June 1, 2015

June 1, 2015 by

 

Janet Kilgore, Assistant Manager at The Joe Elliott House, stopped by to have a flat repaired. She had her sister-in-law Jeannie Johnston from Salt Lake City with her and introduced her at the RT. Jeannie’s brother and sister-in-law is Algie Lee and Wanda Kilgore who live in Diboll. Janet had previously told us Jeannie was 86-years-old going on 50 and she was absolutely right! Jeannie was a spry petite 98 pounds; had a porcelain doll complexion; fashionably dressed with black stockings and loves to ballroom dance. She lives downtown Salt Lake City on 2nd street across from the world renowned Mormon building of genealogy. Janet was taking her to visit someone that was going to carry her to the airport for her return trip home. Several years ago while Janet was visiting Jeannie in Salt Lake City, Janet carried her family records to the Mormon facility in hopes of finding more information but was disappointed. The staff working there was happy that Janet shared her information with them. Janet said she did find a mention of her step father, William Welch and Marvin Baker and The 8 Baker Café that was once located in the front building next to where Pouland Real Estate is today which was Powell’s Grocery in years past.

Knowing how John Ralph loves “old stuff”, Jim Odom came in one day with several items from the old O. L. Hubbard Grocery and Feed that was in Lufkin in the 30’s. Jim’s wife, Sally, was the daughter of Jimmie Jean (Massingill) and O. L. Hubbbard. The building was located in the vicinity of Chestnut and Lufkin Avenue. Jim gave JR a meat cleaver, knives and a sharpener.

Tom Squyres stopped by one morning on his way to “little” Centerville school. He showed me the portable self-contained bee hive he had with him that he and beekeeper, Cecil Hunt, were going to demonstrate the importance of honey bees to Pre-K through 4th graders. Tom was kind enough to uncover the hive and show it to me and even pointed out the queen bee. Tom dedicates many hours of his time to help people, especially when children are involved.

Darrel Stanley visits the RT often. He shared that his sister-in-law and a couple of friends from Dallas stayed with he and Linda on their way to visit Hodges Gardens in Louisiana. It was during the time we were having all the rain and upon arriving at the gardens were disappointed that the blooms were all washed away or beaten down. When the group came back by the Stanley’s, Darrel suggested they go on back to Dallas as soon as possible based on the weather predictions. The girls waited a couple of days and decided to take the backroads instead of the interstate. Darrell really had a hard time not saying “I told you so” when he learned they had to wait three hours for the flooded roads to clear.

John Ogden told his wife Gloria to pack her bag for the Memorial Day weekend because he was taking her on a trip and it was to be a surprise. They drove to Llano for a car show and festival which was a big disappointment due to the weather. They drove to Fredericksburg and decided to travel on to her brother’s ranch and visit a couple of hours with he and his wife. It began to sprinkle but that didn’t discourage them even knowing they had to cross the Blanco River and a bridge to get to the ranch. The rain got heavier and they even had to wait for volunteers to cut a fallen tree across the road. The rain got heavier but nothing bad. John drove cautiously across the river and the bridge and all of a sudden, the rain got really bad. They made it to the ranch and had to spend the night. The news that night reported the Blanco River was expected to get out of its banks. The next morning they couldn’t leave because the water had washed away about 30 feet of her brother’s road. Her brother discarded the idea of using an aluminum boat because broken trees and the current made it impossible to paddle across. They spent a second night. Fearful of having to spend days and desperate to get home, her brother devised a plan of putting a 40’ ladder across the rising water. With one end in the river bed and the other end on concrete, John and Gloria crossed on their hands and knees to the other side. Someone carried them into Blanco where they met their son who had driven four hours from Houston and drove another five hours to Diboll. I bet it will be awhile before Gloria lets John “surprise” her again.
We have on display here at Pouland’s the cutest horse barn birdhouse built and designed by Jimmie Woodard. Chances to win are $1 each or 6 for $5. All proceedswill go into the Diboll Alumni Association’s Scholarship Fund.

Diboll Boy Scout Troup 128 is selling Smoked Pork Butts just in time for Father’s Day weekend. The tender meat will already be cooked and ready for a nice meal. You must place your orders by June 15th. The meat must be picked up on June 20th between 8 and Noon at the Diboll Scout House. To place an order, call Jeannette at 676-8506.

Enjoy the sunshine and come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: June 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 25, 2015

May 25, 2015 by

 

Accolades to the postal mail carriers of Diboll from Diboll Christian Outreach for collecting hundreds of can goods. Some time ago, brown paper bags were delivered to postal mail recipients asking if they would fill the bags with can goods and leave beside their mailbox to be picked up by their postal carriers. It was very successful this year. 25-year veteran volunteers, Billie Jean Capps and Isabelle Hardy ask to use this column to thank everyone who so graciously donated can goods. They are still praising the people of our community for their loyal support of Diboll Christian Outreach. The people of Diboll have always been so gracious to help when there is a need.

How about Diboll being the #2 best town. We’ve known that for years just as our Mayor John McClain stated, “It’s the best kept secret in Texas”. Jay Wyatt, a longtime resident of Diboll made the announcement at FBC about the good news and said he used to live in the #1 town, Borne and now he lives in the #2 town. Someone retorted his moving to Diboll may be why we are #2 and not #1.

