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November 12, 2019 by
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October 30, 2017
October 31, 2017 by
THREE surprises for Glenda Shepherd’s birthday, as told by her niece, Alecia (Garrett) Watson:
Unsure if they could keep it a surprise, Glenda’s husband, Mark Shepherd, son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Elizabeth Shepherd and daughter, Jane Wallace, set out to plan the perfect surprise 60th birthday weekend for Glenda. Glenda had been in Diboll for a few weeks visiting her mother, Lillie Mae McGuire, with plans to go to San Antonio for a weekend to babysit her grandson, Heath so that Paul, Elizabeth and her granddaughter, Brie, could spend the night in Austin after attending a concert there Friday evening. What she didn’t know at the time, was that on their way home Saturday, Paul and Elizabeth picked up his dad, Mark Shepherd, from the Austin airport for surprise number one of the weekend! Glenda was very shocked that Mark was now in San Antonio for the weekend, and Brie was excited that her grandparents got to attend her soccer game that day! Afterwards, they all went to Chuy’s for lunch where her second surprise was revealed! Her sister and brother-in-law, Sandy and Corry Crager, along with her cousin, Loretta Garrett, and friend, Mary K Teutsch, all showed up at Chuy’s with a birthday cake and balloons! For her final surprise, Mark had arranged for the ladies to stay the night at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk for the evening! Upon arriving, they found he had booked them the Presidential Suite on the top level of the hotel! He also handled dinner reservations for them at Boudro’s on the Riverwalk, which is one of Glenda’s favorite restaurants. They got to enjoy the Riverwalk sites from a river boat ride before they headed back to the hotel for a night of reminiscing about the “good old days”! Thank you Alecia for sharing the event of this unforgettable surprise birthday.
Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Liberty of the Seas left Galveston for Falmouth and Montego Bay, Jamaica, Georgetown, Grand Bahama and Cozumel, Mexico a few Sundays ago. On Board was none other than cruise queen, Jimmie Woodard (her 17th cruise) along with friends David and Vivien Standridge, Sandi Anthony, Bobby Wiggins, Nicole Cox and Milo Winters. The group had a most marvelous trip zip lining, parasailing, hiking, eating, sightseeing, laughing, eating, playing bingo, gambling, eating, playing Trivia, listening to karaoke, playing chicken foot, eating, swimming, snorkeling, meeting and making new friends and then there was eating. When Bobby and I weren’t eating or enjoying any other fun event, we were enjoying an ice cream, usually two or more treats per day. All in all a week later, the group was ready to get home and return to the hustle and bustle of work and for some of us, retirement. Great fun, great food, great friends. As always, my thanks to Jimmie Woodard for sharing the fun she has being retired.
Clay and Brooke Colwell with their two children, Lewin and Gentrie traveled with Brooke’s sister, Hope, and her children; Peyton, Kendall and Gavan to Arkansas’s second highest mountain to enjoy three days of fresh air, camping and riding ATVs at Queen Wilhelmina State Park. This past weekend, 5-year-old Lewin hunted with his dad during the opening day of Youth Season in the river bottom near their home. Gentrie told everyone “brudder shot” a deer and indeed he did; a nice 8 point!
Jack Murray proudly reported at the RT his 13-year-old granddaughter, Chloe Murray was also successful in getting a nice 8 pointer and this is not her first. Her parents are Chris and Melanie Murray.
Steve Sikes came in with his dad, James, Saturday morning. Steve was quick to show us a photo of the nice 8-point buck his grandson, Gavin, had gotten that morning. It was his first big buck. Steve also shared it was 40 years ago on October 24, 1977 at age 19 that he went to work for the Diboll Police Department. He remembers going to T/I’s Fiberboard plant for General Manager/ Mayor C. H. Shepherd to swear him in. He later completed the training to become a DPS trooper and retired after 20 years. Max Rowe and Judd Homer David have returned from a great week of fishing at a remote lodge in Wawa, Ontario, Canada. They took their time and spent a week driving to Canada and then had to fly 60 more miles to the camp site. Although the weather was cold in the mornings they really enjoyed fishing for walleye and pike.
Ronnie Howell thought we might be able to help him since we advertise as being the “Everything Store”. He wants Diboll’s old Dairy Kream recipe for “Juicy Pig” sandwiches. Boy, I would love to have that recipe too. I remember how good they tasted. So, if anyone reading this knows anyone that has the recipe, give us a call 936-829-4040. PS we do have a copy of the original Dairy Kream chili recipe.
Speaking of recipes. There are 30 recipes available at participating Diboll businesses who are sponsoring their annual Christmas CASH Give Away during the month of November. A playing card is available at every participating business. Simply go by pick up a card have it stamped and carry it to as many businesses as possible. Depending on how many stamps you receive determines how much cash you might win, up to $300! The businesses and sample playing card are listed elsewhere in the paper.
