Further truths I find self-evident:

· The statements “We’ve had the exact right amount of rain this year,” “I’ve been listening to the younger generation’s music, and you know, I think it’s better than our generation’s” and “This tattoo I got at 18 still really captures who I am at 50” have never been spoken by a sentient creature.

· There must be a secret line at the bank for Me-ma’s to get those extra crisp dollar bills they put in birthday cards.

· TV promos need to stop screaming about the “all new” episode coming up. Unless they start adding a new ending to a sit-com or slow-motion-bullet-going-through-viscera crime lab show the wife loves so much, like a tiger jumps out and eats the entire cast, that I had seen before, that would be “somewhat new,” and then I would understand the distinction.

· It’s impossible to play the blues on a ukulele.

· Lawn mowing is the peer pressure of middle age.

· How one enters a highway without a ramp, say a highway like TX-71 for example, is a short hand Rorschach test of personality and social attitude.

-        Type A- Pull blindly into the fast lane as a semi-trucks barrel in at 70 mph, traffic plays a dangerous Tetris like game of switching lanes, slamming brakes and waking up from a long drive, cruise control meditation to get around your 87 second 0-60 time.  You’re either :

a) so self-absorbed, the idea that someone else might be using this road never crosses your mind.

b) have suffered severe  blunt head trauma and just getting the correct key into the ignition has researchers recalibrating their scale of functionality of silent movies actors who had pianos, safes, anvils, etc., drop on them in 1920’s comedy shorts.

c) should have stopped driving 18 years ago and/or have a lot of obnoxious and insulting bumper stickers.

- Type B- regardless of traffic doesn’t even yield as he pulls onto the shoulder and then drives half a mile slowly building up speed, crossing several drive ways and almost clipping mail boxes, until fast enough to join traffic.  You are:

a)     you think being considerate, but in your lack of patience, actually creating more danger.

b)     mistaken in your belief that the shoulder is actually a poorly engineered entrance ramp.

c)     probably spending a lot of time texting while driving

-        Type C – Patiently wait for a safe opening in the traffic, merge in naturally, and stay out of blind spots.  You are:

a)     in the big canoe of society, one of the paddlers and probably pay a lot of taxes

b)     probably pretty vigilant and rarely, if ever, get in a wreck

c)     a nice guy, so will probably finish last (sigh).

· When little boys come in from playing on a hot day, they smell like sunshine, goat, and hope.

· I still don’t understand why my phrase “He’s as nonchalant as a cow grazing in a pasture” hasn’t caught on.

· Daddies will never understand their daughter’s dance competitions. The subjective nature of the scoring (“So why did that group of heavily made-up, synchronized leaping and rolling on the floor 11 year-olds get a better score than those other heavily made-up, synchronized leaping and rolling on the floor 11 year-olds again?”), the killing of an entire weekend, along with the travel and hotel costs for two 3-minute routines, and the borderline scandalously under clad costumes. Daddies just want to watch someone score a run, basket, or touchdown by someone thoroughly dressed.

· Even though I researched it and explained the chemical reaction to the kids, I still believe the best explanation of fireflies is “magic.”

· When a community is trying to heal psychologically, as well as physically, having the remains of the disaster in 40 foot mountains of crushed foundation concrete and burnt tree sawdust on the side of the main road is not very helpful. Can’t we push that back a couple of hundred yards?

· When astronomers are explaining the immensity of the universe to us lay-folks, they’re making up numbers. “Oh yeah, in the Milky Way alone, there are over a hamburgerbunillion stars.”  “Hamburgerbunillion?”  “Yeah, that’s a really big number with like a ton of zeroes at the end of it. You can tell it is a number because it ends in ‘illion.’”

· The best way to judge a culture is by its desserts and headwear.

· The fact that you only get perspective, healthy priorities and wisdom from the wrong side of experience seems karmically vindictive.

· Every church service should include “Amazing Grace.”

· Life isn’t fair, so we should work real hard to be.

Each May, Leon’s has a party in honor of May birthdays, and this year was no exception. Last Saturday, May 12, happened to fall on the 50^th birthday of Carol Jenkins, so it was an especially perfect day to celebrate. The band played all night and featured singers Herman Goertz and Mark Lee, drummer Darrell Kouba, bass player Scott Wilson and guitarist David Rainwater. Singer Marc Mulkey also joined the band to perform a couple of songs.

