This, that, and hey—it’s Saturday!

Ah, Texas my Texas—after more than fifty years here, the state can still surprise this Chicago girl. Case in point: this weekend there is a rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater and a Wild Hog Festival in LaSalle County. Like all ranchers, my brother fights the scourge of wild hogs that ruin his pastures. He shoots them, without apology to animal-rights person me or the hogs, and I can see his point. I don’t dispute the necessity, though I’m not wild about seeing pictures of dead hogs. But I think next year, with a little advance notice, he should go to the festival—they apparently serve a lot of wild hog meat. Sounds like eating roadkill to me.

My brother once thought we tangled because I question the sanity of a law allowing shooting the hogs from airplanes. I had to make clear I wasn’t concerned about the hogs—I was worried that people would be shot by some trigger-happy yahoo in a plane.

This wild hog business is serious. There’s an association of Texas Wild Hog Hunters I recently read that they are opposed to the use of warfarin against the hogs. In case you forgot, warfarin is the stuff most rat baits used until recent years when some of the rodent population seemed to become immune. It’s a blood thinner, known as coumadin and commonly used to treat humans. It prevents clotting, etc.

One problem already existent with warfarin is that birds and other populations feed on rats and absorb it. It enters the food chain and could easily make its way to humans. I see this as a danger in introducing into ranchlands—not only pollution of hog carcasses but perhaps water and crop supplies.

Wait! How did a this-and-that blog turn into a lecture on wild hogs and coumadin? Still, I admit to the danger and threat posed by wild hogs—they multiply at a ferocious rate. To hear ranchers talk, they may soon take over the world—or at least Texas.

On a much more pleasant note, I had a lunch visit today from son Colin, his wife Lisa, and children Morgan and Kegan—on their way to the Colorado ski slopes. I don’t see enough of that family and was delighted to see them. Kids grow so fast. They brought lunch from Carshon’s deli, and I just enjoyed the last half of a brownie after my dinner tonight. Colin grew up going to Carshon’s, and I swear if he had to choose between the deli and my house on a Fort Worth visit, he’d choose the deli. He wanted to rearrange my living area tonight—wait! This was a quick stopover!—and was a bit displeased (understatement) when Lisa and I didn’t think it was a good idea. He promised to put it all back after he saw what it looked like, but I was worried about all the breakables on it and in it. Hated to have a spat when he was here so briefly.

My Tomball Alters four years ago

I need a new group picture!

I put tomato sauce on to simmer this morning and let it cook all day—no, not spaghetti sauce, but plain marinara sauce. Discovered the wonders of San Marzano canned tomatoes—but most cooks already know that. I will report tomorrow on the success of my sauce experiment—and then give credit for the recipe if it turned out all right.

My neighbor Margaret Johnson gifted me with a large tuna/noodle casserole—she makes them during Lent. I love tuna/noodle any time and have pigged out on it two nights in a row Tonight I made freezer bundles since there’s no way I could eat that whole thing by myself.

I’ve been lazy today, but now it’s time to get busy and write just a bit. Don’t forget to change your clocks tonight. My kids, bound for mountain time, figured out it would be a wash—they’ll lose an hour but gain it back going into Colorado. Next week, when they return, they’ll have to face up to the loss of an hour.