Tales of the Tumbling Tumbleweed(s)

     Any "City Slickers" fans out there? Remember the 1991 western comedy starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance? Remember? Palance did the one arm push-ups at that year's Academy Awards? There was a song he sang during that movie called "The Tumbling Tumbleweeds.''
    Ole Jack's gone now, but he would've had a lot....a whole lot to sing about today in West Texas. The wind started to blow and then.... Katy bar the door!

     We knew we were in for one of those West Texas days when the breeze started up before 8:00 this morning. The tops of trees began swaying back and forth before it was time to go to work, and that's usually a bad sign in these parts. And sure enough... We went from 'it's gonna be a blustery day to a full blown (pardon the pun) duster buster' out here in Snyder, America.

Hello New Mexico!

     By 3:00 this afternoon, the sky began to take on a color like khaki pants. Around these parts the wind howls so much that we even joke about it. We say things like: "Here's comes New Mexico" or "Looks like Lubbock's blowin' in." Sometimes, we keep it closer to home and blame our dirty sky on Lamesa only 60-miles down the state highway.
     But all kidding aside, a sky that's more brown or red than blue means a big wind's coming. The unusual color you see in the left photo is plain ole west Texas dirt bearing down on us. The best thing to do, if you can, is stay indoors and be thankful you didn't dust your home. It's a well known fact out here that all that dirt somehow/some way goes through windows.

Tumbleweed(s) Station/WRP @ 3:15ish

      I can't explain it, but we've had an unusual amount of tumbleweeds this year. And when the wind blows like it's blowing today, those thorny thistles roll and roll until something blocks their way.
     The picture to the right is the breezeway at the ranch between our kitchen and pavilion. I took the photo only minutes after the wind started. Use that red door in the background as a point of reference.

       I took the photo on the left about 15-minutes later. There's that red door. The wind had just started howling. Teresa and I knew it was only a matter of minutes until this breezeway became 'tumbleweed(s) station. 

     Then it was only a few minutes later until the breezeway really started to get crowded with the dry, prickly tumbleweeds. The weeds are half way up that red door.

   The breezeway will likely fill up even more with the dry, prickly tumbleweeds before the winds stops sometime tomorrow.

     Suffice it to say, I'm not looking forward to clearing our main walkway between the kitchen and pavilion. And, I'm really not excited about clearing the pictured fence that's apparently the ultimate tumbleweed(s) catch-all.

Tumbleweed(s) Catch-All/Windmill Ranch Preserve, 2018

     Just another day in paradise.

Bill Robertson

   

The Great Toothpaste Debate. Am I Cheap or Thrifty?

     I don't use coupons, but I do look for good deals. I absolutely hate to shop, but considering that I'm our households go-to grocery getter I flex my 'thrifty-ness' at our local supermarket and, I flex IT a lot!
     I'm at the store everyday. Seriously!Unless we're out of town, I'm at the store every single day. Take a look at today's shopping list.

Today's Shopping List

     Tonight, we're having wings and burgers as we watch the SAINTS game. GO SAINTS! I bought the 'wingettes' yesterday to marinade in my super secret sauce so today was more about the burgers and necessary accourtrements.
     There's nothing helter-skelter about this list. The tomatoes are to the left as I walk in the store. The cheese and lunch meat are down Aisle #1, the buns are on the left of Aisle #2 and so on.
     I'm in the store so much that I can make a list and NEVER go backwards. The meat throws me off every now and again because sometimes I forget the ground beef is perpendicular to Aisle #5 or the pork chops are closer to Aisle #7. But the point is, I know our grocery store. In fact, I've challenged the kids who work there to find something before I do. Every time... I'm back at the register before they can even find the right aisle. It's a gift.
     I take my grocery shopping very seriously. I figure if I'm going to be there everyday, I might as well search out the best store deals. And, it's that 'thrifty-ness' that is the genesis of The Great Toothpaste Debate.

Toothpaste Choices/Snyder, America

     Take a look at the picture on the right. That's our toothpaste aisle. There are so many choices, but I really think we're all being duped by big business.
     You can't tell it by this photo, but some of those brands on the top shelf go for five to six to almost seven dollars!!! Really???
     Some have SCOPE. Some promise bad breath protection. Others promise that you'll have shiny teeth of steel. I think it's all MULARKY!
     So if you look way down on the bottom shelf... to the far left... you'll see the old standby. You'll see the toothpaste we've used since "Gunsmoke."  There it is.... Plain ole CREST.

Save! Save! Save!

