The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 139, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 1, 2016 Page: 4 of 16
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Page 4A — THE GILMER MIRROR, Gilmer, Texas September 1, 2016
Heard About Town
By Vic Parker
Local resident Ray Helpenstill came by Monday and dropped
off a pair of Mirror photos, one from August 1992 and the
other from August this year. In both photos is his daughter,
Stormy Helpenstill in ‘92 as a first grader and this year as
Stormy Tullar escorting her son, Ray, and daughter, Jay-
cee at Gilmer Elementary School. Not too sure how often
something like that happens.
* *******
I’ve used this before, but it strikes a chord with so many
people I decided to run it again. Most schools now have re-
corded messages that greet callers. Here’s a suggestion for
what it should say: “Hello. You have reached the automated
answering service for your school. In order to assist you in
connecting to the right staff member, please listen to all the
options before making a selection. To lie about why your
child is absent, press 1. To make excuses for why your child
did not do his homework, press 2. To complain about what
we do, press 3. To swear at staff members, press 4. To ask
why you didn’t get the information that was already enclosed
in your newsletter and several flyers, press 5. If you want
us to raise your child, press 6. If you want to reach out and
touch, slap or hit someone, press 7. To request another
teacher for the third time this year, press 8. To complain
about bus transportation, press 9. To complain about school
lunches, press 0. If you realize this is the real world and
your child must be held responsible and accountable for
his/her own behavior, and that it’s not the teacher’s fault
for your child’s lack of effort, hang up and have a nice day.
If you want to hear this message in Spanish, you’re in the
wrong country.”
* *******
You may have seen the story about the town in Minnesota
that recently re-elected a dog as mayor. The community of
about a thousand people is Comorant, and it has a human
manager. The mayor, though, is named Duke, a 7-year-old
Great Pyrenees. His salary is free dog food. I bring it up
because I’ve newspapered in a community or two where
Duke would have been a step up.
* *******
Since football is upon us ... A classified ad in a local news-
paper recounts the following. Bubba Boudreaux has two
tickets for the 2017 Super bowl. They’re box seats plus air-
fares and hotel accommodations. When he bought them his
wedding date had not been finalized. Now it turns out the
only date available at the church for his wedding is Super
Bowl Sunday - so he can’t go. If you’re interested and want
to go instead of him, it’s at St. Louis Cathedral in Houston
and her name is Marie.
********
A Florida senior citizen drove his brand new Corvette con-
vertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road,
he pushed it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through
what little hair he had left. “Amazing,” he thought as he
flew down 1-95, pushing the pedal even more. Looking in his
rear view mirror, he saw a Florida state trooper, blue lights
flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110,
then 120. Suddenly he thought, “What am I doing? I’m too
old for this!” and pulled over to await the trooper’s arrival.
Pulling in behind him, the trooper got out of his vehicle and
walked up to the Corvette. He looked at his watch, then said,
“Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you
can give me a new reason for speeding - a reason I’ve never
before heard - I’ll let you go.” The old gentleman paused
then said: “Three years ago, my wife ran off with a Florida
state trooper. I thought you were bringing her back. “Have
a good day, sir,” replied the trooper.
********
The owner of a golf course in Georgia was confused about
paying an invoice, so he decided to ask his secretary for
some mathematical help. He called her into his office and
said, “You graduated from the University of Georgia and
I need some help. If I was to give yew $20,000, minus 14
percent, how much would you take off?” The secretary
thought a moment, and then replied, “Everything but my
earrings.”
Dove season opens today
AUSTIN — More validation that everything’s bigger and
better in Texas, dove populations are soaring and the hunt-
ing season, which gets under way Sept. 1, is the longest in 80
years.
A new 90-day season this fall means hunters will have 20
more days of opportunity compared with previous years. The
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is integrating those ad-
ditional days early in the season to take advantage of mourn-
ing dove migrating into the state, as well as at the end of the
season in the special white-winged dove area to offer more
bird hunting opportunities.
“Hunters will now be able to take advantage of those
northern birds riding early November cool fronts into Texas,
without sacrificing days of opportunity early in the season,”
said Dave Morrison, TPWD Small Game Program Director.
“We’ve also tacked on extra days to the back end of the season
in late January when South Texas prospects are still pretty
solid. It’s a win-win for dove hunters.”
