THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER

Takeoff is at roughly 6:30 this morning for the first (three-hour) leg of my thirteen-hour flight to Israel. I’m looking forward to the visit, despite the ongoing onslaught of rockets, mortars and deadly bus bombs from Israel’s alleged “peace partners” of the pathetic “peace process.” But I’m not a good air traveler. I plan to [...]

Dear, old friend, journalist Michele Kay Schultz, 66, Mrs. C.’s best friend, whom the toddler Mr. B. always called mee-fell, passed away this morning after a long illness. She was aptly called a “five-foot fireball” by journalism and political friends in her several obits. The angels will care for her now.

My Valentine’s gift to Mrs. Charm, a Roku XD, was a hit. She likes Masterpiece Theater and similar Brit stuff, but isn’t always available when the local channel decides to run them. Now, with the various streaming video channels the Roku offers, she can choose her own time. One more reason to read Instapundit.

Guess which one lost? I had forgotten it in the pocket of a shirt I washed. Mrs. C. has buried the iPod in a jar of rice, on the theory that the rice may draw the moisture out of the electronics and Ella, Neshama, and Anat (et al) will be heard again in my ear [...]

Mr. B. left a short while ago with two chums and one of their fathers for an overnight camping trip with the Boy Scouts on a private ranch near Bastrop, their final Cub Scout Webelos II requirement. S’posed to be in the 40s out there tonight with a good chance of showers. Mrs. C., of [...]

Watching the flying pigs strip the feeder this morning, I was reminded of the duckweed in Lake Austin. Both were introduced, the seed-eating bird to the country and the duck-food weed to the lake and both quickly spread and multiplied. Mrs. Charm looked it up. The house sparrow was introduced to Brooklyn, it says here, [...]

We here at the rancho in the valley offer our kindest felicitations for your having arrived at yet another of these seasons, and the fervent hope that your punch bowl be filled with spicy liquid merriment and that all of your problems be little ones. Nay, infinitesimals.

Mrs. Charm had it right: “Who would have believed it?” The Rangers (managed by the inimitable, minor-league veteran Ron Washington, at left) won the sixth game 6-1 over the Yankees, thanks to the strong pitching of starter Colby Lewis, and their usual hot bats. They now advance to the World Series! Hot dog. UPDATE:  Lifetime, [...]

The headline in the daily’s sports section was Rangers: Doubts Are History. Story being that these Rangers were too talented and confident to worry about their team’s history of losing to the Yankees in their first post-season game against them. Alas, history once again had its brutal say as the Wankies won 6-5 tonight in [...]

“…observed features of the [Martian] Melas Chasma look remarkably like Blaenau-Ffycin-Ffestiniog when viewed from the heavens.” But it’s too late, Mrs. Charm’s beloved Wales and its ridiculous spelling have lost out in the Mars-comparison sweepstakes. Still, there’s always Qwghlm. Minus the reefs, of course