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December 2010
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W
When I am asked by a child if Santa is
real, I always answer the same way: “Do you
like it when Santa comes to your house?”
When they say, “Yes,” then I complete my
answer with, “Then it is good to believe,”
and I stand by that. We are a nation that
celebrates the birth of Christ with a bit of
a twist. Do I think the purpose of Christ’s
birth is lost in the commercialization of
Christmas? Yea, some.
I remember the anticipation and
anxious days, hours, minutes that led
up to the moment when we received
permission to come out of our room and
see what Santa had left. The Christmas
tree revealed in front of us in all its colorful
glory, bright and shiny with the gifts piled
all around.
Mine was a family of five kids, and
mom and dad still did a good job in
providing material gifts for each of us.
Metal erector sets, Tonka trucks, BB
Guns, Barbie and other up-to-date toys.
There were the obligatory socks, shirts and
underwear, of course, but it was the toys
that took center stage in our hearts and
minds that morning.
The elements of Santa are so much fun
– like writing a letter to him telling him all
the things you want. Most kids do not get
the part about money and the cost of the
things they want. My youngest typically
lists thousands of dollars in toys and wants
on his list. I am sure I did the same. I think
we looked through the Sears catalog at toys
and circled the ones we wanted.
Going to see Santa at the mall and the
obligatory yearly pictures was always crazy
when my kids were small. Some kids get
scared and the long lines in the mall can be
a drag, but, hey, it’s Santa and he is here.
We love watching the reports on the
news showing a map where Santa is in his
sleigh and we’ve spent hours looking into
the sky for Rudolph’s red nose glowing,
sometimes seeing it.
Another favorite tradition at our home
is the cookies and carrots. When our kids
were still young, there was fur and all types
of signs that Santa had come down the
chimney. The cookies and carrots were, of
course, eaten and napkin used. We even
left Santa notes, and he responded back!
I admit to my participation in the gift
giving to my wife and kids from jolly ole’
Saint Nick. I remember when my oldest
son was just knee-high, he got a drivable
battery-operated truck he could not even
steer. I have purchased all my kids gifts
ahead of their time, over their age bracket.
I don’t plan out and bargain shop; I do the
male shopping technique – turn and burn.
Go in, get out.
Humorist Dave Barry says, “Once
again we find ourselves enmeshed in the
holiday season, that very special time of
year when we join with our loved ones in
sharing centuries-old traditions, such as
trying to find a parking space at the mall.
We traditionally do this in my family by
driving around the parking lot until we see
a shopper emerge from the mall, then we
follow her, in very much the same spirit as
the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago
followed a star, week after week, until it led
them to a parking space.”
Isn’t it amazing that the whole world
is mesmerized by the day Jesus was born?
Every language has a Merry Christmas:
Russian – “Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom
Rozhdestva s Novim Godom,” Spanish –
“Feliz Navidad,” Japanese – “ Kurisumasu
omedeto,” Icelandic – “Gledileg Jol,”
French – “Joyeux Noël,” Inupiaq Eskimo
(Kotzebue area in northwest Alaska)
– “Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli
Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi.”
I love all the bells and whistles that
are Christmas. I am also passionate about
the real meaning of Christmas. I live my
life for the King of Kings who was born on
Christmas Day. I love the whole story, the
details of the human and spiritual struggle
that is the birth of Jesus. The blessings of a
King so mighty but of a meager beginning in
this world. He never stood on a balcony with
rings on his fingers and ornate robes dictating
personal desires and wants. He came to die
for us, he gave his life for you and me.
“And the Grinch, with his Grinchfeet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling
and puzzling, how could it be so? It came
without ribbons. It came without tags. It
came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler
was sore. Then the Grinch thought of
something he hadn’t before. What if
Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from
a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means
a little bit more?” ~ Dr. Seuss
Love on others this Christmas and God
bless. – TJ Greaney
in this issue
F eatures
CLM’s Hottest Texas New Year’s Eve Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
No Music Lover's Christmas Would Be Complete
Without Hank Williams: The Complete Mother’s Best
Recordings…..Plus! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
album spotlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
holiday gift guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Water is Top Texas Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Travis County Youth Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
game warden field notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
departments
K
Texas roadhouse by Dale Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
coffee shop moments by D. “Bing” Bingham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
recipe by Shirley Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
grandma’s hints by Shirley Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
’Round About Texas by Sandra Greaney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
counting your chickens by Mike Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
on the trail by Kendall Hemphill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
THE BOB BULLOCK TEXAS STATE HISTORY MUSEUM
For tickets and showtimes, visit TheStoryofTexas.com
Shows subject to sell out, change or cancellation without notice.
following the way by Jeff Gore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
pryor talk by Paul Pryor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
the outdoor classroom by Larry LeBlanc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
texas outdoor zone by Cody Ryan Greaney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
w w w. c o u n t r y l i n e m a g a z i n e . c o m
512-292-1113
MAILING ADDRESS
9508 CHISHOLM TR • AUSTIN, TX. 78748
LETTERS & COMMENTS
tj@countrylinemagazine.com or mailing address
E D I T O R | T. J. Greaney
P U B L I S H E R | G&G International
M A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O R | Sandra L. Greaney
sandra@countrylinemagazine.com
C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S | Cody Ryan Greaney,
Mike Young, Larry LeBlanc, Shirley Baker, Sandra Greaney, D. “Bing” Bingham
Kendall Hemphill, Mike Barnett, Jeff Gore, Paul Pryor
4 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 5
Texas roadhouse
by Dale Martin
Christmas season is upon us and that”s always an exciting time in
the music business. Many artists release new albums or greatest
hits CDs so their fans will have something under the tree. Retail
outlet stores gear up for this time of the year in hopes of selling
as many products as possible. Here”s a quick look at some of the
new albums you may want to add to your Christmas wish list.
My pick of the litter is Kevin Fowler’s
new collection aptly titled Best of So Far
that contains 18 of Fowler”s best songs
including “Loose, Loud & Crazy,” “Long
Line of Losers,” “Pound Sign,” “Beer, Bait
& Ammo,” “Beer Season,” “100% Texan”
and “Don’t Touch My Willie.” He got his
start in that long-haired rock band called
Dangerous Toys but found his way back to
his Texas country roots as fast as he could.
Now he’s one of the top singer songwriters
on the Texas music scene and a greatest
hits package is way overdo from this 100%
Texan.
Emory Quinn has followed up their
best-selling Live at Gruene Hall CD with a
brand new studio collection titled See You
At The Next Light. The new release contains
10 new songs, all following closely in style
to previous music released by this talented
trio that got their start playing bars will in
college at Texas A&M. Their home base
is in San Antonio these days, which puts
them in central Texas and close to all the
venues around this part if Texas. This new
CD will make an excellent stocking stuffer.
Bleu Edmondson just released a new
CD titled The Future Ain’t What It Used
To Be that continues cementing his place
as one of the top singer songwriters on the
Texas music scene. Bleu has been slugging
it out in the trenches of all the honky
tonks that had electricity for several years
now, so it’s nice seeming him getting the
accolades he deserves. His last CD, Live at
Billy Bob’s, truly captures the magic of his
live show so you may want to add that one
to your Santa list too.
While it’s true that Willie Nelson once
played Floores Country Store almost every
Saturday night (there are still signs there
confirming it), this year he’s stopping at
another historic venue instead. Gruene
Hall, first built in 1878 and reopened in
1974, it holds the distinction of being the
oldest dancehall in Texas. Nelson first played
there in 1998 to benefit victims of a terrible
flood in New Braunfels. He came back just
four years later in 2002 when another flood
ravaged the area. Now the Red Headed
Stranger will finally get to play Gruene Hall
without it being a flood benefit. His original
show was booked for Wednesday Dec. 1 and
sold out in less than an hour. Last week the
date had to be changed to Sunday Dec. 12
due to a scheduling conflict. At 77 years
old, he still plays over 150 dates a year and
normally does two hour shows. A lot of these
hotshot up and coming wanna-be stars need
to attend a Willie show and see how a real
pro does it.
