Robotic Ranch Hand

Need a robot to feed your horse? A firm in Texas is manufacturing them.

A new livestock feeder, iFEED, is now available. While not exactly a robot, it comes close. This automated feeder is controlled by a timer similar to those on lawn sprinkler systems and can be used to feed horses, hogs or dogs.

If you are going to be gone for days, it would be convenient for your animals to be fed automatically. There’s a robot for that. However, its real purpose is about feeding them properly, so they can utilize all the minerals and nutrients in your feed. The system dispenses livestock feed in small servings as often as the owner desires. That can especially help prevent colic in horses, among other benefits.

Farmers and ranchers are feeling the pinch of the mandate to furnish hospitalization insurance for all employees. Add in an increase in the minimum wage paid to inexperienced, part-time workers and you find these employers scrambling to find ways to cut costs.

As production costs continue to rise, we may see a big demand for robots.

Wedding Insurance

Worried about the groom getting cold feet? There’s an insurance policy for that. With the cost of the average American wedding reaching about $26,000, insurers are selling a growing number of policies to protect against losses from extreme weather, illness or a sudden change of heart.

A friend spent $500 for a policy to cover her daughter’s $50,000 destination wedding. Her primary concern was the weather, which cooperated. However, the flowers never showed up nor did the limousine. My friend used the policy to claim the deposit money for both services when she could not recover her deposits from the companies.

Parents concerned about a relationship souring before the exchange of vows can purchase a “change of heart” policy. That’s been available since 2007, but the fraud rate soared in the early years as policies were bought for couples who were known to be fighting. Today that coverage only applies if the bride or groom cancels the wedding more than nine months beforehand. Insurance can cover losses from issues ranging from bankrupt wedding halls to cancellations forced by unexpected military deployments. Company spoke-persons say the majority of claims arise through problems with vendors – especially photographers and videographers.

Parents are purchasing this coverage to protect a major investment. Insurance companies see it as a way to connect with a couple who might later think of the company for home insurance and other life milestones.

Insurers say the sale of these policies has grown steadily. Will we someday see insurance policies issued to pay in the event of divorce?

Aftermarket Enhancements

Many add-ons are available for drivers who like to make a statement.

If you are in Houston this week-end, you might want to check out the auto show at Reliant Center. They are featuring a $660,000 Lamborghini with $15,000 custom-made copper-finish wheels. Also shown is a new Porsche with a pair of beautiful, curved, polished horns from a longhorn steer mounted on the front.

“That’s the baddest truck I’ve ever seen,” a young college student was heard to say as he gazed wide-eyed at a Ford 150 customized to give the truck a sticker price of $68,542. The most jaw- dropping exhibit is a customized 2012 Ford Super Duty with a three-tone finish – Hawaiian blue, pumpkin orange and pearl. It’s buoyed up by an 18-inch suspension lift. Many trucks sport cow-catcher-type “bull bars” on the front grille. A Tuscany FTX edition is decked out in chrome; everywhere that chrome could be added. One vendor has nine cars on display valued at a combined $4 million.

The aftermarket expo – all 100,000+ square feet of it, is designed to appeal to car and truck owners who need to stand out, including the 80% of truck owners who add at least a little custom finish after leaving the dealership. Almost all add a brush guard and a window tint. Currently the big trends among customized exotic cars are matte exterior finishes, red leather interiors and wheels with either carbon fiber, brushed or copper finishes. They can all be seen at the Houston Auto Show.

Another growing specialty is vehicle wrapping. That’s done by applying large sheets of vinyl to a vehicle’s exterior. The removable wraps can be used as advertising decals or to completely cover a car like a new paint job. The cost is $1,500 to $2,500 to wrap a car.

Don’t you need to be different from the next guy? You could be driving around making a statement.

Why Write?

Over the years I've heard from many people who said a story I wrote for Upper Room or a Guide Posts series opened their eyes and changed their hearts. Or they said they keep one of my books of daily devotionals beside the bed and read a chapter every night. Some of these same readers are now asking, “Why did you switch from Christian writing to historical fiction?”

Well, I do have a very good reason. I wrote two books set in the Texas frontier in the late 1800s because I didn’t want the events that occurred in the lives of my great-grandmother and grandmother, as they carved out productive lives, to be forgotten. I tailored the books for young adults because many of them happened when my grandmother was a child and teenager. Also, my father was a child and teenager when my great-grandmother told the stories to him.

