Family and friends of the departed gathered under a grove of pecan trees on a dusty June morning, near a curve of the San Gabriel River in Williamson County, about 40 miles northeast of Austin. It was a world away from the big city. The family had raised children and critters, grown hay upon these acres, for six decades.
The men mainly wore slacks and short-sleeved shirts. A few wore blue jeans, while others donned sports jackets. I saw no ties. The women wore loose-fitting cotton dresses or blouses and slacks. These are sensible folks who knew they were about to spend a couple of hours outside...
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Have thy tools ready. God will find thee work.
— Charles Kingsley
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My tools have returned home. The woodshop soon will be operational. It is a small space, what was once a single-car garage. But it is adequate for my purposes, even if it requires wheeling tools about — depending on what I’m building. But there’s a good cross breeze. My old shop fan keeps the air stirring. The main concern is not making too much noise and alienating our neighbors. I might have to plane rough-cut...
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In December 1940, boxer Jack Dempsey — then one of the most famous athletes in America — came to Casper, Wyoming to referee a wrestling match. It was a fundraiser for a local veterans group called the Forty and Eight. The Manassa Mauler (named after his Colorado hometown, no doubt by some ink-stained sportswriter) had retired earlier that year at age 45 with a record of 60-7-8. Fifty of those wins were by knockout.
Some argue that Dempsey was the greatest boxer of all time. Those of us who saw Muhammad Ali at his peak fantasize about a match between these boxers of different generations....
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Road To Redemption
This is a story about loss, redemption and a mutt named Rosie. It is true, far as truth goes.
Rosie belongs to my fiancé and her 13-year-old daughter — Julie and Abbie. She was an early Christmas present to themselves, a rescue puppy adopted from a local pet store. At the time she resembled a six-pound version of Chewbacca from “Star Wars,” allegedly half Yorkie and half poodle. Nobody really knew. What was certain was Rosie — named by Abbie — had the makings of a fine little dog. She was alert, immediately housebroken and took to three-mile walks...
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Years ago I vowed to never hold another garage sale, after a particularly time-consuming and low-profit sale. The amount of time and effort calculated out to less than minimum wage. Goodwill and other worthy charities have been the recipients of my excess stuff since that unhappy episode.
However, I learned long ago that “never” is a relative term. Thus I acquiesced to my Beautiful Mystery Companion’s request that we hold a garage sale once we moved under one roof and combined possessions — after a year of marriage spent living 260 miles apart. She forthrightly and accurately argued...
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