Jan7

Taking down the 1st tree

Posted on by
Standard

Today, the day after Epiphany, we took our first Christmas tree on top of the “Mountain” down.  Our first Christmas on top of the “Mountain” was spectacular and wonderful.  All but one of our five children were here to enjoy this special time of the year with us and both of our grandchildren were here, as well as Cousin Henry, Trish, and Jay.  The tree was a 9 or 10 feet tall pine.  Formerly we cut a live cedar (Juniper) tree in the pasture for our Christmas tree, but the girls and my husband are a bit allergic to cedar, so this year, we bought a traditional pine tree.  I must admit I miss the smell of a cedar tree brought in from the pasture.  The smell is so strong and so heavenly and reminds me of my childhood when Daddy and I would go in search of a tree for our house and for my grandmother’s house, and for my bedroom.  We would come back with three sizes of trees.  A giant one for our house, a medium-sized one for Granny’s, and a tiny one for my bedroom.  I have always loved cedar trees, but all of the ranchers in this rural area despise them because they soak up a tremendous amount of precious ground water, and apparently, they are good for nothing!  Nothing likes to eat them, and they grow like bad weeds.  Well, I guess they are bad weeds!

The second photo is of the last cedar tree we had when we still lived in the cabin, but had our Christmas in the barn.  Of course that was before the barn was full of “stuff”.  I must admit that making paper chains, hanging candy canes and bells, and wrapping our presents in brown mailing paper with twine tied around them was a blast!  The oil candles were fun, too.  It was a little chilly in the barn since we didn’t have much in the way of heat or light.  We did have some Coleman lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

I hope you have special memories of a special tree, and these two trees will always be very special to me!

Jan6

First Blog from Richland Springs High School

Posted on by
Standard

Today, the junior English class at RSHS in central Texas finally got their blog, which will be the first blog presented from Richland Springs High School, up and running.  I’m so proud of the juniors.  They developed the site, wrote some articles, published a few articles, and managed to get excited about blogging.  They did a fantastic job for a first effort.  They actually took some photos of the two signs which proclaim our football team as 5-time, Division I, State 6-man football Champions, but we never could get them onto our blog during our seemingly very short class period. We will try again next week.  You can visit our school blog at:  https://www.rscoyotepride.wordpress.com.

Last night I was most disappointed when theatre auditions for The Corn Is Green fell apart when we didn’t have enough young men show.  This morning I made the executive decision to start all over.  Now, we are planning to cast Steel Magnolias next Monday.  I think the boys have “Six-Man State Champions Hangover”.  They are still very tired from the many hours and days of preparation it takes to win a state championship.  The boys started practicing a year ago this spring, and they started practicing seriously last August.  They have been running, jumping, lifting, drawing, darting around, and kicking every day for many months.  They know how much hard work it takes to be successful.  Their coaches have worked nonstop and into the wee hours of the morning and on weekends.  Coaches Burkhart, Rogers, and Brand are to be commended on understanding what it takes to have a state championship team and being willing to give those necessary hours.  Those men are like a machine.  They churn out victory after victory after victory.  If you ever wanted to know how to teach, you should just go watch these guys in action.  If you’ve never played 6-man football before, that does not matter to these guys.  They will teach you, show you, help you.  They take young men who have no clue about the game and the effort it takes to be a winner, and they turn those young men into winners and confident youngsters who feel like they can conquer the world.  We are blessed to have coaches of this caliber in a town with a new population sign that reads:  336.

It’s only 5:13 here, but the sun is already low in the sky and the shadows are long.  A pair of cardinals are perched upon the water trough(my former bathtub while living in the original cabin)  just out the back door.  Mike, our cat, is patiently waiting by the back door and peering in the plate glass window and hoping that soon his supper will be delivered.  On that note, I guess I should begin to consider what we will have for supper out here at the Mountain Pasture.

Jan5

RSHS Juniors begin to blog

Posted on by
Standard

Today, at Richland Springs High School, the junior English class finally got their blog set up.  It will be located at http://www. rscoyotepride.wordpress.com.  We barely got it all set up before the class was over, but most everyone was working diligently.  Two of the boys made short posts.  Hopefully, tomorrow, everyone will be able to view their blogging. Please help us spread the word about our blog.

