Hood County News from Granbury, Texas • Page 4

4A Hood Otimy NewtSaturday. March 4, 1995 Forum This is Hood County My Turn Scenes of people, places and things Closer Look tszJ 1 Leland DeBusk, assistant editor Roger fcnlow, editor I 1 J. Foulding up Unhappy ending I've always wondered what comes after the happy endings in those movies we see on television. You know, those movies where kids are reunited with their parents and siblings after getting lost in the wilderness or abducted by slimy monsters or space aliens. At the end of the movie, you always see them walking off into the distance, arm in arm, smiling and acting like they're going to live happily forever after.

Sweet strains of music play in the background. There are white clouds in a deep-blue sky and the birds are chirping happily away. What a great ending for a movie, right? Yeah, but what happens nertl? The movie audience is gone and now these folks have to start living normal lives again. Let's listen in and see what's going on. Dad: Okay, everybody in the car.

Let's go home so mom can make some homemade pizza. We can watch Show White and the Seven Dwarves on video and just be one big happy family. I don't want to eat pizza. I want to go to McDonald's. And I don't want to watch some J' 4 111' HCNLlnd DaBuik Opera Hoyse cast delights audience in "Roomies." Letters To The Editor The Hood County News Square merchants are wonderful people the very first, we have done business with the wonderful people that operate each place.

We think they are great! Do you shop in the square? If not you should. ssDottie Smith Granbury In regard to the people that wanted to put in a reptile place on the square, it is my opinion, and several others, that we do not need this type of place on the square in our beautiful little city. 1 After all, the sales tax from these stores on the square keeps all of our property taxes down. We moved to Granbury three years ago, and from They "roasted" her until she was well-done. Friends and former co-workers gave a hilarious retirement party the other day for past Hood County Extension agent Joyce Foulds.

Foulds jumped up the Extension ladder three years ago when she left Hood County for a Tarrant County job. She has decided to retire now, finish up her doctorate, enjoy the quiet life and possibly move back into her home in Spanish Though some view Foulds as a "workaholic," she's always extremely easy to work with. As expected, she enjoyed her roasting as much as everyone else. Even the part about the color on top of her head. "Friends" pointed out that Foulds had a much darker shade up there when she arrived to Hood County in 1980.

They even produced photographs as proof. But the group also recognizes Foulds' contributions. She make a positive influence in the lives of many of her former 4-H members. Extension secretary Becky Peters points to five young successful women who Foulds helped nurture: Kim Cherry Faulkner. A Brock school home economics teacher.

Anna Coffman. A certified chef, will head the Thrift Mart bakery. Becca Peters (Becky's daughter). A college student devoted to community service. Sonya Williams, Will be a missionary for three months in the Solomon Islands.

Tamara Davis. Earned a degree in agricultural communications and working for a San Antonio water district. There are countless others of all ages who can attest that Joyce Foulds helped provide a better world. At least there was a sign of spring before the freezer encased North Texas and Hood County this week. Wildflower enthusiast Paul Brothers spotted a vivid bluebonnet and brought it to the office to ease the chill.

i The roars erupting from Pecan Plantation Tuesday night were not serious. They 'were from the chamber of commerce crowd being thoroughly entertained by police chaplainhumorist Harold Elliott Elliott spun one side-splitter after another. This was a favorite: "It seems that Methodists don't recognize the Pope, Jews don't recognize the birth of Jesus Christ, the Church of Christ don't recognize! dancing and Baptists don't recognize each other in the liquor store!" 1 dumb Snow White movie. I want to watch one of those Playboy videos Dad has stashed away in the garage. Dad: What? You've spent three months in the clutches of the evil space aliens from the planet Narooktoozy and you don't want to go home and spend some quality family time with me, your mother and sister? Mom: What Playboy videos? Dad: We'll talk about that later, dear.

