The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 14, 2011 Page: 4 of 10
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The Albany News
Since 1875
Oldest journalistic venture west of the Brazos
Publisher
Donnie A. Lucas
Editor
Melinda L. Lucas
Office Manager
Jody Patterson
Staff Writer
Kathryn Stapp
Typesetter
Betty Viertel
Advertising Sales
Alii McCoy
Moran Correspondent
Duston Brooks
EDITORIAL
NION PAGE
The Albany News
www.thealbanynews.net
Thursday, |uly 14, 2011
Dangerously Hot, Dry
It’s hot and dry, but that is noth-
ing new in Texas. However, this
summer is going down in the record
books as one of the hottest and dri-
est ever - even for West Texas.
And there’s not much chance of
change in the short-range forecast,
with “sunny and hot” the prediction
for almost every day until the end
of the month.
So with temperatures still rising
above the century mark every af-
ternoon, residents should continue
to use caution during this critical
time.
A burn ban continues to be ex-
tended by the county commission-
ers and with good reason. The pas-
tures are dry and waiting tinder
for a carelessly-thrown cigarette
or even a seemingly harmless fire-
cracker being tossed.
Area firefighters are on high
alert and residents need to do ev-
erything possible to reduce the risk
of fire.
During this crucial period,
please observe the burn ban and
use common sense. This isn’t a good
time for welding outdoors, burning
trash, starting camp fires, or even
barbecuing in the backyard except
in the most controlled circumstanc-
es with the utmost caution.
Shackelford County has had sev-
eral potentially devastating wild-
fires since the first of the year, but
volunteer firemen have been quick
to respond, and local residents
have been relatively lucky. Not so
for residents of Possum Kingdom
residents and other areas of the Big
Country.
It could happen here, too.
The odds are substantially less if
local residents are mindful of any-
thing that could possibly result in
an unintentional fire, no matter the
circumstances.
It is also a time to be careful
about the extremely high tempera-
tures. Be sure to keep hydrated,
wear a hat, and stay out of the sun
as much as possible.
And don’t forget the pets. They
need plenty of cool water, shade and
a cool, wet area to rest in if possible.
POLICY
THE ALBANY NEWS
(USPS 012-400) is published weekly, with the possible
exception of one week in July 2011 and one week in
December 2011, for $35 per year for subscriptions
within Shackelford County, $40 per year for subscrip-
tions within Texas, and $45 per year for out-of-state
subscriptions by Lucas Publications Inc., 49 S. Main,
Albany News, PO Box 2139, Albany, Texas 76430-8006
or to drculation@thealbanynews.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
All letters to the editor must be signed by the
author and include a complete address and
telephone number. Only the writer's name
and city will appear in print. The publisher
reserves the right to edit or to refuse any
letters. Send letters to The Albany News,
PO Box 2139, Albany TX 76430-8006 or to
news@thealbanynews.net.
CORRECTIONS
Any erroneous reflectionuponthe character,
reputation or standing of any individual,
firm or corporation will be corrected when
notification in writing is given to the pub-
lisher within 10 days after publication.
RATES
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Albany & Moran $35, Texas
addresses $40, other U.S. addresses $45, foreign
addresses available upon application.
ADVERTISING: National rate $6.50 per column
inch. Local rate $5.40 per column inch. Notices $1
line. Classified ads, $5 minimum for firstl5words,
10<t word for additional words paid in advance.
CONTACT INFORMATION
MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 2139, Albany TX 76430
TELEPHONE NUMBER: 325/762-2201
FAX NUMBER: 325/762-3201
EMAIL ADDRESS: news@thealbanynews.net
WEBSITE: www.thealbanynews.net
AFFILIATIONS
2011 MEMBER: Texas Press Association,
West Texas Press Association.
A dose of heavenly humor on the road
“Signs, signs, everywhere there’s
signs..-..”
.....If you are younger than 50 you won’t
remember that song but.... I think about it
every time I head to Lubbock and Amarillo.
Along the way there are
those “Signs from God,”
the big billboard ones.
There are quite a few,
very plain and simple,
printed in black and
white lettering and very
easy to read. You don’t
have to think about the
message, it’s obvious.
In a little book I
picked up several months ago, A Laugh a
Day -A Daily Dose of Heavenly Humor,
there are copies of many of these signs. If
you don’t get out much, don’t spend a lot of
time driving from here to there on highways
other than Hwy. 351 or Hwy. 180, you may
have missed seeing some of them....so, I’ll
You, me & everyday life
Bobbie Cauble
share. When I’m driving along and spot one,
it makes my day.
....‘You’re invited to a party, please
RSVP.” .....God
....“A lot of kneeling will keep you in good
standing.”.....God
....“I love you.”
