Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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| County, city get symbolic grant checks.... Will Gudeman (right),Regional Coordintor for the Texas Office of Rural Community Affiars, was in town Tuesday to present County Judge Manuel Molinar and grants administrator Becky Brewster with a symbolic check in the amount of $295,384. The check represents a grant which the county has received to do the Phase II construction of a Gymnasium facility at the Van Horn Boys and Girls Clubs, also known as the Youth Activities Center. Mayor Okey Lucas also received a check in the amount of $295,384 for a water line improvement project to construct a new water line from the airport to town which will separate our water supply from one going to Sierra Blanca. |
- Residents of Culberson County now have another way of renewing their vehicle registration. Effective on April 4, 2008, motorists can bypass the lines and the stamps and head straight to their keyboards. Online registration renewal will be available at www.texasonline.com.
“This web site gives our customers one more way of interacting with us,” said Amalia “Molly” Hernandez, Culberson County Tax Assessor/Collector. “Residents will be able to renew their registration when it’s convenient for them, day or night.”
This online service is limited to vehicle owners who have received a Registration Renewal Notice from the Texas Department of Transportation. The registration must be due within 90 days but cannot be expired. Current liability insurance coverage is also required, and there cannot be any traffic warrants or other questionable notations on the motor vehicle record. Emissions compliance is also required where applicable.
Motorists who renew via the Internet will be asked to enter a minimal amount of information, including their address, their vehicle, insurance coverage, and the credit card they will use for payment. The Culberson County Tax Office will then process the information to ensure that all requirements are met. It will take tax office staff approximately two business days to process an approved online transaction and mail the renewal sticker to the customer. Sire users will pay a nonrefundable $2 service fee and a $1 mail-processing fee for the service.
The website also allows registered vehicle owners to change the recipient address for their registration renewal notice. There is no fee charged for this service and it is available to all registered vehicle owners regardless of their county of residence.
“We’re excited to be part of this innovative program,” said Hernandez.
For more information, please call Amalia “Molly” Hernandez, Tax Assessor/Collector at (432) 283-2130.
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
Yes, I’m afraid I’m one of those ‘Losers’ shown in a picture in last week’s Advocate. And so far what I have ‘lost’ is that feeling of being tired all the time, the feeling of being older than I actually am, the aching bones and muscles every time I would work in the yard a few hours, and feeling like I was too weak to do much of anything that required a little muscle. It will be nice when I can say I’ve lost quite a few inches and some weight also, but that isn’t my real reason for doing this. It’s mainly to strengthen and tone muscles. What I’ve gained is the realization that being ‘sixty-something’ doesn’t mean that you can’t still be very active and have a feeling of vitality and strength.
I’ve only been a part of the ‘Losers’ for about five weeks. It’s amazing how fast it worked for me. Of course I still have a long way to go to be in the condition I want to be in. What I actually want to do is climb Guadalupe Peak this fall. Why should Pauline Harlow have all the fun! That lady is amazing. But she didn’t get the way she is by sitting around and being a Senior Citizen ‘couch potato’. She walks every morning about 5:30!, not to mention all the walking she does arrowhead hunting and constantly cooking and doing for other people. I admire her a lot!
So come join the ‘Losers’. What do you have to lose? If you don’t want to work out in this way, well, at least get out and walk or something. Life is too short to let yourself waste away physically.
* * * * * *
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad,”
“Did you see how poor people live?”
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”
* * * * * *
Here’s a few gardening tips - for what it’s worth.
It’s hard not to want to jump right into planting flowers and things at the first warm days of Spring, which for us come real early sometime. The nurseries in El Paso have lots of pretty things for sale now. But could I warn you not to get in too big of a hurry. Your time would be better spent now just cleaning up your yards and flower beds and preparing the soil. Not that there is still a danger of a freeze. My Desert Willow tree is putting out little green springs now, so it’s probably not likely that the temperatures will get even in the 30s now. But it’s the wind and blowing dirt that keeps me waiting a little longer. I went against my better judgement last Saturday since it was so nice and warm and brought out some pots of geraniums, ferns and a beautiful blooming bouganvilla. The next day was so windy that they looked like they were saying, “why did you do this to us?” So I carted them all back in and will wait a couple of weeks.
But there is a way to have some pretty blooming things in your pots and beds at this time. Last fall I put out lots of dianthus, snap dragons and pancies. They live through the winter and start blooming really early in the Spring. And of course the Spring bulbs are blooming, with the Iris coming out daily now. So, it just takes a little planning throughout the year to have seasonal color almost continually. If you don’t have any fruit trees, you might consider a couple, not only for the fruit later in the summer, but their blooms are the first things to herald that Spring is here! One of the large shrubs that I enjoy, especially in the early Spring for its fragrant smelling purple blooms is the Texas Mountain Laurel. I have a huge Lady Banks Rose in full bloom now with its musty-smelling tiny yellow blooms. One warning about these - don’t plant them anywhere close to anything because they grow huge and don’t even require any care or water. Plant them off to themselves in the corner of the yard and let it run over a fence or storage building. Believe me, these can get out of hand so they need lots of spreading out room.
If you have questions that I might answer, either from my own experience or looking up in one of my many gardening books, give me a call. I’ll be glad to try to answer your questions, in the hope of encouraging more pretty yards in Van Horn.
Get out and get those hands dirty! And enjoy!
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
April 10th - The Van Horn U.I.L. regional qualifiers will compete in regional competition today in Abilene. The board of directors of the Clark Hotel Historical Museum Association is slated to meet this evening at the Clark Hotel Museum at 6 p.m.
April 11th - The Van Horn Junior High track teams will compete in their district meet today in Kermit.
April 12th - The Van Horn Lady Eagle softball team is scheduled to play the Lady Bucks of Alpine here tonight at 7 p.m.
April 13th - Attend the church of your choice.
April 14th - Culberson County Commissioners are scheduled to meet this morning at 10 a.m. at the County Courthouse. Members of the Van Horn Lions Club are set to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the Sands Restaurant. The Van Horn Eagle baseball teams are set to compete against the Ozona Lions at Clark Field today beginning at 4 p.m.
April 15th - Members of the Van Horn Rotary Club are slated to meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant. The Van Horn Lady Eagle softball team is scheduled to play Reagan County here tonight beginning at 5 p.m. The Van Horn City Council is slated to meet tonight at City Hall at 7 p.m.
April 16th - The “Building Bridges Art Show” is set to open today at the Van Horn Convention and Visitors Bureau.