I was a busy wife and mother working fulltime at a bank before I ever heard the stories, and I didn’t write them down until my dad was deceased. When my mother was institutionalized with the ravages of advanced Alzheimer’s disease, Daddy came into my family’s home. With everyone away all day, he was lonely and anxious to talk when I got home. We sat on the patio sipping iced tea and smelling the white roses as he repeated the old family stories. I never knew any of the people he talked about with such clarity. They all died many years before my birth. But he brought them to life in my mind.

My great-grandparents came to Texas in 1859 determined to homestead 160 acres in Comanche County and develop the virgin soil into a profitable property. They, like other pioneers of the time, faced overwhelming odds before they reached this goal. They had to deal with the fickle Texas weather and the small bands of Comanche in the area. The fact that they succeeded was revealed through my father’s words. I grieved when told my great- grandmother’s favorite milk cow was killed by a cougar. I was awed to learn my great-uncle could talk to horses. When my grandmother was given her very own horse, I felt her pride and happiness. And I fell in love with the black and white cow dog, Buster, who played a large part in their lives.

In the beginning, my goal was to preserve these old family legends for the descendants of our courageous, hardworking family. However, members of my writing guild and critique groups convinced me that others had ancestors who experienced the same sorrows and victories, and they might like to read about them. And so, Under a Comanche Moon and Shadows of the Comanche were born.

The third in the trilogy, Comanche Paint, waits fallow in my mind. I need a co-author to bring it into print. Perhaps someday I’ll tell it to a grandchild who will give it life.

Great Grandmother's Sterling

Did you inherit a full service for twelve plus servings pieces, coffee and tea sets, trays and bowls and have no idea what to do with it?

Grandmother was the only girl in a family that included four boys. She inherited the silver. Mother was an only child so the family silver passed to her. It’s now in your possession, and your three daughters and five granddaughters have no interest in “old things” or ancestral treasures. So you face a dilemma: Should you polish it again or just get rid of it?

Antique dealers and silver and gold exchanges report younger generations are increasingly choosing the latter. They don’t care about it. They want to turn it into a big-screen TV or a vacation. Why not convert it into something you want and save them the trouble? If you make this decision, it’s imperative to follow nine important steps.

Sentimental value – Do you really want to sell it? Silverware is one of the few things that can continue to be passed from generation to generation.

Make sure it’s sterling – Check the back of each piece for the word “sterling” or the abbreviation “ster.” Dealers say about half of the silverware offered to them is silver plated, which is virtually worthless in the silver market. If it’s from another country, it might have “925” on it. This is sterling that is 92.5 percent silver. Or you might see the word “coin” printed on the back. This silverware is made from melted coins and is 90 percent silver.

Weigh it – Once the weight is determined, it must be converted to troy ounces, which is how silver is weighed. Online calculators can convert your figure to troy ounces. Six pounds of silver equals roughly 65 troy ounces. Remember that most knives in the set are only silver around the handles, which may be filled for extra weight, and the tops are stainless steel.

Check prices online – You need to have an idea of how much silver you have and compare it against the price at a website like www.kitco.com. Look up historic value as well. Early in 2013, silver sold at around $30 a troy ounce. Later in the year, it was closer to $19.

Check online offers – Be wary of extra fees, shipping costs and even fraud. But you might find someone who needs what you have. Be sure the price quoted isn’t reduced by extra charges, and that you are comfortable with the reputation of the online buyer.

Compare gold and silver exchanges – In checking with four exchanges in a single day, offers ranged from $400 to $1,000 for the same items.

Stay safe – Drive on by an exchange if you aren’t comfortable shopping in the area. You may be carrying around $1,000 worth of silver that someone on the street would like to have. Check antique value – Silver sets may be more valuable to sell to a dealer as a whole rather than selling to an exchange to be melted down.

Make a good decision – Don’t be rushed. If you don’t understand the transaction or aren’t sure if you have the best deal, walk away.

Once you have the cash in hand, your great-grandchildren will never get to use the demitasse spoons for tea parties.

Haunted

She shouldn’t be there, but she is.

On a hill near the west entrance to Weatherford, stands the lovingly restored and maintained Bed & Breakfast called “Angel’s Nest.” Its high-ceiling rooms are spacious, beautifully decorated with an adjoining balcony and hot tub. Built in 1896, the Queen Anne-style mansion covers 10,000 feet and four stories. In addition to its 29 rooms, a distinctive three-story turret, and a wine cellar/basement, it is apparently home to a friendly, non-threatening lady ghost. She has been seen by guests and locals over many years, and her outward appearance is always the same. Often she passes through a cascade of daytime colors cast by stained glass windows on the first floor’s dining and living rooms.