Kid: Actually I want a Big Mac and some fries. Hey dad, you still got that Playboy lingerie video? C'mon Granbury drivers; start yielding Yes, I'll admit that we could have slowed down sooner out of courtesy (by slamming on our brakes sooner at the expense of the cars behind us), but because there was so much traffic he should have slowed down first and looked over his shoulder (which he did not do at all) to make sure the way was clear, (I hope in my haste to judge this man's knowledge of traffic law, I did not overlook that fact that maybe he was in such a hurry because of a medical emergency concerning that finger-maybe that's why he showed it to us.) This is not the first time we have had to slow down and were to avoid hitting a "non-yielding" vehicle at that location. Is it really that difficult to find that middle pedal on the driver's side floor board? And is that difficult to check traffic before assuming the lane, is clear? I'm sure I share the frustration of this with many others. So, next time you are approaching the 377 bypass from downtown-or any other intersection with a yield sign posted, for that matter-please yield and make sure you can merge instead of assuming you have unlimited right-of-way. Doing so might save you or someone else extra strain on that one particular finger! ssAngie Whitley Granbury YIELD.

What does this mean? It is my observation that in Granbury many motorists do not know, Webster says that to "yield" means "to give up' to submit; to surrender, To give way to physical force; to give place; to lose precedence, leadership, etc." As you can see, the words "press on the gas pedal" do not appear in this definition. That definition would be listed under the word "accelerate." Thus my story begins. Many road and highway intersections are controlled by red and white, triangular-shaped signs with the word "YIELD" on them. Unfortunately, I think these signs may be a waste of city and county funds because they are so frequently ignored. Specifically, I know of one particular intersection-where 377 business merges onto the 377 bypass-where two yield signs are posted, often ignored by many motorists.

On a recent Saturday, my husband and I were traveling east on the 377 bypass in heavy traffic. A gray Chevy truck was approaching 377 from 377 business. Instead of yielding to us and the rest of the traffic, he accelerated and tried to force his way in between us and the vaif in front of us. If we hadn't slowed down and swerved slightly, he would have run right in to us. He then proceeded to show us just how well he could stick one of his fingers up into the air and continued to shake his head at us for several miles-as if it were we who had transgressed.

Mom. Your sister Nell cried for you the whole time you were being held in that dungeon on Narooktoozy and you don't want to go home and eat pizza with her? She 's waiting for you at home right now. And what lingerie Dad: Later, dear. I can explain everything. Kid: The last person I want to see is that brat.

All she does is throw food at me at dinnertime, trash my room and change the television channel every time I leave the room. That Narooktoozian dungeon was a cake walk compared to sharing a house with her. Dad: What a terrible thing to say about your sister! Kid: I tell you what, why don't you just drop me off at the corner and I'll see you around. Mom: Don't you want to go home and see your dog Bowzer? Kid: I don't want that dumb dog slobbering all over me and jumping on me with his dirty paws. No way! Right now I wish I was back on Narooktoozy.

Dad: You'd prefer a weird planet populated with bloodthirsty space aliens to your mom and me? Kid: Hey, those guys are pretty cool! They go around zapping things with their death rays and conquering other galaxies and stuff. And they have a whole library of Playboy videos. Mom: Well, I never! What about that poor Space Captain Gleemo? He and his ship got wiped out trying to rescue you from Narooktoozy. You owe it to him to come home, eat pizza and watch Snow White. Kid: That guy was a cosmic nerd! I tried to warn him about the stellar minefield between Narooktoozy and the planet Queepo after they rescued me and were heading back to Earth.

All he said was "Hey, I'm Space Captain Gleemo. I can handle it." Then boom, he was space dust. What a dork! Dad: You ungrateful brat! Kid: You know, Captain Gleemo reminds me a lot of you guys. Boring. Mom: That does it.

I'm getting on the cellular phone right now and calling those space aliens to come back and pick you up! Kid: Awesome! Mom: And in the meantime, your father is going to tell me all about these Playboy videos. Or else! Dad: Actually, they're your brother's. He asked me to rude them for him. How the kid found them, I don't know. Aren't those kind of movie endings really happy? Makes you prefer real life instead, doesn't it? Commuters face traffic dangers on 3 77, 167 We talked last time abotft the things that preachers would love to hear.

Now here are the top 10 things that editors often hear, but would rather ri5i: 't 10. "It was in your paper. Don't you read your own paper?" 9. When the editor is listening to someone, and a person walks up and says to the one talking: "Don't say anything you don't want printed." 8. "My attorney will be in contact" 7.

"How can I keep my name from being in the paper?" 6. "You call yourself the Hood County 5. "Don't you know the difference between insure and ensure?" 4. "Who's your 3. "AH I see in the paper is sports." 2.

