by Phil Houseal | Sep 5, 2019 | All Articles, Events, History, People of the Hill Country
Sept 4, 2019–Descendants of artist Lee Ethel are on a scavenger hunt, and they need your help. Anyone who has spent any time living in or visiting Fredericksburg and surrounding towns has seen the work of Lee Ethel, even if they didn’t realize it. For two...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 29, 2019 | All Articles, Events, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
August 28, 2019–At the next parade, pay special attention to the flatbeds filled with high-fiving athletes and leaping cheerleaders. Take note of the pure joy, the enthusiasm, the energy on display. They are punching fists into the sky, jumping up and down, and...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 22, 2019 | All Articles, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Aug 21, 2019–I love encountering unexpected excellence in unusual places. This happened when I was traveling back to my small hometown in Iowa. Our regular stops include the local general merchandise stores run by Amish and Mennonite families that have settled in the...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 15, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Aug 14, 2019–I’m the type of computer user who doesn’t require or want “assistance” from typical word processing software, thank you very much. A good example was that annoying paperclip thingie that used to pop up in Windows to ask if you...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 8, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Events, History, People of the Hill Country, Venue
Aug 7, 2019–As an elementary science teacher, I was perennially fascinated by the fascination dinosaurs held for all students. I now have a granddaughter who requested a dinosaur theme for her 3rd birthday, and she was talking Triceratops, not Barney. So when I...
by Phil Houseal | Aug 1, 2019 | All Articles, Philosophy, PR Tips
July 31, 2019–The “other” part of writing a weekly column is getting interviews. The interview is the raw material of writing, so snagging a good one is essential. And getting the most out of an interview requires both a broad base of knowledge and a...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 25, 2019 | All Articles, Food, People of the Hill Country
July 24, 2019–Never thought I’d write about vinegar. Over the years I’ve covered the rise of various beverages in the Hill Country. It started with the wineries and breweries. Next, distilleries began turning out whiskey, vodka, and rum. The most recent...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 19, 2019 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
July 17, 2019–Like discovering penicillin and gravity, I accidentally stumbled onto the Secret to All Success while doing something else. It happened while I was driving to town listening to the radio. A story came on about women being allowed to golf at Augusta...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 11, 2019 | All Articles, Events, Philosophy, Venue
July 10, 2019–There is an artist I want to see. She is coming to “a major theater” in “a nearby city,” so I went online to look at seating and pricing. All seats were $29.50. Giddyup. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Like sprinkles at a 4-year-old’s...
by Phil Houseal | Jul 3, 2019 | All Articles, Philosophy
July 3, 2019–Time for my sesquiannual purge of ideas that don’t rise to column-worthiness. Finally figured out why I so viscerally hate puns. Because they impede communications. Puns are annoying distractions from whatever you are trying to say. Plus they never end....