Emmah Jones had the surprise of her life for her 16th birthday. Her parents are John and Misti Jones. Her maternal grandparents are Aundrea and Larry Ellison and her paternal grandparents are Troy and Wanda Jones. Last Sunday, Emmah thought she was going to Olive Garden to celebrate her birthday after leaving the services at the Apostolic Church in Burke. But Emmah was blindfolded and carried to the Old Burke School. She had no idea where she was when the blindfold was removed because the building had been converted into “A Night of Paris” with tons of tiny lights and posters of the Eiffel Towers and other Paris landmarks. A backdrop for picture taking included a black drape with hot pink accents, tiny lights and a chandelier. Her birthday cake was full of pink roses and topped with a sparkling tiara. The table for her and her friends had pink boas and a tall vase filled with pink plumes. The menu of Chicken Alfredo and green salad was served to approximately 100 guests. Emmah’s creative and talented grandmother, Aundrea Ellison, was very pleased with everything except for all the soreness she had the next day from the extensive decorating.

Several from the 1982 DHS graduating class, 32 years ago, enjoyed visiting over a meal at Los Jarritos. Those included Allison Amason; Laura Youngblood and son-in-law; Vicky Mullins and Mark Mayberry; Steve and Mary Brasher; Andrea and Kevin Swor.

Whitney (Wilson) Camp came in to buy a fishing license. She was looking forward to going to the Lake Livingston during the holiday hoping to find a really large gar. To bring her trophy into the boat, she planned to use fishing line, not attached to a fishing rod but to a bow and arrow. Hopefully, she was safe, successful and didn’t have to apply her nursing skills. Whitney is a nurse at Urgent Doc.

Margaret Smith brought us warm homemade cinnamon rolls to the RT apologizing for too much cinnamon but that wasn’t the case. They were perfectly delicious and thoroughly enjoyed. An empty pan testified to that. Thank you Margaret.

Rain, rain go away, come again another (summer) day has been the wish of many folks around here. Having the opportunity to be at home one rainy morning, I observed someone who doesn’t mind the rain or how wet it is; my recently widowed greenhead duck that lives in our backyard. During a thunderstorm and pouring down rain he calmly sat cleaning himself before waddling off to take a swim on the pond oblivious to the wind, rain and lightning. My nine hens did not want to leave their nice and dry house to wade through puddles of water and browse in the rain. They wanted their breakfast of hen scratch served inside. My two pigmy goats, Isabella and Sabrina, do not even want to consider stepping in puddles of water to go outside in the rain. They would rather run into the chickens’ house and keep them company. My bantam rooster Harold has two ladies that look like twins, Thelma and Louise. I’m pretty sure it’s Louise that is the proud mother of eight baby chicks. They stay high and dry and secure in a special cage. The same is true for two young white doves who live across from the new family in their own high rise protected house. They all seem to adjust to the weather whatever it brings, we should do the same.

When and if you can, come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: May 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 11, 2015

May 11, 2015 by

 

PRALINES AND BROCCOLI CORNBREAD

Almost anyone who had been around Geraldine Pouland for any length of time has eaten either her homemade pecan pralines or her broccoli cornbread. She was well known for these two specialties and spent time reading cookbooks and collecting recipes. She loved to cook, was good at it and kept us fed. Affectionately known as “Other Momma” Geraldine passed away May 5th. She will be missed by many friends and family.

Geraldine Pouland was probably the best known lady in the Personnel Department at Temple. She was usually the first person new employees met and she seem to remember who they were for years to come. They learned that she was willing to help anyone with anything. It was in this office that she often brought home cooked food to share with others. Broccoli cornbread was an all-time favorite of her co-workers. J.D. Johnson remembers that she would spice up cocktail sausages just the way he liked them. Her Sunday school class members always expected her to bring her pecan pralines to any function where food was served and she also made them for many bridal, baby and various showers for many years.

After her retirement from Temple, Geraldine became our resident cook at the Round Table, preparing wonderful home cooked meals every day. There is a plaque near the Round Table that says: Over and Above The Call of Duty Club, ‘Other Momma’ Pouland, Cook of the Year Award 1998. She always made the chicken and dressing for Thanksgiving until she taught Andrea her secret. In later years, she passed on the cooking duties at the Round Table but loved to come, eat lunch and visit. Visiting became very difficult as her hearing was so impaired, conversations would have to be written on a board for her to read. That didn’t keep her from issuing orders or flashing those dark eyes at anything that didn’t suit her. It’s sad and we will miss her but we must remember… she can now HEAR what’s being said!

Betty Baskette, one of Geraldine’s best friends and co-workers in the Personnel Department at Temple both had birthdays in May. Geraldine’s was the 18th and Betty’s is the 16th. Betty Baskette is celebrating her 90th birthday this Saturday, May 16, at Diboll First Baptist Church in their fellowship building. All of her family will be there and the public is cordially invited to attend her party at 1PM.

Don’t forget that Diboll’s annual Tamale Festival is also this Saturday in Old Orchard Park beginning at 10AM. Lots of fun, festivities and homemade tamales.
Speaking of homemade. Morris Smith brought to the Round Table two large pans of his home made yeast rolls. Oh, how I wish I could describe how good they tasted and they were still warm from the oven. Morris said his mother let him watch her in the kitchen and always told him that a man needs to know how to cook as well as a woman. That’s a lesson Morris learned well. He is known for his homemade bread. Betty never buys bread, only flour and Morris bakes bread nearly every day. Someday, I plan to look over his shoulder and learn “how to”.