Rosemary (Swetland) Berry brought me news about the latest fund raiser for Chapter #382 Order of the Easter Star. It is their annual Pie Sale. Proceeds will benefit several charitable events they sponsor including the Women’s Crises Center; Godtel; Salvation Army; scholarships and quarterly meals prepared for Veterans. There are six choices of pies: apple, cherry, peach, pecan, pumpkin and sweet potato. Because they are frozen, you will be able to put them in your freezer and use them when needed. Doylene Cook-Jumper said the pumpkin is the best and Dianne Tate-Gipson said the cherry is the best! Hurry, because the cut-off date to order is November 10th and the pick-up date is November 17th. Please call Rosemary S. Berry to place your order, 936-635-9951.
Our first shipment of delicious Georgia pecans should arrive this week for everyone who has anxiously been waiting to start their holiday baking.
Come see us…’round the table.
October 23, 2017
October 23, 2017 by
My thanks to JoAnn Rainwater for the following news about their recent trip to Branson, Missouri.
For their 25th wedding anniversary on October 12 (and also Jo Ann’s birthday), Richard and Jo Ann Rainwater spent a week in Branson, MO. Branson had changed a lot since they were last there about 20 years ago with John Ralph and Sandra Pouland.
After a restful night following the 9-hour drive to Branson, Wednesday was spent walking the hills of Silver Dollar City and enjoying some of the entertainment there. Thursday the 12th was set aside for celebrating birthday/anniversary. Recalling the wonderful dinner at sunset following their wedding at Lake Tahoe on this date 25 years ago, Jo Ann had booked a window table at the Top of the Rock Osage Restaurant overlooking Table Rock Lake. At sunset a bagpiper began playing on the patio below for 15 minutes, creating a beautiful blend of sound and scenery, followed by a delicious dinner to complete a perfect evening!
A highly recommended Biblical production of “Moses” at the Sight & Sound Theater was Friday’s event. This 2,000-seat state-of-the-art theater features a massive 300-foot panorama stage that wraps around the audience with the ability to house sets four stories tall. When the seas parted for Moses and the Israelites to pass through, it was as though they were parting for the audience also. This massive production featured live animals running down the aisles – horses, sheep, goats, camels, etc. All had to perform perfectly 100 times for the trainers before they could become a part of the show. Past productions have included “Ruth”, “Joseph”, “Jonah”, “Noah” and “Moses”, ending its two-year stint October 20. Next up is “Samson” beginning in March 2018. Will the temple columns “topple” on the audience??? Dinner afterwards was at a great Italian restaurant, Florentina’s.
The Rainwaters chose an entertaining dinner cruise on the 700-seat Showboat Branson Belle for their event on Saturday. The paddle wheeler cruised the pristine waters of Table Rock Lake while guests enjoyed a nice meal, accompanied by a live band playing on stage. This was followed by entertainment from a magician, a trio of tap dancers, and the singing group The ShowMen and the talented and lovely Cassandre.
The gastronomical trip would not be complete without Sunday Brunch at the Chateau Grille, located at the Chateau on the Lake resort and convention center. It was an amazing display of food, food, and more food.
A visit during the day on Monday was to College of the Ozarks and the beautiful Keeter Center. Known as Hard Work U, College of the Ozarks is unique among American universities because students work, rather than pay, for their education. Not one student pays a penny for tuition; instead, each works 15 hours a week at a campus job.
Jo Ann has become a “groupie” of The Texas Tenors, who spend part of their time when not touring performing at the Starlite Theater in Branson. Monday was the beginning of a three-week stint in Branson for the Tenors, so what better way to end a fun week than by going to their concert. They never disappoint!!! The Rainwaters already have tickets for their Christmas show in Galveston on December 15th.
Don’t forget this Friday, October 27, will be the last day to sign up to attend and support The Diboll Family Education Center’s annual Literacy Luncheon. The luncheon will be November 2nd. This is an opportunity to support a great program that provides adult basic education, GED preparation, English as a Second Language, Citizenship preparation as well as parent education. The center uses the funds from this event to pay the costs for students to take their GED and also supports the annual parent conference held in January. To make reservations or for more information, contact Charlotte Morris Carter at 675-1310. You can also email her at cm*****@*******sd.com with the number attending and make your donation at the door.
Mark your calendar for a good family outing in Diboll’s city park (Old Orchard) November 4th for a Praise Fest from 10AM in the morning with vendors and games for the children until 6PM when more music will be provided by various vocals groups. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the food, fun and festivities.