As I write today, I am waiting for the One Act Play auditions to begin.  I must hurry and get over to the cafetorium, yes, that is correct, the cafetorium.  It is a new work that was coined when small schools could not afford both a cafeteria and an auditorium, so they combined the two.  We have a very nice stage, but the audience seating is on a flat floor where tables are set up each day for breakfast and lunch.  When the cafeteria ladies are working, it’s very difficult to hear.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day here in Central Texas.  I hope everyone is having a spectacular day.  I’m off to play auditions.

Until tomorrow……..

Jan4

Richland Springs High School bloggers

Posted on by
Standard

Today, I discussed blogging with my students in our little rural school.  None of the students had ever read a blog!  Isn’t that amazing?  Many of them had never even heard the word.  Some of them were interested, especially the 11th graders.  They asked many questions, probably in order to prolong getting to the main lesson of reviewing some skills that will be tested on the state exam.  As the questions flowed, as well as the discussion, we decided to create a school blog which the students will write.  We are hoping to call our blog:  coyotepride.  I can’t wait to get them started blogging.  It should be a pleasure to be able to blog and not write in their spiral journals for a while.  I am so hoping that they will like blogging.  The problem is that the wordpress site must first have the block taken off of it.  Then, we must be able to have the use of 13 computers since we have 13 juniors in our class.  We actually have 13 laptops, but one of the teachers needs to borrow one for her computer class that period!  Oh, the woes of teaching in a small school.  How cool would it be to have 15 laptops in my classroom that no one would be allowed to borrow, not to mention ones that would boot up quickly and work dependably.

Also, going on today is much drama about the competition One Act Play.  Choosing a play is always so difficult.  Then, finding enough students to perform the play is a problem in this small school.  Most of our older students have to work to help out at home, so they leave school at noon and go to jobs.  Life is complicated even for children.  After much adieu, I think we shall work toward casting The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams.

The good and exciting news today is that my college roommate’s son, Cory Reinisch, has recorded his first CD.  Yippee!!!  so proud of Cory and for his parents.  The Brady, Tx. radio station will be playing some of Cory’s music and interviewing Cory today.  His band is called Guns of Navarone.  It can be checked out on Youtube.

Jan2

“Apricot Bars”

Posted on by
Standard

As promised, here is the recipe for the delicious “Apricot Bars” which will earn you many compliments, especially from the guys!

“Apricot Bars”

1 & 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup brown sugar

1 & 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

3/4 cup of butter

1 cup apricot jam or cooked, dried apricots (mashed)

Mix flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and oats.  Cut in butter till crumbly.  Pat 2/3 of the mixture into a 13X9 1/2 X 2″ baking dish.  Spread with jam.  Cover with remaining crumb mixture.  Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 35 minutes.  Cool and cut into bars.  Makes about 2 dozen.

You won’t be disappointed in this recipe!

I didn’t rise at my usual 5 to 5:30 a.m. because we have a teacher work day today at our little rural school.  I am so glad for this day to get re-organized although I can’t help but wish we had 2 or 3 “work” days before the students come back.  I have so much to do!  Our little school is such a treasure.  We have about 115 students in grades K through 12.  One man serves as the principal for grades K -12, and the same man serves as the superintendent!  I teach English to grades 8-12 as well as speech and theatre arts.  I also direct the One Act Play for competition.  All of the adults have schedules that just wear us out, but the children are real treasures.  They are like sponges and just waiting to soak up all that one can offer them.  For the most part, they are co-operative and want to learn and very few of them are interested in cheating.  These children live in this rural, poverty-stricken area, and they don’t have much in the term of finances, but I’ve enjoyed working with them more than any group I’ve ever taught, and I’ve been teaching for a long, long time!

What a beautiful day and sunrise it is here in San Saba County, Texas!  The air is crisp, but there is no wind and beautiful light is shining on the Liveoak trees and reddish-brown rocks and the prickly pear cactus as I sit here writing on my laptop in my living room area.

