Rushing's Ramblings

Fall always brings back memories of trick or treating on Halloween (and I did both!), marching in the band at football games, and the winter holidays spent indoors during mostly frigid days and nights in the Texas Panhandle. There's nothing like playing a reed instrument at halftime during a football game in 20-degree weather with snowflakes swirling around in the omnipresent high winds. Musical i nstrument keys and reeds freeze and stick while fingers become frostbitten. Someone once told me that people from the Panhandle were not only the friendliest but also the hardiest of humans. After all, it had to be tough to survive the harshness of winter. When one grows up in cold and windy winter weather, it takes many years for bones to thaw after leaving the Panhandle behind. Somehow, we endured. Living in a semi-arid environment over 3,000 feet above sea level meant we had to be creative when it came time to decorate for Christmas. What few trees and bushes that existed were b

There are plenty of us in Horseshoe Bay in our 70s, 80s, and 90s, with maybe a few over 100, so it isn't a significant event that I'm turning 70. The most fascinating aspect about reaching this age is that I lived this long, despite a few illnesses that, by some miracle, I survived. Worse than any sickness I endured is my proclivity to ignore danger and step right into the middle of situations that might have shortened my life considerably. Those days may be over. Let's skip childhood altogether and fast-forward to the adult years. I admit that working full-time while attending college to earn three degrees was not a carefree and happy period. Still, it taught me that delayed gratification, coupled with a sharp focus, would eventually lead me to a productive professional career. There were some poor decisions along the way, as is often the case with risk-takers. Professional and personal relationships often suffered because of my high expectations and inability to ac