall swapped post office stories when she stopped by to buy feed for baby quail she hatched. Joe Paul retired after 30 years with the postal service. Glenda has worked for 34 years and is looking forward to retirement. Jessie and Terry Saucedo from Hudson came in and enjoyed visiting with J.D. Johnson, all of whom have retired from Temple. Jessie worked at the Fiberboard plant for 28 years and Terry worked at the Particleboard plant for 35 years. They now have a landscaping business.

Enjoy the week and come see us…’round the table.

 

July 10, 2017

 

THINGS YOU DON’T HEAR ANYMORE

It enlightened me to learn I was actually classified in the generational group nicknamed “The Silent Generation”. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and anyone beyond that have never heard any of the following quotes and simply will not understand a single one but here’s hoping some of you will remember and smile.

  • Be sure to refill the ice trays, we’re going to have company.
  • Watch for the postman, I want to get this letter to Willie in the mail today.
  • Quit slamming the screen door when you go out!
  • Be sure and pull the windows down when you leave, it looks like a shower is coming up.
  • Don’t forget to wind the clock before you go to bed.
  • Wash your feet before you go to bed, you’ve been playing outside all day barefooted.
  • Why can’t you remember to roll up your britches legs? Getting them caught in the bicycle chain so many times is tearing them up.
  • You have torn the knees out of that pair of pants so many times there is nothing left to put a patch on.
  • Don’t you go outside with your school clothes on!
  • Go comb your hair; it looks like the rats have nested in it all night.
  • Be sure and pour the cream off the top of the milk when you open the new bottle.
  • Take that empty bottle to the store with you so you won’t have to pay a deposit on another one.
  • Put a dishtowel over the cake so the flies won’t get on it.
  • Quit jumping on the floor! I have a cake in the oven and you are going to make it fall if you don’t quit!
  • You boys stay close by, the car may not start and I will need you to help push it off.
  • There’s a dollar in my purse, get 5 gallons of gas when you go to town.
  • Open the back door and see if we can get a breeze through here, it is getting hot.
  • Don’t sit too close to the TV. It is hard on your eyes.
  • If you pull that stunt again, I am going to wear you out!
  • Don’t lose that button; I’ll sew it back on after awhile.
  • Wash under your neck before you come to the table, you have beads of dirt and sweat all under there.
  • Get out from under the sewing machine; pumping it messes up the thread!
  • Be sure and fill the lamps this morning so we don’t have to do that tonight in the dark.
  • Here, take this old magazine to the toilet with you when you go, we are almost out of paper out there…
  • Go out to the well and draw a bucket of water so I can wash dishes.
  • Don’t turn the radio on now, I want the battery to be up when the Grand Ole Opry comes on.
  • No! I don’t have 10 cents for you to go to the show. Do you think money grows on trees?
  • Eat those turnips, they’ll make you big and strong like your daddy.
  • That dog is NOT coming in this house! I don’t care how cold it is out there, dogs don’t stay in the house.
  • Sit still! I’m trying to get your hair cut straight and you keep moving and it is all messed up.
  • Hush your mouth! I don’t want to hear words like that! I’ll wash your mouth out with soap!
  • It is time for your system to be cleaned out. I am going to give you a dose of castor oil tonight.
  • If you get a spanking in school and I find out about it, you’ll get another one when you get home.
  • Quit crossing your eyes! They will get stuck that way!
  • Soak your foot in this pan of kerosene so that bad cut won’t get infected.

So that you won’t have to read more columns like this, please send me news or come see us …round the table.

July 3, 2017

 