In a second-floor bedroom, a guest, sitting before a dressing-table mirror, saw the ghostly lady’s reflection as she walked behind the guest. She is never seen outdoors, only inside. She is always described as wearing a peach or pinkish, long-sleeved, high-neck formal dress and gold-rimmed glasses. Her dish-water blonde hair is arranged in a bun. Often she is heard but not seen. People on lower floors report hearing her walking in high heels on the wooden floors of unoccupied rooms above.

Mr. C. D. Hartnett, a wealthy banker, built the home for his second wife, Savina Byrne. He first married Savina’s sister, Kate, in 1878. She gave birth to two sons and then died in 1881. Speculation is that the presence is that of the young first wife. She refuses to leave the home that should have been hers.

The current owner of Angel’s Nest has had paranormal investigators come into the house. They did not see the woman but said that they believe there is a presence there. They observed orbs – spirits – which may be white (good spirits) or red (bad spirits.) Luckily they only found the white ones.

If you are adventurous, consider booking some time at Angel Nest Bed & Breakfast where you might encounter a kindly ghost.

A Fate Worse Than Death

Thirty years after Texas declared independence from Mexico, Parker County still lay in the heart of Comancheria, a violent expanse of the frontier. 

On March 2, 1866, Bolin Savage was plowing his small field along Sanchez Creek in Parker County, TX. Three of his sons, Marion, James and Sam, came to help. As the boys entered the clearing, a band of nine mounted Comanche rode up from cover by the creek and killed Bolin instantly. The boys ran for safety, but James, aged six, and Sam, aged five, were captured. From the nearby cabin, Bolin’s wife, Elizabeth, began firing repeatedly but to no avail. She witnessed her husband’s death and her sons’ abduction.

This account, written by Erik J. Wright, a native of Parker County, who publishes regularly for history magazines, piqued my interest. My own great-grandparents homesteaded land in nearby Comanche County and had several confrontations with the Comanche. Luckily none of their children were kidnapped, although two neighbor children were taken (See my books Under a Comanche Moon and Shadows of the Comanche). 

One warm clear day, a strong urge to see the Savage farm caused me to drive about fifteen miles southwest of my home and gaze out across Bolin Savage’s field. It remains cleared of rocks and tree stumps and capable of producing crops, just as he left it. A short distance away, Interstate 20 rushes west toward El Paso and east to the heart of Dixie, but I heard only grasshoppers in the grass, mocking birds in the trees, and the murmur of the creek.

Certainly Elizabeth experienced “a fate worse than death” in the sudden, tragic loss of her husband and sons, but this story is about a different “fate.”

Many months later, James and Sam Savage were found by a trader in the Arbuckle Mountains in present-day Oklahoma approximately 150 miles north of the Savage homestead. Soon he completed a successful deal with the Comanche band, giving a bridle, a saddle and a pony, plus $414 in cash (a total of about $6,400 in today’s money) in exchange for the boys.

The result was “a fate worse than death” for James and Sam. They had become completely “Indianized” in looks, behavior and beliefs. They viewed their adoptive Comanche families as brave, wise and caring. The fact of Indian kindness to children is well documented. Again the Savage boys were forcefully wrenched away from people they loved and respected. They left sobbing and begging to stay.

My heart believes Elizabeth suffered the most agonizing “fate.” Perhaps James and Sam would disagree.

Sorrow

There is no shame in sadness – even on Christmas day.

The Christmas Season can be a painful time for many people; especially those who have experienced a great loss. The holidays with all their cheery greetings, trees and decorations, shopping and baking can force a fragile person over the edge into deep depression. Barely healed scars may open and grief is renewed.

Over a lifetime, everyone experiences losses. Some may lose their hair, their lease, their job or their appetite. Others might lose focus or patience or mobility. We may lose at poker, on the horses or the lottery. You can lose your head, your heart or your mind. You can relinquish your home to move into assisted living, or have a child move overseas, or see a spouse vanish into dementia. But we can bear all these losses. We learn to cope, to adapt, to adjust and move on. We find alternatives and solutions.

Grief for the loss of a family member may be harder to deal with, such as the long, drawn-out death of a parent or the sudden, shocking death of a sibling. A friend tells me the loss of a spouse feels like an amputation. Is it possible to recover from the death of a child? All holidays, from New Year’s Eve, St. Valentine’s Day, Easter, July 4th through Thanksgiving, may cause sadness and suffering. But Christmastime appears to arouse the most pain.

One Christmas has just ended. For all future ones, each of us should remember to be kind, sensitive and considerate every time we say, “Merry Christmas”.