Speaking of Gruene Hall, Lyle Lovett
& his Large Band recently returned to the
historic venue for their first appearance
since November of 1989. Lovett got his
start in the early 80’s playing on a stool in
the front room. He honed his chops and
wrote many of his biggest hit songs there.
A chance to open a major tour for Steve
Earle got him in front of thousands of soon
to be fans and the rest is history. He formed
his Large Band and began headlining tours
himself. He sold out two shows and played
to standing room only crowds (though
that’s not hard to do at Gruene Hall since it
only holds a few hundred fans). Both shows
lasted well over two hours and included
new hits like “Pantry” and old hits like
“If I had A Boat” and “Church.” Lovett is
currently on tour promoting his latest CD,
Natural Forces. He also just did a guest spot
on the hit ABC cop show “Castle” as a
mysterious secret government agent.
6 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
Willie Nelson did two flood relief
shows a few years ago for the folks in New
Braunfels, but Garth Brooks just sold out
nine shows in Nashville for a flood victim
benefit concert. He will play those nine
shows in six days at the Bridgestone Arena
using his full band. The shows are scheduled
to begin Dec. 16 and run through Dec.
22nd. Ticket prices are just $25 plus $7.50
service fee with 100% of all proceeds going
to the Community Foundation Tennessee
Flood Relief. When he’s not playing
sold-out arenas in Nashville, Brooks still
performs his one man acoustic shows at the
Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. Ticket prices for
those shows were just raised to $250 each.
Miranda Lambert, that firecracker of a
female vocalist from Lindale, Texas, set a
record for CMA Awards nominations last
month with nine. She won three of those
awards, one for video, one for album and
one for Female vocalist of the year. It was
quite the honor for Miranda to receive her
Female Vocalist Award from the legendary
Loretta Lynn. Lambert had just finished a
performance with Lynn and Cheryl Crow
on Loretta’s classic tune “Coal Miner’s
Daughter.” She will also appear on a special
tribute CD honoring the country icon.
Thanks to 92.1 KNBT FM in New
Braunfels for broadcasting the final Cross
Canadian Ragweed show from Joe’s Sports
Bar in Chicago on Sunday night, Oct. 24th.
After 15 years together they have decided
to take a break and explore other options.
Cody Canada and Jeremy Plato are starting
another band with Seth James. Early reports
say the new band will be called Cody
Canada & the Departed. The final show
was over three hours long and they played
about 29 songs. The show opened with
“Mexican Sky” before a sold-out crowd. Lee
Ann Womack joined Cody for a duet of
“Sick and Tired,” and Jeremy Plato handled
lead vocals on “To Find My Love” and
“Soul Agent.” Drummer Randy Ragsdale
sang “Daddy’s At Home,” a song he wrote
about his father who passed away before the
band saw any real success. Stoney LaRue
joined in on “In Oklahoma” and later sang
“Travelin’ Kind” and “Blind Man” during
an acoustic set with Cody. Seth James was
on hand to play “Them Changes,” an old
Buddy Miles tune. It was a very emotional
night with many Thank You’s going out
to everyone who helped the band through
the years. They closed the night with two
fan favorites, “Boys From Oklahoma” and
“Carney Man,” plus two well selected cover
songs, the Todd Snider hit “Late Last Night”
and the Neil Young anthem “Rockin’ in
the Free World.” It”s been a great ride for
this band that got its start 15 years ago in
Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Help Central Texas Kids this
Christmas ... Donate a new
toy to Operation Blue Santa!
KVET Blue santa concert
Casey Donahew Band
midnight rodeo
december 17
kvet.com
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 7
CLM’s Hottest Texas
New Year’s Eve Picks
December 31, 2010 – New Years Eve symbolizes the
coming of a fresh beginning, gathering of loved ones and
sometimes an all-out party!
Texas Music is a genre of fun-filled memories and a
perfect collaboration to seal the New Year. It’s often
thought that the way your New Year begins is a preface to
the coming months. So why not start it off with a night of
Texas’ greatest musicians whether you plan to stay close to
home or make it a vacation.
Aaron Watson
With a recent #1 hit, “Walls,” Aaron
sounds of classic country with a Texas
‘Twang.
Silver Saloon – Terrell, Texas
www.silversaloonterrell.com
Brandon Ryder
A day on the water at Lake Granbury
and a night sealed with Brandon Ryder
tunes would surely start the new year off
with a blast.
Waltz Across The Pasture –
Granbury, Texas
www.signaturekids.org
Charlie Robison
There’s not a more nostalgic setting
than Gruene Hall and Charlie Robison.
Buy your tickets early, this one is sure to
sell out fast!
Gruene Hall – Gruene, Texas
www.gruenehall.com
Granger Smith
Ingrained with country, Granger’s last
release, “5 more minutes,” will be sure
to resonate with everyone.
Coupland Dance Hall –
Coupland, Texas
www.couplanddancehall.com
Jack Ingram
Jack has spent time in Nashville
for awards shows, recordings and
concerts…but that doesn’t mean
he’s any less Texas as his roots and
beginnings came from the Lone Star
State.
Cowboys Dancehall –
San Antonio, Texas
www.cowboysdancehall.com
Jason Boland
Jason’s tunes and all around entertaining
stage presence will have you singing long
into the night and early morning.
Firehouse Saloon – Houston, Texas
www.firehousesaloon.com
Josh Abbott
The latest release, “Oh, Tonight” will
have the crowd dancing and “Setting
the World on Fire!”
Gilley’s – Dallas Texas
www.gilleysdallas.com
Kevin Fowler
Cut off the sleeves of your favorite plaid
shirt and celebrate the holiday with
Texas’ favorite redneck.
Texas Hall Of Fame – Bryan, Texas
www.texashalloffame.net
Cory Morrow
If you’re looking for a fresh start
to the New Year, Cory will be
sure to please with songs from his
newest album, “Brand New Me.”
Horseman Club –
Ft. Worth, Texas
www.thehorsemanclub.net
Roger Creager
Leave the deer lease early for this
one. Roger’s tunes will have everyone
hollering’ as the clock strikes twelve!
Armadillo Ballroom – Brazoria, Texas
www.thearmadilloballroom.com
Pull up your boots and get dancing
across Texas. Make sure to buy your
tickets early and book rooms if needed
because the fun will last into the
morning hours. Be safe and HAPPY
NEW YEAR, y’all! – Cody Ryan
Greaney
8 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
No Music Lover's Christmas Would Be
Complete Without Hank Williams: The
Complete Mother’s Best Recordings…..Plus! Media accolades continue to pour
in for one of the most important
music projects of the century, Hank
Williams: The Complete Mother’s Best
Recordings…..Plus! The 16-disc box
set is from Hank Williams’ 1951 WSM
radio shows and gives music fans the first
glimpse of who this legendary performer
really was and his entertaining personality. As New York Daily News describes these
recordings, “It’s hard to decide which is
more extraordinary about a new collection
of vintage Hank Williams radio shows: the
music or the brilliant snapshot they offer of
a vanishing moment in American life.”
The project is being hailed as the
perfect Christmas gift this year, as
evidenced from the current and upcoming
gift guide inclusions in Time Magazine,
Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, USA Today,
PopMatters.com, Spin Magazine, USA
Today and Philadelphia Inquirer. “This is the ultimate holiday gift for
any serious music fan,” says Time Life
Senior Vice President of Retail, Mike
Jason. “The recordings are superb, the
packaging is one of a kind and we get
to hear one of America’s first true music
superstars in an intimate and revealing
setting playing music he personally
selected.”
