My thanks to Jimmie Woodard for sharing news about her most recent trip.

I (Jimmie) went to Waco for a few days with cousins Kim Johnson (Livingston), Eve Brinkley (Florida), Linda Thompson (Hudson), Sonnye Thompson (transplant from Tennessee). Cousin Kim had a big surprise for us as we started out on our trip.  She had 38 items on a scavenger list that we were to fulfill as we traveled along on our great adventure.  Our first item was a selfie with a waiter/waitress, so while driving through Navasota we made a stop at Martha’s Bloomers, had lunch and got #1 off the list.  It was awesome looking at all the gifts, treasures and plants and enjoying a delicious meal!

Our main focus of the trip was to visit the famous HGTV show Fixer Upper’s, Magnolia Silo Market, where we 5 ladies went C C C R R R A Z Y !  Had a crazy ladies’ marvelous time shopping, eating and making new friends.  Had opportunity to meet and visit with David Ridley, who became an integral part of the show in 2016, when his home was featured as one of the fixer uppers.  David became an instant celeb and has been Waco’s most eligible bachelor until recently when he announced his engagement.  He often appears on the show and has started his own business “Waco Tours”.  Our group decided to go on the 3 hour tour and was so excited we did.  David (another David, not Ridley) and driver Lucas have both appeared on the show several times.  Therefore, we enjoyed seeing 12 different “Fixer Upper” homes, one of which was David Ridley’s and had the privilege of stopping and seeing his house.  On the tour we also had opportunity to learn about Cameron Park, Lover’s Leap, Jacob’s Ladder, Texas Rangers Museum, Baylor University, Ministry under the overpass, the 1953 tornado, a castle built in 1893 and so much  more.

We also went to Homestead Heritage, which is an agrarian community, where the residents live a self-sustaining lifestyle.  They grow their own food (by means of horse and plow and handmade tools), make their own flour, cornmeal, jellies, syrup, cloths, blankets, quilts, furniture, tools, cheese, butter, bread and much more.  Their community allows area schools to visit (free of charge) to learn about their lifestyle and at the same time learn about weaving, spinning, forging, farming and making furniture, candles, cheese, pottery, jelly, syrup.  There is also a general store on the property, a restaurant and a gift shop.

Of course, we did a lot of walking and sightseeing and enjoyed such awesome sights as the bronze statues of the longhorns and cowboys depicting the Chisholm Trail, the famous suspension bridge of Waco, interesting architectural designs of churches and businesses, Baylor University, Texas Ranger Museum and lots of cool places to dine and shop. It was a most outstanding trip and we all recommend you visit Waco and do take a tour with Waco Tours!

Thank you again, Jimmie. I never tire of reading about trips.

Enjoyed visiting with Derek Constante in the store. Derek graduated from DHS in 2004 and is presently living in Diboll and married to Tiffany (Pyle). They have two children; 8-year-old Aden and 16-month-old, Tiffany. Derek works in west Texas for two weeks at a time in the oil field industry then has one week at home. That day he left the store he was going to the home of his niece, Rebecca Brazil, to celebrate her 5^th birthday. He couldn’t believe he had promised Rebecca to let her give him a manicure, pedicure and “makeup”. She will always remember this birthday and I bet Derek does too.

We were pleasantly surprised when Bill Ward, former DISD superintendent, walked through the door one day. He had plans to meet his son Chad for lunch then drive to Chester to spend the weekend at a tournament competing with his bow. When Chad arrived they decided to stay and eat “backstrap” at the RT. Someone convinced Andrea if they donated the venison she would cook it. She not only cooked it but also fresh squash (donated by Gary Jones and Mark Hafernick) sautéed with onions, seasoned green beans and homemade biscuits. Others that enjoyed the tasty meal were Dennis Lenderman, Gary Jones, Woody Ingram and golfing friends of his; Raymond Vann, Sonny Clements and Andy Jordan. It was a great meal!

