Lion on Rock Creek Road

I am taking a leisurely stroll thru the pasture when I see a full-grown lion running toward me. I'm talking a 2,500 pound, 10 claws on each paw, still has all it's baby teeth and adult teeth, large as a hippo, LION!, not one of your tame, slightly larger than a house cat, zoo lion. But a huge, clears a bus with every leap, LION!
I ask myself a multitude of questions I cannot answer. Such as, is that a lion? How did it get here? How far is the closest zoo? Have I been abducted by aliens and returned to Africa? But the most important question of all, why is the lion coming towards me? Of course, my feet know the answer to all the questions. RUN you fool, RUN! Off I go, the lion on my heels, I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, as if that is not bad enough he is slobbering and my back is wet, slimy and sticky. I know lion slobber sounds nasty, but the up side is, the slobber kept his claws from catching my back. I am in luck; if I can make it to that tree, he cannot catch me. Made it, up the tree I go, lion in hot pursuit. I have seen enough animal shows to know that lions cannot climb trees. Or, was that bears? I am still climbing. The lion is climbing behind me. I suppose he missed the lion program I had watched and did not realize he was not able to climb trees. (Maybe that was bears, now that I think about it.)The lion has caught up to me and is chewing on my heel. OWWW it is so painful. Blood is running everywhere. My blood? MY BLOOD!, is pouring from my foot!
I am at the top of the tree; I cannot go any higher. If I jump out of the tree, will I be able to out run the lion with a chewed foot? What to do, what to do? I do the only thing I can think of that makes sense to me. I make a fist and shove it down the lion’s throat in an attempt to choke him to death.
This is when my wife shakes me and asks, “Why are you thrashing and screaming?”
“The lion is about to get me but I almost have it choked down.” I replied.
She showed deep concern for my plight by telling me, and I quote, "put the cat out and go back to sleep."

Eddie Binning

All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the author.

How about that Maud Texas!

Maud Texas is a wonderful community located on the Texas, St. Louis Southwestern Railway line near U.S. Highway 67. It is about ten miles South of New Boston, Texas, and is seventeen miles southwest of Texarkana, Texas. It is located in what was once called the Red River Territory during the Republic of Texas era.

The Maud area was one of the earliest settled areas however, lawlessness discouraged growth. A man named Arthur G Wavell attempted to settle the area in 1825 but he was not able to get the area settled.  After time the Railway reached the area in, 1870 and then a settlement began to emerge.

A man named Samuel D. Knapp donated the land for the town site and the town was named for his daughter Maud, who died as a young girl. He had a vision of a town located on the railway, and donated the first 100 acres for the present town site of Maud.  Mr. Knapp became the first postmaster for the town of Maud after the opening of a post office January 1, 1881. The post office closed after a year later and reopened in 1893.

In 1914 a catastrophic tornado struck the city and partially destroyed the cotton gin, then destroyed the Maud Telephone Exchange, a millinery shop was also totally destroyed. Other businesses were heavily damaged; however the hardest hit was the residential areas in the north and east parts of town. One life was lost, a Mrs. Pearl White, who was a highly respected member of the community. Many were injured and a relief train was sent in the afternoon, from Texarkana, with doctors and nurses to help care for the many injured.

During World War II, Red River Army Depot, and Lonestar Army Ammunition plant were built six miles north of the community. The 2 military installations became the largest employers of Maud, Texas, and remain so today.

Maud at one time boasted having a Railroad Station, a telegraph office, a grist mill, a steam saw mill and a cotton gin. The area exported cotton and lumber three times a week.  At one time Maud had its own Pharmacy, Television repair shop. Maud was even home to an Ice cream factory called Maud Maid Ice cream; the building it was housed in is now City Hall and The Maud Community Center.

Maud presently has a family run grocery store,  a bank, a convenience store, a hardware-feed store, a flower shop, insurance business, just to mention a few of the small businesses. And Maud will soon have a tire shop. There is a very active volunteer fire department, a public library, and a city park.  Maud can also boast they have 5 churches within the city, and more outside city limits

Maud is served educationally by Maud ISD, which in itself has a rich history, and is a huge part of the community.

Maud has seen many changed since its inception and has its problems like any community. However it still retains its southern hospitality and charm. People still come together to help and encourage each other in times of need, and still greet each other like family. Maud, Texas!!! It’s a great place to live, with a very rich history.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud,_Texas

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjm08

http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/Maud-Texas.htm

http://www.hiddenancestors.com/Bowietx/communities.html

http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/bowie/history/post.txt

Maud Public Library’s historical records and my own memories.

 Debbie Binning

Mayor and Council Member Responsibilities

If you a considering running for the office of Mayor or Council member please read these responsibilities as the offices involve more than just one meeting a month. A good candidate will have a desire to better the community. They will also need to be thick skinned as they will be the “bad guy” to someone or some group with every decision they make. Many times your biggest detractors will be the same people who encouraged you to run in the first place. The Mayor and council are restricted by State laws and City ordinances as to what they can or cannot do.

