The Alvin Advertiser (Alvin, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Page: 4 of 12
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Editorial/Opinions
Columns
A
Grateful to work in community news
DAVID RUPKALVIS - publisher@alvinsun.net
Searching hard for my lost feather
Fall brings tree color to the home landscape
Letters to the Editor policy
♦
by Stephen Brueggerhoff
4
4
Government Access
ADVERTISER
Published on Wednesdays
Gardening in
Texas
DONNA HOPKINS - officemanager@alvinsun.net
STEPHEN COLLINS - sportseditor@alvinsun.net
JOSHUA TRUKSA - reporter@alvinsun.net
BRENDA GROVES - ads@alvinsun.net
KOBIE LEE - advertising@alvinsun.net
BETTY CRAWFORD - classifieds@alvinsun.net
LINDA KNIGHT - composing@alvinsun.net
SHERI SAENZ - circulation@alvinsun.net
The Alving N
Published on Sundays
POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to
The Alvin Sun
570 )ula Street, Alvin,Texas 77511
Periodicals Postage Paid at Alvin, TX
Periodical for Alvin Sun is #16340.
Permit for Alvin Advertiser is #54.
The Postscript
by Carrie Classen
President
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
(202)456-1414
comments@whitehouse.gov
U.S. Senator
John Cornyn
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510-5922
(202) 224-2934
5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 980
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 572-3337
Fax: 202-228-2856
comyn.senate.gov/pubhc/
U.S. Senator
Ted Cruz
B40B Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D. C. 20510
(202) 224-5922
808 Travis Street, Suite 1420
Houston, Tx 77002
(713) 718-3057
cmz.senate.gov
U.S. Representative
Randy Weber Dist. 14
1708 Longworth
House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2831
weber.house.gov
U.S. Representative
Pete Olson Dist. 22
2133 Raybum
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5951
Governor
Greg Abbott
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, TX 78711
Info and Referral:
800-843-5789
Opinions: 800-252-9600
governor, state, tx.us/contact
State Senator
Larry Taylor Dist. 11
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512)463-0111
174 Calder Rd. Ste. 151
League City, TX 77573
281-332-0003
State Representative
Dennis Bonnen
Room CAP 1W.6, Capitol
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0564
122 E. Myrtle
Angleton, TX 77515
(979) 848-1770
dennis.bonnen@house.state.tx.us
State Representative
Ed Thompson Dist. 29
1400 N. Congress Ave.,,. 1N.7
Austin, TX 78701
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
(512) 463-0707
ed.thompson@house.state.tx.us
6302 W. Broadway, Ste. 220
Pearland, TX 77581
281-485-4855
olson.house.gov
PAGE 4, THE ALVIN ADVERTISER, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019
This page is recyclable *7
My Turn
by David Rupkalvis
community
an important
570 Dula Street, Alvin, Texas 77511 • (281) 331-4421
This page contains opinions and comments. Editorials express The Alvin Advertiser viewpoints. Other items which appear
are expressions of those whose name appear, and may or may not reflect The Alvin Advertiser opinions. Comments on
subjects of general public interest from readers are accepted. All letters must be signed, home address and phone number
given and conform to published standards limiting in length to 500 words, be in good taste and good reason. Please, not
more than 500 words. All letters will be subject to editing in content and length. The use or republication of any material of
The Alvin Advertiser is strictly prohibited without the express consent of the management.
Letters Policy: Comments
on subjects of general pub-
lic interest from readers are
accepted. All letters must
be signed, include a home
address and phone number,
conform to published stan-
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iting in content and length.
While we do allow writers
to challenge elected officials, no letters will be accepted that
take issue with a private individual or private business. We also
limit the number of letters that will appear on one related topic.
During election season, letters supporting or opposing issuess
on the ballot are encouraged. However, no letters will publish
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While we will make every effort to publish all letters we re-
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strictly prohibited without the express consent of the manage-
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Letters to the Editor can be emailed to publisher®alvinsun.
net or they can be mailed or dropped at off at our office at 570
Dula St., Alvin, Texas 77511.
asked, rather incredulous.
“Yes, I saw it when I stopped
to take a photo.”
“Thank you so much!” And I
raced back down the hill, back
to the donkeys.
“It pays to ask for help!” I told
myself. “It’s worth asking stupid
questions!” I added in my little
sermon to myself.
Except there was no feather.
I searched and searched and
could not find it anywhere. Even
the donkeys lost interest in the
project. I was there so long the
Germans came down the hill
again and found me.
“Did you find the feather?”
the young man asked.
