A little help from my friends

Upon the occasion of turning 70 this week, I am turning to some of my literary friends whose words continue to serve as companion and counsel.Augustus McCrae (Gus) in Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryIt ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

~ Plato, Theaetetus TRANSLATION:What you feel, notice, or think at first glance is not the same thing as what you actually know. Impressions are not facts..THINKING POINT:Plato wrote this as a warning about trusting appearances. Perception is what hits you in the moment.

TEXANS URGED TO HEED TRAVEL WARNINGS ABOUT MEXICO

Texans planning to travel to Mexico or currently visiting there are urged to closely follow warnings from the U.S. Department of State, which advises U.S. citizens to not travel to the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas.

I’M ASKING QUESTIONS WHILE YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS; WITH THE FUTURE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

I would like to share a fact that some of you may have forgotten and others still may not know, yet it is one that affects the words that follow, while also creating a surreal landscape for the author and the reader alike.

MISTAKES WERE MADE LET’S CORRECT IT!

In last week’s headline story about the two Fisher County sheriff candidates, we incorrectly reported that the Housing Authority confirmed Deputy Robert Castilleja’s January move-in date to a Housing Authority apartments as the candidate Castilleja told in during his candidate forum.

Rural Frustration Is Real — And It’s Growing

For the first time since 2008, Democrats outvoted Republicans by roughly 500,000 votes during early voting in the Texas primary. That signals something important: enthusiasm and energy inside the Democratic Party are rising.At the same time, I fear something else is happening.

THE LAUGH HEARD ALL ACROSS TEXAS

Jo Bird could hardly say three words without laughing. She laughed at her own stories which were actually stories from her experiences. Her topics were endless. She could make a trip to the dentist or hospital sound hilarious.

Faces & Places

“She’d always heard that praying for patience was dangerous because God could send adversity to teach patience. But she decided adversity had already arrived, and she really needed patience right now. Hers was onion-skin thin.

Half a century

Fifty years.One of my newspaper assignments this year has been Texas high school basketball, specifically two small schools in neighboring counties.I found myself this week on the campus of Abilene Christian University, where my parents met and fell in love.

EARLY VOTING ENDS FEB. 27

Early voting in the March 3 primary ends on Friday, Feb. 27,. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced that Texas has 18.7 million registered voters for the primary.