We have posted the link to our source and encourage all candidates to read the entire link as this is only an excerpt.

Mayor Responsibilities

The mayor occupies the highest elective office in the municipal government. As political head of the city, the mayor is expected to provide the leadership necessary to keep it moving in the proper direction.

The mayor presides over council meetings, is the signatory for the city, and is generally recognized as the ceremonial and governmental head of the city for most purposes.

Most of the powers exercised by the mayor are created through ordinances and resolutions adopted by the city council. Very few mayoral powers are prescribed by state law.

 The office of the mayor involves a variety of law enforcement responsibilities. The mayor is specifically obligated by law to actively ensure that the laws and ordinances of the municipality are properly carried out.

As signatory for the city, the mayor is required to sign a variety of documents to give them official legal effect. The mayor’s signature is required on all bonds, certificates of obligation, warrants, and other evidence of debt, as well as ordinances, resolutions, advertisements for bids on public works projects, contracts, and similar legal paperwork. The mayor is also responsible for signing proclamations recognizing special events and personal achievements. As  a featured speaker before professional clubs, school assemblies, and neighborhood groups, the mayor can expect to be interviewed, photographed, and otherwise placed on extensive public display by the media

The mayor serves in the dual roles of administrator and political head of the city, going to city hall on a regular basis, working with department heads on matters that need attention each day, and performing the ceremonial duties that go with the office. In some cases, ordinances approved by the council give the mayor wide latitude to deal with the many problems that arise each day.

Council member Responsibilities

Council members are the city’s legislators. Their primary duty is policy making, which includes identifying the needs of local residents, formulating programs to meet the changing requirements of the community, and measuring the effectiveness of ongoing municipal services.

Though foremost in importance, lawmaking is just one of many functions council members perform. They also wear several other hats, which one writer describes as follows:

·         Regulator—The council exercises regulatory powers over the conduct and property of its citizens. It has the power to declare certain conduct to be criminal, to require that certain businesses and activities be licensed, and to tell property owners how and for what purposes they may use their property.

·         Financier—The council may levy taxes, assess fees and charges, and sell bonds in order to finance the many functions of the city government. The council also has to budget the expenditure of the city’s funds, and then explain to the people why municipal government is a bargain compared to the price of rampant crime, fires, disease, and all of the other problems that would flourish without proper city services.

·         Employer—The council is responsible for all of the city’s employees, and must see that they are adequately paid and provided with decent working conditions and fringe benefits.

·         Buyer—The council is one of the biggest purchasers in the community, and must see to it that the city gets the best value possible for dollars spent.

http://www.tml.org/Handbook-M&C/Chapter2%20.pdf

Professor Spoon

Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing

          It’s my birthday. My wife got me a present. Oh joy, what can it be? I rip off the wrapping paper and find a fly rod! My progression of fishing tackle was like this. First a cane pole cut from the bamboo thicket on the way to the fishing hole. Next was a store bought cane pole with the little line winder attached. I saw a rod and reel in the store with a funny name, Zebco. I saved up my money until I had enough to buy  a Zebco. This is what I used for years until I read about fly fishing and mentioned it might be something I would like. I didn’t really understand some of the terms, such as leader and tippet.

I have a fly rod, some cheese for bait and some time. Let’s go fly fishing. I bait the hook, such a small hook, but the prey isn’t really that big, is it?  There is a likely spot on the creek where the cows have been resting and chewing their cud. The grass is flattened so I can see the snakes before they can sneak up on me. I know a snake bite won't kill me but I'm afraid the heart attack will when I realize I have been bitten by a snake. 

I cast my line to the edge of the water. It’s harder to cast than it looks. The book instructed me to let out about a rod's length of line and swish it back and forth letting out more line until I have about twice the length of the rod. Then I am suppose to let it settle on the water softly. I think my book was missing a few chapters because no where did it mention how to get the line out of the trees. I jerk and pull until the line settles on the water with a plop. Lucky for me the limb wasn't hooked very well and hitting the water knocked it off. I got some distance though. Wait, I’m getting a bite! He took it!  I start to bring it in, oh, it got loose. That was a good spot so I cast there again. This time I bypass the extracurricular activities and attach a limb first. Wait a minute. No bite. I remember the book said to twitch it a little. Twitch. Twitch. I got a bite. It’s a big one! It’s jumping, twisting and turning, running up, now down. At this point the fly fishing gods are smiling down on me because my prey flashes the iridescent green of its body in the dappled sunlight. Oooo its a big one, the prey strips line from my reel. I retrieve the line. Strip. Retrieve. This goes on until the prey tires. 

As I am clearly the victor of our hard fought battle, the prey submits to my superiority. I put the prey in my creel, gather my equipment and to the house I go. I have trouble getting into the house because my head has swelled so much from the pride I have of my first fly rod catch.

 I have just one question.

Does anyone have a good recipe for horsefly? 

 Eddie Binning

All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the author.