Bridgette Chandler who always seems to have a pleasant smile was grinning from ear to ear when she came in the store; she graduated from SFA on May 8^th. She was one of about 25 students whose ceremony was a week earlier due to conflicting athletic events on the actual graduation date of May 13^th. Bridgette earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a focus on Human Performance. She has worked since beginning her freshman year as a softball trainer at Angelina College. During her last semester at SFA, in addition to her classes, she was a football trainer, track manager and also worked at a bike shop. Bridgette said someone once told her, “Love what you do and you’ll never work”, she said, “I’ve never worked a day in my life”. She is excited about starting to work on her master’s degree in July. Congratulations!

Angelina County 4-H members need your help in collecting plastic shopping bags. The 4-H members who will be attending the Texas Roundup in June will be weaving the plastic bags into sleeping mats for the homeless. You can bring your bags here to Pouland’s or to the Extension office.

Tom Farley was a mighty proud grandfather when he came in the store. His grandson, Ziegen Farley is going to play in the Baseball World Series in Florida. Ziegen is the 14-year-old son of Randall and Jessica who live in San Antonio with their other children: Malachi, Nalei and Isabelle.  To raise funds for the Florida trip, Tom brought us raffle tickets for a drawing on June 10 for the following prizes: Glock 19 9mm pistol; AR15 MPC rifle; three 45-quart Yeti coolers. Tickets are $20 each and available here at Pouland’s. For more information or to buy a ticket, call Tommy Farley 936-635-3341 or 936-829-4369.

Remember Memorial Day is May 29^th. Be thankful for all the freedoms we have because of those who fought and those who continue to serve and protect those freedoms.

Comes see us…’round the table.

Diboll has a new business that is now up and running and open for business.  MILLENIA WATER & ICE. The owners are Steve and Dortha Jackson of Diboll who own the office complex on Weber Street located behind Commercial Bank in Diboll where MILLENIA is also located (between Wilkerson Financial and Brenda Platt’s Cuts & More). The water is purified by reverse osmosis and is pure and clean. It’s perfect for drinking, cooking, camping, fish tanks, pets and ER situations. I stopped by and purchased two gallons to make coffee and received a free cup of coffee with my purchase. What a difference it made in my coffee pot the next morning! Future plans include 3 & 5 gallon bottles, cooler rentals and delivery. They are open Monday-Friday 8AM until 4PM. Their vivacious and outgoing daughter-in-law, Cortney, waited on me which fits their slogan, “Our Family Serving Yours”. For more information, call 936-526-2506. By the way, this is the same family that owns the colorful and popular “Tropical Toucan” truck that serves many flavors of shaved ice.

Walter Key from San Augustine, his brother Francis and wife Jane from Tomball, are moving their new business to Diboll. It’s so new they haven’t officially found a name; I suggested “Storage Treasures” since they will be selling items from storage containers they have purchased; furniture, jewelry, home décor, pictures, some antiques and much more. Whatever the name will be it will be located north of Diboll on highway 59 at the intersection of Brookwood in the building that was formally the “Rusty Cactus” and “Flowers Body Shop”. Walter plans to be open by this Saturday, May 20^th from 10AM until 6PM. They are already a member of the Diboll Business Association which will have an official ribbon cutting later. Walter lives in San Augustine where he served as Superintendent of the school district. While in Diboll he was anxious to eat at Los Jarritos because he knew Julie and Carlos and their two children when they lived in San Augustine. Did you catch that Walter’s brother’s name is Francis? His full name is Francis Scott Key, Jr. and his son is the third. You may know that another Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

Daniel Phipps of Diboll came in bringing several old plaques that he and other workers found while cleaning out an old building at Lufkin Industries. Daniel has worked for 37 years in the Power Transmissions department formally Lufkin Industries. He wanted to know if we knew or could deliver the keepsakes. One plaque was from the 1993 Angelina County Youth Fair when LI purchased a steer exhibited by Lindsay Syler who must have been about 10 years old at the time. When I told Daniel that Lindsay is now a wife, veterinarian and owner of the newest state-of-the-art animal clinic in East Texas, he wanted to personally deliver the plaque to her .Nikki Capps’ picture was on another award. She was the daughter of Eugene and Phyllis Capps of Diboll but now a wife and mother who lives in Corrigan. I told him we could see that she receives her plaque as well as two other awards: 1997 & 98 that both went to Miranda Whitten who lived in Huntington at that time. Her parents, Mike and Linda Whitten now live in the Burke area.

