by Phil Houseal | Apr 2, 2025 | All Articles, Philosophy
April 2, 2025–There was a point in my life where I was in a position to receive a substantial financial windfall, entirely outside my control. The details don’t matter, and it was entirely legal and ethical. It didn’t happen, but it set me to daydreaming about what I...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 19, 2025 | All Articles, Food, Philosophy
Mar 19, 2025 Feels like the first time. Foreigner Everyone seeks pleasure. It is the one desire shared by every human being. Pleasure is so desirable we go to extreme lengths to obtain it. Seeking pleasure in a destructive manner with drugs is called addiction. With...
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 5, 2025 | All Articles, Philosophy
March 5, 2025–”We were never meant to hear everyone’s opinion on everything all the time.” Sean Ono Lennon “It’s 17 degrees.” Ten minutes later: “It’s 18 degrees.” Fifteen minutes later: “It’s…” “Stop saying the temperature!” She was right. And I...
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 19, 2025 | All Articles, Events, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Feb 19, 2024–It’s always about the song. What makes a good song, I asked Gary Nicholson, the prolific songwriter you might not have ever heard of, who will perform at the Hill Top Café north of Fredericksburg on Feb 27. “What makes a good song is a song that people...
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 | Feb 5, 2025 | All Articles, Philosophy
Feb 5, 2025–How would you live your life differently if you didn’t now what time it was? Or what day? Or what year? Or how old you were? This is not an idle question. I don’t think we realize how much of our lives are controlled by numbers. For some reason, humans are...
by Phil Houseal | Jan 29, 2025 | All Articles, Education
January 29, 2025– “Bound and binding, binding, bound, Hear the sight, see the sound. What was lost now is found, Bound and binding, binding, bound.” You’re walking out of your house for an important appointment, when you remember you misplaced your...