Zack Thomason brought tasty gumbo to the round table for us to enjoy. It is one of the most popular menu items served by the Red Tulip Rolling Bistro, a food truck. Zack is a member of the Thomason family Red Tulip cooking team. He is the son of Darla and Jack Thomason and the grandson of Morris and Betty (Hannah) Smith. The Red Tulip Rolling Bistro and Toffee Company is the unimaginable dream come true of Darla (Smith) Thomason who seems to be good at anything she attempts from selling and shopping for junk-tique items to cooking. The food truck idea started in her back yard when she and Jack built a commissary, bought a used FedEx truck and converted it into a spotless stainless steel food truck and “went on the road” with original menu items. Husband Jack continues to work his job in the oil industry but Darla has recruited all their children into the food business except daughter Stacy who lives in Dripping Springs. Son Zack, a recent graduate of SFA, is the meat specialist and prepares the popular chicken & sausage gumbo like he brought to the RT. He also makes homemade wieners for their hot dogs from pork butt and brisket. Hot dogs are a very popular item on the menu served in different ways that includes Baja Dog, Cow Dog and the plain Naked Dog. Daughter Jill Wisner is responsible for the yummy desserts that include mini buttermilk and ice box lemon pies; double chocolate brownies; jumbo chocolate chip cookies; Hershey’s chocolate cupcakes and her own version of Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pies. Darla’s popular toffee that she has made for years is also available. Son Ben and his new wife, Starr Larabell, are responsible for” prepping” because everything is fresh and hand cut. All their menu items are unique and different and every week there is something special.  It’s a family team effort and everyone is cross-trained. Check out the Red Tulip on Facebook to see their menu and places where they will be serving. The “home” location is on Chestnut street north side of Gipson Funeral Home or give them a call at 936-637-1476 for catering information.

Hopefullly this area will soon have another convenient new business, a Vehicle Detailing Service when Latavian Phipps and his family move back to Diboll soon. Latavian graduated from DHS in 1999. He has served 16 years in the US Army where he has been deployed five times; three times in Iraq and two times in Afghanistan. He has also served two tours in Germany and presently living in Alabama where he is starting his new business. Latavian’s parents are Daniel and Bobbie Phipps of Diboll and his precious grandmother was Mary Phipps whom we all adored and loved her homemade hot tamales. Latavian’s wife is Lauren and their children are: 12-year-old Shawn; 9-year-old Amauri; 11-year-old Amaya and 2-year-old Journey. Hurry home Latavian, I would like to be your first customer.

Ruth Mullins has returned home from Jeffersonton, VA visiting her son Ted and his family which includes his wife, Adrianne and four daughters: Chloe; Courtney; Carly and Caity Diane. Ruth reported that Caity Diane is 18-months old and tends to be a bit spoiled by everyone in the family including “grandma”. Ruth taught her to say “grandma” while she was there and said it was amusing to watch Caity Diane’s temper that matches her red hair. The older girls were involved in many activities that Ruth attended and said she needed to get home to rest.

The Everything Store has been in a “twirl” with the beautiful new “whirligigs” we have in stock. They come in two colors, red and blue and one design has a solar light that reflects the geometrically designed blades as they turn at night. Earl and Joyce Carr were one of the first to buy one of the yard art wind spinners before they left on a trip to Colorado. Peggy Burt is also a happy owner of one of the twirling yard spinners as well as Kathy Sample and Peggy Scarborough. Judy Hale saw the spinners on Facebook and decided to purchase one for her son’s birthday. She called back later to let us know how much Paul really likes his birthday present.

Haegen Spring stopped by to visit at the round table and to let everyone know that he is presently working at Morgan Insurance and to give him a call when you need insurance. Haegen’s grandparents are Betty and Vernon Burkhalter of Diboll and Mary Lee and Garner Spring of Apple Springs.

Thomas Anderson, and I’m sure JoAnn had a part, has delved into trying something new…dehydrating fruit. He brought us a sample of figs that had been dehydrated. Out thanks to them and also to Skeeter Scarborough for sweet corn; Mike Swank for fresh tomatoes; Keith Spencer for figs and cucumbers and to Roy Lee Lyles for fresh okra. Andrea made pickles out of the cucumbers and a big summer favorite around here, fried Okra Patties from Chester Treadway’s recipe. She served the okra patties with Hot Water cornbread and dessert was homemade bread pudding with a special warm sauce. Woody Ingram, Gary Jones, Bill and Janie Weir from Spring, TX joined us for lunch that day. Bill enjoyed reminiscing about the people from the good ole days working at The Big Tin Barn.

