A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....02-21-06....Are You From Texas?

Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, Mama_Bear, GodBlessUSA ~

I received the following (two) emails not long ago ~ the authors are both unknown. Though I profiled my state ("Texas, My Texas") over a year ago, I couldn't resist posting these.  (Hey, we Texans are mighty proud of our roots!)

The second part, "Rules To Enter Texas", is a bit more *tongue in cheek*, so even if you're *not* from Texas, I still hope to see more smiles than groans after reading it. :)

Have you ever looked at a map of the United States? Everyone who lives in the United States can zero in on their state and name those around it, and everyone knows which ones are California, Florida, and Texas. But pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if you show him a picture of any other state? A puzzled look is all you'll get. (Did you ever hear anyone say, "Wow...so you're from Iowa? Cool, tell me about it?")

Texas is the Alamo, 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Crockett and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself. That is the Spirit of Texas.

• Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities.
  
  
• Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Ana at San Jacinto.
  
  
• Texas is "Juneteenth" and Texas Independence Day.
  
  
• Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest.
  
  
• Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend.

• Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country.
  
  
• Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork.
  
  
• Texas is Mexican food like nowhere else, not even Mexico.
  
  
• Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Astrodome, and Six Flags Over Texas and the Ballpark in Arlington.
  
  
• Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local High School Football game on Friday nights.

• Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments and Compaq. And LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter.
  
  
• Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.
  
  
• Texas is NASA.
  
  
• Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas.

• Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops.
  
  
• Texas is skies blackened with doves, and fields full of deer.
  
  
• Texas is beautiful, old, Southern-style homes on large shaded lots in sophisticated small cities.
  
  
• Texas is symphony orchestras, art museums, natural history museums, festivals, and celebrations.

AND.........

• Texas is home to the President of the United States of America, and we are proud of our Cowboy!

By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland or Maine or California, and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet.  You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in front of Pine Tree High in Longview or anyplace else in Texas, and the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Know why? Because it is the only state that was a republic before it became a state.

Our capitol dome is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C. and we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We included these things as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part, right there.

Disclaimer: Remember, I didn't write these rules.
I don't even drive a pickup truck. :)

Applies to each person as they enter Texas...
East Coast and California-types pay particular attention!

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
   
   
2. Let's get these things straight:
   
   A)   It's called a "gravel road."
   
   B)   I drive a pickup truck because I want to.
   
   C)   No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Jaguar. Drive it or get out of the way.
   
   
3. They are cattle & oil wells.
   
   That's what they smell like to you. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-20 and I-10 go east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one.
   
   
4. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 cotton strippers that are driven only 3 weeks a year.
   
   
5. So every person in every pickup waves. t's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.
   
   
6. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
   
   
7. Yeah, we eat catfish & crawfish. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.
   
   
8. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
   
   
9. We open doors for women. This is applied to all women, regardless of age.
   
   
10. No! There's NO "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.
    
    
11. When we set out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and Picante Sauce. Oh, yeah - we don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat. It AIN'T real chili! Real chili was born and bred in San Antonio; and real chili never met a tomato!
    
    
12. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served over ice. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be cute; know how to shoot; drive a truck; and have long hair.
    
    
13. College and High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the Knicks there; and a dang site more fun to watch.
    
    
14. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.
    
    
15. Colleges? Try Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech or the U of H. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country; and they still wave at passing pickups when they come for the holidays.
    
    
16. We have more folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, than any other state; so "Don't Mess with Texas!" If you do, it will get you whipped by the best.
    
    
17. Always remember what our great governor Sam Houston once said: Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States can't make it without Texas."

"Texas, Our Texas"

Written by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright
Composed by William J. Marsh

Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State!
Texas, Our Texas! so wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev'ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest.

Texas, O Texas! your freeborn single star,
Sends out its radiance to nations near and far,
Emblem of Freedom! it set our hearts aglow,
With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.

Texas, dear Texas! from tyrant grip now free,
Shines forth in splendor, your star of destiny!
Mother of heroes, we come your children true,
Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.

God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long.

12-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #14

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 02-20-06 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Rte66]

Aww, I just luv it when somebody says "Fat Stock Show"! That's what it was for so long. Took forever to get me to say "Livestock Show & Rodeo."

Now it's at Reliant Center--but I remember it well when it was at Sam Houston Coliseum. I always got to go right down front and meet up with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Trigger, Buttermilk, Patrick Aloysius Brady and Nellie Belle to get my picture taken!

We had many memorable Rodeo moments in the Astrodome, too, as well as the AstroArena. It's sad to see them just sittin' there now.

