I thought about your request for improvements to the Gazette [“On celebrating 4 years of publication,” October 2007] and could think of nothing. It seemed as if nothing should be changed…and then suddenly   more »

Always interested in opportunities in radio, Chavigny stays attuned to what’s going on with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With his friend Danny Self, who had a pirate station in Marathon for a while, he tried to get a permit for a low-power FM station, but found that the short window of opportunity typically offered by the FCC was closed. Still, Chavigny watched and waited. And there it was.... by Dallas Baxter    more »

(Photo of Judy Magers, "The Burro Lady," in Terlingua, 2002, by Bonnie Wunderlich)
Magers was, unwittingly, a highly public persona throughout West Texas, though she remained intensely private throughout her decades of walking the highways of the region, sleeping on roadsides and talking with locals mostly just enough to obtain the bare necessities. by Don McDowell, Fred Gossien, James Evans, & Bonnie Wunderlich    more »

The Tri-counties has mind-boggling diversity in weather, soil, pests and moisture. But once you know the basics, it’s a matter of fine-tuning to get your vegetable garden just right. The soil is the beginning. What’s in the soil will be in our food. by Dallas Baxter    more »

Monte Schatz, with pet lizards. Photo by James Evans. He was a brilliant man, versed in many topics – science, music, art. You would look in an art book about a fresco in Italy, he could tell you every detail about it, who did it and when. He hadn’t listened to rock and roll since the end of the 60’s because he thought there was no more good rock and roll after that. He loved classical music and he had lots of tapes on Renaissance chants. He loved nature and he was passionate about the desert, and he incorporated all the elements of nature and reptiles into his art. He loved his reptiles and was a masterful snakehandler. He had the best sense of humor of anybody I ever met....    more »

I didn’t have to think twice. As soon as I saw that a shingles vaccine was on the market. I signed up my husband and myself up immediately. I’ve seen too many patients, and known too many people, who suffered through shingles itself , and then a year or more of pain after the clearing of the rash. by JoAnn Lister    more »

To be in Terra’s company is to believe that anything is possible. Terra radiates optimism, her language peppered with adjectives like “beautiful,” “enchanted,” “charmed,” “magical,” and “incredibly beautiful.” Her homeschooling’s “self-teaching curriculum,” she explains, is based on reading the classical books, and is “so great, because it lets you realize that the sky’s the limit.” by Marlys Hersey    more »

Mornings at the Marathon event will feature half-day hands-on workshops on eco-construction and off-the-grid desert living, as well as birding excursions and eco-ranch tours. Afternoons will feature 40-minute presentations by experts on desert ecology, “green” building techniques, systems for self-reliance, and organic food production. Evening events will feature local West Texas arts and live music.   more »

“My husband and my mother did not have a horrid death,” said Jo Tucker, who lives south of Alpine, and experienced the benefits of hospice care from the local team of providers for the death of both her husband and mother. “There was no agony, no pain, no horrid expression – thanks to hospice…. You couldn’t ask for a better team…. They know how to stay one step ahead…. I knew what was going to happen because they told me…. [My husband] could stay at home, look out the window, listen to music he loved.” by Marlys Hersey    more »

The (sort of) annual Word Off, Terlingua’s writers’ invitational, happened again this year on January 28. Performers ad-libbed or read original stories and poems on the stage at the Starlight Theater. With the authors’ permissions, we have re-printed here some of our favorite pieces from this year’s literary event, featuring Sally Martin, Alan Tennant, Tom Gaffaney, and Mindy Hamlett    more »

Judy Kurie, proprietor of Marathon’s Trip Saver Grocery, bids farewell.   more »

We asked the Commissioner about her bid on the Republican ticket for state comptroller’s office; here is a record of our interview with Susan Combs regarding her bid for Texas Comptroller, responsible for supervising and managing the state’s fiscal concerns. Current Comptroller Carole Strayhorn will vacate the office to run for Governor. by John Waters    more »

I loved listening to Dennie’s stories – his voice, his facial expressions, his gestures. I love how so many of them involved the world smiling on him, a touch of Obi Wan Knobi energy he had.... by Marlys Hersey    more »

Silver was your stock and trade, soldering, braiding the strands, setting stone into bezel, polishing rough rocks into smooth cabochons. Like the precious metal you worked, there was a soft side to you, and a stubborn edge. Once you showed us how to make a feather: cut the metal, heat the leaf-like shape then etch tiny lines with a sharp knife. You said they were more than ornamental; they could be useful, to cover error, as silver has a mind of its own, can easily slip and slide. by Alison Moore    more »

Everyone should at least consider joining the Medicare Prescription Drug plan, even if they are not on many prescriptions now, just to avoid higher premiums if joining later on. Of course, if you plan to stay healthy and are blessed to never need such a plan, that is something else to think carefully about until next May. by JoAnn Lister    more »

At one of many water stations along the race course, volunteers Mindy Ager and Danny Self comfort runner James Evans (center) of Marathon. by John Waters    more »

An inquiry into the problem of cats gone wild in this small town. Tender human solutions applied to a tragic animal issue. by Dallas Baxter    more »

Even now, Wiggins waxes poetic about the practice she learned as a 5-year-old: “I love setting up my paints: the warm colors along the top, cool colors along the side. I love the colors, I love to mix them, put them on the canvas or board or whatever I’m using….” by Marlys Hersey    more »

Who is this person? We were many miles away from the paved road or another campsite. Tourists rarely wander away from their vehicles for fun in this type of environment. It was early in the day, and we hadn’t heard any cars pass by us. I still didn’t turn around. by Sharon Collyer    more »