High points from El Camino Real

Folks along El Camino Real are beginning to pull out their fall decorations and carve their pumpkins for Halloween as October speeds by. Pumpkin recipes are filling the internet and people seem to be going crazy for anything with pumpkin.
I wouldn’t trade a truck load of pumpkin pies for one sweet potato pie and I would be embarrassed to take one to any family gatherings. We eat sweet potatoes around here not pumpkins. Pumpkins are strictly for Jack-O-Lanterns and other porch decor.
Now that you all know how I feel about pumpkins, I guess I better get on with your six bits worth of news. I may even sprinkle this six bits worth with pumpkin pie spice, so you can feel very cosmopolitan and impress your friends.
David Middleton is recovering from surgery to get his broken hip repaired. He is in rehab now, so hopefully he will be back at work at the First Baptist Church before too long. Please keep David in your prayers until he is all healed up.
James “Whistle” Worley had knee replacement surgery this week. He has been on a walking stick for a good while so if it goes good he can get rid of that. If something wears out you just go get it replaced and keep going. Please keep Whistle in your prayers for a quick recovery.
The City of Alto is having a Clean Up Day coming up this weekend on Saturday October 20 and Sunday October 21. A big dumpster will be located by the water tower. Bring a copy of your water/gas bill to prove proof of residence.
It’s a great time to clean up around your place but there is a pretty good list of restrictions so be sure and make sure you check before you start loading up old tires, paint, and appliances because there might be a fee. I try to get rid of junk as fast as I can, but it can pile up on you really quick and it is always nice to have a good place to carry it.
Jamie Pope was Coach of the Week for the Yellowjackets in their game against Big Sandy on Friday. I don’t know when I’ve seen more yellow flags flying through the air than I did during the first half of that game. The crowd was screaming and hollering at the referees, but I think it had to be Jamie Pope’s fault.
We even got in trouble one time for the band playing too loud and threatened to throw a flag. Who would think a little ol’bitty town like Alto would have a band so loud that they’d throw a flag on us. They are the best little band around and I’m glad that I can still hear them practicing all the way out here in the afternoon even after we moved out of town.
The Yellowjackets got things going pretty good by the second half and we managed to beat Big Sandy by a score of 21 to 12. This week the Yellowjackets will travel to Carlisle.
The Alto Elementary PTO is hosting a Fall Festival and Health Fair on October 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Elementary School parking lot. There will be lots of games and activities for everyone. Sounds like a good time to fill up on candy corn and get your blood sugar checked. All proceeds that are raised go to benefitting our kids with field trips and other things that they do throughout the year.
Fall Festivals are a really big deal to little kids, at least they were when I was in school. I hope you can come by and help support our future.
Early Voting for the General Election will start on October 22. Early Voting in Alto has changed to Ron Rose’s Church “The River”, also known as the big blue top church just south of town.
In Rusk you can vote at the Election Department across from the Post Office. And in Jacksonville you can vote at the Library. You can vote in any of the three locations during early voting. It doesn’t matter what precinct or voting box you’re in until election day, and then you have to go to the correct box in your precinct.
A lot of people vote early because they think they won’t have to listen to all the campaign rhetoric after they’ve voted. You still have to listen, but you don’t have to worry about making the decision anymore after you get the voting done.
We have lots of stuff going on that people need to know about this time of year, but if you don’t tell me then I can’t write about it.
Wouldn’t it be a shame if a grandparent or somebody that didn’t live on Facebook missed something because it wasn’t in the paper. Newspapers are still very important to lots of people.
When you deer hunters are in the woods in a few weeks and nature calls, a newspaper might come in real handy. I don’t think you can tear you off a piece of Facebook.
I’ll see ya next week!
And remember, I was smiling yesterday, I am smiling today, and I will smile tomorrow. Simply because life is too short to be unhappy about small worthless things. Be Happy!