Other recent and upcoming press
coverage includes a Jett Williams interview
with Huffington Post, feature in New York
Daily News, reviews in MOJO magazine,
Philadelphia Inquirer, PopMatters.com, Time
Out New York, three reviews on Blogcritics.
org and a feature in Cowboys and Indians
magazine’s March 2011 issue. Also on
tap for Hank Williams: The Complete
Mother’s Best Recordings…..Plus! will be a
Jett Williams appearance on NPR’s World
Café on December 12 that will be heard on
over 200 radio stations nationwide. And
in 2011, Sirius/XM “The Roadhouse” will
feature an hour long program each week
for the full year about the project and the
shows will be hosted by Jett Williams.
The recordings are from Williams’
Mother’s Best Flour shows, recorded at the
pinnacle of his career. When Williams was
planning to be out on tour, he prerecorded
his Mother’s Best shows, and 72 of them
miraculously survived. Thinking the
shows would only reach a small, mostly
rural audience in middle Tennessee, Hank
was unguarded in both his conversation
and choice of songs. Accordingly, we
hear him perform many songs he never
performed elsewhere, including some from
his childhood. The shows contain so many
priceless moments, including Williams’
first-ever performances of “Cold, Cold
Heart” and “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in
Love with You)” just days after they were
written, as well as many songs he never
recorded elsewhere such as “Blue Eyes
Crying in the Rain” and “On Top of Old
Smoky.”
Hank Williams Complete Mother
Best Recordings….Plus! played a part
in Williams posthumously receiving a
Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in May
from Columbia University. The Pulitzer
committee listened to the Mother’s Best
recordings and awarded Williams the
citation to honor his craftsmanship as a
songwriter who expressed universal feelings
with poignant simplicity and played a
pivotal role in transforming country music
into a major musical and cultural force in
American life.
For information or to purchase
Hank Williams Complete Mother Best
Recordings….Plus! please visit www.
hankwilliamsmothersbest.com.
A L BUM S P OTLIG HT S
Taylor Swift – Speak Now:
Big Machine Records
The first time I saw Taylor Swift was as
an opening act of a Brad Paisley tour a few
years ago. She had a high squeaky voice,
a mane of blonde and a shiny new guitar.
Her 20 minutes on stage weren’t extremely
impressive to me but the teenage girls went
ballistic. Fast forward a few years, past a
few embarrassing YouTube videos revealing
less than flattering vocal performances and
the now famous scene with Kanye West
at the MTV Video Awards and a stronger,
more mature Swift has emerged for Speak
Now, her third and best CD. She still has
the blonde hair and shiny guitar, but she
has moved out of her parents’ house and
grown up, both lyrically and physically.
It’s easy to criticize Swift, after all,
many think she’s what’s wrong with
country music. Another point of view
could be that she’s what country music
is all about. After all, didn’t many of the
biggest stars in the business migrate to
Nashville, get their start writing song
demos, eventually get a record deal, and
then release an album of their own songs.
Artists like Kris Kristofferson, Roger
Miller, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
come to mind. And Shania Twain, if you
need a female artist to compare her to.
She’s writing songs about subjects that are
important to her, even if those subjects are
the heartbreak of a teenage girl. She covers
all the bases, the Kayne incident, the
Jonas brother breakup, the new condo and
even explores her pop rock side on “Better
Than Romance.” In my opinion, with all
the young starlets out there for our kids to
idolize, Swift gets my vote.
Bleu Edmondson – The Future
Ain’t What It Used To Be:
American Saint Records
One listen of the new Bleu Edmondson
CD and the first thing that comes to mind
is the music of Bruce Springsteen. This
will become known as his anthem album,
especially after hearing the opening track,
“Blood Red Lincoln.” You can just hear this
one opening up in a live concert setting.
“No Room for Mercy” is a local radio hit
and another solid tune from Bleu that will
help move his career to the next level.
We caught glimpses of his songwriting
direction with his last hit single, “Bullet of
the Gun,” but on this CD he knocks it out
of the park. “Black and White” may be the
best war song written this decade and also
appeared on the When We Get Back, the
organization that assists returning vets in
any needs they might have.
“I Got My Yesterdays” talks about each
of us having a path in life to walk, even
though that path takes you away from
those you love. This is the album we’ve all
been waiting for Bleu to release for the past
several years. Rather than wonder what
took him so long, I suggest you do what I
did... I sat back and listened to the entire
album over and over for a few hours. Once
it grows on you, you’ll be friends for life!
Buy tickets now and save big.
Special pricing in December
only $10 each!
Don't miss the
3rd Annual Reckless Kelly
Celebrity Softball Jam
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Dell Diamond in Round Rock
For tickets, call 512.255.2255 ext. 6
or visit www.recklesskelly.com
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 9
RECIPE
“HEY, WANNA BUY
A PIG?”
M
Maybe I should keep my mouth shut
and my pigs to myself.
My wife and I raise a few hogs on our
ranch and, for the most part, they’re a
gentle bunch. That said, occasionally, a
hog will become impatient, uproot a fence
and go for a walkabout.
It’s no big deal.
We find them in the barnyard eating
their share of the feed, and everybody
else’s. We simply cut them off from the
chow line, trot them back to their pen and
they aren’t fed until the next day.
One day, my wife pulled up to my office
on her ATV.
“We’ve got a sow out,” she hollered. “I
need a hand.”
The hog was doing what they do best
– gobbling spilled feed. I ran her off the
banquet. My wife grabbed a bucket of grain
and we led her back to the pen.
It was a nice day and this young sow
was having waaaaay too much fun in the
barnyard. She wasn’t ready to go back in
her pen. Each time we neared the gate, she
trotted back out to the feed bunks. After
several near misses, the sow – and we
– were getting frustrated.
That’s when a
neighbor pulled up to our front gate.
Alice is a dear friend and knows cattle
and horses from top to bottom. She’s never
worked with pigs. She doesn’t know much
about hogs and doesn’t wanna know much
about them – especially those which aren’t
in their pen where they belong.
I hollered and told her we were busy
working with an escaped hog.
By this time, the sow was enjoying her
outing playing “Ring-Around-The-Barn”
– with us trailing along behind like extra
children in a neighborhood game – as she
romped in the warm sunshine.
Rounding the corner, I looked up and
saw Alice headed our direction to help.
“Hey, Alice,” I joked, “wanna buy a
sow...cheap?”
She must have thought I was seriously
offering to sell her fractious livestock,
because she stopped in her tracks – got a
strange look on her face – and back-pedaled
across the barnyard towards her pickup.
A short time later, the sow got tired of
playing games and trotted into her pen. I
pulled out the trusty baling wire to fix her
weakened fence.
Alice was pulling out our driveway.
She rolled slowly past where I was working
– eyeball to eyeball with a neighboring
drooling boar – on the hog fence.
“See you later,” I hollered from behind
the boar, “this is your last chance on
buying the sow.”
Alice got that same strange look on her
face she’d had when I made the first offer.
She peeled out in her pickup and hightailed it down my rutted driveway.
Later that evening, I called Alice to
apologize and tell her that I was kidding
when I offered to sell her a misbehaving
hog.
She said she understood that I was
joking and she had to get home anyway.
That might be, but I think I’m going to
quit telling silly hog jokes anyway.
– D. “Bing” Bingham
B i n g B i n g h a m i s a w r i t e r , ra n c h e r a n d
st o ryt e l l e r . H e ’ s st o pp e d try i n g t o s e l l
h o g s t o t h e e d i t o rs o f t h i s p u b l i cat i o n
t o o . If y o u h av e a st o ry t o pass a l o n g ,
c o n tact h i m at b i n g @ b i n g b i n g h a m . c o m .