Our thanks to Ella Wayne Wilkerson for bringing home made brownies fresh from the oven to the Round Table one day last week. They certainly didn’t last long! There are others who were so thoughtful of us and brought food to the store. Sue Johnson and Mary Ingram both tried a new recipe from the Charm magazine for a Lemon pound cake drenched in sweet lemony sauce. Donnie Jenkins brought a delicious pound cake, Aundrea Ellison, an Arkansas Pie and Marcia Jones a pecan pie. Bettye Greer delivered us a whole Mexican meal from our favorite place, Los Jorritas and in addition to that, Julia sent Tortilla soup because she knows it’s my favorite.

A big heartfelt “Thank you” to everyone that expressed their condolences in any way. We truly appreciate each of you.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: May 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

May 5, 2015

May 5, 2015 by

 

David and Charlotte (Morris) Carter have owned the His & Hers Trade Days in Burke for two years and they both love it. The following is an email from Charlotte about a quick trip they took to Virginia to help a friend move. One of their venders, Johnny, also went along with them.

Charlotte says. It was a two day drive to get there pulling trailers and packed and stacked but it was truly a great trip! On the way I (Charlotte) left my phone and all of my debit/cards at a restaurant in Tennessee, went back and nothing was found. So, for two hours I was canceling cards and cell phone service. We arrived at our beautiful destination in the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains on a Friday evening. Such a beautiful site looking over the hills, seeing old barns, and beautiful flowers and trees. David, Johnny, and I headed out to Roanoke Saturday morning with the sole purpose of going to Black Dog Salvage. This salvage place specializes in reclamation, re-purposing and resale of architectural pieces. Two guys, Mike and Robert, started the business and it went from salvage business to a Salvage Dawgs reality show on the diy (do it yourself) network. This is one of our favorite shows! We arrived at their store and the town was having a marathon. Mike, Robert and the black dog Sally were greeting the runners. We were able to stand on their dock, visit with them, and get our photo made. They are super “down to earth” guys! We got our t-shirts, shopped a bit and hit the road. Being in the business of junk we made many stops! We spent Saturday night in Kodak, TN near Pigeon Forge. Sunday we pointed toward home by way of Arkansas. Being the traveler I noted that the American Pickers, another awesome show on the History channel, have a store in Nashville. After a few flea markets we made our way to ribs at Rippy’s BBQ and a quick visit to the American Archaeology store to view some of Mike and Frank’s finds. They were not there but we got a few pictures with some of the things from their show. As our day was ending we found some great treasures including several old cast iron kettles and a few iron skillets. We found ourselves facing storms through Arkansas but made it home safely in the early hours Monday morning. It was a very quick trip but we enjoyed our venture! Note: His & Hers Trades Day is the third weekend of every month in the middle of Burke on the east side of highway 59, just a short distance south of Angelina County Airport.

Visiting with Arlene Hook when she came in for garden seeds, I learned that she and several ladies from her church, Diboll United Pentecostal Church, spent all day last Saturday shopping in Tyler. With Arlene were chauffeur and pastor’s wife, Michele King, Michele’s daughter-in-law, Brittany King, Jessica Stanley and Patricia Stubblefield. Their first place to stop was the new strip center taking in the several department stores that included: Versona; T. J. Maxx, Compass, Gordman’s, Ross and Steinmart. For lunch they dined at Genghis Mongolian Grill where customers choose their meat, spices, vegetables, give it to a cook and when it’s done the cook brings it to the table with your choice of a fork or chop sticks. After a delicious meal, the group enjoyed frozen custard at Andy’s.

Enjoyed visiting with Andy Archer and his son, Clayton, who now live in Pleasantview, Colorado. Andy is the son of John and Johnnie Archer of Diboll and is married to Debrah (Brooks) whose parents are Bobby and Ann Brooks also of Diboll. Andy and Debrah both graduated from Diboll. Andy worked at Temple Inland’s Fiberboard plant, was a para medic and followed in his mother’s footsteps and became a nurse, moved to Colorado and later became a flight nurse. He doesn’t fly now but is a Regional Flight Manager. His company owns 35 aircrafts and he is responsible for the crews and equipment that includes 8 aircrafts and 90 pilots, nurses and para medics. They love living in Colorado on their 35 acres where Andy can be trout fishing in 8 minutes from home. Although Debrah earned the title of a Physicians’ Assistant she chose the title “mother” and home schooled their three children. Their oldest child, Andrew, is married to Jessica; Clayton is 20 and Christina is 17. Clayton is a carpenter and spends his time helping others when he is not taking care of his goats, sheep, cows, pigs and chickens. He uses a Great Pyrenees dog to guard all the stock against bear and mountain lions.

Jack and Donnie Jenkins have arrived home from attending the SAS, Single Action Shooting Society, state competition in Lockhart. The association is made up of men and women who love to shoot pistols, rifles and shotguns which are period correct for the late 1800’s. It involves shooting ten separate stages and is based on time and accuracy. Donnie competed in the “Grand Dam” category and was awarded the honor of being #3 in the state! In June, Jack and Donnie will attend the World competition in Albuquerque, NM where both will compete in the “End of Trail” shoot.