Enjoyed meeting Michael Lawson, the newest manager of O’Reilly’s when he stopped by to introduce himself. Michael lives in Hudson with his wife Sierra who he met while stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC.  They have a 3-year-old son, Xander. Jimmy Mettlen visited while getting a tire repaired. Ashley Coleman came in for her dad, Ronnie Coleman, to buy Sevin Dust for his peas. Enjoyed visiting with Juan Valdez when he came in and reminded me he worked 35 years at the sawmill.

Charlie Mann stopped by to get tires checked out before he and Nettie left to go camping in their RV at Galveston near Jamaica Island. They were looking forward to spending time with their daughter, Clemmie, who lives in Atascocita.

I encourage you to please share your holiday trips, vacations etc. with the readers of The Diboll Free Press. I would truly appreciate the news. You can call me at 829-4040 or email me at sandra@poulands.com or

Come see us…’round the table.

June 26, 2017

 

40th Anniversaries can be traumatic (just a suggestion) use whatever you like.

Ray and Teresa Anthony had plans to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with longtime friends, Pat and Ann Tomez. The foursome was entering a restaurant to enjoy a nice quiet meal together. Just as Ray was walking past a mirror sitting on the floor, it moved and Ray’s reflexes reacted to “catch” it which he did but the edge cut his hand deeply. A wise decision was made to go to a nearby clinic which promptly used six stitches to put his hand back together. The procedure didn’t cancel, only delayed, the special dinner date. They returned to the same restaurant and had two reasons to thankfully celebrate: a 40th anniversary and an injury that could have been much worse. The evening ended with a complimentary dessert. Congratulations and may you never celebrate your anniversary the same way.

Lewis and Shirley Ivey’s 41st anniversary was June 25th. Their anniversary trip this year was to coincide with the graduation wishes of their grandson, Dalton Powell, for a family camping trip to Garner State Park. Dalton’s plan to enter the US Army in July was moved up; the required tests, etc. caused the Garner trip to be cancelled. Last Saturday with no packing to do, Shirley, her daughter Brandy and KK decided to pamper themselves with appointments to get their nails done. As Shirley completed her pedicure and was getting out of the chair, she slipped down. The injury wasn’t enough to keep her from getting a manicure but later that evening her foot continued to swell and a decision was made to seek medical attention. An x-ray determined a broken foot and strained toes and ankle. She was sent home wearing an orthopedic boot which didn’t detain her and Lewis on Sunday morning, their 41st anniversary, from attending the Diboll Church of Christ and observing their 16-year-old grandson, Bill McGuire, being baptized. What better way to celebrate a wedding anniversary?

Jimmie Woodard was on the road again, but this time for just a day trip.  She and niece, Traci Parish Hall took Traci’s two girls, Sadie and Remie, to Gators and Friends in Greenwood, La.   2-1/2 year old Sadie was all smiles as she fed the many species of deer and goats.  There was a yak, capybara, zebra and llama all waiting for her little hand to reach in with food for them.  The kangaroos were all having a lazy day and the group did not get to see them hopping around, but the ostriches were very active and eager to be fed.  The lemurs were just “hanging around” and on a special diet, so no feeding them.  And then, the awaited alligator feeding!!!   The attendants came out, beat on the side of a bucket full of gator food and the gators lunged into the water to go get their dinner.  Attendants put the pieces of meat on a long hook pole and the gators “jumped” to get their share.   After the gator feeding, a baby gator was brought out (with his jaws taped closed, of course) for the children to hold and have their pictures made.   Sadie got right in line and waited her turn to hold the baby gator.   To Jimmie and Traci’s surprise, Sadie was excited and eager to do so.  9-month old Remie was too young to feed the animals, but was all smiles and excited to watch her sister feed them and to be pushed around in her stroller. The group closed the day with Sadie riding the Shetland ponies twice and then celebrating their fun day with a snow cone! Sadie and Remie’s dad is Andrew Hall. Their maternal grandparents are Cindy and Andy Parish and their paternal grandparents are Roy and Julie Hall.

