What it was like to cross Texas by wagon train

A government wagon train forded the Red River on Aug. 23, 1857 and began the long, hard trip across the Lone Star State. Ever wonder what it was like to travel in Texas in those hot and dangerous days before cars, trains, planes and -- heaven forbid! -- air conditioning?

It’s time to mothball Confederate Monuments

Robert E. Lee wasn’t a Nazi, and surely would have had no sympathy for the white supremacist goons who made his statue a rallying point in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Indian Summer

I’ve been feeling particularly pensive in recent days. Perhaps it’s because my baby will soon be driving. How is that possible? He’s like, four. Two years ago, he came up to my shoulder. Today, I barely reach his shoulder.  Perhaps it’s because my oldest is a junior in college.

Heaven Scent

There are people in my life who want me to give up coffee.  Concerned, well-intentioned people. People who love me and want me to be the best I can be.  I’ve come to the conclusion that these people are part of an alien invasion. Take cover, friends.

Middle-aged clerk turns to robbing trains

On Aug. 23, 1892, a Gainesville newspaper confirmed the rumored death of a local politician turned train robber.  Eugene Franklin Bunch did not fit the stereotype of the late nineteenth century outlaw.

Can you save for college and retirement?

F ew of us have unlimited financial resources — which means that almost all of us need to prioritize our financial goals. Consequently, you’ll have some decisions to make if you’d like to help pay for your children’s college educations someday while, at the same time, saving for your own retirement.

Brand Name

How is it possible that there are still 365 days in the year, but the summer season keeps shrinking? Where has it disappeared to? Has summer gone on a crash diet? Has it paid a cosmetic surgeon to perform liposuction? Have the other seasons eaten it?

The Revolution Devours Venezuela

Venezuela is a woeful reminder that no country is so rich that it can’t be driven into the ground by revolutionary socialism.

Texan loses temper one time too many

David S. Terry,  a Texas expatriate with a red-hot temper, ran into a Supreme Court justice on Aug. 14, 1889 and gave his mortal enemy a piece of his mind and the back of his hand. The younger brother of Benjamin F.

When Superman saved the day

For reasons that I can’t yet get into right now, I’ve been looking through an archive I found that contains scripts for and transcripts of old-time radio shows ( http://www.genericradio.com/library.php ).