Dennis and Karon Lenderman were proud to be taking care of their 16-month-old grandson, Jase Davis, when they came in the store. Karon’s parents, Marlon and Jean Register, were also in the store buying Colorado pinto beans. John Hawkins also bought pinto beans.

Dianne Tate and her daughter-in-law, Vicki Tate, stopped by the store to visit after attending the Women in Red luncheon. Vicki had some pictures of hers and Barry’s precious twin grandsons, Jude Kenneth and Lennon Morris whose parents are Zackary and Brittany Tate. The twins were helping Barry and had climbed up on the open dishwasher to help him load dishes. Vicki has retired from teaching in Magnolia and works full time, or when she wants to, for BVT Enterprises which is managing their rental properties. Barry works for the Barry W. Tate Group that is associated with Ameriprise.

It’s not a surprise so go ahead and mark your calendars for Betty Baskette’s 90th birthday party on May 16th in the fellowship hall of Diboll First Baptist Church. The special event is open to all who want to come and celebrate her birthday at 1PM. There will be plenty of food and birthday cake.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: May 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

April 27, 2015

April 27, 2015 by

 

I think everyone enjoys reading about vacations, at least I do. The following is JoAnn and Richard Rainwaters’ recent trip to Las Vegas.
Richard and Jo Ann Rainwater decided they had been homebound too long and decided to do a little vacationing on Thursday, April 16, to Las Vegas for a four-night stay at lavishly adorned The Venetian hotel, rendezvousing there with friends Chick and Lollie Bever from Tampa, FL.

The first night’s fine dining experience was authentic Italian cuisine in the hotel at Zeffirino’s. Zeffirino Belloni opened his restaurant in Genoa, Italy in 1939, and then his son carried on the tradition by having the first restaurant to be opened at The Venetian in the late 1990s. (The Rainwaters and Poulands had stayed at The Venetian the second week after it opened.) Entering the restaurant, diners are greeted by a 40-foot high handcrafted bar imported from Italy before ascending to the second floor dining room which overlooks the gondoliers singing to their passengers as they navigate the canal. The hotel atmosphere transports one to Italy without leaving the U.S.!

The next night’s dining experience was tableside around a private lagoon at Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at The Wynn led by two-time James Beard Foundation award-winning chef, Paul Bartolotta. His menu, created nightly, features fresh Mediterranean seafood and Italian coastal cuisine with house-made pastas and over forty varieties of fresh fish and shellfish flown in daily from Italian waters.

Saturday found the travelers on The Roller Coaster at New York-New York, ascending to a height of 203 feet, drops of 144 feet, and speeds up to 67 mph, sometimes upside down. Thank goodness, lunch was later at Greenberg’s Deli in a Greenwich Village-themed setting in New York-New York. From New York, the group went to the Paris hotel for the musical play, “Jersey Boys”. The music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons was nostalgic and very well done. Hopping a cab afterwards, it was off to dinner at Buddy V’s in The Venetian. Opened by Buddy Valastro, the internationally renowned baker known for his ebullient personality and intricate custom cakes, the “Cake Boss” on the TLC TV show has created a fun atmosphere with Italian pastas, appetizers and pizzas…and the cakes on display were masterpieces!

Sunday brunch in the hotel was followed by shopping for the ladies while the guys watched golf. It was a day to prop the feet up and pack for the Monday morning flight back as goodbyes were said. The Bevers continued their stay in the area in order to attend a Ron Fellows two-day driving school for Corvette owners, but the Rainwaters had to rush back to attend the highly entertaining “Million Dollar Quartet” presented by the Arts Alliance at the Temple Theater on Tuesday night. Jo Ann serves on the board and says the 15th Anniversary season will be a great one, with a jump start on June 5 by a special entertainer soon to be announced.

Lots of folks enjoyed visiting with Dale and Jill Rye while they were here for a few days from Renner, South Dakota. It was more than 20 years ago that they made their first trip to East Texas looking for a winter home for their honey bees and since then have made more friends because of their many beekeeping trips to East Texas. Dale retired from the bee business last year except for the 300 hives he keeps in insulated barns on their farm in SD. So, this trip was strictly fun for Dale but Jill is a full time RN and will soon complete her Doctorate in Nursing. She only lacks six credits and a senior project so she had homework everyday while Dale was free to do whatever.

As it has been an annual tradition when possible, they did attend the Angelina County Benefit Rodeo with us and Jack and Donnie Jenkins. Some other folks they got to visit with included: James Leftwich; Mary Lou Havard and daughters; Wayne & Janet Hodges; Marty and Tom Harris; Tom Squyres; Woody Ingram; Butch and Ruth Tidwell and the Beulah Store.

Back home in Renner, SD, Dale and Jill are members of the West Nidaros Lutheran Church, which was formed in 1868. The original Norwegian congregation was the first church in the Dakota Territory. The present building, built in 1911, has a pipe organ that has been rebuilt three times still using the original pipes. Jill is one of their organists. Members at Diboll First Baptist were treated to special music she played for both services last Sunday. (It was a treat that she invited me to play their pipe organ when we visited them in SD.)

