HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net

Folks along El Camino Real are are grateful for an early morning shower that passed through the area. It has certainly been a dry fall, and the great rains we had this summer are only a pleasant memory. If it stays this dry we may have more dust devils roaming the streets on Halloween than our usual dressed-up goblins. You already know its dry, so I'd best get to telling you what you don't know and paid four bits to find out.

We received news on Friday that the Indian Mound Nursery here in Alto will be closing down in August of next year. The Indian Mound Nursery has been a big part of our community since the 40s. You would have to look pretty hard to find a family in town that hasn't had a family member working there at some time. In the 50s and 60s it was a thriving business. The state says that the nursery isn't profitable anymore since there are so many private vendors growing and selling tree seedlings. The timber industry has been going through some changing times and many folks are apprehensive about investing a bunch of money in planting trees. I hope to give you more history on the Indian Mound Nursery over the next few weeks. Please keep those folks who depend on the nursery for their living in your prayers and let's all do our best to find them new jobs before the nursery closes.

Richard Pyle got a late start with his tomato plants, but his efforts are paying off with a bountiful crop.

Project Celebration for the Alto High School Class of 2008 is hosting "The Alto Powder Puff Football Game." The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27. Senior and freshmen girls will line up against junior and sophomore girls. Hamburger and hot dog plates will be served along with drinks and chips. All proceeds from the event will help fund the Senior Project Celebration in May. These games used to be a lot of fun but it has been years since I've seen one played. I hope you will have a chance to come out and see how our Lady Jackets can perform on a football field.

I think most folks will agree that whether it's boys or girls, there is no such thing as Powder Puff Football when the Yellowjackets take to the field. Lots of work goes into raising funds for Project Celebration and all your help is needed and appreciated.

Friday night, Little Mexico Mexican restaurant in Palestine was full of Alto folks who stopped by to fill up before the Yellowjackets' big game with the Oakwood Panthers. You could hardly eat for visiting with all the folks you see everyday at home. I don't' know what makes us so much more friendly to each other in another town. I looked for my friends Mindy and Kim Scott at the restaurant, but I think they had to get on to the game because Kim hauls the Mean Sting tunnel. I bought Mindy a nice pecan praline since she didn't get to stop and eat, but I ate it in a weak moment during the first quarter of the football game. Kim bought her a hamburger at the half, so she didn't starve. The Yellowjackets beat the Panthers 48-0, but it was a better game than last year. The Yellowjackets will be traveling to Grapeland this Friday night to take on the Sandies in what should be a good district game.

Richard Pyle got a late start on his backyard tomato crop, but it is paying off now with some nice October tomatoes. Richard has been nursing his pot-raised crop for the past few months and he is enjoying the fruits of his labors every time he goes out and picks a big ripe one. I had lofty plans for a fall tomato crop, but the hot weather and fast growing grass quickly covered up my ambitions. I just can't bring myself to farm during hunting season. As a matter of fact, I can't bring myself to do much of anything but hunt during hunting season.

Norma Jones has a new addition at her house. A rooster showed up a few weeks ago and she started feeding it. She calls it "chick-chick." I guess that is as good a name as any for a rooster. Her mother, Omie Jones, had a big old white chicken down at her house when I was a teenager. The big white chicken was really mean and it wouldn't let the dogs or cats eat their food. The chicken would attack them and run them away. Omie finally got tired of the mean chicken and asked if would come down and take care of it. I must admit that I was a little scared since the chicken was running off some pretty big dogs. I would have probably done a drive by on the psycho poultry, but drive by's hadn't been invented yet. I decided to go as a sniper and sneak around to the corner of the house and take a shot from there. That was the only chicken I ever assassinated, and I was paid with Omie's good cooking. Even a bad chicken can turn out to be good when he's floating in the dumplings. I hope Norma's rooster doesn't go bad, but if it does I'll be glad to volunteer for the job of making him good.

This just about winds up everything that needs telling for now. I appreciate everyone who takes time to send me morsels of news. I always do my best to get it spread around as soon as I remember where I stuck the little scrap of paper I wrote it down on.

I'll see ya next week! And remember, No time spent with your children is ever wasted.