“Grandma” recipes and traditional Christmas baking just seem to go together. The Diboll Business Association realized that Grandma dropped her recipes and they are scattered all over Diboll. They are sponsoring a fun event this year; a scavenger hunt that will allow you to collect recipes and also a have an opportunity to win CASH. Each participating business will have a playing card with all the places for you to go to collect a recipe and also get your playing card stamped plus enter your name to win a Christmas stocking, CASH and other prizes that will be given away. Complete details will be printed on the playing card which should be available by November 1st.
Enjoy the fall weather and come see us…’round the table.
October 17, 2017
October 17, 2017 by
Earl & Joyce Carr have recently completed another travel quest with the Huntington State Bank travel club. These two along with HSB coordinator Patsy Weaver and several others traveled by bus to Dallas and flew to Minneapolis, MN. Another bus ride took them to Duluth for the beginning of a 10-day Lake Superior Circle Tour. Day 2 was spent taking a lunch cruise around the Duluth harbor and visiting the historic Glensheen Mansion and Estate. The tour continued along the north shore of Lake Superior to Split Rock Lighthouse where the group enjoyed a gondola ride to Moose Mountain for lunch. Then it was to Ontario, Canada to Thunder Bay where the group visited the public monument commemorating cancer research activist Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. The monument offers a panoramic view of Thunder Bay and its surroundings. The next day brought them back into the US to Sault Ste. Marie to observe the Soo Locks that have been referred to as one of the great wonders of the world and are still the largest and one of the busiest waterway traffic systems on earth. That day they also crossed the Mighty Mac bridge to board a ferry to Mackinac Island, a Victorian village limited to transportation of horse and buggy, bicycle or foot, surrounded by water, it has escaped the vast changes of time. The group explored the the Grand Hotel, famous for the movie “Somewhere in Time.” Back to the mainland, they visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and spent the night in Marquette. At the Da Yoopers Tourist Trap they saw the largest chainsaw and working rifle and toured the shrine of Bishop Baraga. In Ashland, Wisconsin they observed several historic murals depicting the people and the history of that town. The Apostle Islands cruise in Bayfield, a visit to an apple orchard and winery completed the circle tour. Joyce said Earl was so glad to be back in Texas he slept 20 hours when they finally got home.
Wilber Teer enjoyed telling me about his and Margie’s recent trip to fulfill an item on her bucket list, seeing the colorful leaves in New England in the fall. Although it is the wrong direction, the trip began with them flying to Colorado Springs to visit with their grandson, Rand Teer who was accepted into the Air Force Academy last June. After a good 2-day visit with Rand, the Teers boarded another plane to Providence RI where they rented a car and began to enjoy several days of “leaf viewing”. Locals told them their timing was perfect. Driving through the beautiful countryside, they came to an apple orchard where Margie picked apples. They saw lighthouses, beautiful harbors, lots of boats and covered bridges. Driving across Connecticut into Vermont, they felt lucky to find a small spotless motel where parking is at the front door of the room. The single proprietary was a German man who is a “baker” but also handles all the duties of the motel plus other jobs. He prepares breakfast for the guests and he and Margie had a great discussion about pumpernickel bread. Margie told him she has tried and tried to bake the bread but hers always “falls”. Being an experienced baker he knew what her problem was…she was using the wrong kind of flour and it was killing the yeast. Leaving there happily, they traveled other roads across New Hampshire and into Maine visiting Bangor and Kennebunkport which is the summer home of the 41st President of the US, George H. W. Bush. The home is located on Walker’s Point which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Driving around Boston they arrived at The Kennedy Compound which consists of three houses on six acres of waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. After more sightseeing it was time to fly back to Texas and cherish the memories of this trip that included 17 wonderful days.
According to Gary Gores, Ricky Medina has confirmed that his family will be opening their locally famous gourmet potato store with expanded menu soon on Temple Drive (highway 59 next to the Donut Palace). This is good news for those driving 25 miles round trip for a “potato fix”. The Medina family is well known in Diboll and the Medina Brothers are close to opening soon. Most of the needed equipment is here and being installed. Ricky Medina has had much pressure to open as the news has spread of the opening of a third Spud location in our area. Permits are obtained and equipment installation is almost complete. Ricky Medina’s ‘Spud concept’ has a big fan here in Diboll; Gary Gores will save over a hundred miles a month driving back and forth to his Frank Street location. Diboll’s retail is growing and the Spud is a great addition to the local demand for food service operations.
Mark Hafernick shared with the round table the news that he and Ann are grandparents again. Carter Brian Johnston was born October 12th in Colleyville, Texas. His parents are Lauren and Judd Johnston and his big brother, Cooper, is 2 years old. Judd is a veterinarian with a practice in Colleyville and Lauren works as an event planner for Sky Ranch Ministries. Baby Carter Brian’s paternal grandparents are Jerry and Tracy Johnston of Corpus Christi. He was named after his uncle Brian Hafernick who is also a DVM and owner of Pineywoods Veterinary Clinic in Lufkin. His aunt is Dr. Angela Hafernick.
