Rushing's Ramblings

DEDICATION   Stinky Butts was written in response to our County Judge banning two books from the local library because of the words “farting” and “butt” in the titles.  Children love scatological humor.  The words butt and farting never hurt a child.  While small groups of people around the country are busy banning books, our children are being trained to protect themselves from people entering the classrooms with assault rifles.  It’s easier to ban books than ban ARs killing our children.  Let’s encourage our children to read books.     Stinky Butts is dedicated to our County Judge.  May he open his eyes to see.   To my two grandchildren: I love you with all my heart.  You bring me endless joy.   This book should be read to young children by parents.  Please feel free to expound on the page about sharing feelings by giving children examples of how they might express themselves in stressful situations.       Jack, age six, is in the first grade. Jack's sister, Irene, is age five an

  My daughter and her family do not attend church and follow no religious doctrine. And before you pass judgment on her beliefs, or rather non-beliefs, you should know that she is more generous and compassionate toward those less fortunate than anyone I know, including all the “good” Christians I’ve met along the way.    It got our attention when my six-year-old grandson, Patrick, recently revealed that God speaks to him.  When I asked what God said, he replied, “He tells me hello.”  I responded that it must be comforting to have God whispering in his ear.  He casually agreed and flatly stated, “It is.”   I received a message from him a few days ago while he was visiting London with his parents.  He texted, “I believe in God and see Jesus at the graveyard.  I swear.” Whatever image he was experiencing had to be vital for me to know, so I texted back, “I support whatever you believe because I’ll always love you.”  Patrick wanted to know what I meant by that statement, and I repeated tha

Sandie and I were close friends for most of our childhood. We marched in the band, attended school events, and had many classes together for twelve years. We enjoyed staying at each other's houses on the weekends when we were young. I remember many evenings talking for hours into the early morning about classmates, teachers, and our dreams for the future. Giggles about all things took up most of our time. Shortly after Sandie and I obtained our driver's licenses, Sandie asked if we could spend some time together on a Saturday. She lived about a mile from me and offered to pick me up at my house. We were laughing at something ridiculous when the car suddenly left the pavement. Sandie wasn't experienced enough at driving to recover, so we ended up in a deep ditch alongside Phillips Park, only a few blocks from her house. No one was hurt, but the car was severely damaged and was subsequently towed. I don't remember riding in an automobile with her after that incident, but

Since moving back to Texas five years ago, I've learned more than I ever wanted about human nature, and it isn't pretty. The support of the previous president, our politically motivated governor, the pandemic, and the subsequent reaction to COVID by people living in rural Texas has revealed an eagerness to turn away from the sound, scientifically proven research and follow along on a dark road led by the biggest quacks in the country. It feels like I've been dropped into a Stepford Wives scenario, where not just the wives but the husbands have become robots that are easily led to believe anything they're told. I always thought it was a lack of critical thinking or pure laziness, but it's more sinister than not taking the time to research and use logic. No, it's far worse. It's the willingness to relinquish any desire to dig further than what someone in authority tells them, whether it's a rogue medical "professional" or a man-child disguised as

  (The Alcalde is a publication of Texas Exes org, named after Gov. Roberts, who signed the university into existence in 1913. "Alcalde" is the Spanish name for a town's chief magistrate)   There are three stories of note in the September/October issue of The Alcalde.  The front cover contains the phrasing “The Sports Issue,” yet, the first article that caught my attention with great interest was about research conducted at UT by chemistry graduate student Abby Gatmaitan.  Approximately 8% of global seafood products are mislabeled, but the number is closer to 87% for some species, like snapper.  Fish fraud has significant consequences on health (mercury and other contaminants), the environment (overfishing), and the economy (higher prices for mislabeled fish).  The government inspects less than 1% of imported seafood.  Ms. Gatmaitan discovered that by using the MasSpec Pen, a Sharpie-sized device developed by a UT chemistry team in 2017 to detect the presence of cancer b

(I manage the Highland Lakes Democratic Women's Facebook page and am the proud president of our 110-member organization.) Yesterday, Bryan Walker, a Marble Falls City Council member, confronted me on our FB page. He stated, “I have attempted to remain indifferent in watching your post. Plain and simple, we have reached a point I cannot tolerate. Comparing Republicans to the Taliban is a different level of hatred that I will not tolerate. I hope you will consider changing the attacks on individuals that have different views than you. I am obviously nonpartisan as a Councilmember, but I am highly disappointed in your recent posts.” I responded, “Thanks for your input. Thank God this is a free country, and we can freely express our opinions. I’m highly disappointed and cannot tolerate City Council members who claim to be “nonpartisan” yet post pictures of themselves at a Republican Party meeting cozying up to a Republican Congressman. In response to your objection about the Texas T

I've been divorced for many years and don't want to marry again, although I have periodically met potential partners through online dating sites for the past ten years. Several of the great guys I met through the years proved to be excellent companions for a while. My experiences could fill a book, but I wonder if anyone would be interested in reading about old folks dating. I go through periods when I simply am not in the mood to meet anyone new, and it's primarily because of too many dismal recent experiences I've had when encountering someone for the first time. Lately, the men in my shrinking pool of potential partners have aged considerably and had various health or personality issues, or they are my political opposite, which immediately eliminates them. There seems to always be a deal-breaker in these meetups, even though I desperately try to weed out the ones I know would not be a good match before I embark on the inevitable meet-and-greet process. I'm fully

Why does it feel like a runaway train is heading straight for us, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it? Do I need to force myself to stop reading the news because I already know the outcome? I’ve refused to watch the national news since Trump was elected in 2016, but I continue to read online information. More lives will be lost because our insistence on being free will place many of us in an early grave. Our small, rural hospital is full of COVID patients, with 12 patients on vents as of today and more in medical-surgical beds without vents (yet). We have a total vaccination rate of less than 50% in this county and the adjacent counties because many of the far-righters believe mask mandates are infringing on their freedom, plus COVID is no worse than the flu (in their minds and far-right websites). Tell that to those unvaccinated souls on vents right now. But they’ll ignore the facts and continue with their willfully ignorant beliefs while running around town mask-free and probabl

Isn't it funny how you think you know someone, then they tell you something so foolish that your opinion of them is forever changed? I'm not much for doctor visits, though they are necessary to stay reasonably well. Over the past several years, I've had to see more than my fair share. I was constantly around doctors most of my career in a professional capacity, which sometimes developed into a friendship. Until I retired, I would be considered very healthy, so doctor visits for my health were rare. After I retired and moved back to Texas several years ago, I developed a great relationship with a PA at the local clinic. Unfortunately, I've had several non-life-threatening health issues, which meant I had to see someone. Even though she was a Physician's Assistant, I preferred to see her primarily because of her ability to ask the right questions to discover the root of my problem, whether it was my back, my hips, or gastrointestinal issues. I always enjoyed our visit