Archive: April, 2016 - Gary Borders

Kate Always Made Me Sound Better Than I Do

My love affair with Red River Radio began in San Augustine, when Shreveport station KDAQ first went on the air in 1984. I was first exposed to National Public Radio while briefly attending graduate school at the University of Missouri, and then transferring to UT-Austin, where KUT became my constant listening companion. So I was overjoyed when KDAQ — the flagship of the network now known as Red River Radio — went on the air. But first I had to mount a rooftop antenna to pull in the signal from Louisiana. It was worth the effort. A world without public radio would be bleaker, less fulfilling...

Read more...

Patience Isn’t My Virtue, But I’m Working on It

A friend remarked the other day that we should not attempt to retrieve some tools from my shop because it was “rush hour.” Rush hour? In Longview? I suppose there is an increase in traffic in the morning, at noon and 5 p.m., though I can still get to work on the other side of town in less than 10 minutes. Still, I get impatient when it takes two cycles to get through a traffic light on the loop. But when I go to Austin or Dallas, my mindset changes. I expect to get stuck in traffic, to watch I-635 turn into a parking lot as we head to NorthPark Center, or to move at a snail’s pace toward...

Read more...

Another Season of Hope: Baseball Season Begins

Baseball season has begun. Birds are chirping, pollen falling, and all is right with the world. Well, mainly. I am filled with hope for the prospects of my beloved Boston Red Sox. I am always filled with hope in April. Get back to me in late August for an update. The past three seasons, the Red Sox bookended two seasons in the cellar with a World Series title. So I like our chances: cellar, champs, cellar and, this season, champs. Here’s my bold prediction. The Astros and Red Sox will play for the American League pennant and face the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. The Red Sox will prevail...

Read more...

A Couple of Dog Tales

Got a couple of dog tales for you. Both occurred last Sunday. As usual, I awoke early and took Sam for our walk. Sam, our poodle/cocker spaniel mix (that’s our theory; he’s a stray), is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he knows a few things, such as when I put on my tennis shoes in the morning, fine things are about to occur. That dog loves to walk. We took the usual route in the neighborhood, enjoying possibly one of the last cold mornings of spring. Our route takes us to a street on which our backyard neighbors live. All was quiet, save the birds. Then out of the backyard that...

Read more...

World-Class Museum in Land of Walmart

BENTONVILLE, ARK. — This is a company town, the birthplace of Walmart — now the world’s largest retailer. Like grackles, most folks either love or hate Wally World. I am planted firmly in the middle. I regret what big box retailers like Walmart have done to homogenize America, putting hundreds of thousands of small business owners out of business. It has turned downtowns into ghost towns, sparking a retail movement that has one city’s retail centers pretty much looking like the one down the road — or across the country. Many downtowns are coming back, thank goodness, as city boosters...

Read more...