Roughly 10 percent of the nation’s 350 million mourning dove
reside in Texas, along with about nine million white-winged
dove. Each fall, over 415,000 Texas dove hunters take to the field
in pursuit of these acrobatic, fast-flying game birds. Based on
field observations by TPWD wildlife biologists, prospects for
the 2016-17 hunting season are good to excellent.
Dove season in the North Zone runs Sept. 1 - Nov. 13 and
Dec. 17 - Jan. 1, 2017; in the Central Zone from Sept. 1 - Nov.
6 and Dec. 17 - Jan. 8, 2017; and in the South Zone from Sept.
23 - Nov. 13 and Dec. 17 - Jan. 23, 2017. The daily bag limit for
doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit 45.
In the Special White-winged Dove Area, the season runs
Sept. 3-4, 10-11, Sept. 23 - Nov. 9, Dec. 17 - Jan. 23, 2017. Dur-
ing the early two weekends in the Special White-winged Dove
Area, hunting is allowed only in the afternoon and the daily
bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning
doves and two white-tipped doves. During the general season
opens, the aggregate bag limit is 15 with no more than two
white-tipped doves.
Hunters are reminded that all current hunting licenses
expire Aug. 31 and in addition to a 2016-17 hunting license,
anyone born after Sept. 1,1971, must successfully complete a
hunter education training course.
A Migratory Game Bird endorsement and Harvest Infor-
mation Program (HIP) certification are also required to hunt
dove. HIP certification involves a brief survey of previous
year’s migratory bird hunting success and is conducted at
the time licenses are purchased.
GETTING AWAY from the chaos on Toad Road five years ago, a lone man on a riding lawn-
mower follows the evacuation order issued for residents of the Bethlehem community. The
dog riding in a passing truck makes note of the unusual scene. A Texas Forest Service
bulldozer cut a fire break just in time to save the homes from the fast-moving fire which
had already taken two mobile homes and a house. This photo was on the front page of
The Mirror on Sept. 7, 2011, a few days after the worst outbreak of wildfires around here in
recorded history. The worst wildfire in Texas history occurred during the siege, destroying
1,673 homes and killing two people in Bastrop County east of Austin.
(Mirror photo by Mary Laschinger Kirby)
£ ca t*
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
Today I awoke to a dream
about water. Gushing water,
fresh from the earth, bubbling
up from springs, running over
a ledge of rock, down a hill
and forming a
lake. From the
lake flowed a
river into the
countryside.
It was at once
refreshing
and life giv-
ing.
Our bodies are almost 70
per cent water. Without water,
we die. We can live for 30 days
without food, but we can only
live three days without water.
Our organs rely on water to
function. Our brain, our heart,
our liver, our kidneys. Water
courses through our body
24/7 whether we are awake or
asleep. Our blood flow carries
the things our bodies need to
every part of our body. We
are a miracle of function, and
water is interwoven into every
aspect of this miracle.
Science is uncovering water
throughout our solar system
- water we never before knew
to a certainty was out there.
We know that water was once
abundant on Mars, our nearby
neighbor - the fourth planet
in our system. There may be
massive amounts of water
buried beneath the surface
of Mars. Jupiter has a moon
which has oceans akin to those
on the earth.
We know that where there is
water, there may be life, and it
might be life similar to the life
we find here on earth.
There’s a state park in
central Texas, west of Austin.
Pedernales Falls State Park.
Forty years ago I would go
there and make the trek to the
Pedernales Falls. The clear,
clean water flowed from the
Pedernales River. Along the
edges of the main body of
water there were springs from
which water flowed. You could
literally cup your hands and
catch water flowing out of the
rocky soil and drink the fresh
spring water. What a thrill to
ancient men and women those
springs must have been.
Something deep inside us
commands us to seek out wa-
ter. Ancient peoples knew it.
Living near water is assuring.
We know its life-giving prop-
erties. We understand that
we can drink it, and we can
find animals and vegetation
for food near it. We can bathe
in it. If there are falls, we can
let their waters wash over us
and cleanse us. As water flows
over falls, something magical
happens to the air. Negative
ions fill the air as the water
crashes into the rocks at the
bottom of the falls. We feel this
energy and it renews us.
