Out here, a lot of folks don’t just buy a house. They build it. Or at least they sit down with a builder and walk through the plans. Where & how is the kitchen in relation to the rest of your house, and lifestyle. How wide should the porch be, and whether that extra window is worth it. It all feels important in the moment. But it’s usually later, months or years later, when the quieter questions show up.

To the Editor: In last week’s paper denouncing the school bond and the behavior of the school board, I unintentionally said something that wasn’t accurate. The discovery went like this: Wife (while reading the FCR): “how did you know how much money Coach Crow raised for Yoakum?” Me: “Thats what you told me when you read me the article on it.” Wife: “No dear, I never told you that number.” Me (after a long uncomfortable pause) :……”oops.” So, mea culpa.

To the Editor: As we celebrate the successful completion of the third season of the Fayetteville Courthouse Music Series - presented by Arts for Rural Texas and featuring 27 unforgettable shows over the last three years - we are reminded that this kind of programming is only possible through strong community support. We are deeply thankful not only to the residents of Fayetteville, but also to our neighbors from across Fayette County and the surrounding communities who joined us on the square and helped make this season such a success.

To the Editor: This is short and sweet congratulations for the fine publication included in the Friday edition titled Hearth & Homestead. That’s a prime publication and the principal article featuring Midway Water Gardens was spot on.

All is good. Well…that depends on your definition of good.

The year was 1954: I used to spend many, many days in my dad’s corn and cotton patches. The largest patch was called the “bottom”. It consisted of about 35-40 acres and was located alongside of Williams’ Creek. It was the lowest elevation of our farm and our house and barns were located on a hill. One could see a long way all around the homestead.

C APITAL Highlights Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for Gov. Greg Abbott to remove acting state comptroller Kelly Hancock, calling him an “incompetent loser,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8) “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer This Sunday, many people will dress up and head to churches that will be fuller than usual. Some people will enjoy an extended weekend, a holiday from work or school. Some will gather with families and friends to enjoy a meal together and watch kids hunt eggs. As we gather to worship and celebrate, it is good to ask, “Why?” Why are we celebrating? Why do we have the day off? Why have so many come together to worship?

On April 7, 1890, the proud governor gave a guided tour of the new capitol to Jay Gould, who just happened to be in town at the same time Texans were considering regulation of the railroads. The infamous visitor was the same unscrupulous speculator that made a fortune by cornering the gold market in 1869.

When I was living in Houston, every summer, my boyfriend and I, and a group of friends drove to New Braunfels to camp out on the Guadalupe river. We had a favorite campsite on River Road and the owners knew us well. We would always bring a brisket, and the owner would throw it on his smoker to slow cook overnight. One of the girls in our group also cooked up a storm and packed lots of food, even fried chicken, so we always had plenty to eat. Nothing tasted better than cold fried chicken when you’re floating down the river with about 18 beers in you and more to come. There was an old truck that would drive us to the furthest point of the river to start our float journey and we would float four hours until we reached our campsite.