Anyone who frequents Leon’s knows Carol as the friendly and outspoken bartender who has worked there for many years. After serenading her with “Happy Birthday,” the crowd surprised her by donning special “Carol” masks (made by Grace Bartsch) as everyone danced to “Mustang Sally,” one of her favorite songs. Joining in the fun was Mike Brown, another local patron whose birthday was on Saturday as well.

Pettytown Picnic

The 72^nd Annual Pettytown Cemetery Homecoming Picnic was held on Sunday, May 6. The picnic, while usually held at the Pettytown Cemetery, was moved to the Red Rock Community Center because of the recent heavy rains and muddy condition of the road to the cemetery. The event was well-attended despite the change of venue and a large crowd gathered to enjoy a meal of barbeque chicken, sausage and tons of home cooked side dishes and desserts.

Cemetery trustee J.D. Moffett made announcements before the meal and also recognized those who had helped maintain and improve the grounds throughout the year.

This year, Bob Petty brought a banner he had made which provided a visual timeline of the descendants of John Petty and Elizabeth Dawson Petty, the first settlers of Pettytown. Bob, along with his wife Kathy and their daughter, Elizabeth, drove all the way from Lompoc, California to attend the picnic. They were joined by his brother, Jim Petty, and his sons, Ely and Jess, who live in Las Vegas.

Bob became interested in learning more about his family’s history in 2008 after the death of his sister. His genealogical research lead to his first visit to the Pettytown Picnic in 2009. The banner, which took months to put together, traces John and Elizabeth’s sixteen children (fourteen of whom lived to adulthood) and each of their family branches. It’s an excellent visual aide so that family members can easily trace their roots to Pettytown’s pioneer families. Before leaving, Bob and Jim presented the banner to Nolan Petty for safe keeping until the next picnic.

Spring Festival

Be sure to mark your calendar for the upcoming Sacred Heart Church Spring Festival on Sunday, May 27. A fried chicken lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and bingo will be from 1-5 p.m. Outside, there will be games, refreshments, live music and a horseshoe and washer tournament.

Got News?

Contact me with any events and news from the Rockne area at Rocknenews@gmail.com

I met Charles Mattern and his wife Linda several years ago, and on occasion we talked about a joint interest in gardening. A few weeks ago I decided to make the trip out to their land between Smithville and Bastrop to see their home and garden.

They began to improve this property a number of years ago when Charles retired from Bergstrom Air Force Base.  Their idea was to homestead and learn to live as independently as they could. They began with some cattle, and Linda raised horses and gave riding lessons.  A small garden was part of the plan from the beginning, but in 2010 they decided to transform the horse ménage (arena) into an organic truck farm operation. The goal was to encourage variety in their “produce” and they felt the animals would work in communion with the plantings. Free-range chickens are the newest addition to the “family,” They named their small business Pelham Farms, after the road that runs from the highway to their farm.

The enclosed garden area covers about two-thirds of an acre of their more than 50 acre tract. The garden is laid out in rows about six-feet wide and 60 feet long, and the plantings are very close together to discourage weeds.  Heirloom apples and pears are planted along the perimeter, and they grow a wide variety of gourmet vegetables and fruits in the interior. Rather than choosing varieties that have long “shelf-life” or the ability to survive transport across the country, they select seeds for their flavor, visual interest, and rarity. Many are heirloom varieties. Seeds are purchased from a variety of sources, some of them being Gourmet Seed, Johnny’s Seeds, Wild Garden Seed, Territorial Seeds, Renee’s Garden, Botanical Interests and Peaceful Valley Farm Supply.

This is a real family operation. Charles is in charge of sales and marketing, and takes the produce to local farmers markets. Linda is in control of seed selection, starting the seeds in the greenhouse, and then transplanting them to the larger garden. Their “30 something” son Robert is the “scientist,” record-keeper and designs the layout and irrigation system. All of them work in the garden, often at night. They’ve come up with the creative idea to use headlamps, such as those worn by mountain climbers, and weed and pick the produce in the cooler hours after sunset. Linda tells me she has often spent the night out in the garden with the shop-vac, removing cucumber beetles and other insect pests by that means. The garden is grown under completely organic conditions.

