With Election Day just seven weeks away, the Texas branch of the American Party, better known as the “Know Nothings,” met on Jun. 11, 1855 to select a slate of candidates for statewide office.

Texas legislators wrapped up the 89th session last week, passing more than 1,200 bills — 800 of which were sent to Gov. Greg Abbott in the last 10 days of the session, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Thepaceoflifeinourhouse has slowed since school is out. Half-day camps and restful afternoons set the rhythm for our days. There’s more time in the evenings without homework or softball practice vying for attention. The heat physically forces us to slow down and take breaks. This seasonal, rhythmic change is a good reset for our family.

In 1949 I was six years old. My dad farmed about eighty acres of cotton. At harvest time he would park his Model A truck along the turning row of the patch and as the hired cotton pickers had their sack full of cotton weighed, he would empty all of this cotton into the truck bed. The truck bed had four foot high side boards on it and once this space was filled to a certain level, Dad would guess he had enough loose cotton on board to take it to the gin and have it processed into a bale. Usually he kept track of the pounds of cotton emptied into this truck. But on some occasions he wasn’t around on certain days when he moved houses and my mom did the weighing. I wasn’t but six years old at the time but I do remember Dad saying that he had to be careful as not to bring too much cotton to the gin because a regular bale weighed about 400 to 500 lbs. I guess there was a formula to follow as to how many pounds of raw cotton it took to yield 400 lbs. of pure ginned cotton. One had to subtract the cotton seed and other debris that was extracted by the ginning process.

Most dads, including mine, receive a shirt or shaving lotion and big hugs, but on Father’s Day in my family, my granddad was neglected. He was not a man who was outgoing and was not very affectionate. As he got older and so did I he became more important to me, especially after my grandmother died. My favorite event of the year was not Christmas, it was taking him a new bag of his Bull Durham Tobacco. Suddenly, he was a new person. His eyes lit up, he smiled, and I thought I saw a little tear, my hug was the best one ever. What a joy for me, not on Christmas but on Father’s Day. I am a blessed granddaughter. Are you neglecting your granddad on Father’s Day?

I’ve just returned home from a month away nursing a broken ankle that happened three months ago. I use the word “nursing” loosely, because I did little nursing but was well nursed by others.

To the Editor: Our nation is being asked to pay special attention to the birthday of a US president. That day and celebration will include a military parade that is unusual in many ways.

To the Editor: I felt it was important to respond to last week’s letter titled “Crimes by Illegals” and acknowledge that there are indeed victims of violent crimes committed by immigrants. However, the broader data reveals a different reality than what’s often portrayed.

Fayetteville’s Arts for Rural Texas (ARTS) is one of those bright cultural stars in our neighborhood’s firmament, one of several that sets our area apart from the more everyday elements of a rural environment.

To the Editor: I in no way want to minimize the seriousness of any crime or any murder, but I object to the use of these crimes to demonize “illegals,” (the term used in last weeks letter. Numerous studies have shown immigrants, both legal and illegal, commit fewer crimes than native born Americans.