"Why can't you give more coverage to the seventh-grade basketball team?" 1. "Cancel my prescription!" For over IS years, I have either lived full time in Granbury or had a weekend home in the area. At this particular time, I am a full-time resident in Acton. I have watched Granbury and Acton grow from being mostly rural communities to the early stages of bedroom community status. As the communities have grown, the existing dangerous highway IIIIIIMNIIIIIIIHIIIIIII lll.ll tll.miJIIII III IIH Ludrlcrous adj.

absurd; ridiculous. Incarceration n. the act of imprisonment or confining. HOOD COUIif? IIEW3 ftMMtSA-TM NtSTMCT MMYw vanMMat MtiiNNit pAtan TlwHOOD COUNTY NEWS WflrtSw 1 3. Mmm SL Qmtoiy.

TX conditions have only gotten worse. As along with many others, drive home at night from Fort Worth there is an increasing amount of traffic on Hwy 377. When you finally get to the Acton turnoff (Hwy 167), the same existing intersection remains as it has for decades. As the homecoming Acton residents reach their turnoff. they simply pull into a left-hand turn lane that is neither protected by a yellow blinking light nor a properly placed signal light.

No protected overpass is evident. The homecoming resident must then take his or her chances at getting across the intersection all the while hoping that they are not rear-ended by another homecoming resident or hit by the many vehicles exiting Granbury and heading toward Fort Worth. This inherendy dangerous situation must be corrected before it is too late. The remainder of Hwy 167 is a winding snake-like road with no creek or culvert guardrails present to protect the homecoming traffic. The dangerous curve between deCordova Bend entrance and Pecan Plantation has no warning signs or yellow lights to alert the driver to the dangers ahead.

I sincerely hope that the dangers can be corrected before it is too late. There also needs to be some type of safely flow planning for the rest of Hwy 377 going towards Stephenville because the congestion caused by the new Supercenter will be present the day the establishment opens. ssTerry K. Fleming Acton 1 Example of how ludircroM and incarceration are used when combined with the 76048 Mch Saturday and WidnwdM tor $26.00 pw ytv In Hood md Somivtf jCountiM and BUI Dala. ElMWtwro InTtxM Eawwfcan lnU.3 $62.00.

jSocond daoo pottaga paid at GUwtwy, Tx. 7604a I Box 1879, Qranbury.Tx. 76048. Anyanonuarancnuponcrc lor oorpomfen, which may ooeur In HOOD COUNTY NEWS otady condidorbuorttottattar napontfek) (or otapy ombatona or typomp wren that may (wewcttar than la loortrmhthanaaiaalliauaanMltblxwigM 9 noun, Equalbaiion the hdiaam process of lthaDti)llarffrnldhtmaf'llablafx foractuapaoaoowaringthaarm. limiting each public KUDOS school student to less -than $5,000 per year, while I AnawardMmramanvaroinwiam Praaa, Waal TaxaaPraaa and National Nawapapar AaMcMtan, jMTharaiaaihMptMihar AdvarUalng: Chart Uadeal.

managan Laura Johnaon, Martha Pyron and Von Prtcar. mat aatatv. Dabbla Schtfca, oknaMad: Jan Batch. atauMm and Tamm The Hood County News i I WW Vaaquttt, raoaptlorM. wmpoaooMMiyLaia.uaQmwy.ciroMr DtMvaryParltarand Pat Clay and toward Thompson.

Ciiaortit Room Enlow. rwt Mlor Utand ntiamk Matt alitor John fBucti Kudos recognizes special accomplishments or good deeds. To report a Kudos write Hood County News, P.O. Box 879, Granbury. Texas "or FAX 573-6579.

1' 1 "guaranteeing nmate to prison, LuZ' Xj jg the prospects of incarceration, rather than graduation. Caigal aporta adlter, Srrty Patmahua, laatylaaaaior. Inatrt ft ataltom: Jttt Vaaquaz, aupwvteor, Don Brown, MB Vtoga, Robart Crawford, John Qaat, Howard Stout, Naiaon Vaaquai and Haathar Jhkana, Printing; BH Baibaa, praaa managan Brat Jlikant, praaaman: Dtmk Tkhntf, icamaiaarripiaiarnaKiriLitAslrinao (Editor's Note: The highway department plans to widen 167 from 377 to Acton in the year 2010..