2,230TH POST.....West, Texas News..

Haven't done a West News in a while..with all that's been going on, I just either haven't had the time or just too tired..But lots going on right before Christmas. Babs and I drove around and looked at all the lights..we're too goofy..We critique all the yards, make fun of the houses with 6 or more deer in the yard..One house had a polar bear, some deer and a pig..You remember the Christmas story about Jesus and the pig Babe..They were boyhood friends, since Jesus was Jewish and couldn't eat pork, Babe lived a long and happy life. West really goes all out on decorations on Christmas. All the business's down town are all strung with lights and Jupe Mills has the star on top of the mill. I always forget about it and each year I go.."Oh look at the star"..
I love my little town..are dressed up waiting for Santa..Everyone will go to Church Christmas Eve and Day..Midnight Mass. I love Midnight Mass, even though I'm not a Catholic any more I still enjoy the rituals. I was never a good Catholic, couldn't remember when to knee, sit or genuflect and was always out of step. I'd be kneeling and everyone else would be sitting or vise versa..plus one year when they had high Mass and the incense burners were going and I hadn't eaten since the night before and it's like 8am or something and I just passed plum out. Father Cornelius said it sounded like a oak going down.
Ok..the news..
A family had their house burn nearly to the ground. Have a 10 year old girl and 15 and 16 year old brothers. My bank Point West and Trust has set up a benefit account for them and people are making all sorts of not only monetary donations but other types, like clothes and house hold goods. I think they have already held a benefit and I'm sure they will probably hold another. My little town does take care of their own.
We still need rain and there is a county burn ban in effect. We need a good old fashioned gully washer.
We held a toy drive and almost 300 kids will have a Christmas thanks to the generosity of the citizens of West. Cheryl Mynar a coordinator for the drive said they served 112 families with 296 children. Last year they served around 70 families and 173 children. The economy has hit a lot of family's very hard. She said she was very blessed to live in a community where folks will share what they have with those less fortunate. Between the Kiwanis Club, the Willie Motis Foundation
and Polansky's Body Shop they collected over $1,100, which was used to supplement the toys collected in our boxes. Cheryl Mynar personally thanked Sykora Family Ford and Greg May Chevrolet for their generous donations of bicycles for the toy drive drawing.
Aderhold Funeral Home and Old Corner Drug also donated cash in order to purchase additional sizes of bicycles. All in all 8 girl and boy bikes were given away through a drawing.
And to top it off...Christi Jordan, Mary Hromadka, Emile Smith, Holly Smith and Amanda Muelker are to be commended for agreeing to stand on the corner of Oak and Reagan wearing antlers and holding Santa Stockings in order to collect additional moneys for Toys for Toys.They did this for 2 Saturday mornings and netted the West Group over $800. I love my town.
We're in the process of getting a recreation grant for a park and tennis complex. The master plan proposed projects in the county, has a Park and Tennis Complex in West listed as its top priority. Also, an expansion of this proposed park and sport complex was listed number 5 of the priority lists for the country's 10-year plan. We're looking at a $500,000 grant, with that amount coming from the state and the matching portion of the grant coming locally through donations of land and landscaping.
As of now, the proposed grant is anticipated to include an 8-court tennis complex along with a walking trail, playground and picnic areas to be constructed on approximately 10 acres.
I'm really excited about this..as it is something that will bring revenue for the city, to bring in income. We're ideally situated on I-35 and make it easy and accessible for tennis matches.
In a letter to the editor there was a warning about coyotes and to keep our pets inside. A coyote was seen crossing South Marable Street around 9 a.m. this past Dec. 15th. We are on South end of town and Marable is right down the road from us. Babs cat Tina and my Dexter like to go out at all hours of the night, but I think I may start making Dexter stay in at nights. Think he's safe in the day light but at night..never can tell.
Oh before I go any further with the West News I just update you on the Jackiesue/Dexter/Nitty/broke 26" flat screen tv set story. Nitty got behind the flat screen and knocked it on the floor and broke it..maybe a year old?...almost $400.. So..with the fact that it was going to cost me $150 deposit for him, and over a $100 to get him shots, and neutered, I decided Nitty needed a new good home. Well, love was in the air. Couple of the movers came over to see if I had signed the release on my stuff that had been moved out and then back in..said no I still didn't have all my stuff back or the broken stuff fixed. In the mean time Nitty makes a break for the door and gets out..I go to get him and the one guy says "No..I get..I get."...and crawls on his hands and knees in the dirt under the bushes to get him. Scoops him up and puts him in his arms like a baby and starts hugging and kissing the top of Nitty's head..Nitty's looking at him like he's his Daddy. I jokingly said...you want him you can have him . He says "really? I take...he luffs me."and it was like a match made in heaven..I grabbed some toys for him and he didn't even look at me when they walked to the truck. He and his new Daddy were staring at each other like they knew each other in another life. Nitty had his paws around his neck and the guy had his face right up to Nitty's and was kissing and rubbing his head on him..So...I will miss the little fucker, and Dexter missed him until I opened a can of tuna and he got to eat the whole can and then it was Nitty who?...Jenny and Jason are letting me borrow their extra tv till I can figure out if I can afford to get another tv(this one with insurance and the tv holder to bolt it to the fucking wall.)
fund. How sweet..So I been on line seeing what I can find. Best buy has a 32inch that is as cheap as what I paid for the 26"...I'm not sure..just the thought of paying out that much money so soon after already paying out that kind of money is making me nuts..I'm going to have a breakdown over this. I'm already in a fragile condition from having to cancel my DAM News subscription. I still get the Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday paper but don't get it delivered and cost me about $20..After football season is over I'll probably just get the Sunday paper. Only reason why I get the ones I get now is because of my football book that I have kept since 1977. All the stats for the games, my wins loses ties on point spread. Stuff that means Remember Allan(Camelsbackandforth)???? he sent me money to start the buy Jackie a new tvjackshit to no one but me. Don't know what will happen to them when I croak..can't see any of the kids wanting them..ha..