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
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Vanilla Raisin
Drop Cookie
1 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oleo
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tablespoons milk
1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt
together. Put aside. 2. Blend softened oleo & sugar, add
vanilla and beaten egg.
3. Slowly add flour mixture & milk
alternately. Fold in raisins. Dough
will be thick.
4. Drop by teaspoon onto greased
cookie sheet.
This recipe can be adapted in many
ways. Add nuts, candy pieces,
butterscotch morsels, dates or etc.
A cookie jar favorite and so
easy with cupboard available
ingredients...
GRANDMA’S
HINTS
When baking, place used
utensils in sink to soak till item
is in oven and dishes are then
ready to wash.
•
After using cast iron skillet,
drain, wipe clean with paper
towel. If there is a need to
wash, rinse well then place
over burner on stove to dry to
prevent rusting. Ladies never
used to clean their skillets but
used grease in pan over and
over. Of course fried food was
always on the menu.
•
Use hot soapy water and rag
to clean refrigerator thoroughly.
Holiday food spills happen
without our noticing.
—SHIRLEY BAKER
FINANCING & ON THE SPOT DELIVERY
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CHAPMAN ONE AUTO SALES
YOUR TRUCK SOURCE
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512-431-6775
holiday
GIFT GUIDE
Texana Lane
We make customized baskets
We also, carry our
SAXSSY (one-of-akind sassy & sexy) line:
purses, jewelry,
western clothing.
Cowgirl Country Kitchin’
All merchandise can be found at our store:
8822 McCann, 78757 (Austin Antiques Mall) and online at texanalane.com
H&S (High Spirited) CLEANING SERVICE
Residential & Commercial
Customized Holiday Cleaning
$59.00 (1st time customers only please)
Necklaces | Rings | Watches | Bracelets
Flip Flops | Purses | Western Pillows | Clothing
Includes: dusting, sweeping, mopping,
bathrooms & vacuum.
Just in time for the holidays!
Buy as a gift for someone special!
Call today!
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We honor His excellency in
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w w w .r h i n e s t o n e o u t l a w s .c o m
Join us on facebook: wwww.facebook.com/rhinestoneoutlaws
KAT’S ORIGINAL SPELT COOKIES
A Whole Food For The Whole Community
Made from unprocessed ingredients including:
Organic Whole Spelt, Evaporated Can Juice, Organic
Oats, Organic Flax Seeds, Sea Salt and No Preservatives
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE
HEALTH CONSCIOUS EATER!
.50 cents from
each order
goes to the
Hays County
Food Bank!
Order cookies at KATCOOKIES@GMAIL.COM
TOZ Guided Fishing Trips in
Central and South Texas!
Get
a FREE
Justin Boots
LimitedBag
Edition
2010
Holiday
Travel
Travel
Bag with the Co-Op
purchase
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2 Column X 10" Justin Boots Gift-with-Purchase Travel Bag Ad Slicks
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GENERAL
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CO-OP NOTICE:
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to your
accrual balance)
when used as-is.
Hwy
S. South
of(up
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• 512-385-3452
Gift Certificates Available
Pay On-line by Credit Card
Free Fishing Rod for Every Kid Under 12!
Experienced or Not, We Will Teach You!
Call and Book TODAY!
(512) 576-2200
Cody@TexasOutdoorZone.com
To Take A Better Peek At Our
Fishing Lures, Pick Cases, Jewelry,
Instrument Straps & More visit
www.thelureofcripplecreek.com
860-564-5799
Cattlelacs
Chainsaw Art
512-280-1530
www.dougmoreland.com
A little bit of everything and
everything with a little bit of western.
“You’re in Texas, Live Like It!”
www.ranchstylestore.com 512.398.4466
MAIN STREET GALLERY
OF FINE ANTIQUES
The best collections of 18th and
early 19th century American
antiques in Texas!
www.mainstreetgallerylockhart.com
512.398.2144
by Sandra Greaney
Austin and the surrounding Hill
Country is a fabulous place for guests!
There is always a plethora of entertainment
options and most likely a weekend festival
going on any given weekend all year thru.
Ahhh…but Christmastime in the Texas
Hill Country is so special. Your guests
can take in everything from a twirl under
the Zilker Park Christmas Tree to taking
a helicopter ride marveling over all the
Christmas lights in Johnson City. The only
disappointment for your guest may be that
they didn’t have enough time to fit in all
they wanted to do while they were here!
Check out just some of the events that
you may want to think about taking your
visiting friends and family too.
Dec. 1-Jan. 2 Hill Country Christmas
Lights Spectacular Take a short drive over
to Johnson City where they are proclaimed
as the centerpiece of one of the biggest
shows on the Texas Hill Country Regional
Christmas Lighting Trail. The entire
town is bathed in lights with 100,000
lights twinkling on the Blanco County
Courthouse. You can even schedule a
helicopter ride circling downtown! (830381-0981) There will also be hayrides and
carriage rides available throughout the
season. www.johnsoncity-texas.com
830-992-7646
Dec. 3 KVET’s Annual Blue Santa
Breakfast Join Bucky & Bob and friends as
they broadcast live all morning long raising
funds and toys for Operation Blue Santa at
Hill’s Café. Family, friends & neighbors…
everyone is welcome! But don’t forget to
bring a new, unwrapped toy for Operation
Blue Santa. Meet up with old friends and
make new friends while helping a great
cause within the Austin Community.
www.kvet.com
Dec. 3-5 Old West Christmas Head over
to Fredericksburg to enjoy cowboy action
shooting, booths and activities for the
whole family at the Tin Star Ranch.
www.tinstarranch.com. 830-685-3464
Dec. 3
Lights of Love 5K
Run, walk or jog through a trail of
holiday lights and caroling voices, sip on
hot chocolate & celebrate the holiday
season at the 2010 Lights of Love 5K
benefiting Ronald McDonald House of
Austin and Central Texas! 512-524-2953
Dec. 3-19 (weekends) Holiday Wine
Trail at Chisholm Trail Winery Santa
baby, slip some vino under the tree, for me
as you enjoy the sounds of carols, sniff the
delicious Christmas treats and bask in front
of the fireplace with your favorite glass of
cheer. For three jolly weekends, December
3-5, 10-12 & 17-19, you can partake
on the self-guided tour, visiting each of
the 27 Hill Country wineries, collecting
dated signature Christmas ornaments to
decorate your individual grapevine wreath
included in the ticket purchase. www.
chisholmtrailwinery.com 830-990-2675
Dec. 4 22nd Annual Christmas Along
the Corridor (Pony Express Run) Gruene
Historic District will receive a Pony
Express rider from the Comal County
Sheriff’s Posse. Relay riders will carry a
“Christmas Greetings” message from the
Governor of Texas. A temporary post office
will be set up next to Gruene Outfitters, so
take your Christmas cards and receive the
2010 commemorative stamp representing
Gruene. www.gruenetexas.com
Dec 4 Holiday by the Tracks and Lighted
Christmas Parade Holiday by the Tracks
includes a day of shopping at the local
downtown businesses, music and the Artists
Showcase (see above) in Veterans’ Memorial
Park. Also included are the Christmas Craft
Fair at the Elgin Public Library from 10 - 4
pm and the VFD Lighted Christmas Parade
at dusk followed by a live nativity.
www.elgintx.com/xmas.asp
Dec 4 McCoy Lights This is a fully
animated Christmas light display located in
Oak Hill. The display contains over 40,000
lights all dancing to the music! Remember
to tune your radio to 91.1FM to hear the
show from the comfort of your car. The
display runs nightly from 5:30 until 10:30
with a playlist that lasts approximately 40
minutes. Donations go to the Make-AWish Foundation. www.mccoylights.com
BLUE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS
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In a holiday hurry? Call on our “Secret Santa”
service. Sneak us into your house and we will
set up a new computer and have it all
ready to go on Christmas morning!