Thomas Anderson visits the round table on a weekly basis but made an extra visit last week to bring us a homemade syrup cake that he baked. It really was very good and the whipped cream he also brought added even more flavor. Thank you Thomas. Buck Murrah from Slocum stopped by on his way home from Houston and enjoyed remembering “the good ole days” growing up in East Texas. Otis Ray Posey brought us fresh squash from his garden. He has lots of tomatoes planted so we’re hoping he’ll share of them later. Thank you for the squash. I have a new recipe from Lena Coody for squash casserole that we all love. Gary Gores was in buying “Rocky’s Rub”, a seasoning that is good on everything. Hal Hubbard was in with a flat on his 4-wheeler. It was urgent to get it fixed because his one-year-old grandson, Jacen, loves to ride on the 4-wheeler.

The Malcolm Still Memorial Golf Tournament will be June 3^rd & 4^th at Neches Pines Golf Course. All proceeds will go toward a golf scholarship for a student. For more information contact Chad Ogden 936-414-0936 or call 829-5086.

The following is what you get when people don’t send me local news. This is educational in that it’s the meaning of a new word. NOMOPHOBIA. Noun. 1) The fear of being without a working cellphone. 2) A near-debilitating side effect of today’s constantly connected culture. Usage: According to a survey conducted by a digital security firm, 66% (probably millennials and younger people) suffer from varying degrees of nomophobia. A term that means no mobile phone; the symptoms of this cellular attachment include constantly checking one’s device and zealous monitoring of battery life.

Please send me news!! Come see us…’round the table.

Two friends who are also preachers, stopped to visit at the round table. Vic Bass is a regular but it was the first time for Steve Cowart, pastor of Trinity Baptist. Vic is primarily responsible for the wooden crosses you see in many yards in this area and Bro. Cowart’s church has volunteers that work with this ministry. Vic and his wife, Shelia have recently returned from a memorable ten day trip to an island in the Bahamas and no, it wasn’t the Grand Bahama Island where cruise ships frequent. I learned there are 700 islands in the Bahamas but only 12 are inhabited.  They stayed on “Man-O-War” which is a small island in the Abaco region of the Bahamas. It is 2-1/2 miles long and has a population of about 300 Bahamian residents. Vic and Shelia arrived there by an 11-mile ferry ride from Marsh Harbour Island after flying from Orlando, Florida. The community is very close-knit. There are two small grocery stores, a marina, a boat yard, a few gift shops, a hardware and lumber store, two restaurants and a bakery. There is a bank but it is only open for half a day, one day a week. The two restaurants are only open from 10AM until 1PM and 6-8 PM. Golf-carts, bicycles and walking are the only means of transportation because of the narrow and often unpaved roads. No liquor is sold on the island. The people are very conservative and still hold deep affection and loyalty to the British Crown. The majority of the residents are avid church-goers and the island has four churches. Bro. Vic was pleased to have been invited to preach at the New Life Bible Church which owns the cottage where they relaxed for a week while staying on the island. The pastor is Randy Crowe and about 75 people were present to hear Vic’s sermon on “prayer”. Vic and Shelia said the people are both friendly and good-natured and brought them fresh bananas and seafood. The island is clean, well-kept and very safe. With very little crime there is only one policeman and the school has a total of 16 students who go home for lunch every day.

After a relaxing week and fun in the sand, Vic and Sheila rode the ferry back and flew from Marsh Harbor to Atlanta, Georgia where they were met by Anthony George who is a longtime friend of theirs they met in Mesquite while attending Criswell Bible College. Anthony continued his education to earn his Doctorate of Theology. He is presently serving as the Senior Associate Pastor to Dr. Charles Stanley, pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta which is where Vic and Shelia attended church on Sunday. They had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Stanley after the morning worship service and enjoyed having lunch with Mary Gellerstadt who is the Director of Missions for that church and who arranged for Vic and Shelia to have this special, unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Attending worship services and meeting Dr. Charles Stanley was the “icing on the cake”.