Jonathan Jones was in the store with his dad Gary. Jonathan works for Exxon Mobile and is presently living in a condo on a beach in Oxnard, CA. He typically works 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off out of Port Hueneme, CA. He lives near a naval base and loves the picturesque scenery and perfect climate. If he tires of living on the beach he can be in the mountains in 15 minutes. He’s also 15 minutes from Cassita Springs, the hometown of his favorite performer, Johnny Cash. One of Jonathan’s friends treated him to an elegant meal at Hozy’s Grill & Restaurant in Santa Paula, CA. The owners’ main gig is a company that makes race car components but these food-loving owners wanted a nice but conveniently located restaurant close to their work. Hidden in an industrial park, they converted one of the bays in their garage into a posh restaurant. Sitting at the table next to Jonathan and casting a smile toward him was Meryl Streep. Jonathan also met a guy who owns Steve McQueen’s hanger which is filled with McQueen memorabilia. Jonathan is now the proud owner of two checker racing flags from races that Steve McQueen won. Jonathan enjoys his work for Exxon Mobile working in Rig Operations, Safety and Inventory and has lived in Canada, Colorado and Russia but I think he loves California best.

If you saw Garry and Kathy Martz you may wonder why they looked happy, but exhausted. For four days they kept their two granddaughters; 4-year-old Allison and 1-1/2 year old Taylor. Their parents are Kevin and Lindsey Martz of Ft. Worth. The girls enjoyed hitting golf balls at Neches Pines and attending Friday night’s performance of the Angelina County Benefit Rodeo and coming to the Round Table.

The Diboll Business Association which is made up of 50 hardworking businesses who hope you will shop locally, is sponsoring a Bingo that will benefit the Red & White Scholarship Fund for Diboll seniors. The scholarship is available to all DHS seniors who plan to continue their education and will complete a simple one page application. The money in the scholarship fund comes from donations, contributions, memorials, DISD payroll deductions and the proceeds from the Bingo sponsored by the Diboll Business Association. The balance in the fund will be equally divided by the number of applications. The more money in the Scholarship fund is more money for each Diboll senior. Project Graduation will be in charge of and benefit from the concessions. The Bingo will be May 2nd at the Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center. The doors will open at 5:30 and the games begin at 6:30. Each game has a value of $100 and the Blackout game is valued at $200. You can play 10 games for $1.00. The blackout game will cost you $2.00. What a bargain that will support a good cause!

Come see us…’round the table and don’t forget J.R.’s Barn is open Thursday and Fridays at 6PM for crawfish, seafood, steaks and hamburgers.

Filed Under: April 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

April 13, 2015

April 13, 2015 by

 

To err is human! I suppose it is good to know I am human because I really messed up in this column last week. Some of you certainly realized that Isabel Hardy is married to Wayne, not Frank! My apologies to Wayne and Isabel.

Wayne and Isabel will be spending time on the road this weekend near Tomball driving their award winning 1972 MGB Roadster. This is part of the Texas Tour made up of classic cars that are at least 25 years old. The tour will be all day Friday and part of Saturday and the awards will be on Sunday. Sure hope they come home with another trophy.

I also need to correct another error concerning what I wrote about Kathy Rodgers who was in town visiting with friends. Kathy has a big heart for helping people and I gave her credit for organizing Christmas Blessings which was actually the dream of three local United Methodist churches: Diboll, Burke and Ryan Chapel. It is a wonderful ministry that reaches hundreds in our communities.

The First Apostolic Church in the Burke area has a new project. Selling Bountiful Delight Cookbooks filled with delicious recipes. Cookbooks available here at Pouland’s and also at the Temple Library. The cost in $20. For more information contact Irma at 829-5760.

It was fun helping ex wrestler, Nick Mitchell, with selecting seeds for a garden that he and his grandfather, Glenn Shivers, are planting in Burke. Nick lives in The Woodlands and is very passionate about planting and eating organic foods. He realizes most of the food we eat is full of preservatives which are very unhealthy. He has learned to cook healthy meals, buying fresh food in quantity and preparing meals for friends who don’t have time or enjoy cooking. That’s why he is so interested in planting a garden and harvesting fresh food although he and Glenn debated the use of fertilizer. Nick works as a pharmaceutical salesman and is also very passionate about his prison ministry.

Nick, his brother Chad and mom, Sara, were in town for the wedding of their close friend, Joe L. After the wedding a group gathered at Glenn Shivers’ barn and enjoyed music until the wee hours of the morning. Good friends, Chris Wells and Chad Mitchell, provided most of the music that was enjoyed by Nick and Sara Mitchell, Mike and Rhonda Shivers, Glenn and others. Chad and his wife live in San Antonio where both of them are Financial Advisors for Merrell Lynch.

Most of our new customers can’t help but comment on the large double barrel shotgun that hangs behind the counter in our store. Glendyl “Rabbit” Griffith recognized the “shotgun” and said he made the trigger guard on it during the time he was a blacksmith at the paper mill. The gun was designed for a BBQ pit for the “Double Barrel Gang”. Creative carpenters made the stock and the barrels are PVC pipes. We are happy to have the conversation piece thanks to Thomas Anderson.

Our caladium bulbs have arrived. Mary Ingram is usually first to buy and gets a whole box. She told me most people plant caladium bulbs about Mother’s Day. Her dad used to start bulbs in the greenhouse for her so they would already be in bloom when she planted hers around Mother’s Day. Her neighbors, Joe Gage and Mark Hafernick, have also been in to buy caladiums. The hummingbirds have arrived and we have a selection of new feeders. The mosquitos are plentiful and we have the stuff to get rid of them. George DuVall along with lots of folks was been in buying garden seed. Skeeter Scarborough was looking over our selection of bedding plants and flowers. Polly Leavell was in buying local honey to help with the miseries of allergies.

