Millions of Texas children are heading back to school this month, as early as this week in some districts. The Texas Department of Transportation urges drivers to be especially alert and focused when driving in school zones and near bus stops.

I’ve been asking Zack for years to help me flip over our ancient, enamel-top kitchen table. I needed to repair a drawer that drops down and backward every time it’s closed, making it almost impossible to reopen. Over the years I gave up both on him ever making time for this--- and ever getting into that drawer again. I was sure if I could just turn it over, I could fix it myself--- well enough to be serviceable. Suddenly, Zack came up with the wonderful idea that we should repair that table! Will wonders never cease? I believe he’s currently in between huge projects, and it’s too hot to paint large buildings that desperately need it. Things around here move more quickly when they’re Zack’s idea. My “ideas” seem to languish in his shop until he assumes I’ve forgotten--- and appropriates whatever item it was that I needed repaired. I lose a lot of great stuff that way.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has received and distributed 14,780 doses of the monkey pox vaccine to local health departments and DSHS regional offices. Another 27,000 doses could be made available by the Strategic National Stockpile.

In life, some things are forgotten--- or rather not thought of often. Even big things. If we remembered everything all the time, our heads would probably explode. So a corner of our brains stockpiles old file folders that we can take out, dust off and have a read for old time’s sake. I was exchanging messages with a childhood friend with whom I lose touch with from time to time--- until one of us opens that file cabinet, and we catch up. This most recent spate of emails began with, “Please recommend some books.” This led to literary commentary and stories. Which led to other memories.

If you happen to visit a high-traffic area in one of the state’s larger cities, you might come across some folks wearing sandwich boards, such as one sees during tax season or mattress sales. The Texas Department of Transportation has adopted this marketing device to promote its “Be Safe. Drive Smart” pedestrian safety campaign this month.

My world’s closing in on me, but not always in a bad way. It began with “retirement” from the work world. I shouldn’t say I retired, because this ranch is a work camp. And many of my more personal activities are rather solitary pursuits like drawing, painting, sculpting, writing, just repairing things, or helping Zack. You can’t be retired when you work all day, every day. Like many in the “retired” ranks, I wonder how I ever found time for my “real jobs.” I’m always doing things that need doing--- and trying to squeeze in things I actually want to do. I’m more tired than retired--- but never bored.

One Friday afternoon late in November of 1954 as I was leaving Dallas on Hwy 75 to go to my charge at Chatfield and Tupelo, I got behind a long, long line of cars. It was terrible. I finally discovered that we were stacked up behind a vehicle that was going very slow. Little by little the cars were getting around him. When it was my time to go around, I realized it was Leo Sands who was one of my church members.

As we cross the halfway point of July, wildfire danger continues to increase across the state. On Friday, Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters responded to 15 new wildfires that burned 651 acres. As of Sunday, there were eight active wildfires; the largest was the Nethery Road Fire in Kimble County, involving an estimated 3,500 acres. It has been 70% contained.

We do a lot of comic strips and drawings that never make it into newspapers. Some are gifts for anniversaries, confirmations, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and loads of other occasions. One was drawn to acknowledge the efforts of a cousin who raised a boatload of money dancing in a big Dallas charity event. He was a very good sport about it, considering that he shares with me the defective family dancing gene. We’ve done cartoons for a few chefs and others we do business with. And we’ve produced lots of them for our physicians. They seem to enjoy these, and in turn rarely rush us out of their offices and pay close attention to what we ask or tell them. So, win-win. But our physicians would likely do those things anyway, because they’re all very good.

The Texas Education Agency has released the 2022 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Results for grades 3-8, which showed across-the-board improvements in all grades and subjects, with especially significant gains in reading. “The investments that the state is making in reading academies and accelerated instruction are clearly paying dividends for our students, and the results are a testament to the hard work of teachers across our state,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said.