While visiting with Steve Cowart, pastor of Trinity Baptist in Lufkin, we learned he not only preaches but can sing too. Steve was a member of the popular groups, “Calvary Boys” and “The Waymakers”. He and John Ralph found many mutual friends from Steve’s first church a few years ago at Pine Grove Baptist on FM1818. I heard him say he remembered that Linville Campbell signed his check every week and remembered the families of Willard Grimes, Pearl Havard, Clifford, Paul and C. B. Dubose and Vera Jones who is still an active member there.

It was a pleasure to see and visit with the young-at-heart 82-year-old Jean Wilson from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada who spent three weeks in Burke in the home of her daughter, Denise, who has a working horse ranch, “The Cowboy and the Princess”. Another daughter, Valerie, who also lives in Woodstock has her own working horse ranch, but has been here training and helping Denise until the weather warms in Canada. Their parents, Howard and Jean Wilson, had 7 children; 6 girls, four of whom have always ridden horses and is passing that love on their children and grandchildren. Mr. & Mrs. Wilson owned a tour bus business. Mrs. Wilson said she stayed at home with the children while her husband traveled all over America and brought a lot of Canadians to Florida during the winter and took them back home in the spring. While staying in Burke Denise took her “mum” to see her first rodeo and she loved it, especially the mutton busting, bronc riding and barrel racing. Mrs. Wilson and her daughter Valarie flew back to Canada earlier this week which ended a nice three week visit to East Texas and the Round Table.

Diboll’s former City Manager, Lanny Parrish, made a rare visit to Pouland’s to buy “Over the Top” spray for the peas in his garden. He had a bronze tan from all the gardening and mowing and was tickled with the zucchini squash that came back on its own from last year. Typical of the hard life of a gardener, Lanny had to deal with the ping pong and softball-size hail that damaged his garden. Vernon Glass was in buying more pea seed after softball-size hail ruined his peas.

A regular customer, Danny Steel, who owns S.A.S. Transmission at the entrance of the Angelina County Airport, was in shopping for bird feeders and bird seed. A serious bird lover, he bought a new feeder to add to the four he already has and almost 100 pounds of bird seed. He has lots of wild birds and 14-15 hummingbirds. In addition to all that he also has two gardens. His mother, LaNell Steel, lives next door where he takes care of one garden there and also feeds her chickens. Sometimes Danny has extra special help from his 3-year-old niece, Madalyn, who helps him while shelling peas.

I learned about “The Big Dip” at SFA from my granddaughter, Cheyenne Swor, last Friday when she received her senior ring. With her parents watching and following tradition, Cheyenne had to dip her hand into purple dye-like liquid then have the excess wiped off before receiving her ring and having her picture made with the president of the university. To have seen this would have made her great grandmothers extremely proud: Geraldine Pouland and my mother, Anna Lee (Burden) Powell who was in the first graduating class at SFA in 1924. Of course, we are proud too!

Come see us…’round the table.

May 1 was Madison Powell’s 16^th Birthday! Her parents are Neely and Gaylon Powell who said she started the morning by taking her driving test after college and once the nerves settled, she realized she is now a licensed driver so watch out for her!! Madison will be easy to spot because her license plates say MADSSS so report any craziness to mom and dad, lol! A group of friends and family met at Chili’s for an evening of celebrating. They were blessed with Madison’s grandparents, Melba and Joe Allen, Betty and Larry Powell as well as Connie Allen, the New family, Sally Pilcher, Dalton Powell and his sweet friend Vivian and Maddie’s’ best friends Blake Fisher, Hannah Morrison and Drew Richard. They had a great time and will round off her Sweet Sixteen at a Lake House party in early June with all of her best friends!

Mallory Dorman, proud daughter of Michael and Lorraine (Lazarine) Dorman, will be graduating from the School of Education at Texas A&M and is applying for teaching jobs in the Houston area. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Weston Reynolds of Huntington FFA on being elected President of the McGee Bend District FFA. That’s quite an honor! His proud parents are Delbert and Jennifer Reynolds. Congratulations also to Sharon Mayo a customer who exhibited the Grand Champion Rabbit Meat Pen at the recent Angelina County Youth Fair. She has been a member of the Blue Ribbon 4-H for five years. Sandra Renfro has been one of the leaders of that 4-H for many years. Rozaline Runnels won the coveted Senior Rabbit Showmanship Award. She is a member of the Zavalla 4-H. Congratulations to all who participated in the Youth Fair, you are ALL winners!