     Plain ole CREST at $2.29 vs something fancier for a lot more. Of course, I bought the plain ole CREST.
     Teresa and I are educated people, but you'd never guess it by our kitchen conversation last night.
     "That toothpaste is terrible," she said.
     "It's the same stuff you used 30-years ago. It's fine," I said.
     "It tastes like chalk and it make me gag," she said as she feigned a gagging pose.
      "You're fine!"
      "No! It makes me gag," again acting like she was heaving on our kitchen floor.
     The bottom line is... We're sticking with the $2.29 CREST until it runs out. Then if I can sneak more into the house, we're using the cheap/thrifty brand again.

     One more thing, I'll always look for a deal on coffee. We like Gevalia, but have you seen those prices. Good grief!!! $8.99!!! We both add stuff to our coffee. So what difference does it make what coffee we buy?
    You can't tell by the above photo but the store brand is $4.99. I bought two. One was from Costa Rica. The other was from Italy. I figured... 'Wow! What a price for foreign coffee. Add a little milk or a little creamer and all's right in the world.'
   

No Skimping Here!

     There is one national brand that  I will NOT under any circumstances consider replacing with a less expensive version.
     I learned a long time ago that, probably before I was responsible for cooking for anyone but myself.... You get what you pay for when it comes to frozen potatoes.
     A bad experience has made me an Ore-Ida man for life. I remember my spud mistake. It was terrible. The price seemed too good to pass up, but when I opened the bag... Oh, the disappointment.
     Maybe you think I'm exaggerating, but just today on Aisle #11.. just at the corner of the frozen potatoes, frozen vegetable and frozen bread section,,, I got my affirmation.
     I ran into an old Snyder friend. She's a singer, a mom, a wife and a grandmother... All credentials for knowing her stuff.
     We talked about everything from the weather to the holidays and then... the question.
     "Do you see any Ore-Ida Hashbrowns with the peppers and onions," she asked.
     "Uh.. let's see... No."
     "Dang it! They stopped carrying them," she said.
     "They have the store brand. Do you want those?" I asked.
     "NO! They're terrible."

     I walked away vindicated.

    Grocery shopping is a chore.😏

Bill Robertson
   
   

Create! Create! Create! Snyder's Young Mad Scientists

     Something new and exciting is going on in the Snyder, America school system and the likes of Amazon are helping foot the bill. That's right, the online purveyor of everything from books to golf balls and more is helping pay for a new mindset.

     "A new mindset," that's what the coordinator for Snyder's STEAM program calls the curriculum still in its infancy.
    The acronym STEAM stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering/Energy, Ag/Art and Math.

TIGER STEAM ACADEMY/Snyder, TX

     The STEAM program in Snyder is about five years old, but the TIGER STEAM ACADEMY is barely in its first year at the Snyder Intermediate School... the old junior high as we call it here in town.

     The information covering everything from the start of the STEAM Lab to who's paying for it to what's its future are long and detailed. So suffice it say that, for this writing anyway, everything is in good hands and many of our local students are willing participants for a new method of teaching and learning.

Tiger STEAM Academy

     Kids learning tasks using Virtual Reality was just one element of the STEAM Lab on display at a Makers Tuesday held this week. I'm not exactly sure if V-R falls into Science, Technology or Engineering. I was told the real point is to get youngsters excited about 'making' things in ways previously not taught in Snyder or many, many other schools.

     Granted, the kids are only making Christmas/Holiday related drawings but they're applying a technology that's developing a "new mindset" into how to make things.
     The Tiger STEAM Academy takes up an entire building at the Intermediate School. There's one large, brightly lit room with at least eight smaller rooms around the perimeter.
     For the purposes of the Makers Tuesday, robotics and engineering design applications took up most of the main room along with free eats and drinks for the many students and parents in attendance.

     I don't have this confirmed, but to me it seemed like all the night's activities focused on the season. For example, the duty of this robot was to move a small snowball. Another station included Toy-Hacks where the students took an existing toy and made modifications.

      I had to make sure I checked all the side rooms because something different seemed to be going on behind each door.

Those kids in the photo to the right are making 3-D Christmas ornaments... some using a type of super skinny glue gun while others drew their decoration using a computer for later 3-D print-out.

   
     And what are the holidays without holiday music? To cover the Arts, the evening's Maker Tuesday included a make your own music video booth.
     The room to the left is sound proof. The man with his back to us is handling the video equipment and I'm pretty sure the performers are belting out Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

     Whatever the kids are making, who knows. Whatever the students are singing, can't say for sure. But what is clear, they're all doing what they're doing with excitement. And even though they probably don't know it, they're all learning with a new mindset.

    If you'd like more information of the TIGER STEAM ACADEMY go to https://intermediate.snyderisd.net/

Bill Robertson