common thread runs from house to house throughout Mountain City. Our hearts and prayers go out for those so severely impacted by Harvey.  Most of us know someone whose home flooded. Over and over, I hear Texans among us saying how proud they are to be a Texan. “We are Texas.” Patricia Porterfield on...

arvey huffed. And he puffed. And he blew some big trees over in Mountain City. NextDoor.com showed photos of several large trees that succumbed to the relentless wind and rain over the weekend. Many limbs (dead and alive, large and small) joined trees on the ground. James Polk’s rain gauge showed ju...

uesday, Oct.3, Mountain Cityians will gather on the lawn of Beth and Everett Smith for an ice cream social on National Night Out. Bring a lawn chair. The Smith’s will furnish waters and ice cream treats. Judge Beth says, “Bring the kids and meet your local first responders, check out the equipment a...

ow! This August, limbs are not piled alongside our streets for weeks. The city expedited the bid process, authorizing City Manager Rick Tarr to select a contractor from bids submitted, after those interested took a quick look at the scope of work. Alonzo Vasquez quickly scooped up and shredded to sm...

eresa Williams emailed, “I have lived in Mountain City for 17 years, and I have never even SEEN a bat, much less had them come visit me on my back porch. This morning, however, I had a group swarming back and forth on my back porch until they landed in the corners. I think there are three: I’m not s...

ugust brings some city-related deadlines. Sunday, August 6, is the last day to place limbs by the street for “Limb Days.” If the city opts for the same process this year as past years’, pickup will not occur until after the city receives bids and selects a contractor. With the usual process, contrac...

y name is Pauline Hinton Tom. Jampacked hints fill this column. The “fruit fly trap” that went onto my counter a year ago passed the test of time. It looks disgusting, so it hides a bit and wears a name tag. Periodically, I refresh the unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar and add some overripe fru...

rian Porterfield, the man behind the scenes with Loving Mountain City’s 4th of July parade, deserves red, white and blue hats off. As I admired his truck’s patriotic display and music afer the parade, Patricia Porterfield, the event coordinator, told me some of the details. When the patriotic cd the...

issMe has another story. Since he cannot speak English, let’s just surmise. Late one night, I went into our backyard looking for our Great White Hunter with Red Spots. His whimpers beckoned me to our low-fenced herb garden (too high for his super short legs to get him out, once he gets in). With a l...

bat-related tidbit got trimmed last week when Montage got a bit too fat.  Information on rabies is available online with a search with the three words “Rabies Merlin Tuttle”.  Again, if you find a bat, do not touch.  An “unheard of” (anywhere in the world) bat-related incident occurred this summer i...