The Diboll Business Association is planning a scavenger hunt during the month of November for their Christmas Cash Give Away this year. Those who want to enter this fun event will go into participating businesses to have their playing card stamped to be eligible to win as much as $300 in Cash plus lots of chances to win other gifts. More details next week.
Come see us…’round the table.
July 11, 2016
July 11, 2016 by
Sarah Wallace was playing the 5th hole at Neches Pines early Monday morning with Melba and Gary Gores. What was to happen is rare in the golfing world. Sarah hit her tee shot long and to the right and down into a creek to the right of the green. She unruffled, teed up another ball and hit a great shot right at the flag. When she arrived at the green she could not find her ball, it was not there. Sarah, an eternal optimist and with Gary watching, checked the cup … YIPPEE!!! The second ball landed in the cup. Sarah has NEVER hit a tee shot into the cup on any hole. Obviously she was excited and proud of a rare event in the golfing world. Par, or a hole-in-one, who cares? Sarah Wallace has had and will have many opportunities to play golf because she and Richard have lived next to Neches Pines Golf Course for many years. Monday was a unique experience by her and her playing partners and will be long remembered!
We enjoyed eating and visiting with Mike and Dana Amason last week. Mike grew up in Diboll and is the Flooring Department Manager at Lowes; Dana teaches 4th grade math at Etoile. They had returned that day from vacationing with his children, 12-year-old Michael Ryan and 17-year-old Mikayla. They had been to Lake Conroe at the LaTorretta Resort, Houston, Austin and floated the San Marcus River. Mike and Dana have almost completed their mission to eat at all of the Top 35 Best Burgers from Texas Monthly’s 2009 list. While in Austin they ate their 30th at the Mighty Fine Burger but admitted the Angelina County Airport could easily be in the Top Ten.
Earlier that day at the round table, we had visited with Peanut and Denise Mayo while they were getting new tires put on Denise’s truck. She is a mail carrier in Nacogdoches and Peanut works with Mike Amason at Lowe’s. Peanut and Mike are members of a band that has been playing Blues during Glenn Lenderman’s open mike at The Restoration Bar some Thursday evenings. Mike mentioned that Merrick Roche has played with them and is a very talented guitarist if you can get him to play.
Keith Dover is doing well after getting home from the Philmont Ranch in NM serving as an assistant scout master with troop 136 where his son, Jeffery, is a member. Steve Rayborn is the Scout Master for Troop 136 and Bill Wafer is the Scout Master for Troop 128 from Diboll who also participated in the 12 day Trek (hike). These two troops, each with a total of 11 members, joined 5,000 other scouts for this once in a lifetime adventure. They camped out, carried backpacks that weighed anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds and slept in pup tents. They hiked a total of 121 miles and reached the 12,241’ summit of “Baldy Mountain” and 9,000’ “Tooth of Time” summit. These scouts definitely earned their hiking badge, covering 18 miles one day. They carried prepacked meals for two but all leftovers and anything smellable had to go into “bear” bags; zip lock bags that were suspended in hopes of not attracting a bear. One day a cinnamon bear did come within a short distance of the group but turned and went a different direction. It was a good trip and the boys met other scouts from Hawaii and South Carolina. Keith lost some weight but Jeffery lost 25 pounds.
Cathy Lott from Zavalla stopped by for feed. Her 9-year-old daughter, Valerie, is excited about attending Sewing Camp at Bove Sewing Center and is having fun making a cape for her dog, Josie. Valerie is left handed and fortunate that her teacher, Lostra Burrow, is also left handed. During the school year, Lostra works as an Interventionist for the Diboll school district.
The ladies of the Deer Trace Bible Study group recently completed a study of the book of John. A great study of the life and deity of Jesus. To discuss a future study and for fun and fellowship they went to Mar-Tres Tea Room for lunch. Those going were: Lacy Chandler, the teacher, Dortha Jackson, Linda Miller, Billie Robison and Tellie Williams. Every one enjoyed the food and fellowship. They missed those who couldn’t make it and it was decided to study the book of James next. All ladies of Deer Trace are invited. Call Billie Robison for meeting place. 829-0327.
Bob Davis came in with his 10-year-old grandson Hunter. They had plans to go fishing the next day at Shirley Creek and see if they could do as well as the week before, catching 91 2-3lb. catfish in four hours. With Bob last week and going again were his cousin, Max McCormack, retired Ag teacher from New Summerfield, his brother and sister-in-law, Ron and Theta Davis from Lufkin and of course, Hunter.
