by Phil Houseal | Mar 12, 2025 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
March 12, 2025–Local feed dealer Bruce Woerner once told me about the time he was drinking coffee with his buddies at the local diner. One member of the group always kept his nose in the newspaper, so Bruce decided to have a little fun. He took out his lighter, leaned...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 2, 2025 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
March 26, 2025–How many squares of toilet paper do you use? How many paper towels does it take to clean up a cup of spilled milk? If you had parents or grandparents who lived through the Depression, I wager that you are familiar with the often compulsive lengths they...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 26, 2025 | All Articles, History, Music, Philosophy
Feb 26, 2025–Recently a gaggle of musicians were sharing road stories, talking about the highs and lows of making “a living” traveling across the country, picking in dives and bars, sleeping in cars, eating through the Dairy Queen menu, drinking too much, and...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 12, 2025 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Feb 12, 2025–I must admit to a feeling of guilt that I have never visited the great museums and cathedrals of Europe. I have not gone on safari in Africa, nor ridden on the Orient Express. I haven’t waddled with penguins in Antarctica nor left REI gear on the slopes...
by Phil Houseal | Jan 22, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Jan 22, 2024–In my weekly scribblings I am always tickled when readers take time to respond, often to unexpected aspects of my columns. As happened when I received this: “Thank you for your article The Scent of Color, and thank you for your interest in Crayola...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 25, 2024 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
(Note: This is a column from 2015, updated and reprinted by request.) Dec 25, 2024–I am thinking about my Aunt Rose this week. She was 250 years old. At least she seemed to be that age in my childish worldview. She was actually born in 1898, the ninth of 10 children,...