After the tour of the garden area, we took a stroll down the hillside to the 20 acres of bottomland along Alum Creek. This area was left completely natural, except to mow a path between the trees to allow human visitors. I have to say I have never seen a lovelier landscape in all of Texas, including my 16 acres in the Lost Pines. Post Oaks, Blackjack Oaks, Pecans, American Elms, Hickory, and occasional Loblolly Pines grew to enormous heights; one of the Elms was the 2^nd largest in Texas, with an 18 foot circumference and likely about 300 years old. The understory was lush with Redbuds, Wax Myrtle, Carolina Cherry Laurel, and the shrubby American Beautyberry. The whole tour was a real treat for both gardener and landscape designer. It was obvious to me that the hand that designed and laid out that naturalistic “garden” was unparalleled. I am eager to return at the earliest opportunity.

I cannot believe graduation is just around the corner. I’m sorry to be focusing on it so much lately, but it’s front-and-center in our household right now.

It’s as if a giant clock is counting down the minutes. It’s kind of a dry-run for planning a wedding, if you ask me. There are dresses to be purchased, fancy cakes to be consumed and gifts given for use in setting up a newly-established domicile.

That leads me to my current task: helping plan Project Graduation. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s the post-commencement lock-in at the school for the seniors so that they can celebrate graduation together in a safe, fun, drug- and alcohol-free environment. It’s being planned and hosted by a group of senior class parents, which in the wedding analogy is akin to planning a big reception with about 15 other brides giving input.

Thanks to generous sponsors in the community, we have been able to plan a fun-filled evening for these young adults, which includes the chance to win prizes at the end of the event. Determining what these prizes should be has been a major challenge as these young people are a diverse group.

The first item on the prize list was TVs. That’s a no-brainer. They will all watch a few movies over the next few years at a minimum, so no question TVs would be useful.

The next items were trickier. Computers? Sure, but what kind? It depends on what you’re using it for as to what size, speed and capability you need.

Also up for discussion were the old staples of graduation – cameras.  Nope, they have phones that have cameras in them now. Same for video cameras.

Appliances? Some students will live in apartments where there will be appliances provided and some will need mini appliances for dorm life. However, the one thing they haven’t managed to build into a phone yet is the ability to keep beverages at a cool 38 degrees, so a fridge of some sort was not out of the question.

Looking back, I have to laugh at the prize selection for my Project Graduation back in 1990. Someone thought it would be a good idea to give a radar detector, of which I was the lucky recipient. I guess no one saw the irony in giving a device that allows for bending of the traffic laws to a teenager at a party built around keeping them safe (The added layer of irony here is that if you read my column a few weeks ago about my first car, the radar detector was pretty much “for show” and only came in useful in areas where the speed limit was about 45 and I was a lawless speedster at 52 MPH.)

Things are falling into place for Project Graduation 2012 at this point. We have all reached agreement on some exciting prizes that the kids will love, as well as coming up with methods to distribute those prizes so that each students gets what he or she needs. I can’t wait to see the kids’ reactions to the activities and prizes waiting for them at the event.

If I haven’t lost my mind before my May 31 column, I’ll let you know how it went.

SCHWAN TRUCK TOMORROW

Make room in your freezer because the Smithville Cheer Boosters will be hosting a fully-stocked Schwan’s Truck in the parking lot of Tractor Supply (441 Highway 71 W in Bastrop) on Friday, May 18 (tomorrow) from 1-7 p.m. Customers can either shop directly from the truck or place their orders to be pulled before they arrive.

To pre-order, call Schwan’s at 1-888-724-9267, select option 4, and enter Campaign ID number 39433 to make sure that the Cheer Boosters get credit for the sale. Proceeds raised by this fundraiser go toward all four cheerleading squads at the junior high and high school levels.

COMMUNITY SCIENCE

It’s going to be a great weekend with plenty of activities for the entire family. First up is “Community Science Night” at the Smithville Recreation Center sponsored by the local MD Anderson Science Research Park.

This year’s subject is “The Beauty and Danger of Sun Exposure.”  Scientific presentations will include “What is Skin Cancer?,” “Cancer Prevention,” and an open Q&A Session.

Along with these presentations, the event will include student activities and an appearance by the Smithville Public Library’s “Science Rocks!” van.