For those of us born in Camden, Texas or lived in and around the thriving community, there is a Camden Homecoming, Saturday April 18th 10-4 at the Pine Grove Church on FM 62, near the site of Camden. Bring a picnic lunch and lawn chair and enjoy listening to the “good ole days, when…”

The Angelina County Extension office is presenting the “Do It Yourself” series on Home Orchards, Monday April 20th at 6:30 at the Extension office .Guest speaker will be Greg Grant, lecturer in the School of Horticulture at SFA. The cost is $10. For more information call 634-6414.

The Diboll Business Association and Diboll ISD is sponsoring the Red and White Scholarship Bingo on May 2nd 6:30 – 8:30 at the Lottie & Arthur Temple Civic Center. Concessions will be furnished by 2015 Project Graduation parents and students. 10 games valued at $100 each.

Diboll PTSA is having a “Fundraising at Panda” in Lufkin, April 22nd 4:30 – 8:30. The Panda Express is located near Sam’s Club in Lufkin.

J.R.’s Barn is open Thursday and Friday at 6 PM serving crawfish, fried and boiled shrimp, fried catfish and steaks. Come by and browse through Vintage Blooms’ gift shop, florist and antiques.

Don’t forget this Saturday, April 18th is the big day for Operation Clean-Sweep and the Texas Trash Off. The past events have made improvements on 88 homes with more than 1400 volunteers. Volunteers are needed to work. Contact Fran McClain 829-2779 or Elvia Esteves-Garza at 829-4757.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: April 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

April 6, 2015

April 6, 2015 by

 

Diboll Christian Outreach’s former coordinator, Kathy Rodgers from Georgia, was in town last week to catch up with what’s been going on in Diboll. Kathy’s son Tim who lives in Dallas drove her to Tyler where she met Linda Maxey and Becky Donahoe. These three did some serious shopping for Christmas Blessings, an annual project that Kathy organized while she and Joe lived here. Kathy stayed in the home of Clyde and Linda Maxey where she and Linda spent two fun days of scrap-booking. One evening Kathy, Clyde and Linda, Milford Ruby and Charles Donahoe enjoyed visiting over a meal at the Cracker Barrel. After Methodist choir practice on Wednesday evening Kathy enjoyed visiting over a meal with Nita and Gary Hurley; Becky and Charles Donahoe; Delana and Gary Hendrick. The largest gathering of friends was on Thursday at Christian Outreach’s pot luck dinner where Kathy renewed old friendships and met new volunteers. It’s been almost a year that Joe and Kathy Rodgers bought a home in Georgia and Kathy has already gotten involved in a large charitable organization there while Joe works for his Canadian based company that has several plants in the southern US. Their two sons are doing well. Steve lives and works in San Antonio and Tim lives and works in Dallas.

Frank and Isabel Hardy have been longtime volunteers at Diboll Christian Outreach after retiring from T/I. The Hardys moved to Diboll from Evadale in 1980 for Frank to work in Temple Industries’ Environmental department. Sometime in the 70’s Frank first met Isabel’s dog in Silsbee while she was visiting from England. After he met Isabel, it was only a few months before they were married in China, Texas. Now they spend more time traveling around the country exhibiting their classic cars and are members of the CVAR Car Club, Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing. About six times a year these two work at the races. Frank is a flagman and sometimes works the “penalty” box while Isabel works in the control room where she keeps a running log of everything that is happening. Their 1972 MGB and 1958 MGZB sedan have won them 2-Best of Show; 2 First Places and a dozen Best of Class. They are looking forward to spending 2-1/2 days near Tomball attending the Texas Tour of old cars.

I had the pleasure of meeting the new pastor of Premier Iglesia Bautista in Diboll (formerly the Lakeview Baptist on Ryan Chapel Road). I first met Pedro Aviles in Los Jarritos on a Saturday evening when I stopped in there desperately needing someone to interpret Spanish. Bro. Aviles was standing at the counter checking out and graciously offered to help me. Bro. Pedro Aviles is from San Juan, Puerto Rico where he and his wife were missionaries for more than 30 years through the Southern Baptist Convention of Puerto Rico. They moved to Texas in 1984 where he studied at the Dallas Baptist University and at the same time pastored two churches. He and his wife have been married for 39 years and have four children. Delisse is a school principal in Grand Prairie; Yarlin is a 3rd grade teacher in Puerto Rico; their son Tony teaches Architecture in Dallas and their youngest daughter Andrea recently graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and plans to teach school in Dallas. They have five grandchildren: Caleb, Elisabeth, Naomi, Darell and Yarielis. Easter Sunday was Bro. Aviles’ first official day as pastor.

Last year J.D. and Sue Johnson told at the Round Table they had about a dozen unusual ducks at their house with long legs and bright orange-colored bills. Mark Hafernick overheard the conversation, went home to his shop and built a special wood duck box according to instructions from Wildlife Manager, Don Dietz. The Johnsons installed the box last year and this year they have anywhere from 24 to 36 more ducks. Mark would like to think it is because the ducks like their new home. The common name of these foul is Black Belly Whistling Tree duck. Folks that live around a field or pond might watch for these gaudy, noisy flocks that really do have a whistle for their call.

