Have you ever heard about something new and thought, “Pshaw, that won’t be around long.” I got to thinking about this while I was at a rummage sale over in Earth, Texas. There amongst the books for a dime or a quarter was a thick, yellowed volume labeled “FORTRAN.” It was a textbook about the […]
McGee: Security system might have given burglars trouble
February 24, 2012
It was a year ago this week our bicycle shop was burglarized. The Lady of the House and I imagined they were two kids, let’s call them Fred and John. John is the smaller of the two, probably the leader and a little mean. They should’ve been in school. But they weren’t. They were going […]
McGee: Waiting in line can be enlightening
February 17, 2012
I had to stand in line the other day. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with standing in line, I get into the Zen of it: If I am to stand in line, I will stand in line. In my younger years I would’ve been fuming. Over time I’ve learned various ways to […]
McGee: Calling police safest way to check out strangers
January 27, 2012
OK, so if you come to work before the sun comes up and there’s a car you’ve never seen before sitting away from the building, not in the parking lot, parked in the grass, engine running and its lights are on…you’d call the cops, wouldn’t you? That’s what I did. I mean it could’ve been […]
McGee: This isn’t ‘Leave it to Beaver’ world anymore
January 6, 2012
I would’ve liked to have spent afternoons between Christmas and New Year’s Days kicking back and watching movies and napping but ‘twas not to be. The Lady of the House and I spent the time rebuilding our backyard fence. The night after Christmas someone rounded our street corner too fast, rammed through our fence and […]
McGee: Christmas gatherings can get weird
December 23, 2011
It looks like The Lady of the House and I will be spending Christmas Day without family. So we’ll just be hanging around the house in our “Watchin’-TV-and-eatin’” clothes. I love seeing the kinfolk, but sometimes it’s good to just have a quiet Christmas. Because you know, sometimes when family shows up things can get […]
McGee: Street names have interesting origins
November 25, 2011
Have you ever wondered where some street names come from? I’m sure folks who pass through our High Plains towns might ponder the naming of John Doe Street in Clovis or Chicago Avenue in Portales. The Lady of the House and I had such a moment in our recent travels to visit Palm Beach, Fla., […]
McGee: Broken bones lesson in journey of life
November 11, 2011
A family member recently broke his hand. I felt for him, he was in a lot of pain. I remember how bad that felt because I’ve had a couple of broken bones in my time. How about you? For instance I broke one of my little fingers a few years ago. I had a Siberian […]
McGee: LSD not for me
October 28, 2011
LSD is something I’ve never done or plan to do. It ain’t on my “bucket list.” I bring this up because I’ve been flipping through the pages of a recent Rolling Stone magazine reading about the life of Steve Jobs, the computer dude, who brought us such goodies as the iPod. According to the article, […]
McGee: Harvester ants possess remarkable work ethic
October 21, 2011
While riding my bicycle along one of our county roads, I stopped to contemplate a harvester ant colony. I should tell you I’m an admirer of harvester ants. These ants are those big ones that make low, wide ant hills. I like them for their pure work ethic, because they seem to know just what […]
McGee: Country has many adventures for tastebuds
October 7, 2011
On a drive to Amarillo, The Lady of the House and I passed an empty building along U.S. 60 between Hereford and Canyon. “That place used to be a store or restaurant or something and it had a handmade sign that read, ‘Home of the Wanda Burger,’ remember that?” I asked. “Yeah,” she said. “I […]
McGee: Catching up with Catfish
September 23, 2011
Funny how long-ago things stick in your head. Someone you haven’t thought of for years pops up, or an old phone number of a long forgotten friend or an old pal’s birthday. It’s weird to me that I have trouble remembering my grandkids’ birthdays but I remember my buddy Catfish’s birthday. This year I decided […]
Grant McGee: Don’t bet on winning big
September 16, 2011
I got busted the other day. The Lady of the House found out I’ve been spending money on lottery tickets. Actually it wasn’t so much that I got busted as I told her. “Oh well we didn’t win the $20 million last night,” I said. “I didn’t know we were buying lottery tickets,” she said […]
Grant McGee: Some select which rules to follow
August 19, 2011
I know I may be getting older, but rules and society keep changing “Faster than you can say ‘Jack Robinson’” as my grandfather used to say, though he never told me who “Jack Robinson” was. The point is laws and regulations don’t seem to apply to everyone these days, especially when it comes to cars […]
Grant McGee: Drought can’t last forever
August 12, 2011
“If I wanted to live in Phoenix I’d have moved to Phoenix,” declared The Lady of the House as she came in the back door. It’s been a bad year for the vegetable garden at the Stucco Hacienda. And The Lady of the House puts the blame on the lack of rain. “If we get […]
