Leon Hale

Well, at least Texans can understand each other

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:25:34 -0600

By Leon Hale Houston Chronicle On a cold November day in a deer camp, a fellow pulled a sneaky trick on those of us who were sitting around the fire, laughing and swapping stories....

What'll you have for 30 days?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:19:29 -0600

In the supermarket I was buying drumsticks and a lady who reads the blog was standing near and she asked, "When will we get back to food again?" Of course she was gigging me a little about all the commentary...

Getting cold feet about ranch life

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:41:57 -0600

Rolled out of bed about 6 o'clock this morning and my bare feet hit the pine floor of this old Winedale house and, hoo boy, it was frosty. That little norther that puffed in during the night finally brought us...

Seeing what happens when we're not here

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

WINEDALE -- Hello one more time from the front porch of the old country house in Washington County, where we've been having some fine October weather here in the middle of November. I love this season, when we get little...

Boils and fever blisters

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:45:00 -0600

My young friend Steve was showing me what he called a minor sore on his arm. I told him it was swelling up like a carbuncle. He had never heard the term carbuncle. Furthermore, he didn't know what a "risen"...

He doesn't hunt, but . . .

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:54:25 -0600

November in the country, where we are now, means deer season and not much else. Even before the shooting begins you can feel he pulse of life quickening. Coffee drinkers in the cafes talk about guns and leases and deer...

True tales of courage

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

The other morning I got up on the wrong side of the bed, and I was an old grunch for more than two hours. Nothing I tried went right. At breakfast the arthritis in my wrists was kicking up and...

Can anybody else see that doodlebug?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:06:19 -0600

Half an hour before sunset last Monday, which was Nov. 2, I drove my partner from Winedale to a country road that crosses prairie land near the town of Burton. She wanted a location with no trees so she could...

Being partially deaf is an adventure

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:19:10 -0600

In the house where we live, there is this old man who is hard of hearing. He is not yet deaf, but he's pretty well on the way. He hears thunder, and gun shots, and car wrecks, and airplanes that...

How to see a goblin

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:16:30 -0600

So, here comes Halloween again. We'll be in the country here at the Winedale place this year so we don't expect to get any spooks knocking on the door for treats. We do have quite a few kids in this...

Staying home as a public servant

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:03:58 -0600

AT HOME -- Hello from my urban post, here on the sixth floor of the apartment building not far inside the West Loop. I'm not certain yet but I'm threatening to be sick, so I've decided to stay in the...

Welcome to the new voices . . .

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:24:21 -0600

I'm pleased to see so many new commenters who suddenly chimed in on my what-are-you-doing-this-weekend question. According to a few comments I've had via e-mail (which blog commenters don't see) this blog's weakness is that the same people post on...

If you had your choice . . .

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:25:04 -0600

This weekend I plan to plant some onion slips at the Winedale place, and maybe watch a football game if it stays interesting. I'm happy with that prospect but I can think of places I'd rather be and things I'd...

Last wishes, and other important topics

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:08:11 -0600

My friend Mel called and asked me to meet him at the drugstore. Said he wanted to talk about his funeral. I thought maybe he was having a low spell and thinking about dying pretty soon. He worries a lot...

Break out the beans

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:50:19 -0600

On Monday I said goodbye to the summer of '09 by making a little bottle of pepper sauce. I had a couple of pepper plants that survived the drought and when the rain came they threw up a couple of...