Early voting began Monday, April 22 for municipal, school board and various bond elections. It ends on April 30 with Saturday, May 4 being election day. What is on the ballot depends on where you live.

While regular readers of this editorial column might find it difficult to believe that from time to time, I am occasionally struck with moments where I have nothing to say, as often my metaphorical soapbox has a catwalk. When it comes to my opinions about public education, rarely do I have silence to share.

Good morning come visit with me awhile, it's early this morning Joe is still snoozing so I thought 'Hey I'll get up and visit with all my friends and enjoy the early morning!!!!!! It's chilly outside this morning, we got wonderful slow rain all day Saturday, it was wonderful. Course it was so dark I couldn't paint, so I just set in my chair and read all day, well I did fix Joe some lunch, but I hardly ever take a whole day off!!!!! My barrels got full and got full again, I told Joe, ' We have got to fix me 3 more barrels so I can catch the full of water when it rains like this, oh I hope this keeps up so the farmers will make a good crop and the ranchers up here have a beautiful pasture all summer long.

Mike Blum seems to be everywhere doing everything in the Rio Grand Valley. He lives in McAllen and knows all about the valley. He says the area covered by 11 states is smaller than the area covered by the Rio Grand Valley. “Geographically, the valley is 90 miles from east to west and 40 miles north to south. It’s home to 1.2 million people in Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr Counties.”

“I think I am only 57, but the paperwork does not back this up. I don’t feel old because your inside self doesn’t age.” – writer Anne Lamott (age 70) Last week after visiting a friend in an assisted living facility, I was reminded of many such trips to see my paternal grandmother in the 1970s and 1980s. Fifty years removed from those occasions makes for an interesting evolution in perspective.

Several months ago, I shared my reluctance to make New Year’s resolutions around January 1. That newsletter actually sparked some interesting conversations with some friends and readers about the topic. Those conversations revealed that I am not alone in my thinking, which was an encouraging revelation.

After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, Wes Reeves of Amarillo got a job at a newspaper and wrote about Panhandle people. Ten years ago he started writing free verse poetry.

week’s editorial will come across as a bit of a backhanded compliment, I feel that in striving for balanced reporting, since I have so often condemned the Rotan City Council for actions in the past, it is important to share positive opinions when I have them. Especially since the council swept away the cobwebs from a dusty old box labeled civil discourse, where officials discovered the contents inside still functioned, albeit a little rusty.

What a week we all had at Aspermont, the hail hit us about 9:30 in the evening and it was one more hail. It took care of Joe's onions just beat them to the ground, then it got his peach tree, the tomato plants he had set out and the pepper plants. It was horrible, our friends that live in trailer houses said they were scared because it was so large, they couldn't leave because if it got the windows they would need to be there to put something over them, and then it was too late to leave it would have ruined their cars. I told Joe well we still had a house, and west of town it was horrible, the wheat fields were so pretty, and as one rancher told me he didn't even have a weed left in the field much less the wheat was beat into the ground. Joe said 'The onions are ruined, we will just eat them now instead of letting them stay in the ground making heads and eating them this winter. They will have rotten spots in the center because of the hail so they won't be good. My flowers were pretty but they look pretty ragged now, I think Mother's petunias will put out, hopefully because you can't buy those plants like hers, and I couldn't believe the larkspurs were still standing. The primroses looked bad for a few days and they are trying to live, and the rain lilies are just blooming so pretty. I told Joe bless their hearts the rain came and they shot through the dirt and started blooming. We went Friday to Jackson Brothers and Joe is trying again, I don't know about the peaches on the tree, we will just have to wait and see, there are some left but I don't know if the spots will rot or not . He said ,'We will just try again, this time I'm putting something over the top of them, he had cans around all of them, it even took care of my bird feeder in the yard. Joe said, 'Carol I can take care of that I have some screen in the storage shed and I will put a new one in the bottom!!!!

Finally, we have a real sheriff with something to report. It is a shame he had to report the reestablishment of patrols as during the Wade time, there was no patrol. The deputies only responded to calls and sat at the station the rest of the time. Funny with patrol came 5 arrests and 17 cases filed. At the commissioners court of April 8, there was no mention of the SB22 grant request. Wade said he resigned so the commissioners could apply for the grant. All the commissioners need to do is sign the application and county law enforcement gets $250,000. It is apparent the commissioners and judge do not intend to apply this year and I doubt next. So did Wade lie? Of course. So why not apply? It should not be because as the judge said no employee is going to make more than officials when Simon Wade was attacking them last session. No, that is not the real reason I suspect. I believe that the judge is aware at $17/hr , we will not get people to apply for jailer/dispatcher. They can travel 15 miles to surrounding counties and get paid at least $20/hr. The lack of employees will keep the jail closed as the judge wants. So was Simon Wade lying when he told the commissioners there was no plan to close the jail? I believe so. Remember that come election time. Good thing we can elect a real sheriff. Commissioners, do the right thing and apply for the grant now and in September. Support the jail and its employees.