If you have never been to
Niagara Falls, put that on
your list of things to do. Stand-
ing near the edge at the top,
watching the massive amount
of water rolling off that ledge
is truly a remarkable experi-
ence. Seeing the thunderous
flow of water hit the base of
the falls below is stupendous.
The sheer volume of water,
the sound it makes, and the
force of its weight are mind
expanding.
The surface of Earth is
almost seventy percent water,
the same as the percentage of
our body. Our planet lives on
water, from the oceans, to the
clouds, to the rain and snow,
to the rivers, and back to the
oceans. We and our planet live
from this cycle of H20.
©2016, Jim “Pappy”Moore,
All Rights Reserved.
Jim “Pappy” Moore is a
native son of East Texas who
still makes the piney woods
his home.
feife □ □ □
BETTY BIVINS COOK
If you’re like most people
trying to lead a busy life in the
modern world, you probably
often rely on things like fast
food for dinner.
You know eating this way
is unhealthy and expensive,
yet you can’t seem to find the
time to get a healthy, home-
cooked meal on the table for
your family.
Many people have simply
given up on the idea of cook-
ing because it seems so time-
consuming.
Several cookbooks featur-
ing healthier and easy to
prepare recipes have been
published in recent years.
Today’s featured recipes
are taken from “Quick & Easy
Dump Dinners” by Cathy
Mitchell.
This book features over
250 delicious, family-sized
meals that can be prepared
in minutes.
The book is available at
most bookstores.
“Dump cooking” is a tech-
nique that allows you to
simply “dump” a variety of
ingredients into a pot, pan,
or casserole dish, turn on the
heat or pop it in the oven, and
turn out delicious, healthy
meals that the whole family
will love.
In most cases, you only use
one cooking vessel along with
a few utensils, so dishes and
cleanup is practically non-
existent.
With minimal effort, you’ll
whip up meals that are super
easy, super fast, and most
importantly, absolutely deli-
cious.
Try these recipes from
“Quick & Easy Dump Din-
ners:”
CHICKEN NACHO
CASSEROLE
2 cups chopped or shred-
ded cooked chicken
3 cups tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar or
Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green
onions
Preheat oven to 350 de-
grees F. Layer the chicken,
nachos, and cheese in a 9 x
13-inch casserole dish. Bake
for 10 minutes, until cheese
is melted. Remove from oven
and allow to cool slightly.
Top with sour cream and
green onions before serv-
ing.
ORANGE CHICKEN
STIR FRY
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 boneless, skinless chick-
en breasts, sliced
1 bag frozen mixed veg-
etables of your choice
Hot cooked rice, for serv-
ing
Heat a large skillet over
medium high heat. Add the
orange juice and soy sauce
and the chicken and cook for
1 minute. Add the vegetables
and continue cooking until
chicken is cooked through
and veggies are crisp and
tender.
Serve over rice.
Note: The author says her
preferred vegetables for this
recipe are a mixture of onions
and peppers, but suggests you
use your favorite.
CHILI DOG CASSEROLE
2 cans (15 oz. each) chili
with beans
8 hot dogs
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)
1/2 cup shredded mild
Cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread chili into bottom of 11
x 7 inch baking dish. Place 1
hot dog on each tortilla; roll
up. Place, seam-sides down,
over chili. Spray lightly
with nonstick spray to aid in
browning tortilla.
Bake 15 minutes, or until
hot dogs are heated through
and tortillas are browned.
Sprinkle with cheese and
bake until cheese is melted,
about 5 more minutes.
Serves 4-6.
CHICKEN TACO BAKE
(Serves 6)
4 cups shredded or chopped
cooked chicken
2 cans condensed cream of
chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 can Rotel tomatoes,
undrained
1 can black beans, rinsed
and drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning
4 cups crushed tortilla
chips
2 cups shredded Mexican
or Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to350 degrees
F. Spray a large casserole dish
with cooking spray.
Combine the chicken,
soups, sour cream, Rotel to-
matoes, black beans and sea-
sonings in a bowl and stir.
Spread half of the chicken
mixture in the casserole dish.
Sprinkle with half the tortilla
chips and cheese. Repeat.
Heat in oven for 25-30
minutes, or until heated
through.
