As we enter November, I can’t help but smile—it’s my favorite time of the year. Cooler weather, Friday night lights, Saturday football, deer season, bonfires (once the burn ban is lifted, of course), and a good bowl of chili. These are just a few of the things that make this season so special to me.

To The Editor: The Round Top Antique Show creates a positive image of Fayette County and is worth every penny spent by the county. The comment by Commissioner Berckenhoff comparing the antique show to the Real Deal demonstrates that at least some public officials do not understand economic development and how it attracts visitors and investment that creates jobs.

To The Editor: Cindy Rodibaugh’s recent letter deserves recognition: not for its logic, but for its commitment to confusion. It’s rare to see so many misrepresented quotes, partisan sources, and unsupported claims packed into a single rebuttal.

To The Editor: I have purchased one half dozen of the Schmeckenfest mugs at Christmas time ever since they became available. I am 94 years old and do not like to drive too much.

Have you ever won a sweepstakes, or a large jackpot through the lottery? Yea, me either. Boy I’ve tried though and probably spent a small fortune trying to win a small or preferably large fortune. The most I ever won on a scratch off was $100. Back in the 80s and early 90s I subscribed to a sweepstakes and contests newsletter and entered tons of them for free except for the ton of stamps I needed to mail in my entries because we didn’t have internet back then where you could enter a lot of them for free like you can today; no stamp required. I never won anything from that newsletter. But since the invention of the internet, there are so many you can enter for free, it just requires a little bit of your time. I finally did win a couple things; an apron from Kikkoman soy sauce, a nice throw from Charmin, a bunch of tea from some company, I forget now. They mailed it to me in a box that the mailman crammed into the mailbox so tightly I had to call in the National Guard to help me retrieve it, and it wasn’t even worth it because I don’t even drink tea, so I’m not sure why I won it. A consolation prize, no doubt. These little winnings were fun, but not the bazillions of dollars I was really hoping for.

Nov. 4-7, 1975 Local distributor Roy Kuhn Co.

I’m hungry this morning. I’ve been thinking of what I’d really like most—to eat out in the way we could, say, fifty years ago.

I love Halloween. If all goes well, there is a cool snap in the air that tricks me into thinking fall has arrived. If all goes well, I can restock my chocolate stash by pilfering candy from my children. I rarely dress up for Halloween, but I thoroughly appreciate the parade of playful costumes as my neighbors visit.

C APITAL Highlights The continuing federal shutdown means food benefits provided to 3.5 million Texans could be cut off in November, The Texas Tribune reported. Of those affected, nearly half are children.

T EXAS History What better time than Halloween to delve into the otherworldly legends surrounding Texas’ most sacred site? If only a fraction of the many eyewitness accounts and second-hand reports contain a particle of truth, the Alamo has to be the most haunted place in the Lone Star State. The original ghost sighting was without a doubt the most frightening.