High points from El Camino Real

Folks along El Camino Real are starting to count down the days to the end of another summer. Teachers will start trickling back in over the next week or two, then two a day football practice, band practice, and then it is over. This is the life of teachers and students.
The rest of us just notice an unusual quietness around the house when they all return to school. There is a certain order to things when everything switches into school year mode. When everyone gets back where they are supposed to be, it certainly makes it easier to keep up with your six bits worth of news.

We said our good byes to Nelda Lawson on Sunday afternoon down at the funeral home. Nelda was 75 years old. John Grindle, George Ferguson, and Jerry Knott did a fine job on her service. Willard and Nelda Lawson were as much a part of our little town as the red light swinging at the intersection of Highway 69 and El Camino Real. Willard and Nelda owned and operated the Texaco Station. Folks in Alto knew they could trust the man that wore the big bright Texaco Star before the company ever came out with the commercial.
Willard and Nelda were good to lots of people and they were loved by lots of people. Willard has been gone several years and sometimes I think Nelda stayed around just to show us how hard a person could fight against cancer. It doesn’t matter how many people that I meet in my life, I always find myself drawn to the ones that are just simple, good people. Salt of the Earth? I reckon so. Please keep this family in your prayers as they mourn the passing of this very special lady.
David Chan’s long anticipated return to the Doughnut Shop after his vacation in California hit an unexpected twist in Alto last week. David had some major blockage in his heart and had to undergo heart surgery in Tyler on Friday. Prayers were being sent up as fast as we could get them out as word spread about our favorite doughnut man’s surgery.

I’ve been eating an artery clogging jalapeno and cheese sausage pig-n-blanket every morning for years and my waist line proves it. And, my skinny friend selling them to me has a heart attack! It just doesn’t make sense. Please keep David in your prayers until he is back at the doughnut shop and in the stands at the football games cheering on the Yellowjackets.
I talked to Pam Black and she said that her mother, Moonie Green wasn’t doing any good. Moonie has been sick for sometime now, but she always seemed to pull out of it. Keep Moonie and the rest of the family in your prayers during the difficult days ahead.
One afternoon last week, Junior Looney’s Tractor Shop caught fire and burned to the ground just south of Alto. The old shop had been there as long as I can remember and Junior was always good to help my son Grant out with parts and advice when he was working on old tractors for ag projects.
I don’t know exactly how the fire started, but when you are messing with old tractors you’ve got lots of gasoline, oil, and grease, so it doesn’t take much to get it going. I haven’t talked to Junior since the fire, so I don’t know if he plans to rebuild yet or not. Fires are terrible things, so keep Junior in your prayers until he gets things straightened out.
William Skinner celebrated his 102nd birthday on July 22. They had a celebration for him in the Weeping Mary Community on Saturday. Folks had to come right by my house on the way to the party, but nobody stopped and told me about it. I didn’t find out until Sunday when all the food was already gone.
Happy Birthday Mr. Skinner! I think the secret to a long life comes straight out of White Oak Creek. I spent a lot of time in that creek growing up, so maybe there is hope for me too.
It been deathly quiet around Alto since all the big debris trucks headed back to Alabama. Its hard to believe its been almost four months since the tornadoes. Those guys moved mountains of debris in a few short months. I wish I had a nickle for every time one of those trucks came rumbling past my house.
There is still lots of work to be done, but there always is. I don’t think we ever get it all done with or without storms. There is always going to be something else that needs cleaning up and fixing. Daddy says there will still be stuff that needs doing long after we are gone, so I ought to slow down and quit worrying about it. I guess I could slow down a little. I’ve already got more work done than folks like Marion Lindsey, Olan Black, and Carlton Jones and they had a head start on me.
I guess I’ve said enough for now. If you think of anything that needs telling in the next issue, just give me a call.
I’ll see ya next week! And remember, Family stories tell us where we’ve been and, if we pay close attention, where we’re headed.