(I’m God, and I
approved this
message.)....God__
....“I don’t call
the qualified; I qualify the called.”.....God
....“Be ye fishers of men - You catch ‘em -
Til clean ‘em.”.....God
....“Love one another. Is it really so
hard?”....God
....“FYI - My last name is not ‘Dang-
It’.”....God
....“If you absolutely have to have the last
word, how about making it ‘Sorry’.”....God
....“That ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ thing. I
meant that.” ....God
.....“Wanna meet at my house before the
game on Sunday?”.....God
....“If you listen to me whisper now, I
won’t have to shout later.”....Grod
....“Pssst.Up here.”.....God
....“What part of Thou Shalt Not don’t you
understand?” ....God
....“Hey, I don’t
take your name in
vain.”.....God
_ ....“Here’s a
fashion tip for
you: Make sure your walk matches your
talk.” ....God
....“Enjoy the day, compliments of me.”....
God
' ....“I’d like custody, not just weekend
visits.” ....God
....“Read the Bible, it’s user-friendly.”....
God
You know me, I always have something
to ponder.......Why didn’t Noah just swat his
two mosquitoes?
WHO DO
YOU CALL?
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
284 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-4304
Phone: 202-224-5922
Website: hutchison.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
51 7 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2934
Website: cornyn.senate.gov
U.S. Rep Randy Neugebauer
1424 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 888-763-1611
Website: randy.house.gov
State Sen. Craig Estes
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, Texas 78711
Phone: 512-463-0130
Website: craigestes.com
State Rep. Jim Keffer
P.O. Box 291 0
Austin, TX 78768
Phone: 800-586-4515
Website: house.state.tx.us/members
It's gonna take way more than 12 steps
I never thought I’d be saying this, but my
name is Kathryn and I have an addiction.
Just like everyone else, I didn’t think
it could happen to me. I was faced with
temptation about four years ago and I just
said “No.” But over the past few months, the
pressures have grown, everyone in my fam-
ily has had health issues,
and about a week ago I
realized I was hooked.
1 worked my way
all through college at a
commercial bookstore,
and I am beyond what
one might describe as an
“avid” reader. I read most
anything I can get my
hands on, except for those bodice busting
novels with some guy who looks like Flavio
or a steroid crazed Jose Canseco on the
cover.
I taught school for a gazillion years, giv-
ing hundreds of students an appreciation for
books and literature and theater.
I really like books. I like to read them, I
like to hold them, I even like the way they
smell most of the time. My home is filled
with books.
I was never ever attracted to audio
books. Of the three basic learning styles, I
Kathryn Stapp
am a visual learner, and I have to see things
for them to make sense to me. If I were to
listen to an audio book while driving, it
would be like Dennis Rodman reading How
To Win Friends and Influence People. There
would be no comprehension.
I can spend, and have, hours in a book
store or library. I’m telling you, I LOVE
books. But that
isn’t the addiction.
My addiction
began on my
birthday, which at my age, I can under-
stand. It was in a plain brown box, a gift
from Daughter and her clan. Who knew
that something so small could cause such
cravings?
I am quite sure that I am the last person
on the planet to want a Kindle, for all of the
above mentioned principles, added to the
sadness I feel because I know this device
has led to the decline in book stores. I read
Fahrenheit 451 in high school; I know what
a world without books would be like.
Mine is the new and improved Kindle
and I have trouble detaching the thing
from my hand. The screen contrast is much
clearer than the earlier models, and I can
even adjust the type size. And, as hard as
it is to believe, this new version at only 8.5
Bless your heart
ounces, weighs less than a paperback, even
lighter than before. No more arthritis pains
in the hands and shoulders from hoisting
my reading selections. I can take up to 3,500
books on vacation with me. It even has a
built in dictionary in the event I run across
a word that is unfamiliar as I read.
This came at a really good time for me.
Between the Casey
Anthony trial saga
and the news that
Glenn Beck, bless
his heart, is moving to Texas and going back
on TV, I’m thinking about unplugging the
television for-ev-er. I don’t think I can stand
any more crying and screaming.
Meals still get cooked, because I down-
loaded a nifty new cookbook. The laundry
gets done, but now there’s something
constructive to do during the spin cycle.. I’m
embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve read five
and a half books in the last week, and we’re
not talking Little Golden Books here.
Don’t look for me on facebook. I think
I might be sliding into the digital abyss.
There are still 950,000 titles in the Kindle
catalog that I haven’t read, and then all
those classics I can download for free. This is
going to take way more than 12 steps, folks.
