Carl Sandburg--his poetry collections winning three Pulitzer Prizes--warmed the hearts of Americans with his beautiful description of how tides roll in, “on little cat feet.”
He would be hard-pressed to similarly describe crowd’s arrivals at our house each year on Oct. 31. They’re in all shapes, sizes, ages and all manner of dress--but, unlike fog--they arrive as if on tidal waves, eager to gather their popcorn. Only a handful say “thank you.”
Nov. 4, 1940 was “Dealey Day” at the University of Texas as “Mr. G.B.,” founder and guiding genius of the Dallas Morning News, was honored with a testimonial banquet by the journalism department.
Seventy years earlier, George Bannerman Dealey walked down the gangplank at Galveston with his English family. Forced by adverse economic circumstances to seek a promising place for a fresh start, the Dealeys chose Texas over New York.
The deeper dive one takes into life’s hourglass of time, the more likely it is to ponder nuggets of health news that might affect longevity.
One jumped out at me the other day when a physician’s findings gave me an additional reason to keep as close an eye on my cane as I do my cell phone.
At first glance, I thought his findings might involve physical exercising. (Asked the other day if I jog, I responded, “No, I get my exercise serving as pallbearer for my friends who jogged.)
I do not know who Murphy was or what great knowledge he possessed to develop his law, but I am not a fan. The law says, “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong…” Murphy made other claims as well. He was a “glass half empty” type of fellow.
In the last week, I experienced a frustration level unmatched for quite some time. The challenges I endured were the manifested power of the tongue. When you make a claim, you must be prepared to have it tested. Last week, I discussed how squeezing reveals a person’s true nature… then I got squeezed.
“When you squeeze a lemon, you get lemon juice… when you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice… Why is it that when you squeeze a Christian, you get everything but Christ?”
These words I once heard in a sermon and they often rumble around in my psyche. The gist of the statement communicates the connection between behavior and identity. Our behavior reflects how we perceive ourselves and tend to act according to what we know and understand.
Bob Hope, beloved humanitarian, comedian and patriot, may have been America’s best ambassador of international goodwill--ever. He was able to “localize” his jokes and stories no matter where he appeared.
Always on the road, this British-born icon became a naturalized American at age four. He spent some 80 of his 100 years starring in vaudeville, on Broadway, in movies with Bing Crosby, and on both radio and TV. Little wonder that he received more than 2,000 significant awards, including 54 honorary doctoral degrees from universities, but--sadly--never an Oscar.
The post office at Thurber closed for good on Oct. 28, 1936. The once thriving mining town hardly had a pulse, and neighboring Mingus was on the critical list.
Separated by two miles and the Erath-Palo Pinto county line, the two shared a common prosperity during the boom times of the coal-burning locomotive. The future was bright for the mining mecca and the rail center until the dawn of the oil age yanked the rug out from under both communities.
The federal judge who has repeatedly found Texas in contempt for not fixing its foster care system has been removed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a three-judge panel faulting U.S. District Judge Janis Jack’s “highly antagonistic demeanor,” The Texas Tribune reported. The three also reversed the $100,000 daily fine against the state’s defendants — the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Family and Protective Services, which runs the foster care system.
I have never made a wooden boy. If I were Gepetto, I would likely make it out of plastic. An argument could be made that there is already a substantial amount of plastic people walking around. The question is, will they follow Pinocchio’s lead and “become a real person?” Time will tell.
David G. Burnet, head of the temporary government, gave into public pressure and unexpectedly resigned on Oct. 22, 1836 to make way for president-elect Sam Houston. At four o’clock that afternoon, the hero of San Jacinto took the oath of office weeks ahead of schedule.