Jan2

New Year’s Day in the Country, 2012

Posted on by
Standard

Upon rising this morning, I began baking the “Apricot Bars” which I planned to take to the brunch that is given yearly by a local family.  The brunch is hosted by our neighbors, who live about five miles from us.  I was moving a bit slower than planned, and we didn’t arrive at the assigned time of 10:00 A.M., so when we got there, cars and pick-up trucks, mostly trucks, were parked all over a couple of acres of “yard”, and the blessing had already been given by a minister who lives three hours away in Fort Worth.  It looked as if there were over one hundred people outside milling around and eating.  The Airdale dog met us with a friendly greeting as we made our way toward the front door.  As I deposited my “Apricot Bars” on the bar, I looked around at all of the food that the host family provides, and out of curiosity asked how much bacon they had cooked:  10 pounds!  Oh yeah, and 10 pounds of sausage and 20 pounds of potatoes, and 300 quail.  The birds were fried outside under the carport in two large vats/pots of grease which were heated by flames from portable propane tanks.  Volunteers, men, were frying the quail.  They had on matching, camouflage aprons:  cute!  Sitting on the counter was the largest pot of cream gravy I’ve ever seen.  Joining it were homemade biscuits, a delicious cheese bread, hash browns of various kinds, three kinds of fruit salads, and desserts out the kazoo.  It looked like a Luby’s cafeteria, but with a much better and tastier selection of homemade delicacies. As we joined the long line, we came to the drink selection which included Mimosas, Bloody Marys, juice, tea, water, soft drinks………you name it, it was there.

How do these generous, kind-hearted people do it year after year?  And they look so fresh and as if they had not been up all night preparing and cooking which I suspect is exactly what they had been doing.  After we filled our plates, we headed outside to see nearly every spot taken at rows and rows of portable tables.  We spotted just two chairs which happened to be next to good friends, Winnie & Tiny.  Yea!!!

Not only was the food delicious and the New Year’s greetings sincere, but it was pleasant to hear what everyone had done over the holidays with the news that the principal’s wife had twisted her knee as they snow-skied in Taos, Winnie & Tiny had celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary, Cydney continues to have trouble with her back, Fern had attended church and prayed for those of us who skipped today, young Tyler had graduated with an engineering degree and is working in Scotland, the Locker/Starr wedding is on track for this summer and the reception will be held in the Locker’s large barn, and Weldon has received news that his cancer is operable and is offered new hope.  What a wonderful occasion and wonderful place to live.

Now, I must get some sleep because school begins tomorrow, and it is off to work I go tomorrow, but hopefully tomorrow, I will share my “Apricot Bars” recipe with you.  The dessert received many compliments, and it is so easy and quick that I know you will want to try it.

Dec31

New Year’s Eve in the country

Posted on by
Standard

Tonight, we will drive 2 miles to the old schoolhouse at LakeView, Texas,  where my mother went to school as a young girl in the 1920’s when the school house was only one room.  Now the old, abandoned school house has two rooms.  The larger room will house a D.J. on one end and some benches on the opposite end, as well as benches around the perimeter.  The other room will host foods of all sorts, shapes, sizes, and kinds brought by people of the community, as well as a huge pot of black-eyed peas, boiling on the stove. I will take sausage rolls this year.

The larger room’s old hardwood floor makes a great dance floor, and young and old alike will twirl around the floor until well past midnight.  My husband and I will attend, dressed in our western boots and jeans.  There, we will visit with local friends that we have made here in the past three years, as well as the principal from the local school where I teach and his family, the athletic director and his family, and the Rodeo Association President and his family.  People will show up from Austin, Texas, 120 miles away.  Deer hunters will wander in as well as teenagers and people from the largest town in the county, San Saba, population 2666.  Babies and small children will come, and 5 year old boys will be asking 4 year old girls to dance.  If the Miller girl is there, she will win the limbo contest, as usual.

Inside the old schoolhouse, people will be visiting, reminiscing, tell tall tales, making new friends, dancing, playing dominoes, eating, drinking sweet tea and generally just having fun.  Outside the old schoolhouse, adults will be drinking a beer and checking their portable ice chest coolers to make sure that none of the teenagers have stolen any of the beer.

Hopefully, this year there will NOT be a skunk living under the old schoolhouse.  Last year, no one was aware that a skunk had made his home underneath the old structure, so every time the dancing picked up, the skunk would spray, and everyone would rush to open all of the many windows for a breath of fresh air.  Soon, the windows would slam shut because of the cold wind that soon permeated the room.

At midnight, everyone will hug, and guys will kiss their sweethearts and girlfriends and wives.  Some will go home to cook for tomorrow’s brunch, and some will, as the old song states, “stay a little longer.”