Plan on joining the staff of the science park at the Smithville Recreation Center for this free event on Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. (Yes, they realize that “Community Science Night” is actually during the day. It’s normally a night event but was rescheduled this year so as not to conflict with the Veteran’s Memorial Concert that night.)

VETERANS MEMORIAL THIS WEEKEND

Get your tickets now for the “Honor Our Heroes” Memorial Celebration on Saturday, May 19 at Riverbend Park featuring a concert with Cory Morrow as the headliner, Todd Fritsch, Darby Ledbetter, Catfish & the Waterdogs, and the Ben Johnson Band starting at 4:30 p.m.

The day will also include bed races and a parade (those two events will be held on Main Street), kickball, horseshoes and washers, volleyball, bounce houses, a military static display and museum of weapons (no ammunition, visual only), a barbecue cookoff and many other events at Riverbend Park throughout the day.

General admission is $20 presale (midnight Friday, May 18), $25 at the gate for the day and $100 for VIP tickets which include admission, meal, three beverages, up-close seating for the concert and the ticket holder’s name in a drawing. Kids aged 10 and younger will be admitted for free. Gates open at Riverbend at 8 a.m.

For a full schedule of events, visit www.texasmemorialpark.org. To buy tickets online, visit tinyurl.com/smithvillemusic. Tickets can also be purchased at City Hall.  For more information, call 512-237-3282.

Come enjoy a wonderful day with your family while honoring those who have made it possible to have the freedom to do so.

PARK SWING

The 15^th Annual Smithville Swing Golf Tournament is set for Saturday, June 16 (2 p.m. shotgun start) at Pine Forest Golf Club in Bastrop.

This three-person Texas scramble is $75 per person to play and includes a goody bag and a meal following the tournament. Mulligans will be available for purchase prior to the start of the tournament (limit 2 per person).

Prizes are as follows: First Team Net $300, Second Team Net $225, Third Team Net $150, First Team Gross $300, Second Team Gross $225, Men’s and Women’s Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin.

Proceeds from the tournament will support the Smithville Recreation Center and its programs.  Register your team by calling 237-3282, ext. 7.

For the parents of this year’s seniors, it’s winding down. The last milestone event before graduation has come and gone this past Saturday in a parade of formal wear, corsages and teenagers packed into limos like a clown car.

My daughter’s crew took a Texas limo (F150 extended cab), grabbed some dinner at the new Italian eatery in Bastrop and headed over to the Hyatt for their final prom.  Hours later, our backyard pool was rockin’, the hot tub bubbling and the sound system blasting some tunes.

Then, Neal and Trent and I went back into the house to wait on the teens to get home.  (See what I did there?)

When the teens arrived home, they went into the back yard and cranked the party back up into full gear.  This old lady fell asleep before they broke it up, but only because I knew Dr. Neal was on call.

Early the next morning, my dogs and I surveyed the damage.  Aside from the house being littered with kids, nothing was amiss. Two dozen donuts later, they were up playing card games and Rock Band on the Xbox.  By early afternoon on Sunday, the party was over.

Personally, I wish the party would never end.

FLY-IN THIS WEEKEND

Don’t have breakfast plans this Saturday morning, May 12? Do you enjoy aviation?

Bring the whole family out to the annual Smithville Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast at the county’s only airport right here in Smithville, this Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon. The Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Smithville will be serving complimentary pancakes and V&V Sausage prepared by local caterer John Chabot.

Come greet planes and pilots from around the state as they converge and compete in categories such as “Most Interesting/Unusual,” “Best Exterior/Paint Job,” “Best Interior” and “Best Antique Aircraft.”

The Fly-In will also include Young Eagles Ground School training starting at 10 a.m.  For more information on this organization that introduces young people ages 8 – 17 to aviation, visit the website www.youngeagles.org.

There is no fee to attend Fly-In or participate in the Young Eagles Ground School and pre-registration is not required. Simply attend the event to participate!

For more information about Fly-In, visit www.facebook.com/Fly84R.  Special thanks to our sponsors V&V Sausage, John Chabot, Meyerson Custom Builders and FranLan Multimedia for hosting this amazing community event.

CURE ON THE COLORADO

Don’t forget to buy tickets for Cure on the Colorado this Saturday, May 12 at Riverbend Park. It will be a fun event with great food and incredible musical performances, all to benefit our local M.D. Anderson Science Park here in Smithville.