Good friends, Bettye Greer and Garvis Baldree, decided they shouldn’t let their traveling abilities get rusted and decided to drive to Arkansas. Their destination was a cabin in Petit Jean State Park, one of Arkansas’s historic treasures. They were unable to get reservations in the Mather Lodge which holds the distinction of being the only lodge built in Arkansas by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The rustic Adirondack-style architecture of the mountain lodge is built of native log and stone with its bluff setting overlooking rugged Cedar Creek Canyon. The girls enjoyed meals served in the updated Mather Lodge restaurant. The original portions of the lodge date from the 1930s but the girls enjoyed their rustic-looking cabin with modern amenities. They commented this would be a great place for family camping trip with the rugged beauty of the mountain, hiking trails, streams, waterfalls, swimming pools and picnic areas. The park encompasses 2,658 acres of rare natural beauty. I learned the mountain received its name from the legend of Petit Jean, the story of a French girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, a sailor, to America.

Janice Farley called me to report that she and Tom have a new great-granddaughter, Lillyonna Rilynn Farley, who was born June 20th in Sholow, Arizona. Her parents are Shea and Kim and her grandfather is Richard Farley of Huntington. Janice, Tom, Richard and his family will be traveling to Snowflake, Arizona in July to attend the Ramsay family reunion which is only 11 miles from where Lillyonna lives. Last week Tom and Janice traveled to San Antonio and stayed with their son Randall and family to watch their 15-year-old grandson, Malachi, win second place in a tennis tournament. Malachi is going into his sophomore year and is ranked number 33 out of 705 other students. His 14-year-old brother Zeigen, is a member of a baseball team that will be playing in the World Series in Florida. Tom and Janice then drove to New Braunfels to visit with their son Allen and his wife, Amanda, who lived in Diboll for a while. Their children are: 14-year-old Aubra; 6-year-old Dax and 11-year-old Elijah whose base base team will also be attending the World Series in MS. Everyone was very proud that Elijah was chosen MVP, Most Valuable Player! Lots of congratulations to Janice and Tom Farley.

Fred Flournoy came in with his 10-year-old granddaughter, Abbieann Flournoy. She and I had a great visit, I couldn’t believe a 10-year-old could be such a great conversationalist and not in the least intimidated by an older adult but then I have to remember her grandmother is Cecilia Flournoy. Abbieann has a 7-year-old sister, Addiemay and a 3-year-old sister, Ammielee. Their parents are William and Jamie Flournoy. While the younger two girls are attending day care this summer, Abbieann is having the pleasure of staying with her PaPa Fred.

The Diboll Business Association encourages you to attend an Open House and Ribbon Cutting for Star Spangle Treasures, June 29, at 2:30. They are located in the former Flowers Body Shop just north of the new fireworks stand on highway 59 near the Diboll Depot. Please take the time to stop by and visit, they have a world of treasures.

The Diboll Business Association is also helping to sponsor “July in the Park” this Saturday, July 1st at 6PM in the beautiful Old Orchard Park. Lots of activities and fireworks!

Come see us…’round the table.

 

June 12, 2017

 

Christmas in June is what 9 year-old Brooklyn Hernandez recently experienced with her grandparents, Tina and Phil Jowell. One of Brooklyn’s Christmas presents last December was “Adopt an Animal” from the Cameron Zoo in Waco. Brooklyn chose to adopt an elephant named Tonya and was personally introduced to her at the zoo. It was an unforgettable one on one experience during an educational “behind the scenes” tour at the zoo. Tonya gave Brooklyn a “high 5” by putting her trunk into the palm of Brooklyn’s hand and also ate vegetables from Brooklyn’s hand. Tonya has been trained as an artist and painted Brooklyn a picture by blowing non-toxic paint onto a canvas. Brooklyn said this was the best Christmas present she has ever received!          Cameron Park Zoo rests on 52 acres adjacent to the Brazos River in Waco, Texas.  Lush native vegetation surrounds splashing waterfalls, a picturesque lake and ponds. In the midst of all this beauty, visitors see the wild ones in natural habitats with close-up encounters. The animal collection housed at Cameron Park Zoo includes more than 1,731 animals, representing 300 species featuring critically endangered Orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and Komodo Dragons.