Offer available until 6pm on Christmas Eve!
Call and reserve Santa now!
Dec. 4-5 Fossil Fest 2010 The
Paleontological Society of Austin is
sponsoring our 20th annual fossil show –
Fossil Fest 2010 at Old Settler’s Park in
Round Rock, next to the Dell Diamond
on December 4 & 5, 2010. This year’s
theme is: “What’s in YOUR backyard?”
– highlighting fossils from in and around
the Austin area. A fun and educational
event for the entire family with door prizes,
demos, displays, a spin the fossil wheel, a
fossil dig pit and dealers from around the
country selling fossils and fossil related
material from around the world. Admission
is $2.00 for adults, $1.00 for students and
children under 6 are free.
Dec. 4-5 Budafest Held the first full
weekend in December, this festival is sure
to put you in the Holiday spirit, including a
Christmas parade, entertainment, carnival,
and over 125 artisans selling handcrafter
items of every type – jewelry, candles,
holiday decorations, salsas, woodcrafts,
pottery, and soaps – to name but a few.
Children can also visit and take pictures
with Santa. budafest.org
Dec. 10 Holidays at Heritage Park
Revisit Christmas Days from the past with
your family at the Holidays at Heritage Park
in Pflugerville. Holidays at Heritage Park
offers choirs, carolers, children’s arts and
craft and FREE pictures with Santa. www.
cityofpflugerville.com. 512-251-5082.
Dec. 11 Explore the Story:
Barnstormer’s Bash Learn the science of
lift, thrust, drag and weight while hearing
about what it takes to perform acrobatic
feats in the air. Make your own air show
advertisement, participate in a costume
contest for the best vintage flyer look, and
enjoy treats inspired by the best airline
meals through the ages all at the Bob
Bullock Museum. www.thestoryoftexas.com
Dec. 15-24 Armadillo Christmas
Bazaar Relax and enjoy shopping at the
Armadillo Christmas Bazaar held in the
Palmer Events Center. A beloved Austin
cultural tradition for over three decades,
the Armadillo Bazaar has celebrated
Austin’s unique cultural identity since
1976. The show is well-known is a treasure
trove of original, one of a kind art and gift
items made for you by the very best local
and national artists and artisans. www.
armadillobazaar.com
Dec. 17 KVET Blue Santa Concert
The KVET Blue Santa concert with
Casey Donahew Band will be at Midnight
Rodeo. Head out for some great music for a
wonderful cause! www.kvet.com
Jan. 1 Hair of the Dog Day Free shows
all day at Gruene Hall from noon to 11pm!
Show features Guy Forsyth, Walt Wilkins
& The Mystiqueros and Stonehoney.
www.gruenetexas.com
Have a very Merry Christmas and a
beautifully Happy New Year!
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 15
Howdy! December’s here and though
it’s almost winter, folks are still buying
baby chicks! Some would say that this is
risky business. Maybe not… if you pay
attention to certain guidelines. What are
they, you ask? Time for a quiz.
What is the number one enemy of
chicks? That is, chicks that are hatched in
an artificial incubator and living without a
mother hen. The answer this time of year
would be the cooler temperatures, and until
they grow a full set of feathers, you will have
to keep them warm and dry. Don’t forget
that you are dealing with babies, newborn
and cuddly, yet very vulnerable to death by
ignorance on the part of the caretaker.
A brooder is the solution – a place to keep
them warm and dry as they grow stronger.
Brooders come in all shapes and size, and can
be as elaborate as an expensive electronically
controlled chick hotel or as simple as a
cardboard box with a suspended light bulb.
A chick’s down will start changing
to feathers at about 20 days old and even
sooner in cooler weather. Chicks hatched
in winter generally require extra warmth
until around 8-12 weeks, while summer
babies need only 6-8 weeks.
Heat can be regulated by raising or
lowering the light bulb that is your heat
source. Of course, if you have something more
elaborate, you simply adjust the thermostat.
I have noticed that chicks will let you
know if they are either too cold or too hot.
If they are cold they will crowd around the
heat source and peep loudly. Some will
develop diarrhea and could succumb to
respiratory distress. Chicks will also huddle
together and sometimes smother.
Chicks that are too warm will tend to
move away from the light to get cool. They
will pant, stop eating and even die if body
temperature exceeds 117˚F. So, somewhere in
the middle makes for warm and cozy chicks.
Food and water is next on our agenda,
and I will go into greater detail next time.
Briefly, chicks can go without water for
48 hours after hatching, and roughly the
same time without food. The yolk reserve
provides nutrients that allow chicks to
remain in the incubator until all of the
others have broken free of the egg shell, or
have been shipped by mail. But, as I said,
that is for another day so let’s wind it up
by saying that cold is the major enemy of
chicks this time of year. Keep ‘em warm ‘til
they start looking like chickens.
Adios! – Mike Young
Water is Top Texas Issue
Uncertainty over the future of water
supplies in the Lone Star State stirred
members of the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB)
Resolutions Committee to reexamine the
organization’s water policy Nov. 8-9 at the
new TFB Conference and Training Center
in Waco.
“With a booming population and
a finite amount of water, this issue is
of concern to all Texans,” said TFB
Resolutions Committee chairman and TFB
Vice President Dewey Hukill. “Court cases
concerning groundwater in the state of
Texas are on the dockets as we speak. The
Legislature will likely tackle water issues
when it convenes in January.”
Members of the committee took a long
look at recommendations submitted by
county Farm Bureaus across the state and
consolidated them into many water-related
resolutions that will be decided by Farm
Bureau voting delegates at the annual
meeting in December.
They reaffirmed the belief that
landowners have a vested right to use the
groundwater beneath their land.
“We believe that the landowner has
an ownership interest in the groundwater
beneath the surface of their land,” the
proposed resolution reads. “We believe
that this ownership interest gives the
landowner a vested or ‘constitutionally
protected’ right to drill a well and
produce groundwater. We believe that
the ownership interest in groundwater
beneath the surface and the vested right
to produce groundwater may be regulated
in a reasonable manner to protect the
groundwater resources of the area. We
do not believe the ownership interest in
groundwater gives the landowner a vested
right to a specific quantity of groundwater
under their land.”
The TFB Resolutions Committee is
composed of members representing all 13
Texas Farm Bureau districts. It reviews and
consolidates proposed policies submitted
by county Farm Bureaus throughout the
state. Now, it will be up to some 1,100
voting delegates, who will gather for TFB’s
77th Annual Meeting in Waco Dec. 4-6,
to approve or reject the resolutions.
Other issues that will be considered at
the annual meeting include the following:
• Affirmation of humane treatment
of animals, while recognizing that
livestock and wildlife are part of the
human food chain, and a belief that
livestock and wildlife are not equal to
humans and do not have human rights.
• Opposition to shifting maintenance of
farm-to-market roads from the state to
counties.
• Support for a state law that would
require proper and sufficient notice
be given when legislation is filed that
could conceivably grant eminent
domain powers.
Resolutions adopted at the TFB annual
meeting become policy that guides the
organization throughout the coming year.
Those resolutions approved by American
Farm Bureau Federation delegates at
the national convention in January
will provide a roadmap for the national
organization in 2011.
16 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
Travis County Youth Show
When you sit in the stands watching
the kids show the animals they’ve
worked hard with all year, you watch
in such amazement of what they’ve
accomplished. You begin to realize
the dedication it took to wake up early
before school to feed, then after classes
go back to the barn to wash, feed and
work their animals. Today you get
to watch as a young girl runs out of
the show arena with her lamb in tow,
proudly holding her ribbon high in the
air for all to see. Then you look closer
and see the smile on her face and realize
it’s not always about what color ribbon
she has…it’s just about the sense of
accomplishment she feels.