The party gets underway at 5 p.m. when gates open.  Your $25 pre-sale ticket ($35 at the gate) includes a buffet dinner catered by local chef John Chabot, a live double-set performance by the Marshall Ford Swing Band, live and silent auctions, and informative exhibits.

To get tickets, visit the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce (intersection of Main and First Streets) or purchase online at www.CureOnTheColorado.org.  You may also call the Science Park at 512-237-9405 or the Chamber at 237-2313.

Special thanks go to sponsors First National Bank, LCRA, Bluebonnet, Grover and Sue Shade, Dean Tang, Ph.D. and Covert Chevrolet Buick GMC.

This is a great deal for dinner and entertainment of this quality. I hope to see you out there!

COMMUNITY SCIENCE

Speaking of the local M.D. Anderson Science Park, “Community Science Night” is a great example of some of the uses of their fundraising efforts.

This year’s subject is “The Beauty and Danger of Sun Exposure.”  Scientific presentations will include “What is Skin Cancer?” “Cancer Prevention” and an open Q&A Session.

Along with these presentations, the event will include student activities and an appearance by the Smithville Public Library’s “Science Rocks!” van.

Plan on joining the staff of the science park at the Smithville Recreation Center for this free event on Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. (Yes, they realize that “Community Science Night” is actually during the day. It’s normally a night event but was rescheduled this year so as not to conflict with the Veteran’s Memorial Concert that night.)

HONOR OUR HEROES

Tickets are still available for the “Honor Our Heroes” Memorial Celebration on Saturday, May 19 at Riverbend Park featuring a concert with Cory Morrow as the headliner, Todd Fritsch, Darby Ledbetter, Catfish & the Waterdogs and the Ben Johnson Band starting at 4:30 p.m.

The day will also include bed races and a parade(those two events will be held on Main Street), kickball, horseshoes and washers, volleyball, bounce houses, a military static display and museum of weapons (no ammunition, visual only), a BBQ cookoff, and many other events at Riverbend Park throughout the day.

General admission is $20 for the day and $100 for VIP tickets which include admission, meal, 3 beverages, up-close seating for the concert, and the ticket holder’s name in a drawing.  Kids aged 10 and younger will be admitted for free.  Gates open at Riverbend at 8 a.m.

For a full schedule of events or to get to the link to buy tickets online, visit www.texasmemorialpark.org. Tickets can also be purchased at City Hall.  For more information, call 237-3282.

Come enjoy a wonderful day with your family while honoring those who have made it possible to have the freedom to do so.

SUPPORT CHEER BOOSTERS

The Smithville Cheer Boosters will be hosting a fully-stocked Schwan’s Truck in the parking lot of Tractor Supply (441 Highway 71 W in Bastrop) on Friday, May 18 from 1 to 7 p.m.  Customers can either stop at that time and place their orders to be pulled off the truck or pick up orders they have called in to avoid the wait.

To pre-order, call Schwan’s at 1-888-724-9267, select option 4, and enter Campaign ID number 39433 to make sure that the Cheer Boosters get credit for the sale.  Proceeds raised by this fundraiser go toward all four cheerleading squads at the junior high and high school levels.

The Rosanky Boys were in Port Mansfield this past weekend with some family and friends and caught some really nice trout. Rosanky Boy Ronny Hammons had the largest trout of the weekend, measuring 26 inches! Ronny also caught a 21-inch trout. Rosanky Boys Justin Goertz and Kyle Hammons both landed a 25-inch trout and Tyler Saunders pulled in a 24-inch and a 21-inch fish. And rounding the trip out with a 20 incher was Rosanky Boy Cole Hammons. You can keep up with the Rosanky Boys and all their adventures by going to their website, www.rosankyboys.com

Cooper family moved

That’s right, the Cooper family has moved! We moved two-and-a-half miles down the road. Still in Rosanky, of course. We love this area and this community and we’re not going anywhere soon. It’s been a struggle, more for James and the kids than for me. I’ve been working every day while they’ve been moving. But, we’re just about all settled in and loving the new place. We all have more room and we’re looking forward to making this place “home sweet home.”

Lost dogs

The lost dogs that came up to our house awhile back are now lost again. We moved to the new house and brought them with us. They seemed to like it, playing and running around with the girls in the yard, but they’ve wandered off and haven’t come back. If you see them, please contact me. My girls would love to have Pugley and Pebbles back.