Jimmie Woodard has been on another trip and sent me the following news. A trip to Las Vegas is always fun, but when you go with two other crazy ladies, it ends up being the old “What Happens in Vegas STAYS in Vegas” story.  Jimmie Woodard and two of her cousins, Linda Thompson and Sonnye Thompson spent 5 days sightseeing, walking, eating, shopping and laughing!  Jimmie had been to Vegas several times, Linda had never been and Sonnye had only visited for a short trip to enjoy a show.  So, Jimmie was the guide for the ladies and they were awed at the lights, casinos and hotels,  Fremont Street Experience, Hoover Dam, Ethel’s (M&M’s) Chocolate Factory, the Cactus Garden, the Eiffel Tower and  they even purchased RED SOLO CUPS for visiting Toby Keith’s, I Love This Bar & Grill. The ladies were shocked seeing the way some of the people dressed, especially on Fremont Street!!   And, YES, they enjoyed gambling, though none of the ladies came home any richer, it was fun hoping!  They enjoyed seeing the Righteous Brothers at Harrah’s and were totally amazed by the performances of the cast of Mystere by Cirque du Soleil!!!!  They also had a most marvelous dining experience at Gordon Ramsey’s Burger Restaurant at Planet Hollywood.  To top off the Vegas adventure, all three ladies got an ankle tattoo (temporary, of course! It only lasts about 3 to 4 weeks) just a spur of the day bonding moment!   Another great, fun adventure!!

Dianne (Tate) Gibson enjoyed a day trip recently to Houston to attend a luncheon for the graduates of St. Agnes Academy. Approximately 150 ladies enjoyed a delicious lunch held at the beautiful Junior League of Houston. Dianne and eleven other ladies represented their graduating class of 1958. A special recognition was given to a 95-year-old graduate who was present from the class of 1940.

Marlon and Jean Register traveled to Cleveland and out highway 32 to eat at the Ranch Hand Café. They had a chicken-fried steak and hamburger plus onion rings. They testified the small steak is all that you want to eat and the onion rings are wonderful.

Nine-year-old Camille Greer, daughter of Collin and Courtney Greer of Shelbyville, won Reserve Champion Charolais with her heifer “Sophie” at the Texas Junior Charolais Show at Tenroc Ranch near Salado. She also exhibited her last year’s show heifer, “Roxy” and Camille’s 6-year-old brother, Carter, showed Roxy’s calf, “Roscoe”. This sister and brother team won Second Place in the Cow and Calf Division at the same show. Proud grandparents are James and Becky Greer of Center and even prouder, great-grandmother of Diboll, Bettye Greer.

Grandparents, Keith and Kathy Spencer of Pollok, are very proud to welcome their first grandchild: Keith Alexander Spencer was born June 1st. His parents are Michael and Laura Spencer of Katy. The baby being named “Keith” was a total surprise to Grandpa Keith which will be happy to show you pictures of his namesake.

Charlene Ryan, a resident of Trinity Mission, called to let everyone know how proud and happy she was to be able to attend church services in the new building at the historic Ryan Chapel Methodist Church. She also enjoyed having lunch at the annual reunion.

We are always grateful to those who bring us fresh produce from their gardens: Roy Lee Lyles brought squash; Gary Jones, tomatoes; Skeeter Scarborough, cabbage and watermelon and Keith Spencer, huge zucchini. Melvin Durham was in getting a flat fixed on his garden tractor. We are proud that David and Sherry Karnes have moved to Beulah and found a feed store for their animals that includes a goat. They also bought pickled quail eggs from our selection of gourmet foods.

The Angelina County Extension office is offering Summer Canning Workshops. Each participant will receive hands-on instruction, recipes and two jars of the delicious finished produce to take home. This workshop will give you the confidence you need to know you can safely and effectively preserve nature’s bounty. The Fruit Jam Workshop will be Monday, June 19th, at 6 PM at Hudson High School but you must register by June 13th. The Salsa Workshop is Monday, July 10th at 6 PM also at the Hudson High School and register by July 5.

The 2017 Masonic Scholarship Shootout will be Saturday, June 24th, sponsored by the Lufkin Masonic Lodge #669. According to mason Keith Spencer, this lodge gave away $8,500 in scholarships last year. For more information, call 465-4699.

Don’t forget Sunday is Father’s Day and think about Pouland’s, The Everything Store if you need a gift.

Come see us…’round the table.