A few days later you see a young man
walking across the auction stage. You
remember seeing that same young man
a few years ago as just a little kid. Today,
a high school senior, he walks off that
stage for the last time to shake hands
with the buyer who just purchased his
youth fair project. He knows the money
he has raised through his hard work,
showing animals and entering youth fair
projects, will help him begin his journey
into college.
These are just two examples of very
proud moments witnessed every year.
Proud moments for the students, parents,
buyers, board members and helpers of
the Travis County Youth Show.
The Travis County Youth Show
(TCYS) is the county show for 4-H
and FFA students to compete in
livestock and youth fair projects
which help develop the character of
our youth – our future leaders. This
competition teaches them critical life
skills including personal responsibility,
financial and time management, fair
play, good sportsmanship, hard work and
integrity. Students learn through annual
projects and are rewarded for superior
accomplishments through a community
supported ribbon auction. Our goal is
to instill in our youth strong character
and a commitment toward community
service and leadership.
We would like to invite you to come
and witness some of these proud
moments yourself and support the 4-H
and FFA students of Travis County. If
you would like more information about
the event dates or how to be a sponsor
of these events please visit
www.traviscountyyouthshow.org or
call 512-278-8498.
January 14-16: Livestock Show Dates
January 15: Youth Fair Country Store
January 15: BBQ Cook-Off & Street
Dance
January 21: Auction
January 22: PBR Bull Ride
Want to know what you can do to help?
· Volunteers are needed at every
event. There are always more things
to be done than there are hands to
do it.
· Enter a team at the BBQ Cook-off or
just come sample some good cookin’
(but don’t forget the tip jars).
· Attend the Auction and bid on a
student’s project.
· Purchase tickets to the PBR Bull
Ride ($20 box seats & $10 general
admission).
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The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 17
by Kendall Hemphill
Leaping lagomorphs,
Batman!
I
If you’ve never seen the 1975 British
comedy Monty Python and the Holy
Grail you’ve missed one of the funniest
movies of all time. Maybe the funniest.
Of course, the movie is generally not
funny to women, for some reason, but
if guys depended on female-approved
humor, plenty of classic, funny items
would never have been invented, such
as the whoopee cushion and the springy
snake thing that explodes from a can
when you open it.
Could the world do without those
inventions? It could not.
So, for the record and for the
purposes of this column, we’re
operating on the premise that Holy
Grail is nothing short of the most
masterful example of classic humor
ever committed to celluloid. And the
funniest part of the movie, except for
the other funny parts, is the part about
the evil, cave-guarding white rabbit.
Now, for those readers who haven’t
seen the movie, King Arthur and his
knights are going around the country
looking for the Holy Grail. Seems they
have nothing better to do. And they
find a wizard named Tim who leads
them to a cave, but warns that it’s
guarded by a hideous, vicious monster.
When they get to the cave they
sneak up and peer over some rocks, and
see the monster, which is a regulationsized white bunny rabbit. So they
deride Tim, and Arthur sends one of his
knights down to dispatch the rabbit.
Whereupon the rabbit leaps up and
bites the knight’s head right off.
The same thing is happening at
Denver International Airport. Well, not
exactly the same thing, but very similar.
The airport is overrun with rabbits, and
they’re eating the wiring in cars that are
left parked in the long term lot. Which
is not exactly the same as having your
head bitten off, but try to tell that to
someone who just flew in from spending
a week in Chicago, and was just hoping
to get home and enjoy being back in the
United States, and his car won’t start
because evil airport-guarding rabbits ate
the wires.
This recently happened to a fellow
named Dexter Meyer, who parked his
new Volkswagen Jetta at DIA. When he
got back from a 9-day vacation and tried
to start his car, “all these lights started
flashing.” Dexter says he “pulled out the
manual and it said I had a big problem
so I took it back to the dealership.”
If any of you readers has a
Volkswagen Jetta, I’d appreciate it
if you’d look in your owner’s manual
and tell me if there is any place in
there, maybe under a heading of ‘lights
flashing’ or something, where it says,
“You got a big problem.”
Anyway, the service manager at the
dealership told Dexter that rodents had
eaten his wiring, but Dexter told him
there aren’t any rodents where he lives.
I suspect there are, but they don’t put up
signs and stuff.
But then the service manager,
apparently without any prompting,
asked Dexter if he had recently parked
his car at DIA. He said, “We’ve had a
significant number of problems with
rabbits eating through the wiring
in people’s cars.” I don’t know what
constitutes a ‘significant number’ of
problems, but if it was my car I think a
significant number would be one.
Dexter filed a complaint with the
airport people, and they told him they
have a fence to keep rabbits out. Of
course, the fence seems to working
about as well as the one on the U.S. –
Mexico border, for stopping unwanted
rabbit immigration.
The airport people also said it
was impossible to prove the damage
happened at the airport. Right. The car
was working fine when Dexter parked it,
and during his vacation someone stole
it, let rabbits eat the wires, and then
took it back where they’d found it.
As usual, with a story like this, the
most interesting part is probably the
comments people are allowed to make
online. This one, predictably, elicited
plenty of references to Elmer Fudd, and
the best ways to get rid of those wascally
wabbits.
Some comments were obviously from
enviro leftwing nuts. One said, “Good
for the rabbits. They’re doing their part
for a cleaner environment.” Another
made reference to the small predators
that have been ‘moved,’ claiming,
“Their absence is the reason the rabbits
are out of control.” That one said the
rabbits were an unintended consequence
to our “enviroment.”
Other comments offered sage
advice on how to get rid of the rabbits,
including domesticated coyotes, Border
Collies and coyote urine. One suggested
feeding the rabbits so they wouldn’t eat
the wires. The scariest comment made
reference to the possibility of the rabbits
developing a taste for avionics wiring.
My favorite was a suggestion to use
the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch,
which is how King Arthur defeated the
evil rabbit in Holy Grail. If that’s what
they end up doing I only hope they
remember, after they pull the pin, to
count to three . . .
Kendal Hemphill is an outdoor humor columnist
and public speaker who realizes rabbits are not
rodents, but lagomorphs. Write to him at PO
Box 1600, Mason, Tx 76856 or jeep@verizon.net.
by Jeff Gore
H
Hello friends,
I just got back home from Amarillo,
TX where I attended the Working
Ranch Cowboys Association’s World
Championship Ranch Rodeo. For
the few days leading up to the event,
several of us went to 24 Amarillo area
elementary schools. We talked to them
about ranch life, the trail drive era
and how our state was molded by the
cattle industry. Over the last one and a
quarter century, ranchers have endured
hardships such as Indian raids, drought,
blizzard, rustlers, the Great Depression
and disease.
Through it all there are still ranches
that are thriving for the fourth, fifth
and even sixth generations in this state.
This same bold, pioneering spirit was
evident during the four go-arounds of
the World Championship event. Some
teams started the first night behind
because of a no-time in one event or
another. Now, they didn’t pack their
bags, load their horses, give up, and go
home. They came back Friday, then
Saturday and Sunday
to finish the event.
When Riley Smith of
the Sandhills Cattle Company
from Earth, TX, rode his bronc in the
first go-around it went down in the
middle of the ride. Most people know
that in rodeo this is almost assuredly a
re-ride option. That means a do-over.
But Riley didn’t count on that. He hung
on, the horse got up and kept bucking
allowing Riley to finish the ride. He
went on to win top hand honors for
the second year in a row. That’s like
MVP of the World Series. He didn’t win
that award by jumping off a bucking
horse when it got rough or extra hard.