I am thankful to Allison Amason for the following news. Parker Amason, along with parents Matt and Allison, celebrated his 17th birthday in Cozumel, Mexico. They arrived the day of his birthday and were met with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries and a card from their resort. They enjoyed a week of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing in hammocks around the island. One highlight was seeing countless (huge) Great Barracuda, among many other beautiful tropical fish.
Matt had a couple of mishaps early in the trip. He got a bad cut on the bottom of his foot from stepping on a sharp rock hidden in the sand. He hobbled around the rest of the week! On day 3, he was stung by something on his back (didn’t see what it was), and Parker had to remove the stinger that was still in his skin. Around 2:00 A.M., he got really sick and was in bed the entire next day. While he recuperated, Allison and Parker took the 45 minute ferry ride across to the mainland. They toured the Ancient Mayan Ruins in Tulum, and spotted many (some really big) iguanas who thrive in the hot, dry climate. Some of the ruins are on high cliffs overlooking gorgeous beaches and water. From there, they went snorkeling in fresh cool water in mangroves in Akuma. It was rejuvenating after the extreme heat in Tulum. After that, they went to Playa del Carmen for amazing shrimp tacos and shrimp cocktails, then enjoyed shopping and watching Mayans in full costume performing dances with the beautiful Caribbean Sea as a background. When back at their resort, they found Matt still sick in bed. He got up long enough for the room to be cleaned but by the next day he was feeling well enough to enjoy some beach time. The next day they rented a jeep and rode all around the island, stopping to snorkel, eat, swim, and relax in hammocks. It was a wonderful trip that was enjoyed by all. Upon arriving in Houston and after all the wonderful seafood they had eaten, their first stop was Whataburger!
I received an email from Irma Guerrero and Justin Barley that the Temple Library will be selling enchilada plates THIS FRIDAY (July 15th). Plates are $7 and will include 3 enchiladas, rice, beans, and a bottle of water. This fundraiser will help light the library for Christmas this year, so pass this along to anyone you think might be interested!
Stay cool and come see us…’round the table.
July 4, 2016
July 4, 2016 by
Is it hot or not? How did we ever survive without air conditioning? Somehow we did. My car’s 12-year-old air conditioner decided it was time to “give up” and quit working. For a few minutes I kept driving with the windows up but soon let them down. I tried opening the sun roof but the sun was just too hot. I got to Diboll Motors as quickly as possible but with the approaching holiday and needing parts, Mike said it would be after the 4th before he could “fix it”. In the meantime, that meant I would be riding with John Ralph in his red GMC pickup that I detest trying to gracefully get off the ground and into the front seat. We made it for a couple of days and then he decided I need to drive the pickup and follow him on his tractor. Of course that meant I had to re-adjust the seat forward, upward and bring the back toward the front. I didn’t know it would also alter the brake pedal and the accelerator. I thought, I’ll set my personal seat adjustment on number “2” of his fancy pick up and leave his on number “1”. Boy, was that a mistake! Tuesday morning when JR got into his pickup and turned the key on, everything started moving toward my number 2 setting and pressed him like a pancake against the steering wheel. I think it made him panic until someone else was able to reverse the situation. Needless to say, I’m banned from driving his pickup unless I can do so without changing anything! So, I caught a ride to work Tuesday morning only to discover the air conditioning in my office decided to quit working. As I write this, I am sitting in front of an oscillating fan that seems to be blowing hot air toward me and blowing all the papers off my desk. Hopefully, by the time you read this I should be riding and working in cool air conditioning and being ever so thankful for doing so.
Tuesday, Earl and Joyce Carr were at the round table getting their RV ready for another trip and being members of Fairview Baptist Church, told me they had another successful July 4th event at the church. In talking with the pastor, Gene Hazell, he confirmed it was a great success, their 12th annual event, but it was also the last. Gene said their first event twelve years ago started because Lufkin decided not to have their annual fireworks display at the zoo. Members of the church got together and planned a July 4th event and were happy with the 60 or so people that attended that year. They decided to do it the following year and had about 100; the third year about 200 and this year the event drew about 1200 to 1300 people including some from Livingston and Nacogdoches. The pastor said it is a big project that takes several days of preparation using volunteers plus help from the Angelina County Sheriff’s department inmates to assist in setting up and taking the huge tent. There is a 3-1/2 minute filming of the impressive fireworks taken from a drone operated under the technical direction of Logan Lair; it’s on You Tube if you want to see it.
