Vicksburg

Texas monument located in
the Vicksburg Battlefield National Park.

I realize that Vicksburg is no where near Johnson county but Robin the grandkids and I stopped there on our return trip from GulfPort Mississippi.

It is only a 6 hour trip from here and you can get very inexpensive lodging in Vicksburg ( $55 to $65 a night) and even more economical rooms if you stay in hotels on the Louisiana side of the border (around $40 a night) with only about a 15 minute drive from Vicksburg. The point is that there are a lot of things to see and visit that are of great historical significance there.

I will be doing a series on Vicksburg in the Special Events Blog where I will show only a small part of a very old and history rich city. So if you haven't made plans yet for a vacation or want some place different on one of those long weekends I seriously recommend a trip to the battlefield and Vicksburg it will be something you will never forget. You can easily spent 3 or 4 days there and still not see it all.

Don

Dog Gone It

This has absolutely nothing to do with our area but it is to unique to pass up. I was emailing a friend and I always use the opening statement of Hey Dog and in the discreet advertising off to the side I spotted an ad for Texas dog collars. Well I just had to investigate this site and see what it was all about. They must be new as there were only two types of collars available at this time but they were nice and the price didn't poke me in the eye either so for those of you who are dog sickos heres the link.

Lone Star Pet Gear

My granddaughter and her
worthless mutt Shenzi.

July the 4th

Well I hope you had a great 4th. With all the rain we've had there were a lot of fireworks being shot off in the country side. The city of Burleson had a very nice parade this year and if you would like to see the highlights visit my Day To Day blog. Later that evening we went to the Burleson fireworks display which we have never gone to before simply because I dreaded the crowds but to my surprise you can park along the I-35 access road near the golf course and walk over the fence throw out the old blanket or lawn chair and view it from there. With all the space afforded there it was like having your own private fireworks display. The effect of seeing the great balls of color exploding above the trees was like the ones you see in the movies or TV shows that seem surreal and could never happen in real life. There was no crowding, quite and peaceful. I do not believe I have ever enjoyed a display more than I did this one. I highly recommend it for next year for anyone who would like to go.

Well my granddaughter is demanding my attention so thats it for today. Take care and have a great day.

Don

God Bless This Great Land We Call Home!

Gnats and Flies and Mosquitoes OH MY!

Nothing can ruin a great time in the backyard or an outing with the family faster than these little pests, so what to do? Theres Yard Guard which only lasts just a little while that is if the wind isn't blowing and isn't exactly cheap. Then there is spray or rub on protection which is not only inconvenient but needs to be washed off at the end of the day, plus if you miss a spot you will sure find out about that in quick order and with kids running in and out the door to go play outside (that is if they aren't playing Nintendo) you have to keep them sprayed up. Tiki torches of which you need a couple of hundred to cover any size area at all and the mess of keeping them filled along with the same hit and miss coverage.

All of these work to varying degrees but what about the times you just want to sit out on the porch for a little while in the evening, what a ritual you have to go through, so you just stay inside while the pests have run of the place. Well living out in the country I have these little buggers a plenty and I tried it all which I'm sure you have too. Making the many trips to the lawn and garden shops in search of the solution to end all of this I tripped across a product that proved truly effective but alas the originator of the product so I found out could not work and play well with others and the product is no longer available.

Being the innovative guy that I am and with a wooded area behind my house that I cleared so that I could enjoy it I was constantly being run off by this unwanted bunch of Gods little creatures. Well heres the solution that has been tested and tried and works the best of all.

Citronella Oil with a twist, thats right same stuff you use in your Tiki torches, which you can get pretty much any where and a gallon costs about $6. It is water soluble so put it in a hose sprayer and set it at 3 or 4 oz. to the gallon and spray the yard, trees and shrubs paying paticular attention to the grass as mosquitoes and flies tend to fly close to the ground. When I first tested this I tried an area that if the effects were bad it was ok. Well as it turned out the grass and trees were unaffected and the spray left no oily residue on chairs or the house. Within minutes you could not even tell that I had sprayed but heres the best part (so long as it isn't pouring down rain like it has been) the effects of the spray lasts about a month! I spray a very large area about 1/5 acre and it cost me $3.

When we go to an outdoor event we take a hand spray bottle with us with a slightly stronger solution and spray the area around us. This keeps the area clear and I will usually offer it to my nearby neighbors to spray their area as well as it helps them out but with you in the center it increases your protection as well.

Due to my location the number of these little lovelies is so large a tiny amount of them get through but by and large it has proven effective every time I have tried it so see if it works as well for you as it has for me and start enjoying that yard again!

Don

Cindy Lou’s Home Cookin Café

Now if that ain't a name. I met Cindy and John a few days ago when they came by and bought most of the equipment that was left from when this place was a burger joint (I love that phrase).
They live in Covington which is about 12 or so miles South of Cleburne on 171. They promise the usual but authentic fair of chicken fried steak and such at decent prices. The interior design is typical for a small town restaurant with the friendliest attitude I have seen in a long while. I like the big chain restaurants from time to time but even more I like the kind of people that actually want to know your name and even take time to find out what you think. The conversations there can be lively at times but it is still nice to know that there are some places still around that what counts most is that you are there and they never seem to forget that.

They are not opened yet but I'll be sure to let you know when they do. I look forward to trying one of those chicken fried steaks, lets see with mashed tatters, green beans, Texas toast...........ummmmm.

Don

Greetings And Welcome

This Blog is for and about the people of Burleson, Joshua and Cleburne Texas. With it I hope to provide useful and interesting information for the citizens of both cities. I would like to hear from anyone who has an interesting place, person or organization that they would like to share with others. I want this to be a positive place where you can come away with the feeling that we live in an area that is good for raising our kids and grandkids.

If anyone has something to sell or a business they would like to promote let me know and I will set up an area for that and provide a link to that area so as not to clutter up this blog with advertisements.

I hope to hear from you folks and enjoy this blog.

Don