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POWER TALK
LETTERS
A Savory History Lesson
I really appreciate the history of salt (“Texas’ White Gold,” August). A few years ago, during a family reunion of the Bedells, I visited with a distant cousin. She was almost 100 years old, and she told me about some of her aunts who were young women at the time of the Civil War.
They told her they used to ride sidesaddle with flowing skirts under which they concealed bags of salt, which they hung from their saddles to smuggle behind enemy lines to reach their sweethearts who needed salt for their meat.
Virginia Castro Edwards
In Too Deep
In the August issue, you have a good article on bathroom safety. However, the photo that accompanies the article is showing a very dangerous situation with no mention of its risks. A child should never have a bathtub deeper than his navel, as my mom used to say. A water level as deep as shown would cause the child’s feet to float, upsetting him, yet he is unable to lift his face far enough out to breathe. Many “tub seats” are sold to help children sit upright, but in my experience, they are more easily upset than the child himself and then hinder his attempts to right himself. The tips in the article are valid, but photos model behavior, and this one’s lethal for babies.
Brenda Elving, mother of six
Bluebonnet Electric
THE MONTH TO SALUTE CO-OPS
October has been celebrated as National Co-op Month annually since 1930. Of course, in 1930, there were no electric cooperatives. The first electric co-op in the nation to string lines was Bartlett Electric in 1935, headquartered in Bartlett, Texas. Today, that Central Texas co-op has more than 6,000 members. There are 75 electric cooperatives serving the state, and nearly 3 million Texans benefit directly from our efficient and economical form of operation.
Foremost, electric cooperatives exist to bring a much-needed service to their members, not because they’re trying to turn a profit. And along the way, co-ops do more than just keep the lights burning; they provide jobs, services and opportunities for Texans.
If you’re reading this magazine, it’s probably because your electric cooperative provides it to you as a member benefit. Cooperatives and their employees are passionately dedicated to their communities, providing a variety of contributions and services, such as scholarships, safety demonstrations and support for volunteer fire departments.
Co-ops are service-oriented, not money-oriented, and the way we do business has benefited Texans for decades. And it works because local people—who put the interests of their neighbors, friends and family first—are at its heart.
—Mike Williams, President/CEO, Texas Electric Cooperatives
THEY WANT OUR EYES ON THE SKIES
Weather watchers, unite. The scientists at the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network (CoCoRaHS) want your help.
The network of weather observers, which was founded in 1997 in Colorado, is recruiting citizen-meteorologists to add to its pool of 3,500 volunteers in 18 states. The only requirements are having an appropriate spot to place a rain gauge, an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions, and a desire to learn more about how weather can affect everyone.
The duties of a volunteer are simple: Report daily the amount of precipitation that falls (or doesn’t). The tools are also simple: a 4-inch rain gauge (available for purchase at a discount) and an Internet connection. Observers also track snow and hail amounts using a ruler for snow and an easily constructible foil-covered foam pad for hail. Training is offered on the network’s website, www.cocorahs.org.
Various groups and agencies, such as the National Weather Service, water planners and ranchers and farmers, can access the collected data, giving them a comprehensive look at precipitation patterns. Texas, which is divided into 13 regions, currently has more than 400 active members. State coordinator Troy Kimmel, a lecturer at the University of Texas and meteorologist for three Austin radio stations, hopes that will grow into the thousands.
To learn more about the weather network or to apply to be a weather-watching volunteer, visit www.cocorahs.org. Kimmel said he’d be glad to answer questions about the project. He can be e-mailed at tkimmel@mail.utexas.edu.
HAPPENINGS
Texas is known for its larger-than-life figures. And one of the largest was Stephen F. Austin, who is depicted with a 60-foot concrete-and-steel statue—10 times life-size—on a 12-foot base in Angleton in Southeast Texas. The statue, which was erected in 2005, stands tall over the coastal plain in Henry Munson Park just off Texas Highway 288. The park includes a museum devoted to the history of the “Father of Texas” and of surrounding Brazoria County.
To help pay for further development of the 10-acre site surrounding the statue, the third annual Stephen F. Austin Birthday Party and Celebration will be held October 27 at the park (Austin was born November 3, 1793). The event will feature that most Texan of events, a barbecue cook-off, which starts at noon, and also include a visit by Austin himself, as portrayed by professional re-creationist Bob Heinonen. There also will be a raffle and children’s activities.
JEFFERSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE RISES HIGH WITH UNIQUE STYLE
In 1932, most Texas towns were reeling from the Great Depression, but Beaumont’s oil reserves provided the city with enough money to build the 14-story Jefferson County Courthouse downtown. The stone and brick building designed by Fred C. Stone and A. Babin features Moderne-style architecture. Unique Art Deco details on the rare high-rise courthouse include carved limestone vignettes of lumbermen, oilmen and cowboys at work.
—From The Courthouses of Texas, Texas A&M University Press, second edition, 2007
CO-OP PEOPLE
A Solar-heated Greenhouse
Many readers intrigued by Jess Russell’s passive solar-heated greenhouse (Letters, August 2007) wrote in seeking more details.
Russell, a Farmers Electric Cooperative member in Caddo Mills, grows tropical plants year-round in a 30-by-60-foot Quonset-style greenhouse.
During the cold winter months, he uses 55-gallon black plastic barrels filled with water as a heat source for the fragile plants, sometimes supplementing with an electric heater. The barrels line one long wall of the greenhouse facing southwest. During the day, they absorb solar heat, which radiates at night, keeping the climate in the greenhouse moderate. He reckons that metal barrels also can be used, as long
as they are painted black.
Because of the constant warmth, Russell says his plants can simultaneously bear blossoms, green fruit and ripe fruit. He says if he had it to do over, he’d have put down a weed barrier and laid a stone or brick floor for even more absorbed heat.
Russell said he’d be happy to answer questions about his setup. He can be reached at jarmlr@argontech.net or at (903) 527-4140.
WHO KNEW?
Heavenly Texas
Many Texas towns are named for the divine, no doubt inspired by the beauty and grace of the landscape. Here are some of our favorite heavenly Texas town names and counties.
Angel City
Goliad County
Blessing
Matagorda County
Eden
Concho County
Glory
Lamar County
Godley
Johnson County
Joy
Clay County
Paradise
Wise County
Rainbow
Somervell County
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