Garage sale a success

If you missed the Rosanky Community Garage Sale last week, don’t worry, it wasn’t a one-time thing. Rosanky folks do this every year. This year, there were about 50 different spots taken by local families and friends who came together to sell their unwanted or unneeded stuff. Seems these events are getting bigger every year.

Recipe of the week

I used to love my husband’s bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, but he’s come up with a new dish that is now my new favorite. James says to first take a 6 to 8 oz filet mignon, cut it in a ribbon spiral or butterfly it and stuff with feta cheese and spinach. You can wrap with bacon if you’d like and use a toothpick to keep it closed. Use a generous amount of Montreal Steak seasoning on both sides and drop the steak in a flat-iron skillet with a teaspoon of bacon grease. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. The outside will blacken while the inside will be nice and tender. Try it and when you see my husband, let him know what you think.

Kids Korner

Mother’s Day is coming up fast! I don’t like my kiddos using the money they earned or money from their birthdays to buy me gifts, so I have my husband tell them to make me things. It’s always the thought that counts anyway, plus it’s a great memory to keep and share with them when they’re older. So this Mother’s Day, buy your kiddos some construction paper, glue, scissors, markets, glitter, whatever you think they might need to make the greatest Mother’s Day card ever. Great memories that last a lifetime!

Got news?

If you have any announcements, news or photos you would like to share, please email me at rosankynews@live.com.

Paige lost a sweet lady last week – Lee Hamilton. She was loved by all that knew her. She was a good friend to so many here. Paul, you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. The physical aspect may end, but her spirit and your memories live on forever. Lee, we will always remember you.

Sons of Hermann

The Join Hands Day Benefit on Saturday, May 5 went well. The hamburger meal in for $6 was a big hit. Proceeds benefited the Paige 4-H Club. The 4-H would like to thank the Sons of Hermann for their support.

Paige Fire Department report

Paige Volunteer Fire Department answered the following calls in April: Three mutual aid, five accidents, two landing zones, one false alarm and one controlled burn.

The fire chief reminds everyone about fire safety. Structure fire activity is picking up for the county.
Paige VFD is proud to have two personnel enrolled in the Bastrop City Firefighters Academy.
Our barbecue chicken fundraiser was a big success and the members wish to thank our associates for their help and the community for supporting us.

Paige Lion’s Club

The Turkey Shoot went well Sunday. Be sure to come out again next Sunday and bring your friends. Turkey Shoot starts every Sunday at 2 p.m. in the field across from the Paige Community Center.

The Lions Club sponsored a Spring Cleaning Day Saturday that also went well.

If you would like to join or just to see what we’re like, feel free to come to one of the meetings which are held the first and third Wednesday every month. Meetings start at 6:30 p.m. at the Paige Community Center.

New baby bunnies live with the chickens.

This is not a feed store: I call it the chicken crossing at Hwy 21 and Gonzales Road here in Paige. I love to slow down and look for the bunnies and the chickens and they have a hen now with chicks. My dog, Duke, loved chickens too much so I had to give my chickens away. I miss watching them with the chicks. It’s a shame more parents are not as protective with their children as a hen is with her chicks.

Thought

Love your children, but don’t let them dominate your marriage. Remember and prioritize the one you married.

Smithville was all glitz and glamour this weekend with the first ever Reel Film Expo happening downtown.  Huge thanks to each and every volunteer who made it happen and to our fearless leader and chairman of the Smithville Music and Film Commission, Skeeter Sewart.

Just like the making of most of these films, this Expo was a community effort between the chamber, the city, individual citizens and businesses.  Very special thanks to our sponsors Playhouse Smithville for letting us use their wonderful venue, Best Buy for providing the projection equipment and sound, Pocket’s Grille and Comfort Café for hosting mixers, Spiderwood Studios for bringing their setup, Bluebonnet Electric and Texas Film Commission for providing monetary support, the City of Smithville for providing the Ann Powell Express for location tours, Mary Farrar of 1^st ACT! Academy for her hours of dedication and tireless efforts and franLan Multimedia for designing the schedules, maps, web presence and other materials that were necessary to make this happen.