While visiting with Pastor Gene Hazell he invited the public to come to Fairview Baptist Church (at the intersection of FM 58 and FM 2108) on Monday, July 11, at 7PM to hear evangelist and motivational speaker, David Ring. From his website I found the following. “Few individuals have felt the crushing blows that have besieged David Ring since birth. He was born to lose. On October 28th, 1953, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, David was born with Cerebral Palsy. Orphaned at age 14, he was cast about from family to family with nowhere to call home. He endured constant physical pain, humiliating public ridicule and constant discouragement. Yet in the face of these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, David emerged not victimized…but victorious! You’ve never heard a speaker quite like David Ring. Although difficult to understand at first, you will soon find yourself captured by his quick wit and warm personality. Mark your calendar and make plans to attend.
Thomas Anderson and Dr. Ed Domingue are both retired and members of the same Sunday school class at First Baptist in Lufkin. These two and other members of their class meet for breakfast at the airport every Wednesday morning then these two come to the round table and visit. Andrea volunteered to cook their breakfast the following Wednesday at the round table. Present for homemade biscuits, eggs, bacon and sausage the next week were Larry Ross, Roy Cates, Jerry Hennington, Thomas and Dr. Domingue. Woody Ingram who drinks coffee every morning before leaving to “fire the boilers” also enjoyed eating and visiting with the guys. They were all complimentary of Andrea’s “cathead” biscuits.
A group of ladies who gather for lunch every Thursday drove to Woodville to enjoy a family style meal at The Pickett House. Enjoying the ride was JoNell Placker, Joyce Carlton, Mary Lou Havard and their designated driver, Kathreen Chuke. JoNell and Joyce stopped by the round table for coffee later in the afternoon. I owe JoNell an apology for a note I found about her cousin, Sue Liles, who was in town visiting her. Sue grew up in Alto but now lives in Port Charlotte, FL and has taught school in six different states. Sue only spent one night with JoNell because she was unable to sleep with the train coming through during the night.
We thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet and visit with Ernie and Peggy Battle when they stopped “just to look around”. They live in the South Bend subdivision off FM58 across from “The Lot” that is shared between Sandra and Joe Varga and the Larry Choates. It looks more like a park, beautifully landscaped and where the Battles were invited to celebrate the 4th of July with neighbors. Ernie and Peggy are relatively new to this area and John Ralph tried to tell them everything he could about Diboll and the surrounding area. In fact, Ernie borrowed one of Bob Bowman’s books from our mini library to learn more history about this area.
Peggy Burt was thoughtful to bring us a pan of cinnamon rolls to share at the round table. The delicious cinnamon rolls were made by Tina Jowell who is making a name for herself with her baking talents. She loves to bake and will be happy to take orders for anyone needing something sweet. She calls her hobby, Dessert First and you can reach her on her cell at 1-512-963-2600.
Ray Paulsey plans to not do anymore weed eating with the purchase of 2-1/2 gallons of the weed killer “Eraser”.
I have visited with David McCarty from Leggett before when he’s come in to buy garden seeds as he did last week. This time he was wearing shorts and I had not realized he is an amputee. That doesn’t seem to slow him down as he works and still gardens. Just a few years ago he learned the art of cleaning windows and made his living doing so with customers in Woodville, Trinity, Livingston, Corrigan and Diboll. Some of you may remember seeing him while cleaning windows at Brookshire Brothers, First Bank & Trust, City of Diboll or the Dairy Cream.
Hey, my office is cooling down thanks to Ricky Morris with Morris Air Conditioning and Mike Shivers at Diboll Motors just called to say my car is ready! Both of these dependable and reliable businesses belong to the Diboll Business Association which encourages you to shop locally.
Stay cool and come see us…’round the table.
June 27, 2016
June 27, 2016 by
Joe and Kay Gage left Diboll on May 16th in their comfortable RV with a destination of Carlisle, PA. The route they chose took them by way of Tuscaloosa, AL to attend the high school graduation of their granddaughter, Casey Cheyenne Gage, who plans to attend a Junior College and then on to becoming an Occupational Therapist. Her proud parents are Joe Grant and Allison Gage. The trip continued on to Birmingham, AL, Chattanooga and Sweetwater, TN. They thoroughly enjoyed the sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Reaching their destination in Pennsylvania, they parked for two weeks at the Western Village RV Park. During that time they toured Hershey, PA “the sweetest place on earth”. While touring the chocolate factory, Joe said you could see, feel, hear and smell the transformation of cocoa beans into delicious chocolate treats. They bought chocolate bars but none of them made it back to Diboll.
In the Amish country of Lancaster, PA they ate at the Good and Plenty Restaurant where they dined on sauerkraut and wieners and later bought “friendship” bread from the Amish. While in the Lancaster area they toured the historical Gettysburg battle grounds and drove to other popular places in the area that included: Bird-In-Hand; Blueball and Intercourse, PA. Their trip continued on to Sharpsburg, Maryland to the site of The Battle of Antietam also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Fought in 1862 it was the first major battle in the Civil War to take place on Union soil and is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history.