He didn’t quit when his team, former
world champions themselves, started
18 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
having a bad run at this years finals. He
persevered. He stuck it out and finished.
God’s word tells us in the book
of James, “Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, when you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that
the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should
ask God, who gives generously to all
without finding fault, and it will be
given to him.” James 1:2-5.
Just as perseverance on the field of
play helps us finish the race, it helps
us be all we can be spiritually in life. I
don’t know what trials or struggles you
may be going through right now, but
Jesus does and He understands. Turn
it all over to Him, ask for wisdom, and
he will give it to you. Then, you can
persevere, get through the struggle and
perfect your faith.
God’s word also says that without
faith, it is impossible to please Him.
Have faith! Pray for wisdom! And
Persevere!
Thanks for reading!
Your friend – Jeff Gore
www.jeffgore.org
T
Texas is now homogenized. Austin
has had to let out its belt a notch or two
to make room for all the new folks from
other parts of the country moving into
our area. It just may be we are guarding
the wrong border.
Native Austinites are harder to find
than a parking space at Darrel K Royal
stadium during a Longhorn home game.
You hear more Yankee whine, and
California surf talk than Texas twang in
Dallas. Used to be, you had to go to a
zoo to see a republican here in Austin.
Now the governor and most elected state
officials are republicans living the good
life here in Austin. Vendors are having
to learn that ‘pop’ is something you drink
besides someone you hit up for a little
cash once in a while, and “you guys” can
be used instead of “y’all.” Next thing
you know they will be serving meat balls
and corned beef, instead of brisket and
ribs. After all, how you gonna keep the
newcomers out of Austin once they have
left west coast freeways and snow storms
up east, once they have seen their home
on the range?
I know a few snippy Austinites who
don’t want all these newcomers. I remind
them if Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie,
and a few of their buddies, hadn’t had
the travel bug and fallen in love with
the San Antonio/Austin hill country,
we might be shouting “Hook ’em Horns”
in a bull ring, fortified by gallons of bad
tequila.
It’s going to be interesting to watch
who changes whom. Will Texans change
the newcomers, or will they change us? It
is an interesting question for our culture,
which is, in many ways completely
foreign to those have have moved here
from the east and west coasts. I mean,
have you ever heard of a chicken fried
lobster, a Boston baked bean cook off,
or how about some of that great sushi
cooked slowly over a pit of mesquite
coals? And conversely many of their
activities are strange to us – like not
cussing when Garret Gilbert throws an
interception and Baylor beats us, and
remaining seated when the Longhorn
band plays “The Eyes of Texas.”
by Paul Pryor
I was talking about this the other
day with a fourth generation Texan and
a full time rancher, and I said “I wonder
if Austin will change the new Texans or
will they change us?”
He stretched out his long arms
attached to his 6’4” frame, kicked the
dust with his weathered boots, titled
his well worn Stetson back on his
sunburned face, and expertly spit a squirt
of Copenhagen on a fly, and drawled,
“Pablo I look at it this way. When you
are lost and wanna get home, you just
give your horse its head and he will
get you there. I figure a bunch of those
Yankee folks and folks from out west
have been lost and looking for home a
long time. Now they done gave their
horses a loose bridle and he’s brought
them to the home corral.”
“You can take the Texan out of
Texas, but you can never take the Texas
out of him. You can brang a non-Texan
to Austin and you can never get him
to leave, if he’s got any brains at all
in his head bone. No sir, us Texans
don’t change, and ain’t no Yankee,
or California cool guy won’t make
a difference at all around here. No
difference at all.”
As far as this Texan and native
Austinite is concerned ya’ll can keep all
your sushi... down here we use sushi for
fishbait!
P.S. – I am still waiting for a kidney
transplant, and had to be in the hospital
much of last month, so I missed my
column. A couple of letters reacting to
my column were run in its place. I’d like
to address Brian’s letter. Brian, I have
not one time said I was a member of the
Tea Party. I have never been a member
or attended a tea party function. I do
support their activism, as I do with any
group. You also asked where TJ and I
were when George Bush were president.
TJ has had this magazine 15 years now,
and I was on the radio four hours a day,
five days a week supporting conservative
values and causes. All of you feel free to
contact me at paulhpryor@gmail.com
anytime.
THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE
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FATHER/SON DEER HUNT
Dec. 27-29
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Deer/Hogs/Coyotes
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$349. everything included except license.
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Call Cody for Dates
512-576-2200
For details on hunting
and fishing opportunities or
to coordinate a custom hunt
for your group, call
512-292-1113
The Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ) is a youth hunting, fishing and outdoor
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The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 19
Game Warden Field Notes
The following items are compiled
from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department law enforcement reports.
Sometimes modesty’s
the best policy
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Val Verde County Game Warden
Chrissy Plant made contact with hunters
at a camp in West Val Verde County Nov.
7, the second day of general deer season. Although the hunters had no deer, one
hunter started bragging about the four
javelinas he had killed. They’d scared off his
deer at the feeder, he said. Not impressed,
Warden Plant cited him for exceeding
his bag limit. At another nearby camp,
Plant checked some hunters who had been
luckier, having taken a nice buck. An hour
and a couple flashlight batteries later, Plant
found the carcass of a javelina that had
been dumped the day before, and a case for
waste of game is pending.
Unwise poaching
in Wise County
Nov. 5, Wise County Game Warden
Chris Dowdy and Tarrant County Game
Warden David Vannoy were patrolling
Wise County on the eve of the rifle season
opener. While investigating a call about a
possible poacher, warden Dowdy received
another call from a landowner about a
deer that had just been shot from the road. After the first call was cleared, the wardens
responded to the second call. When they
arrived, the wardens found two very upset
landowners and one dead white-tailed
doe. Darkness had not yet fallen, and the
wardens figured that the poachers would
soon be back for their take. They didn’t
have to wait long before the poachers
returned. As a pickup truck crept to a stop
on the county road, the driver got out and
gleefully ran through the field laughing and
shouting back to his buddies, “I got it, I got
it!” As the driver attempted to return to
the truck with the deer, wardens Dowdy
and Vannoy surprised the two men and
one juvenile. In the truck, the wardens
found a rifle, spotlight, headlamps, and beer. Another doe poached from a neighboring
county also was found in the bed of the
truck. Multiple cases are pending.
Case made by just a hair
Houston County wardens Eddie Lehr
and Zak Benge were checking camps in the
national forest on opening day of general
deer season when a truck pulled up. When
asked, the men said they had not killed
anything. But Lehr noticed what appeared
to be a red stain in the bed of the freshly
washed truck and dropped the tailgate. After the wardens found a single deer hair,
the suspects finally confessed to killing
an illegal buck. After a short interview,
the suspect also admitted shooting the
deer with a shotgun from Highway 7 near
Ratcliff. Cases and restitution pending.
Case of the Misplaced Anger
Sabine County Game Warden Sam
Smith and Capt. Tom Jenkins checked
a hunter coming out of a wildlife
20 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
management area on opening day. The
man did not have an annual public hunting
permit, and as warden Smith wrote the
citation, the subject said he was angry at
the store that sold him the license for not
informing him that he needed a permit to
hunt on a wildlife management area, and
that he would be having the store pay his
fine. Capt. Jenkins, who had walked into
the woods while Smith talked with the
annoyed license holder, found a permanent
stand, corn, and a freshly killed white-tailed
doe. The man admitted to all the violations
and said he was no longer mad at the store
that sold him his license. Cases pending.
Nice deer…too bad it’s illegal
Tyler County Game Warden Roy
Eddins received a call Nov. 7 that a
hunting club member had exceeded the
bag limit by killing two bucks with antlers
greater than 13 inches. A 10-point buck
was seized, and a citation was issued for
exceeding the bag limit for a single county. The buck scored 128 5/8. Case pending.