And going out to Memorial Park on Friday night to party with the trailhands - then going downtown for the big parade. When I was little, my dad's office was in the bank building right on Main Street, so we had a front row seat--but high up! My first rodeo back here, I got to take my nieces and ride IN the parade, in one of the stagecoaches. What a thrill.

Haven't ridden on a trail ride since I was a teenager, but I still go meet the closest trail riders, who come right up my street now, and make sure I'm out there to wave "Howdy!" Glad it's a good memory for you!

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Whoever wrote that, knew of what they spoke ......

[ladtx]

It's a lot longer, that's only about a third of it. By the time you read the whole thing I'll guarantee if you don't have a tear in your eye you're not a Texan.

[NicknamedBob]

Hey, I spent three years in El Paso, but that's Texas the way H2 in Hawaii is an Interstate highway.

I was also in Dallas last Summer. It felt good.

First weekend in May, huh? Hmmm.

[dutchess]

WOW Miss Billie. AWESOME thread!!!! From serious to way to funny! Honeymooned in Texas (visiting college friends) YIKES 31 years ago! It's our goal to get to San Antonio one of these years. Thanks for showcasing your wonderful state (AND bringing all the wonderful Texas freepers to "the party"!) BBL!!!

[GodBlessUSA]

You have a great day at **** :) See you later LUVW

[Allegra]

I'm only second-generation Texan. My mother was born in San Antonio.

But I wouldn't trade being Texan for anything.

I'm only first generation. I grew up military-brat, but got to Texas as fast as I could.

I'm Houstonian and Texan through and through and wouldn't have it any other way.

Heck, I even root for that football team and I'm not even ashamed of it.

(I probably should be...)

[luvie]

Awwww...that little cowgirl smiley! ;o)

See ya later GB! You have a wonderful day and I WILL see you later! (((hugs)))

[ladtx]

Honeymooned in Texas

LOL!! You should have shown a little more class. My young bride and I went all the way to Oklahoma City from Amarillo for our honeymoon. Visited the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Now that's real class! :o)

37 years ago. sigh!! It's been a great ride so far.

[luvie]

You'd better come see me...and we'll see those bluebonnets together!

Sonora--April, 2005

[Lakeside]

"I always got to go right down front and meet..."

O, man! Wasn't that the greatest thing? All us kids hanging over the rail stretching out our hands as far as we could to touch the hand of Roy, Dale, or whoever the guest celeb-westernhero was that year as they walked their horses around the edge of the arena. I was probably there in the same crowd of kids as you. I've got to add Chuck Connors and the young guy who played his son on The Rifleman to that list of yours. Thanks for the memories...


Give a wave and a 'howdy!' for me to the trail riders this year. It's so cool they ride right by your house.

[MEG33]

I love that..When my chldren were in College at Tech , we had to move to California and wanted my daughter, the youngest to move and go to school out there to be near us..She turned down nearness to the beach and her parents for Lubbock! Luckily a new job brought us home to Texas in a year so it turned out well.(I thought Lubbock was a long way from Dallas nevertheless.LOL) I'm a fifth generation Texan.

[Rte66]

Johnny Crawford

[ladtx]

We were living in East Texas when our middle son loaded up his car and moved to Lubbock to go to Tech. He had never been to West Texas before. That was about 10 years ago and we couldn't blast him out of there with dynamite now. He loves it out there. Mrs ladtx and I were raised out on the high plains. I would move back in a minute but Mrs ladtx is kinda balky about it. We live just east of Dallas now but enjoy our drives out to Lubbock to visit. He's a police officer now with the Lubbock PD.

[MEG33]

Two happy horses in a Hill Country meadow of coreopsis and red/pink Drummond Phlox. Photo by Don Paulson.

The Spectacle of Texas Wildflowers

Go to Katie Sherrod's article, "April In Texas", now. Introduction by Ray Allen of AmericanMeadows.com: You may sing about April in Paris, but if you’re singing about wildflowers, April’s all about Texas.

[MEG33]

I also have 2 grandsons who graduated from Tech, one grandson attending. They came back to the Dallas area to live but loved going to school there.

[JustAmy]

Good morning, Billie.

Am I from Texas? Uhhh ..... do deep roots count?

Thanks for bringing Texas to us this morning.

[MEG33]

Bluebonnets Near Marble Falls,Texas

[Darksheare]

Had some scarlet cardinal flowers here last year.
I grabbed a few pics of them.
But my image server won't let me see any of my images.
:(

[MEG33]

:( That's a loss! I just realized I have "lost" my updated Finest ping list but that can be reconstructed.