“No, no I didn’t,” I confessed.
He took me to where he had
seen it. There was no feather.
“Ah well. Don’t waste any
more time on this!” I told the
considerate German couple.
“Well, good luck!” they said
■■i AMEMBER
2019
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
I lost a feather the other day
and I understand this does not
qualify as news.
But I want to say — for the
record — that this was a really
nice feather. I paid good money
for it and pinned it to my favorite
blue hat. I wore that hat out for a
walk, one evening, when it was
chilly.
This was the last night that my
husband, Peter, and I were in
Frigiliana, a little town in the
south of Spain. I walked to the
top of the very steep hill where,
400 years ago, a Moorish castle
stood, guarding the town from
invaders. The invaders
eventually made it there anyway
and the castle was knocked to
the ground. Only the amazing
view over the Mediterranean
remains. And that’s where I
went walking when I lost my
feather.
There was no hope of finding
it that night. The sun was already
down. So, the next morning I
headed out, looking for my
feather.
When I got to the foot of the
hill (a small mountain, really) I
realized what a foolish idea this
was.
The ground was covered with
autumn leaves that, surprisingly,
all looked a lot like feathers.
There was a stiff wind blowing
and I had no idea when the feather
had parted ways with my hat.
Just then, I met a young pair
of Germans heading up the hill.
“Do you speak English?” I
asked.
“Yes!” they told me (because
all Germans do, it seems).
“I’ve lost a feather. You
haven’t seen it, have you?”
“A feather?” the young man
repeated.
It struck me that this was the
stupidest question I’d ever asked
anyone, and I was filled with
relief that I would never see
these two people again.
“Actually, yes,” he said. “I
saw one near the donkeys.”
I knew exactly where the
donkeys were.
“Right by the donkeys?” I
As I am writing this, we are a
few hours away from
Thanksgiving, one of my
favorite days of the year. Even
in difficult times, it is nice to
have a reminder to be grateful
for what we have. And while life
is certainly not always fair, there
is a lot to be thankful for.
I am grateful I made it to
another Thanksgiving, another
year to see my children grow
and my parents age. We all made
it through the last 365 days, and
that alone is reason to celebrate.
I am thankful for advances in
medical science. My mom is
fighting cancer for the second
time in her life, but as she has
proven in the past, she can beat
this. It won’t be easy, but my
mom might be the bravest
person I have ever met.
I remain grateful for this job
and this community that have
supported The Alvin Sun and
The Alvin Advertiser. It is no
secret that it is trying times for
the newspaper industry, but I
still believe
newspapers have
role to play.
will continue to provide Alvin
and Manvel the news that is
important to the communities.
Around the country and even
in Texas, community new spapers
are shutting their doors. When
they do, it can be devastating for
small cities and towns. It has
become a challenge to survive in
this industry, but we will
continue to fight to make sure
The Alvin Sun and The Alvin
Advertiser do not join that list.
Community newspaper has
been a passion of mine for most
of my life, and I am eternally
grateful I have been able to
make a living sharing stories
about important issues with
readers around the country.
My journey has taken me
from the desert to the frozen
fields of North Dakota to the
Gulf Coast. And while every
location is different, the need for
Alvin
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rusty red. The tree can be placed
in the understory of larger trees,
and will adapt to full sunlight.
They can tolerate periodic
flooding and are naturally found
in shaded woods, along
riverbanks and in bottomland.
Red maple (Acer rubrum) is a
fast growing native shade tree
that has the potential to reach 60
feet tall in the home landscape,
producing a narrow, rounded
crown and smooth trunk.
Autumn elicits a vibrant shade
of red to orange-yellow from the
leaves, making this a potential
candidate to add color to our
landscapes. They also provide
pinkish-red flowers in late
winter before leaves fully
emerge, followed by distinctive
winged seedpods (samaras) in
early spring.
Shumard’s Oak is a large tree
and has the potential to reach
70-feet and taller in the home
landscape. This species offers a
wide canopy at maturity making
it a potential selection as a shade
tree.
as they headed down the hill.
Since I still hadn’t made it to
the top of the mountain, I kept
climbing. I went all the way to
the top, to the place I had looked
at the Mediterranean the night
before. And there was my
feather, lying no more than a
foot from where I had sat. I held
that feather in my hand, amazed.
Because, you see, I didn’t
really think I was going to find
that feather. I thought the whole
idea was crazy from the start.
But once I shared the idea with
that nice German couple, the
possibility of finding it seemed
more real, more attainable.