Amanda Sullins and Blake Kettler were married on September 25th. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Abbott, with Fr. George and Fr. Ed co-officiating. My printer isn't hooked up yet and wish it was so you could see what a beautiful bride she made.Kassidi Stanford and Dusty Johnson exchanged vows on December 18, and just to prove it's no fluke, the bride is just as lovely..West has some wonderfully lovely women.
Audrey Florene Holy came into the world weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 19.5 inches long.
Hanna Jo Rivers bounced into the world at a whopping 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 21 inches long.
Dinah Kaska just had her one year birthday and celebrated it with her family and friends.
Because there is a Cowboys game on Sunday(Christmas ) all the bars will be open....Wait..they're always open on Christmas. I don't think they ever close. I will be doggy sitting. Christmas Eve we will celebrate out family Christmas at Jenny's and Jason's and having finger type food, shrimp and scallop kabobs, sliders, etc. I'm making red velvet cupcakes with cheese cake icing and strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing. Which reminds me I need to get 2 pkgs of cream cheese..damn. I knew I'd forget something. Then the next day Jenny and Jason will go to San Antonio to spend it with Jason's side of the family. I will go over and baby sit the dogs and do my laundry. I work cheap.
Oh..did I tell you that Merle sold Strickly? He finally retired(for the 3rd time). Was just too much for him to deal with after T.J. died I think. He's got lots to keep him busy with his house and yard, and can maybe relax and get a life going for himself. He's such a sweet man, he deserves as much happiness as he can get. And Patsy Patsy Patsy is in the hospital with pneumonia. We had noticed she wasn't at the store when we went in but figured maybe she was taking a Christmas vacation for a change..should have known better..she's really sick..Think she might be home today or tomorrow. Will go by and see if I can't be of some help after Jackie's Kitchen tomorrow.
Oh tomorrow is the tea party at West Rest Haven. I have a second batch of tea cookies in the oven (like Russian tea cookies) and they are so good..Think there are about 80 of them. Figure what they won't eat they can let some of the aids have some.Made ham salad for sandwiches, egg salad for sandwiches.(will cut the crust off the bread) Bought 2 different kinds of International Coffee and a box of mixed teas. Have 1/2 and 1/2 for cream and not that powdered shit.
Cindy at Caritas(used shit store) donated a set of glass tea cups for the ladies and about a doz Christmas mugs for the guys. She also donated a beautiful tray to use to serve them on and a Christmas set of sugar bowl, creamer, salt pepper, and napkin holder with Santas on them. So sweet of her. Marissa is going to meet me up there and be my assistant and Suzanne is coming up bringing some scones. So it's going to be a big deal..We're doing it up..Kathy's putting out white table cloths on the tables with the large dinner napkins ..clear plastic plates and spoons, forks,etc.So it will be a little classier than what we've done before. I wanted to use the flat wear from the kitchen, but guess it's to hard for them to keep up with them and make sure they get back and are clean??? not sure.
Since I knew New Years is coming up I Googled Czech New Year traditions. Also talked to Louis(the thumbs up guy)and he said it was always cabbage ..because it's green and represents money. Pork because it brings good luck and lentils because they look like small coins. So I asked him how his mother cooked it for New Years and he said she took it and cut it in halves then in fourths and added salt pepper and bacon and cooked it up..So I told Kathy and she's going to have the kitchen do it for them and serve pork sausage on the side and I'm going to make the lentils with ham hock. Then when they have their New Years party Lunch they will have a traditional
Czech NY's meal. I'm excited about this..hope we get it right and they like it. You can't serve fish because then the money will swim away and can't have fowl because the money will fly away. Has to be pork and cabbage. I also found a Czech expression that is very common and translated it's 'what you are on New Years Day the rest of the year you will be.' I emailed it to Kathy and she's going to make it into several signs and put them around the activity room. I'm patting myself on the back here..ha.
For January I think I will do a Super Bowl Party for them. Still working on it.
This is the week the kids write letters to Santa. But will do a separate post on them. I love the letters to Santa, they usually do them at school and the teachers send them in with out any correction and some of the spelling is pretty inventive. Ok..It's almost 1 and I have a big day ahead of me, need to roll the tea cookies in the powdered sugar, let them set and then roll them again..man oh man are they good.
Oh..Babs took me to Pizza House today for lunch to get my mind off of Nitty and I had Poopsie Special and onion rings..oh my Goddess, I need to take a picture of them..they are so good and look like a picture in a cook book..So to pay her back I made home made pizzas for dinner. Sausage, pepperoni, onions, jalapenos, and black olives and extra cheese. Home made crust and sauce. They rocked if I do say so myself..Really really crunchy and crisp crust.I still miss the little fucker.