Another customer of ours, Trevor Powell, Diboll 4-H member and 3rd grader exhibited the Reserve Champion Rabbit Meat Pen. If that wasn’t enough, he also had the Champion Breeding Rabbit Dutch Doe and the Champion and Reserve Dutch Buck. Looks like Trevor has learned a lot from being around his great grandpa, Frank Farrow and his great grandmother, Theresa Farrow who has earned lots of blue ribbons and trophies from exhibiting rabbits. Trevor’s dad Clay Powell won the Grand Champion meat Pen in 1999.His uncle Wade Powell won Grand Champion in 1997 and 1998. Trevor continues the legacy.

Hummingbirds have arrived and a few purple martins have finally found a home in our back yard. Hopefully, they will be hungry for mosquitoes. If you need a hummingbird feeder or nectar, Pouland’s has a nice selection of unique feeders. Sam Coleman purchased a new feeder. Don’t forget we also have caladium bulbs, a variety of roses including a beautiful Miranda Lambert rose, hanging baskets, and selections of vegetable and flower bedding plants. Don’t forget Mothers’ Day will soon be here; think of Pouland’s when you need a gift for her or a friend.

Thomas Lowther’s three sons surprised him with a gift of a cute baby Alpaca.  Family members had gathered at the Lowthers’ home to celebrate Adam’s birthday. Suddenly, Adam and his two brothers, Colin and Ben, told everyone to wait for the party to start until they returned. Thomas had a feeling they were up to something when they hooked up a trailer and drove away. It was a couple of hours before they returned with the darling solid black Al Paca they presented to their dad.  The Alpaca was accepted by all including 14 mature goats and 4 babies but the donkey was not happy about sharing any of his space.

Just a few of our customers who came in buying garden seeds were Rick Tilley, Winston Hooks, Billy Wayne Breazeale and all the way from the coastal area, R. W. Oaks, who farms on family land at the end of Mockingbird Lane in Diboll. R. W. came back the next day and bought his wife, Bethel (Lester), a rose bush. Choosing from the variety of roses we have for sale was Sue Johnson, Mark Hafernick, Mary Hendry and Nettie Mann.

Kim Chapman who drives all the way from Bullard to buy horse feed came in with her mother, JoNell Placker. In addition to horse feed, Kim also bought some of the gourmet food we carry, Chow Chow, and also bought a tomato plant. Rodney Lott, owner of the Eagle’s Nest Café in Zavalla, purchased some of Rocky Thompson’s “Rocky Rub Seasoning” that we proudly sell.

It was good to see and visit with Stacy Cooke who was in town visiting with his daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Jimmy Mettlen. Stacy enjoys the Anasazi Beans we sell. Retiree, Lisa Crager, is still enjoying the idea of being retired and bought one of the new beautiful Corinthian Wind Chimes we sell while her husband David was having new tires put on his tractor.

Former Diboll elementary classmate of ours, Denny Ashworth, drove from Texas City and brought his cousin, Danny Thomason, with him from Houston. J.R. cooked them some turnip greens and Andrea cooked cornbread and pinto beans. Others who enjoyed visiting with them was Bo Smith, Joe Paul Stovall, Don Hendrick, Richard Rainwater and Sherrel Fears who told them many stories from our past. Danny Thomason graduated from Lufkin and remembered Melba “Dee” (Elliott) Adams who was also eating lunch with us that day. Small World!

Charlotte (Morris) Carter invites everyone to stop by “His and Hers Trade Days” in Burke this weekend, May 6, for their 4^th anniversary celebration.  They will have door prizes, Bluebell Ice Cream, and a big parking lot garage sale Saturday and Sunday.

If you receive The Diboll Free Press early today, Thursday. May 4, make plans to attend a National Day of Prayer service at the Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center. The service will begin at noon with a meal sponsored by the Ministerial Alliance of Diboll followed by a time of prayer.

Have a great week and come see us…’round the table.