Texans turned out in record numbers on Sep. 9, 1844 to pick a president for the fourth and final time. With independence about to be traded for statehood, voters took comfort in the fact that the winner would soon be out of a job.

It is now a part of our lives whether we like it or not. Wearing a mask is the “new norm.” Masks are supposed to be one of the ways of preventing a person from getting coronavirus.

Trees are almost as old as dirt in the construction industry, but they’re new to Texas in the form of the state’s first mass timber office building. The Texas project generating the buzz is The Soto, which opened last week at Eighth and Broadway streets in San Antonio.

Taking nothing away from our modern day county fairs I can say “They just don’t make them like they used to.” At least not from a little country boy’s point of view. I believe in those late 40s and 50s the county fair was a little more inclined to cater to the younger generations. As country kids growing up on the local farms we had very little access to any entertainment except maybe seeing a western movie now and then. So whenever that fair time came around we couldn’t wait to go. It usually lasted three or four days but my dad would go for only one evening and night so I had to take it all in in one trip.

To the Editor: With the increasing acreage being converted from agriculture use to subdivisions or other nonagricultural use, it would be interesting to know just how many acres in Fayette County were converted to non ag use and lost their agriculture exemption over the past several years. I have not seen such a figure and perhaps the county assessor is the only one who knows.

To the Editor: The quote “Curiouser and Curiouser” comes from “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. This is an expression we use to mean that something is increasingly confounding.

To the Editor: St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church is ringing its bell for the first time in over 50 years.

To the Editor: Andy Behlen’s column is worth the price of the paper. I do so enjoy his words of wisdom concerning gardening.

To the Editor: I’d like to correct one massive bit of misinformation in Deborah Frank’s letter from last week: Democrats support that all registered voters should have the opportunity to exercise their Constitutional right to vote by mail. There never has been nor ever will be Democratic support to do some bogus mass-mailing to all addresses in Texas.

To the Editor: Masks vs. no masks.