Sometimes we just need
someone else believing in our
ideas to make those ideas —
even the crazy ones — seem
possible.
It was only because they
believed I could find the feather
that I did.
Till next time,
Carrie
Carrie Classon’s memoir,
“Blue Yarn,” was released
earlier this year. Learn more at
CarrieClasson.com.
Fall often seems like a fleeting
memory, sometimes ebbing and
flowing with temperature
fluctuations typical of the Upper
Gulf Coast Bend. Around
October, I look to nature for
clues to seasonal changes so that
I can fully embrace a natural
rhythm and seasonal cycle. You
may notice a patina and full on
copper color of feathery Bald
cypress (Taxodium distichum)
leaves, a stately deciduous
conifer occurring streamside in
nature but also planted for its
drought tolerance in the urban
landscape.
Perhaps you are anxiously
waiting for production of bright
red leaves on Shumard oak
(Quercus shumardii), a native
shade tree that can be grown
successfully in the urban
landscape. Below is a short list
of native trees that we can use
ornamentally in the landscape as
a means to bring fall color to our
home:
Mexican plum (Prunus
mexicana) is a small stature tree
that can produce a broad canopy,
growing to an estimated 25-feet.
The elliptical-shaped leaves are
slightly coarse to the touch and
distinctively curl as they mature.
Cooler weather initiates a rusty
to yellow leaf color, a slightly
The leaves are simple 6 to
8-inch long with bristle-tipped
lobes and deep sinuses, a shape
typical of most oaks lumped in
with red oak species. An
interesting leaf characteristic are
small pubescent tufts presented
on the underside of the leaves
and located where the veins
connect.
As mentioned earlier,
Shumard Oak does not
disappoint with a display of
bright red leaves offered in our
fall season.
I always look to plants for
seasonal cues, bringing a subtle
nudge to acknowledge natural
rhythms and my connection to
nature.
I encourage you to celebrate
this fall season by finding your
favorite hiking trail in a natural
area or public park and observing
the subtle and brilliant changes,
gaining ideas to increase your
plant palette and bringing a bit
of nature home. Seasons
greetings to you and your family,
and I look forward to serving
you in the near future with
outstanding horticulture
programs.
Keep up with garden events
from our county website:
brazoria.agrilife.org, and I’ll see
you in the garden.
local news has never changed.
Community newspapers like
this one have a vital role to play.
Sometimes its keeping local
government in check, but more
often than not it’s telling stories
about your friends, your
neighbors, a local business or
students excelling in school.
Years ago, I interviewed for
my first job as an editor and the
publisher of the paper said he
saw the primary role of the
newspaper as the cheerleader for
the community.
That may sound horrible to
some in this industry, but it’s
always stuck with me.
What that publisher was
saying wasn’t to ignore the bad
or overlook corruption if it
existed, but instead we should
always look for good stories.
Every day people in Alvin and
Manvel do exceptional things
that most people know nothing
about.
During this season of thanks, I
am grateful for those people and
I am grateful that after all these
years, I still get the chance to do
this.
In a world of instant news and
Facebook pages galore, we may
no longer be the first place you
hear about something, but we try
really hard to ensure what you
do hear is accurate and truthful.
That still has to mean something.
So to our readers and
especially our advertisers —
thank you. Your support allows
us to keep the doors open and
continue to tell the news as we
have for generations.
In the coming weeks, there
will be changes at The Alvin
Sun and The Alvin Advertiser. If
things go as planned, most
people will never even notice.
That’s the goal anyway.
As the world around us
changes, we have to adapt and
sometimes that means a leaner
crew doing more work. But
because we believe in what we
are doing, we will adjust and
different shade that adds to our
fall color palette.
This member of the Rose
Plant Family (Rosaceae) offers
pure white, open-faced flowers
prior to leaf emergence in late
winter.
The flowers are very fragrant,
are produced in clusters on
branches and are a great seasonal
resource to pollinators. After
pollination, small rounded plum
fruits are produced that ripen at
summer’s end.
American hornbeam
(Carpinus caroliniana) is a
medium-sized tree, slow
growing to 30-feet. Also
commonly referred to as
Musclewood, the bark is smooth
and bluish-gray and slightly
fluted to give the trunk a
muscular appearance. The
leaves are 2 to 3-inches long
with prominent veins on the
upper blade surface and a
pointed leaf tip.
A full canopy of small leaves
offers great fall contrast with a
profusion of gold yellow and
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The Alvin Advertiser (Alvin, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 4, 2019, newspaper, December 4, 2019; Alvin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1250934/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Alvin Community College.