by Phil Houseal | Nov 14, 2019 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Nov 13, 2019–I can roll perfect dinner rolls with either hand. At the same time. It’s a skill I picked up as a prep cook at a fancy restaurant where I worked in college. They were known for their delicious dinner rolls, and it was my job to turn them out by the...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 7, 2019 | All Articles, Events, Music
Nov 6, 2019–Back in my road band days, a singer I knew was accepted to attend John Davidson’s Singer Summer Camp–a place for young entertainers to learn how to perform on stage. It was exciting to know someone who knew John Davidson. After all, John Davidson was “a...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 30, 2019 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country
Oct 30, 2019–Get along, little wormy. Now you can be a real Texas rancher, and all you need is a plastic bin with a lid. Your livestock? Mealworms. Crispy, juicy, squirmy morsels that chickens can’t resist and lizards leap for. Hill Country worm herder Janell Reyenga...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 24, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
October 22, 2019–As with many a Halloween decorating scheme, this one started with a simple idea that got out of hand. In five years a few floating candles have blazed into a full-blown reproduction of the magical Diagon Alley from the world of Harry Potter books and...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 17, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 16, 2019–So much of our daily communication is cocktail party conversation without the cocktails: shallow ramblings about the weather, recent medical procedures, or political rants. The words may serve to lubricate the hub of the social wheel, but seldom set any...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 13, 2019 | All Articles, Education, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Oct 9, 2019–If I asked you to write your Creed–to make a list of 25 things you believe to be true–what would you write? That’s the assignment Fredericksburg Middle School teacher Kacey Forks gave to her Pre-AP English students. She had learned of the idea at a...
by Phil Houseal | Oct 2, 2019 | All Articles, Philosophy
Oct 2, 2019–One of the great aphorisms is “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” I hew to my own version: “Do it, or let me do it. But don’t help me do it.” When someone is performing a task, I tend to step back and let them get on with it. While that can be...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 27, 2019 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Sept 25, 2019–In one 12-hour period I was stung on the bum by a scorpion, zapped on the forearm by a red wasp, and stepped barefoot in a trail of fire ants. It was exhilarating, in a hurty sorta way. And it’s not like I was Indiana Jones-ing. The scorpion got me...
by Phil Houseal | Sep 19, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy, PR Tips
Sept 18, 2019–At the risk of being obvious, my topic today is avoiding the obvious. Let’s begin with comments on social posts. Why are most of them “obvious?” (my live-in editor said don’t use the word “lame”) Because they are literally the first thing you think of....
by Phil Houseal | Sep 11, 2019 | All Articles, Philosophy
Sept 11, 2019–Photography is dead. With today’s technology, you might think it would be the opposite. Because, for the first time in history, with the advent of smart phone cameras, every single human being holds in their hand the ability to take a perfect photograph....