Sometimes waiting’s
a good thing
Houston County Wardens Eddie Lehr
and Zak Benge checked a camp Nov.
7 and found two untagged deer. After
interviewing a father and son, it was
determined that they had each killed a
deer. Unfortunately, the son hadn’t wanted
to wait in line the previous Friday to buy
his license so the father offered to tag each
deer. Case pending.
Didn’t take CIS to figure
this one out
On Nov. 7, Houston County Wardens
Zak Benge and Eddie Lehr received an
Operation Game Thief tip concerning an
illegal buck. They located a deer head in
an open field on a private road. It appeared
that an animal had dragged the head there. With the tag still attached, locating the
suspect was fairly easy. Case pending.
Undersized oysters R a violation
Nov. 6, Chambers County Game
Wardens Hector Gonzalez and John Feist
filed on three oyster boat captains for
possessing a cargo of undersize oysters. Ninety-five sacks of oysters were returned
to the reefs. Two days later, Galveston
County Game Wardens Mack Chambers,
Brain Scott, Vu Nguyen and Lt. Fred
Ruiz filed on three oyster boat captains
for possessing a cargo of undersize oysters. Seventy-eight sacks of oysters were
returned to the reefs. Cases pending.
I
It seems like just yesterday I was
watching my grandchildren and a room full
of the rest of the young children at church
lined up at the door of the fellowship
hall like horses at a starting gate ready to
scour the grounds for hidden Easter eggs.
Today everywhere I look are Christmas
advertisements.
I cannot figure out what happened
to all of the time in between. I know I
snuck in a nap every once in a while,
but Rip Van Winkle I am not. It is no
wonder I keep running into deadlines and
appointments every time I turn around
because somewhere at sometime, the days
and weeks have been shortened to the
point that I hardly have time to function.
No matter how or why, the fact remains
that Christmas is drawing rapidly upon
us and trying to purchase a gift for the
outdoors person in your life can really be
a challenge. One is because everything is
going up at a fair rate even if the “experts”
at the Federal Government absolutely deny
that there is inflation. Another reason is
there are so many new products on the
market it is difficult to know what is really
useful to the person for which you are
shopping and what is junk.
Let me put a thought out there to
help you separate the junk from the real
thing. If the marketplace offers a complete
selection of fishing lures with 100 plus
by Larry LeBlanc
Larry J. LeBlanc
the outdoor classroom
This Ardent XS1000 reel is a reel of champions like Anson Jones and when I use it I can
sometimes catch fish.
pieces for $19.95, do not waste your money.
I will bet the family farm that type of offer
is worth less than the plastic garbage bag
that it will find its way into.
If you have an angler in your life you
can bet that trying to blindly buy them
virtually anything in the fishing line will
at best end, up as a returned item. On the
other hand if your angler has told you that
they want an Ardent XS1000 Casting
Reel with a 6.3:1 ratio, then you have
something to look at and now you have a
specific product that the person can and
will use, and the cost will be in the area
of $250 plus. You can order it from your
handy dandy computer on the internet and
not have to fight crowd and traffic.
As you can tell, I have evolved from
my earlier stance in life that I would never
buy anything over the internet to the point
that I will not purchase guns and shooting
accessories over the internet. Everything
else I let my “fingers do the shopping” as
the old saying goes.
While I am on fishing let me offer a few
potential products that almost any angler
can use that you will not have to get a
second mortgage on the old homestead to
afford.
One that any serious angler can use is
a line winder. This is a device that really
makes loading new line onto a fishing reel
a breeze. These can be purchased online
or at almost any place that handles fishing
equipment and will cost you from $11 to
$130 depending on your budget and they
will all work.
Another tool that all anglers will need
from time to time is a hook remover. These
come in many forms but mostly are long
nose, needle nose pliers, and forceps that
can reach way down inside a hooked fish’s
mouth and allow a person access to a hook
that has really been swallowed by a fish and
have a much better chance of removing it
without injuring the fish.
So folks, this year buy that special
outdoors person something they can and
will use and stay away from anything thing
that claims to do everything.
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 21
Texas outdoor zone
Brooks Frederick on a recent trip with
Cody Ryan.
Forget the Tie
This Year
Don’t give the same old fishing
gimmick that collects dust in the garage
and ends up in a garage sale two years from
now. You will never get your money back.
Ok, I can understand a good package of
socks because quite frankly, I have never
had to buy them thanks to Christmas.
Regardless, it has to get below 50 degrees
or be a trip to the deer lease before they
actually get used.
Gifts are a sign of love.Nothing shows
your fisherman how much you actually care
more than a new Champion Toyota Tundra
truck to tow the boat. A matching truck/
boat combo is the ultimate “I love you.”
Hint Hint.
If this is beyond the budget this year,
how about a fishing rod that is sure to
make the starting lineup in every fishing
adventure. Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO)
has been a leading fly fishing rod company
for years. Their experience and knowledge
of the business was a natural fit to entrust
the design of the conventional tackle rods
to none other than Gary Loomis. (www.
TFOrods.com)
by Cody Ryan Greaney
Impressive comments to use as the rod
is being unwrapped and he/she is doing
the mandatory investigation of their new
toy: “Did you know Gary Loomis designed
these rods?” “Check out the split grip with
the color coated handle that identifies the
action.” “The heavy back bone and soft tip
should really help you hoist those big ole
fish out of the thickest of cover.”
If there is one thing that you will never
hear fishermen say it’s that they have too
many lures. If these words are ever heard,
it’s only because they are feeling guilty for
having a hidden bag of recently purchased
baits. Stanley Baits is constantly designing
and offering new baits. Check out the
latest products on their website (www.
fishstanley.com) or look for the Stanley
logo at your local tackle shop.
When the stocking full of baits has
been poured out on the living room floor,
be sure to point out the following: “That’s
the new Stanley Itzabug that will really
look great on your new flipping stick.”
“Those Y-Nots work great as a jig trailer
and you can even put rattles in the end.” “I
figured you could always use some more of
the classic Vibra-Wedge Spinnerbaits.”
To top off the ultimate fishing
package of new fishing rods and baits,
buy yourself some much needed quiet
time and send them on a full day guided
trip. Much like the brilliant tactics many
men use by purchasing gift certificates to
salons and spas, you too can score some
great alone time while giving the gift of
catching fish with a professional. (www.
TexasOutdoorZone.com)
Helpful verbiage: “Cody Ryan is
local and fishes some of Texas’ largest
tournaments.” “When fishing with Cody,
he will teach you how he uses your new
baits and allow you to catch some great fish
on your new fishing rod!”
Do these items seem self-serving? Well,
yeah. But… should any of these items show
up in your garage covered in dust, I will
personally attend your garage sale. Just like
socks to every normal person, these items
are critical to every fisherman. Remember
this time of year is not just about the gifts
that we give, but the gift that God gave
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22 • Country Line Magazine The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine
A variety of baits by Stanley.
New Temple Fork Outfitters bass rods designed by Gary Loomis.
us… Fishing with Jesus!
Thanks to those who read what I write.
I would love to meet that person one
day. I am humbled to have the support of
my sponsors: God, Champion Toyota of
Austin, Renewal by Anderson of Austin,
Ranch Road Creative Solutions, TTI
Blakemore, Stanley, Bass Champs, Country
Line Magazine, Temple Fork Outfitters,
Vicious Fishing.
Fish Texas, Texas Outdoor Zone
and Cody Ryan Greaney
provide full day and half day
guided fishing trips to some
of Texas' hottest areas.
Call and book today.
Now accepting Credit Cards on-line at
TexasOudoorZone.com.
(512) 576-2200
Cody@TexasOutdoorZone.com
The Only Texas Lifestyle Magazine Country Line Magazine • 23
EST. 1978
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