Joe and Kay knew there were not in Texas when in just one day they drove through four states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. In trying to get to the easternmost town in West Virginia, these two endured a two hour detour to learn more and visit Harpers Ferry where in 1859, a U.S. military arsenal was located and the target of the historical assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown.
After visiting the historical sites, Joe and Kay drove back to Carlisle, PA to attend two more graduations. One was another high school graduation of Cain Meadows. The second was a graduate of the US Army War College. Joe and Kay’s son, Phillip, is now a Full Bird Colonel in the US Army and Joe had the honor of “frocking”, which means pinning him. Phillip has 22 years of service and will be stationed in Afghanistan for one year. The Gages’ return trip to Texas included a stop in Memphis to tour Graceland and visit his sister in Mt. Pleasant, driving more than 4,000 miles on this trip. Our congratulations to all who graduated and grateful for the safe trip there and back.
There are two more proud parents in Diboll, Luis and Rosie Maldonado. Their son, Marco has completed his first year at Tyler Junior College where he is a member of the golf team. Marco had a fantastic year of golfing. According to Luis, Marco was First Team Regional; Ping All-American First Team; NSCAA First Team All-American; Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year; Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Finalist and ranked 2nd in NJCAA Division II. WOW! Very impressive! Congratulations!
John and Leann Sikes are a couple who look forward to a weekly trip to the lake. John has always loved to bass fish and Leann enjoyed fishing for crappie. Not too long ago, John convinced Leann to just “try” bass fishing. She did, and now she is “hooked”. They belong to the No Name Bass Club and every Thursday afternoon they go fishing. The tournament is from 5-8PM. As of June 23rd, John and Leann were #22 out of 94 teams; seems Leann “caught” on fast! These two also fish with other Diboll folks; Bill and Artie Yates who were in 10th place; William Flournoy and his fishing partner were #2 and the team of Lanton Chumbley and Russell Sparks were #5. Have fun and good luck!
My DHS classmate, English teacher, author, philosopher and good friend sent me an email with the following instruction, Betty Hendrick said to me, “I know you sometimes don’t mention events at the Pouland ranch, but this is special, and I trust you will add it as written:
Lifelong friends gathered on Friday for a delicious salad lunch hosted by Sandra Pouland. Sandra and JoAnn Rainwater put together lunch of chicken salad, fresh fruit, peach tea, and brownies topped by Blue Bell chocolate mint ice cream. Enjoying the meal and lots of laughter and shared memories (the latter of which we are so grateful we can still recall!) were Linda (Baker) Smeltzer, Billie Jean (Baker) Capps, JoAnn (Hendrick) Rainwater, Donnie (Weeks) Smith, Sandra (Powell) Pouland, Betty Hendrick, and one of Billie Jean’s grandchildren, Hallie Flynt. Hallie was celebrating her 13th birthday and will likely remember a long time listening to stories from us “ancient ones.” Linda was in town for the Baker reunion, scheduled for Saturday. Besides looking at the collection of animals on the ranch, those who chose to endure the heat shared more good times. One of the “highlights” was a “Blue Moon” duet played by Sandra and JoAnn. Once they got into the swing of the music, they played well; we are sure Mrs. Purdy, our music teacher, would have been proud….perhaps even surprised the ladies could recall all of that after so many years. The event really was a good time had by all!
Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs and enjoy Music in the Park, this Saturday, July 2nd in Old Orchard Park. The festivities celebrating Independence Day begin at 6PM with fun, food, games, music and lots of fireworks. It will be a HOT time in the OLD town that night! Hope to see you there.
Pouland’s will be closed on Saturday, July 2 and also on Monday for the official holiday. Come see us later…’round the table.
June 20, 2016
June 20, 2016 by
Diboll School Board members Trey Wilkerson, Ronnie Coleman, Laura Cooper, Roy Salazar, Greg Stephens, and Rodney Cheshire each attended training in San Antonio last week at the TASB Summer Leadership Institute. They each participated in multiple sessions related to Texas schools, hearing speakers and visiting with Board members from other districts in an effort to learn things that can be used in Diboll. Every one of the Diboll attendees sat in on a least one session related to the superintendent search process to help better equip them to handle that responsibility.
Once the conference ended on Saturday, Trey and Michele Wilkerson, along with Annabeth and Ryan, headed for the Hill Country. They first went to Bandera, and the kids enjoyed a performance of the gunfighters in the “Cowboy Capital of the World”. At the end of the show the kids were sworn in as deputies and given badges, which Ryan is probably still wearing. From Bandera, they headed on to Fredericksburg, and Saturday evening they took in an incredible performance of Beauty and the Beast by the Fredericksburg Theater Company. It was a top-notch performance with over 40 actors on stage at one time. Even 7 year old Ryan was mesmerized for over two hours by the show!
