by Phil Houseal | May 5, 2021 | All Articles, Food, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
May 5, 2021–From Kay Street in the west (the “K” in COME BACK) to Eagle Street in the east (the “E” in ALL WELCOME) it seems every other Fredericksburg establishment has something to do with sipping, selling, tasting, or tippling wine. Wine is the new water. I have a...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 28, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy, PR Tips
April 28, 2021–If you inherited a ranch, what would you name it? This question was recently posed, along with the suggestion it might make an interesting column. It struck close to home, because coming up with names for things is something I’ve spent an inordinate...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 21, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
April 21, 2021–I am a binge TV watcher. For someone that hasn’t had broadcast or cable television since 1995, I feel like a hypocrite admitting this addiction. But I’m fairly selective in my choice of shows. I prefer the unimaginable future or the unrecoverable past....
by Phil Houseal | Apr 14, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
April 14, 2021–Did anyone else grow up with visiting relatives who kept saying good-bye but never left? I put this up on a social media post and was amazed at the response. Everyone seems to have their own family memory of the “long goodbye.” Part of the fascination...
by Phil Houseal | Apr 7, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
April 7, 2021–The need to purchase several sticks of PVC to repair some plumbing after the ice storm reinforced my interest in this magical material. For do-it-ourselfers, PVC ranks on the top shelf alongside rolls of duct tape, bags of zip ties, and lengths of baling...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 31, 2021 | All Articles, Education, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Mar 31, 2021–I wish to issue an apology to the world on behalf of my generation. Back when we were rebelling against everything that “people over 30” did, the casualties included dressing up (wearing ties, ugh), and social etiquette. Thanks to our aversion to...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 24, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
Mar 24, 2021–Anyone else exhausted by smarmy advice posted on social media? You can recognize it not only by the shallowness of thought, but by the “flying toasters” backgrounds. The more flowers, clouds, or sunbeams in the image, the more treacly the sentiment. As...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 17, 2021 | All Articles, Philosophy
March 17, 2021–One concept the Hill Country Ice-A-Cane reinforced was that things that are always in the way are never there when you need them. The obvious items in short supply during the storm were waterproof gloves, emergency candles, and ice scrapers. I swear I...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 10, 2021 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
March 10, 2021–New! Simplified for Seniors! That was the screaming message for an offer in my mailbox last week. It upset me. When, I yelled at the sky, did being a senior citizen mean you got stupid? Shouldn’t it be the exact opposite? Shouldn’t the people who have...
by Phil Houseal | Mar 3, 2021 | All Articles, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Mar 3, 2021–For the nth time, I’m reading Nine Years With The Indians, the book about Herman Lehmann, the last Indian captive on the Texas frontier. It tells the story–in his own words–of the 11-year-old German boy who was captured in 1870 and lived with the Apaches...