Kitty Bounds is the Program Coordinator for the support program, LIFT, Living Information for Today. It is sponsored by Gipson Funeral Home and is a social support program that helps widows and widowers adjust to the loss of a spouse by engaging them in educational, social and recreational activities. They meet on the last Tuesday of each month at noon and lunch is provided. The March program was Elaine Cameron, Master Gardener, who shared information about native plants. She also spoke about planting plants that take care of bees, butterflies and insects to maintain a healthy eco-system. Next month, at noon on April 28th, the guest speaker will be Scotty Nunn, of the Winnie Berry Animal Shelter. If you are a widow or widower and interested in attending this program, call Gipson Funeral Home at 634-4411. The program is free and if you like, someone will call to remind you of the meeting the last Tuesday of each month.

Sunday, April 12th at 10AM is the annual homecoming services at the Beulah Congregational Methodist Church. The founder and first pastor in 1892 was Allen Squyres. This year’s speaker is Trent Squyres, a 4th generation of the founder. Other early families included Weeks, Havard, Fairchild, Grimes, Strains, Wheelers and Scarboroughs. Another speaker will be Chet Strain, the youngest son of Thurman and Lila Strain. The message will be delivered by Pastor Trey Thompson who preached his first sermon at this church when he was 17. You are invited to attend the services and bring a covered dish for the noon meal.

Next Tuesday, April 14th, is the date for Angelina County 4-H’s Super Bingo Bash, 6PM at the Angelina County Extension Office. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund and summer camps.

It’s never too late to participate in the Diboll Civic Club’s Operation Clean-Sweep which is April 18th. Past events have seen improvements made on 88 homes with more than 1400 volunteers. Again this year, volunteers are needed to work, provide tools, prepare food or make monetary or building material donations. Find more information on the Facebook pages “Diboll Civic Club” and “Operation Clean-Sweep 2015”.

That same day, April 18th, Diboll Beautiful Clean will sponsor the Texas Trash Off Day. Volunteers are needed to pick up litter around town. Contact Elvia Esteves-Garza at Diboll City Hall 829-4757 if you would like to volunteer. It is because of volunteers who care that makes Diboll the best place to live.

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: April 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

March 30, 2015

March 30, 2015 by

 

Enjoyed visiting with former Dibollians, Rodney and Charlotte (Martin) Shelton who were here from Fayetteville, GA to attend the annual Shelton family reunion. The reunion was held at his uncle’s new venue, “Shelton’s”, whose owners are David and Lois Shelton on FM2108 near the intersection of FM58. When they lived in Diboll Rodney worked at the Fiberboard plant. They eventually moved to Tennessee for 20 years and in 2010 moved to Georgia. Charlotte’s parents were Joyce and John Martin who were our country neighbors years ago. Joyce lives in Carrolton, GA near her son Eric and is doing fine just a little bit slower as a lot of us are.

I know Rodney and Charlotte were both surprised at the blank look on my face when they told me their neighbor in Georgia was Zac Brown who was a college roommate of their son, Scott. Rodney and Charlotte are close friends of the Browns and their five children. Scott works with Zac and so does Charlotte who is convenient to baby sit. When Zac was getting his band started Charlotte’s dad, John Martin, made him a loan to buy musical equipment. That was a few years ago. Zac Brown is better known for the country song Chicken Fried which he wrote. His background in classical guitar and his interest in bluegrass, folk singing and song writing combined with the instrumental and vocals of the other band members have earned Zac Brown Band three Grammy awards and many other awards in the music industry. Scott Shelton is Zac’s “right hand” man and Charlotte spent three years in the marketing of band’s tee shirts, caps, etc. Rodney is also involved and appears as a preacher (which he is) in the Zac Brown Band video, “Sweet Annie”. The video is an outdoor wedding and it is easy to recognize Rodney as the preacher wearing overalls in the wedding scenes. Although Zac played at John Martin’s funeral, it was sad to learn that John passed away before he learned of Zac’s fame. Besides Scott who has two children, Rodney and Charlotte have two other children who live near them. Melissa has one daughter and teaches school and their son Jordan has two children. Jordan also works for Zac Brown and is a construction foreman for ZBB Furniture.

Some of you may remember how creative and successful Rodney is at making custom knives. Charlotte is talented at making custom sheaths to fit his knives. Rodney made a knife that was presented to the King of Jordan and if you watch the popular TV Show The Walking Dead (which got another blank look from me) he designed and made the Blood Diamond knife that the character “Darrel” uses. Where ever Rodney is and whatever he does, he tries not to miss an opportunity to let people know about Jesus Christ. Rodney’s latest venture is shopping for vintage industrial parts that can be converted into lamps. I saw pictures of unique lamps he has completed and he is indeed creative at that also.

Last weekend John Ralph and I attended four musical programs: Friday evening, His Life, an awesome Easter production at Harmony Hill Baptist Church; Saturday evening, several gospel groups who sang at a Relay for Life benefit at Calvary Baptist and two choirs at our church on Sunday. After leaving the church Saturday evening, we stopped at the Cracker Barrel to eat. While pausing to look in the gift shop I noticed a guy and recognized him as the bass singer in the quartet, Ransom, we had just heard. He was by himself and we insisted that he eat with us. Although Elton Fenley has been in this area for years graduating from Lufkin ISD and working 30 years for Lufkin Industries, we had never met him. Of course, it only took a few minutes for him and John Ralph to discover they had many mutual acquaintances. His wife, Theta, was out of town with a group of girls having fun antique shopping in the Round Top area. We were surprised to learn that she is the mother of Diboll police chief, Steve Baker. It’s a small world.

