by Phil Houseal | Jul 13, 2021 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
July 14, 2021–When an event has been going on for 133 years, closing the gates for a season is not an option. So last summer, the directors of the Gillespie County Fair & Festival Association decided to hold the county fair and the horse races. Events were...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 7, 2021 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
July 7, 2021–As I sat in a field in Southeast Texas a few weeks ago, I encountered a new (to me) species of native insect: Love bugs. While the name conjures up notions of romance and cuteness, their presence is a plague. According to locals, for a few days each...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 2, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
June 30, 2021–What do you say when you have nothing to say? As a youngling I remember reading letters to the editor back in my hometown newspapers. Even then I noticed that the most prolific letter writers–whom I assumed were all older because they usually mentioned...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 23, 2021 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
June 23, 2021–A dangerous combination is parents who see a threat in every natural situation, raising kids who see none. I was reminded of this when we had visitors to our rural property awhile back. They had grown up in very urban areas, but were enamored by the...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 16, 2021 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country
June 16, 2021–When is a coloring book more than just a book to color in? When it was created by Liza Proch. “I believe we’re all given the gift of creativity, whether in the artistic sense or not,” said the 22-year-old Fredericksburg resident. “A huge...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 9, 2021 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
June 9, 2021–While goosing my truck up to 85 miles per hour on Interstate 10 West, I thought back to 1974 when the federal government forced states to drop all speed limits to 55 mph. This was done to 1) save fuel, 2) save lives. It did neither. This directly affected...
by Phil Houseal | Jun 2, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
June 2, 2021–Why not judge a book by its cover? How else are you going to tell whether a book is worth opening? During a long drive the past weekend I was considering all the aphorisms we accept without thinking. Like “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” What is...
by Phil Houseal | May 25, 2021 | All Articles, Events, Music
May 26, 2021–You know what helped get me through the year-long live entertainment drought? Polka music. I’m not ashamed to admit that every Tuesday evening I tuned into Mollie B’s Polka Party, a live hour-and-a-half program put on by Mollie Busta Lange and Ted Lange,...
by Phil Houseal | May 19, 2021 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
May 19, 2021–The world would function more smoothly, warring factions would join hands, and we would all sleep more soundly if organizations and businesses would hire one person. Who is this magical being? Someone to answer the damn phone. I believe every customer...
by Phil Houseal | May 12, 2021 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
May 12, 2021–I was asked to write a letter to my granddaughter that she will open 12 years from now. This stumped me. Me, who calls himself a writer. I’ve said before how intimidating it is when you realize you are in a place where people actually listen to or read...
