by Phil Houseal | Oct 21, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Oct 22, 2020–For boys growing up in the early days of television, all our favorite heroes were single men. The Lone Ranger. Gene Autry. Batman. Zorro. And most TV families were led by single fathers: Bonanza, Andy Griffith, My 3 Sons, The Rifleman, Jed Clampett. The...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 14, 2020 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 14, 2020–As a marketing gimmick, I once tried to come up with a clever mascot for a university’s fictional athletic program. I couldn’t do it. I brainstormed the most insignificant or annoying animals and plants that would make a tongue-in-cheek T-shirt that...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 7, 2020 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Oct 7, 2020–Every four years as we approach the elections, I ask the same question: Is anyone “undecided?” Because 90% of everyone who is paying attention to politics fall one way or the other on these binary choices: either Republican or Democrat, Liberal or...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 30, 2020 | All Articles, Music, Philosophy
Sept 30, 2020–With several readers commenting that I’m coming across “curmudgeonly” in my writing lately, I decided to lighten up on the topic choice. So, for your column-reading pleasure, here is a list of favorite musician jokes I’ve heard uttered backstage...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 23, 2020 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Sept 23, 2020–At the risk of flogging this deceased pony called the pandemic, I’ve toted up some outcomes that I shall embrace: 1) The end of handshakes I never liked the tradition of shaking hands. Growing up in business and social circles, a handshake was like...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 15, 2020 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
Sept 16, 2020–I remember being quarantined. I was 8 years old. I had chicken pox. All kids did back in the early 1960s. But mine was particularly painful. Not because of the disease. But because it happened the week of our big farm sale. We were moving from the farm I...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 9, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Sept 9, 2020–While pondering on my porch swing, it struck me about all the people we cross paths with in our lives, and how every one of those connections leaves an impression, one you might not even think about until 40 years later. While I was on the road playing...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 2, 2020 | All Articles, Events, History, Music, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
9/2/2020–You can’t keep a good dancer down. Recently I heard there was a gang of dancing rebels operating a “dance easy” in Fredericksburg. Apparently this loosely connected group of five or six couples gather on a weekly basis to… wait for it… dance in...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 27, 2020 | All Articles, Philosophy
Aug 26, 2020–The other day I jumped in the pickup to run up our driveway to fix the gate keypad. Recklessly, I neglected to fasten my seatbelt. Of course, my mother the truck disapproved of this irresponsible behavior, and proceeded to remind me the whole way with a...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 20, 2020 | All Articles, Events, Music, Philosophy, Venue
August 19, 2020–After months of isolation, I am venturing out in public more often. It reminded me why I stopped venturing out in public. It has nothing to do with social distancing. It’s more about social “closening.” It’s not because of any virus. I have a fear of...