Elton Fenley said his dad influenced him with the love of gospel singing growing up attending tri-state singing conventions and listening to quartets such as The Statesmen. Years later Elton sang bass in the church choir while his son David sang in children’s choirs. At home Elton taught David harmonies to all the “good” country songs on the radio and learned he had an aptitude for learning melodies and lyrics. David began writing songs at the age of 15 and at 18 taught himself how to play the guitar. It paid off. Two years ago Dave Fenley finished in the Top 20 as a singer and guitarist act from Season 8 of America’s Got Talent. He moved to Nashville and one night he and a fellow musician were asked to come up on stage and perform. It just so happen that Miranda Lambert was present and very impressed with Dave’s “beat box” and hired him. At the present time, if you attend one of her concerts, you will see Jukebox Mafia Dave Fenley and Josh Hoge performing and pumping up the crowd before she comes on stage. Elton shared that Dave just completed his second appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York and has shared the stage with musical royalty like Dwight Yoakam, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley. Dave Fenley lives in Nashville with his wife and is still writing songs and performing. His dad Elton is retired but continues to sing in the gospel quartet, Ransom, along with Andy Johnson, Ricky Buchannon and Smoky Davidson.

On March 7, 2014, Fran Rodriguez and family hosted a birthday party for hubby Louis Rodriguez, who turned 76 years old, on March 2, which is Texas Independence Day. He is always proud to announce that his birthday is on that historical day of Texas history. There were about 25 friends and family that helped Louis celebrate. Among the guests were their children, Angela Rodriguez of Houston and Jason Rodriguez of Bedford, Texas. There were other local and out-of-town guests from Houston, Tyler and even Michigan. The birthday cake was decorated with the State of Texas emblem, which was put on Facebook. Guests enjoyed a bountiful buffet of BBQ, potato salad and cole slaw with those special fried rolls from Lufkin Barbeque.

Keep Diboll Beautiful is celebrating The Great American Cleanup by hosting a “SHRED DAY!” Bring your unwanted documents to the parking lot at Dollar General (223 N Temple Drive Diboll) on Tuesday April 7, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to noon and Security Shredding will shred and recycle your documents. This event is free of charge to the community. Businesses are limited to 5 boxes. Help us celebrate The Great American Cleanup by cleaning out unwanted waste while knowing your confidential documents are being completely destroyed on site. Please contact Elvia Esteves-Garza with any questions 936 829-4757 or email el***@**********ll.com.
April 4th is the date for Angelina County 4H’s Super Bingo Bash at 6PM at the Extension office on the grounds of the Angelina County Farmers’ Market. This is a gift card Bingo with lots of food, door prizes and silent auction. The proceeds will benefit their scholarship fund and summer camp.

April 11th at 6PM is the date for Angelina County Go Texan’s $5,000 Steak Dinner. It will be at “Shelton’s” at 3603 FM 2108 (Airport Road). Tickets are $100 per couple and entitles you to a steak dinner with all the trimmings and a chance to win $5,000. The proceeds go to fund scholarships for students in Angelina County. For tickets or more information, you may call Andrea Swor at 829-4040.

April 18th is the date for Angelina County Benefit Rodeo Trail Ride. Riders and wagons will leave from Old Orchard Park in Diboll at 9AM. For more information, contact Jim Hightower at 632-5313. Pouland’s also has raffle tickets for the Dodge pickup that will be given away at the rodeo April 25th.

Earl Carr, a member of Fairview Baptist Church, is selling “Women of Faith” caps to raise money for another mission trip to Peru. We have some caps available here at Pouland’s for $15. Project Graduation for Diboll seniors is selling raffle tickets on a unique idea; a Crawfish Boil for 25 people. Tickets are $1 or 6 for $5 and available here or contact any graduating senior.

It is with sadness that another chair has been vacated at the round table by one of our longtime regular coffee drinkers, Frank Devereaux. Frank didn’t contribute much to the conversations at the table; he listened! When he spoke, it was with a soft voice and to the point, nothing rambling. He would let you know when his coffee cup was empty by scooting the empty styrofoam cup across the glass table top; something comparable to fingernails against a blackboard!! We miss him and send our sincere condolences to his wife, Johnnye.

Please remember this Sunday is Easter, the most important day for Christians who believe Jesus Christ died, rose on the third day and HE LIVES in our hearts today!

Come see us…’round the table.

Filed Under: March 2015, News from the Round Table at Pouland's

Exceptional Real Estate Professional

March 19, 2015 by

“Exceptional real estate professional who paid attention to details and will provide an honest, knowledgeable insight to the specific property under consideration I received very prompt replies to my questions. Highly recommended.”

T. Casinger

Filed Under: Testimonials

Impressive Quality

March 19, 2015 by

“The most impressive quality of Mrs. Pouland is her ability to listen and understand the needs of her client. As a life long resident of the Angelina County area, her knowledge of the area was invaluable since we were not familiar with that area. She masterfully guided us throughout the entire process being very flexible with her ability to meet with us on short notice or even late into the evening. She is not a pushy sales person but a very competent, caring, hardworking professional and I highly recommend her services.”

K. Morrison

Filed Under: Testimonials
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