It was nice to be reunited with some of the special guests from the Texas Film Commission, as well as the actors, directors, producers and writers of some of the movies shown at the Expo.  Mark your calendars for Friday, May 3 through Sunday, May 5, 2013 for next year’s event.

Next on the agenda:  Smithville Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast happening this Saturday, May 12 at the Smithville Municipal Airport, Bastrop County’s only airport (I never get tired of saying that!).  Bring your family and join the chamber, the City of Smithville, franLan Multimedia, Meyerson Custom Builders and Chef John Chabot for a hot-off-the-griddle pancake breakfast which includes juice, coffee and delicious V&V Sausage.

The event gets underway at 9 a.m. and lasts until noon.  Bring the kids for the Young Eagles Ground School starting at 10 a.m. in Sandy Meyerson’s hangar (the blue hangar next to the hangar where breakfast will be served).  Sandy is graciously teaching the class to kids aged 8-17 who are interested in aviation.  Sandy has a real passion for aviation and it’s evident in his dedication to the Young Eagles program.  There is no need to RSVP or pre-register for the Fly-In or the ground school.

The Fly-In will include some fun contests for our pilots who are visiting from around the state, such as prizes for “Best Exterior/Paint Job,” “Best Interior,” “Most Interesting” and “Best Antique Aircraft.”

Meanwhile, Smithville is open for business – film, tourism, industry, and retail!  Don’t forget to shop local for Mother’s Day.

My middle daughter, Kylie, just turned 8 on the Friday, April 27. I was given tickets to a Blue October concert and planned on taking my oldest daughter, Kora, who is their biggest fan but Kora gave her ticket to Kylie as a birthday present. I have such sweet girls. So Kylie and I went to Austin on Saturday and saw Blue October (one of my favorite bands) perform at Stubbs BBQ and it was absolutely amazing. Everyone was so nice and helpful. Several people helped me put her on my shoulders so she could see. We had a great time. Love Blue October and love Blue October fans!

Family Fun Day Cursed?

You may remember me writing about our family fun day at the river a few weeks ago when my youngest, Kennadi, fell and broke her arm. She has two more weeks until she gets her pretty purple cast off and, on Sunday, at Kylie’s birthday party, my oldest, Kora, fell and hurt her arm. We had to leave the party and take her to the ER. Thankfully Kora didn’t break her collar bone but bruised it and her upper arm pretty bad, so she’s in a sling and having to put ice on it for a few days. One kid in a cast, one in a sling. I feel like wrapping Kylie in bubble wrap to keep her from falling and hurting her arm as well!

Fundraiser coming up

The String Prairie annual benefit to help support the upkeep and maintenance of the String Prairie Community Center will be this Saturday May 5. The building is a historic schoolhouse and current rental facility. As a schoolhouse, classes were held until its closure in 1958, when busing to Smithville schools began for all grades.

There is a tree covered patio where everyone can come enjoy music and a delicious barbecue meal with all the trimmings. Dessert, tea and coffee will also be served. Adult plates are $7 and a child’s plate is $5, starting at 4:30 p.m., with a benefit live auction starting at 6 p.m. The String Prairie Community Center is located on Hwy 304, four miles south of Hwy 535 (Rosanky).

Chupacabra in Rosanky

A message from Rosanky Boy Kyle Hammons, “On April 21, while filming Rosanky Boy Kurt Hammons on a turkey hunt just west of Rosanky, something very interesting caught my attention. About 150 yards away from me I spotted a small dog that I have never encountered before, but I knew it was familiar to me. The animal was small. About the size of a coyote. It was solid grey and did not have a single hair on its body. The way it bounced up and down while it ran was also a little odd to me. Despite the animals ugly appearance it did seem like it was in good health. While I was filming it hit me. This is a so called Chupacabra. I knew the image from pictures I had seen and from several programs I saw on the Discovery Channel. I did get about 13 seconds of very good footage of the so called Chupacabra on my camera. I plan to put the video on You tube very soon. I blew these images up from snapshots I got from the film.”

Recipe

This weeks’ recipe came from Carroll Rabel:
1 package yellow cake mix (dry). You can also use chocolate
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 T. water (or sub. 1/2 t. vanilla for part of water)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Drop from a teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for about 1 minute, then remove to rack to finish cooling. Makes 4 to5 dozen cookies.