On Sunday, they splashed in the Guadalupe River in Kerrville for a few minutes, then headed over to Enchanted Rock. It was a beautiful day, and Trey and the kids climbed almost to the top of the 425 foot high granite hill and enjoyed the views of the surrounding countryside. Then it was time to go back through Fredericksburg and grab some peaches before heading towards Diboll.
The following is news from our local “pickers”, David and Charlotte Carter who own His & Hers Trade Days in Burke. Charlotte writes. We made a very ‘quick pick’ trip to the 200 mile Highway 70 Yard Sale which runs from Memphis to Nashville, Tennessee. We left Burke at 4:30AM on a Thursday and we had lunch in Forrest City, Arkansas. By 1:30 we were on the sale trail. We found a few good stops that afternoon and then spent most of the day that Friday looking for treasures. We learned when to stop and when not to even though it is very hard for David to pass up a yard sale. Our best items we found were at out of the way old homesteads. We stopped at one gentleman’s home who must have cleaned out his barn of old rakes and such. We got a primitive post hole digger among other things from him. We met another couple off on a side road who had several things set up but as we talked she told us she had her ‘good stuff’ in her home so we were able to get a few nice items there. One was a bakelite base, gold horse clock. Bakelite is made with a combination of sawdust and formaldehyde. It is a beautiful piece. The best part of that visit was that we were invited to come back and they will have some more treasures for us including old toys. A nice find at another home was an old cast iron money bank that is worth over $200. We ventured on up to Marion Illinois that Friday evening and met a couple we have befriended for dinner. The next morning we went to her little shop and then to their place to pick up items we had left the last visit we made. David loaded up an old wringer washer that works and several pieces of furniture including a few cabinets from an old barber shop. We started back home that Saturday evening staying in Searcy, Arkansas and then on home Saturday. We are already planning another trip in July. We are always looking for treasures for our trade days where ‘old is new’! I recommend you stop by His & Hers Trade Days on highway 59 in Burke where there is always something new and interesting.
Jesse and Suzanne Bradford had the joy of carrying their eight-year-old granddaughter, Addyson Arnold, on a cruise. They left Galveston on the Carnival cruise ship Liberty and sailed to Cozumel and Progresso. Addyson never meets a stranger and had a blast aboard the ship. She stayed busy with the Kids Carnival Club day and night. At dinner each evening she not only tried new foods but actually liked most of it and made friends quickly with another 8-year-old at the table. The waiters always wanted Addyson to dance with them during their evening entertainment. All three, Jesse, Suzanne and Addyson, enjoyed the professional Broadway-type shows in the evening. Suzanne said Jesse was the perfect grandpa and took charge of Addyson while Suzanne got to relax, enjoy a hot stone massage and plenty of time to read. At all times there was something going on. When the ship docked, Suzanne and Addyson did some serious shopping in Progresso and in Cozumel all three swam, shook hands and even kissed the dolphins. It was another great trip for the Bradfords with fun and smooth sailing. Addyson is the youngest daughter of Glenn and JonAnna Arnold.
Jennifer Horton showed us pictures of produce from their daughter’s garden in Conroe. Her dad, Gary Horton, has always had a garden in his front yard on FM 1818 and we were disappointed not to see one this year but it looks like his daughter April is coming along in his footsteps raising tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and several varieties of squash. April is also mechanically talented and along with her husband, Joe Fowler, put a radiator in Gary’s pickup while visiting him during the Father’s Day weekend. Jennifer and Gary enjoyed the grandchildren during the visit. Their grandson, Miles, is almost two and loves his grandma. Granddaughter, Brooklynn, is almost five. She seems partial to her grandpa and made him a special card for Father’s Day. Jennifer has been a faithful employee of the Diboll ISD. She is beginning her18th year in the cafeteria.
Almost every Friday a group of ladies get together for lunch; this past Friday they went to the Olive Garden. The group includes JoNell Placker, Joyce Carlton, Mary Lou Havard and Kathryn Chuke. Afterwards, they came to Poulands’ for a cup of coffee and were delighted to visit with Joe Donald Smith and his son, Bill. Earlier that week, JoNell and Mary Lou visited with Milford Ruby in his home where he and Mary Lou discussed the good ole days of living in Fastrill. Milford is not driving at the present time so remember him and give him a call or go visit.
The Diboll Area Lions Club has boxes around town in various businesses to collect eye glasses. The organization cleans and repairs them to be given to children and adults that need them. We are proud to have one of the boxes available at Poulands so you can drop your glasses off here and come see us…’round the table.
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