Rear Vision Mirror
TENYEARSAGO
Perry Henderson, senior
administrator of ETMC Pitts-
burg, was named interim ad-
ministrator of ETMC Gilmer
. . . Signs went up at ETMC
Gilmer designating it as a Lev-
el IV Trauma Center... John
Breazeale was promoted to
lieutenant colonel in USAF..
. City of Gilmer lowered its tax
rate by five cents to 69.6 cents
per $100 valuation . . . Bobby
Sanders was appointed chief
deputy of Upshur County
Sheriff’s Office... Supt. Rick
Albritton said GISD was off
to one of its best starts ever
. . . Gilmer contracted with
Sanitation Solutions of Paris
for its trash pickup service .
. . James Matthew Baker, 17,
of Big Sandy was killed in a
two-vehicle accident on FM
14 north of Hawkins ... Jen-
nifer Jones received $1,500
scholarship from Bruce High
School Memorial Scholarship
Organization... GISD adopted
a $15.1 million budget and
lowered its tax rate to $1,485
per $100 valuation ... Deaths
included George Davis, Sr., 83;
Garland Williams, 78.
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Scott St. between Titus and
Trinity was closed for sewer
improvements ... Union Hill
High School Principal Jack
Martin resigned to become
assistant principal at Pales-
tine Westwood . . . “We’ll be
competitive,” Coach Doug
Busch of the Buckeyes told
Rotarians . . . Dr. Pat Clark
outlined advanced placement
courses being offered by GHS
... August had been way wet-
ter than usual with nearly
seven inches of rain... Steve
Dean was elected chairman of
Southeastern Lumber Manu-
facturers Assn. . . . Deaths
included Lorenza Peoples,
91; Mrs. Dollie Davis, 86; Wil-
lie Wright, 40 . . . Don and
Patty Fenton won “yard of the
month” ... Twila Armstrong
of Med-Shop won Chamber’s
“courtesy award.”
THIRTY YEARS AGO
Temperature dropped to
52 degrees on Aug. 29; August
rainfall of 1.29 inches brought
total for year to 22.04 inches .
. . Paul David Williams was
named a director of Gilmer
Savings and Loan Assn. . . .
Dallas Model A Club mem-
bers stopped here in their old
Fords on the way to a rally
in Jefferson . . . Jane Gaddis
Blalock died at 48... Gov. Mark
White headed a delegation of
Democrats who attended a
rally here for Texas Senate
candidate Richard Anderson
, , . Commissioners planned
to raise county tax rate from
$.402 per $100 valuation to
$.517... City Mgr. Jim Mullins
proposed raising Gilmer tax
rate from $.30 to $.40.
FORTY YEARS AGO
Gilmer Junior High math
teacher Dell Davis was elected
president of Upshur County
Unit of Texas Professional
Educators at its first meeting
. . . Ted Parish’s 65 acres on
FM 2088 at Bettie was submit-
ted for recognition in Family
Heritage Program for those
who owned and operated
family land for 100 years con-
tinuously . . . Don W. Smith
was chairing the United Way
campaign... Florian Schwan-
hausser of Germany, Rotary
exchange student in 1974-75,
visited Mr. and Mrs. Murrell
McGill and other former host
families here . . . Katherine
Bonner was installed as presi-
dent of Gilmer ABWA chapter
.. . Angela Jenkins Richards
received the Harvey E. Wessel
Scholarship at Texas Eastern
Univ. (UT Tyler).
FIFTY YEARS AGO
Rainfall over the county in
August averaged five inches
. . . Pfc. Eugene Gunn, 26, of
Rosewood, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Clem Gunn, drowned
while swimming at Lake O’ the
Pines... W.R. Hartgrove sold
his nursery and greenhouse at
Diana... Sid Martin and Don
Williams attended an Indus-
trial Development Conference
at Texas A&M... Gwinn Cor-
ley of Rt. 5, Gilmer, received
a B.A. degree from Baylor . .
. Mike Clark, 20, was fatally
injured in a car wreck in Tyler
. . . Deaths also included Joe
W. Johnson, 63; Martha Ann
Beckham, 79; A.A. Finney,
96; Theda Spencer, 53; Mrs.
Joseph Tuttle and Talmadge
J. Green, along with Leland
(See Rear Vision, Page 5)
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Parker, Vic. The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 139, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 1, 2016, newspaper, September 1, 2016; Gilmer, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth879073/m1/4/: accessed July 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Upshur County Library.