Got News

If you have any announcements, news or photos you would like to share, please email me at rosankynews@live.com.

What a nice weekend it was and I spent it helping my husband in the yard Sunday.

In the McCorquodale house, I am not allowed to pick green tomatoes for fried green tomatoes. But being the good wife that I am, I watered Ray’s garden for him this weekend, because, needless to say, I am a good wife. His tomatoes had some little black spots on them, so I thought – just in case it’s  insects – I need to get them off the plant. We had fried green tomatoes that day – I’m good!  A lot of thought went into that and at the end I did what was right. Enjoyed every one of them, too!

Saturday, I will be busy with my 4-H kids at the Paige Hermann Sons here in Paige Hamburger in a Bag fundraiser. Please stop by.

A blessed day

The newlyweds are Mr. and Mrs. John Enloe. Pat and Johnny met about a year ago. We are all so happy for them to find true love again. What a great wedding! They got married Saturday, April 29. She is 73 and he is 83.

They had family from all over the country coming in for their special day, from Florida to New Mexico. Congratulations to Pat and Johnny Enloe.

Paige Lions Club

The regular Spring Turkey Shoot is Sunday at 2 p.m. in the field across from the Paige Community Center. They will have sausage wraps for sale, cooked on site.

The Lions Club is sponsoring a “Spring Cleaning Day” on the first Saturday in May, starting at 8 a.m. behind the volunteer fire department. Along with a local community-wide roadside clean-up effort, the Lions Club will be providing a location to drop off your small household trash and junk items for proper disposal. Most small items will be accepted; however, we cannot dispose of appliances or concrete items. A Cam Disposal employee will be on hand to determine if items can be taken.

Along with typical household trash, we will have an area set up to dispose of pest control chemicals, paints, used motor oil, batteries and other chemical products that can’t be thrown away with regular trash.

Although this event will end at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, we hope you will join us in keeping your community clean. The Paige Lions Club meets every first and third Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Paige Community Center and welcomes folks to come get involved in their community. We wish to thank the Paige Volunteer Fire Department and the Paige 4-H club for their participation in making this event happen, along with Cam Disposal for donating their time and their equipment.

Sons of Hermann

Join Hands Day Benefit, Saturday, May 5 is a hamburger meal in a bag with grilled hamburgers, chips, drink and a homemade cookie for $6. Serving starts at 11 a.m. and proceeds benefit the Paige 4-H Club. Hoping to see the Paige Lions Club and visitors for the Paige cleanup at lunch.

Oatmeal Cookies

Many people think chocolate chip is the best cookie. Well, not today! April 30 was National Oatmeal Cookie Day. As a big fan of oatmeal cookies, 11Alive Producer Laura Houston baked for the morning show team and wanted to share her favorite recipe: The “$250 Cookie Recipe” comes from Maida Heatter’s Brand-New Book of Great Cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

4 ounces milk chocolate

8 ounces butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs graded “large”

12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels

6 ounces walnuts, in medium-sized pieces

Directions:

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with baking parchment or aluminum foil, shiny side up; set aside

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking sofa, and salt; set aside.

Place the oatmeal in bowl of a food processor fitted with metal chopping blade. Cut or break the milk chocolate into pieces and add it to the oatmeal. Process for 20 or 25 seconds, until the oatmeal and the chocolate are almost powdered. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter until soft. Add both sugars and the vanilla, and beat until mixed. Beat in the eggs. Then, add the sifted dry ingredients and the oatmeal mixture and beat on low speed, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary and beating only until mixed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate morsels and walnuts. (It will be a stiff mixture.)

Place a long piece of foil next to the sink. Use a rounded tablespoon of the dough for each cookie. Place mounds of the dough on the foil.

Wet your hands with cold water, shake them off but don’t dry them. Roll a mound of the dough between your hands to form a ball, flatten it a bit, and place it on a lined cookie sheet. Continue shaping the cookies and placing them about two inches apart on the lined sheets. Wet your hands again as often as necessary.

Bake two sheets at a time for about 14 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back as necessary during baking to insure even browning.

When the cookies are lightly colored and are just about firm to the touch, remove the sheets from the oven. Let the cookies stand on the sheets briefly, then transfer them with a wide metal spatula to racks to cool.

Thought

Life is good, Eat Cookies. Johnny Abell