Texas noodlers no longer have to be anonymous
Dr. Don Newbury
When Texas Governor Rick Perry signed
the noodling bill into law recently, partici-
pants could start telling the truth about
what they do on weekends.
Noodling? You don’t know what that is?
Well, talk to “fisherpersons” (they’re mostly
men), and they’ll contend that landing flat-
head catfish by hand is
a sport. Others under-
standably maintain that
the word “extreme” needs
to precede “sport.”
Critics, typically fish-
ing enthusiasts who use
traditional bait instead
of hands rammed into
fishes’ mouths, swear to
the death that ESPN’s
droning hours of poker are more “sporty.”
It is clear, though, that Oklahoma is a
pace-setter in noodling. It’s been legal there
for, well, maybe centuries, since Native
Americans perfected the technique before
showing us how.
The art, or sport or extreme lunacy - de-
pending on which perch you sit - is adding
participants by the day.
Before you complain about casino traffic
on 1-35, better check the calendar. If it’s the
second Saturday in July, a few thousand
cars exit at Pauls Valley for the annual “Ok-
ie-Noodling Tournament and Fish Fry.” This
year, some 15,000 visitors attended, tripling
the community’s population for a day. They
mostly gathered to share stories, eat fish,
corral kids, gawk at noodling demonstra-
tions and cheer on the some 200 noodlers - a
record number for the event.
A foremost noodler is Lee McFarlin
of Stillwater. He’s been at it since second
grade, learning the technique from his late
father, who noodled until age 70. Lee is
several degrees above expert, both in the
<
catching and in the cooking.
In academia, he’d be the “PhD of Fish-
ing,” with his wife and daughter right
behind him stringing along as sidekicks.
He noodles most weekends, and doesn’t
figure catches worth it if he doesn’t drive
home with hands
all “Band-Aided
The Idle American
Lee ramrods
the Pauls Valley event, where he is “chief
cook.” They have close to a half-ton of
“bought fish,” augmented by several hun-
dred pounds of flatheads he’ll put up against
finest seafood.
“I trim it right, season it right with my
special seasoning and cook it in ‘just right’
temperatures,” he claims.
Fifteen of his “noodling neighbors” from
Stillwater help with the outdoor cooking at
Wacker Park. He’s got a 24-inch cast iron
skillet, and several deep tubs that hold five
gallons of oil that is changed out five times
during the daylong cooking. Upwards of 100
gallons will go up in smoke.
Noodling TV documentaries are on the
rise; history channel people are expected in
Oklahoma later this month for the latest
version.
It doesn’t take long to rattle off the basic
rules for noodling: fishing license, no hooks
or anything pointed, a limit of three catches
per day, none shorter than 20 inches.
Lee says most catches are in the 20-25
pound range, but much larger fish are not
uncommon. The record is 123 pounds. (Flat-
heads can gain 2-3 pounds per year, and
some are past 30 years of age.)
“I’ve had a hold of two that had to be over
100 pounds,” he claims, “But no fish is worth
drowning over.”
Contestants have 24 hocus, ending at
7:00 p.m. Saturday, to land the biggest fish
or biggest stringers of fish. There are two di-
visions - scuba and “natural,” the latter for
contestants without breathing apparatus.
They seek flatheads under ledges, boat
ramps, banks and brush piles - all potential
nesting grounds.
What they
sometimes find,
though, are
snakes, beavers,
, snapping turtles or even alligators. One
noodler landed a flathead granddaddy that
“had teeth like 36-grit sandpaper that left
his noodling hand looking like the main
ingredient of a chili recipe.”
Lee figures noodlers may catch one
percent of the fish they touch. “Mother
Nature wins a big percentage of the time,”
he claims.
He wants Texans to “hurry up,” and
maybe one day challenge Oklahomans in
noodling.
One Okie wants Petersburg, Texas, to
emphasize noodling, even if water is several
miles from the city limits. “Pauls Valley and
Petersburg could have a friendly wager,” he
joked, “But it might turn out to be robbing
‘Peter’ to pay ‘Paul’.”
Watch out if the Okies discover “trout
tickling.” This non-traditional fish-fetching
technique dates back to at least 230 AD,
as noted in Greek literature. Later, Mark
Twain referenced the topic.
Space runs short, but in a nutshejl, pur-
suers stealthily approached daydreaming
trout, tickling their undersides to lure trout
into temporary trances. Maybe that’s the
technique I’ll try.
‘My wife cautions that I’m not likely to
tickle ‘em to death, and says she won’t heat
the skillet unless I have a reserve stash
from the supermarket....
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Lucas, Melinda L. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 136, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 14, 2011, newspaper, July 14, 2011; Albany, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601115/m1/4/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.