So why am I thinking about a magazine issue that's almost a year old? Well, first, I saw it toward the end of last calendar year in the faculty lounge at Alamo Heights High School. And yesterday WAS the Valentine's holiday. Emphasis on "love" -- pretty four-letter word -- and on wearing at least a little red.
The Texas Monthly article was enjoyable reading, both when I first laid eyes on it, and at re-readings. After all, this city that I love is the heart of this state that I love. (Enthusiasts for Waco, Austin, Abilene or Brady might argue that their particular city/town is "the heart of Texas" based on geographical data, but how many times have I read or heard that a native Texan has two homes, wherever (s)he lives and S.A.) Here are just a few of the 75 items the article listed, being the ones which most caught my eye, along with brief comments by myself and/or the contributor of the item.
1. Bluebonnets. Sort of naturally, the State Flower (pun intended) was Número Uno on the list. The writer, Mimi Swartz, commenced with a few minuses, e.g. that bluebonnets don't smell all that great and that they are cliché. But who can spurn these flowers which appear for only a very few weeks of the early Spring, creating gorgeous blankets in varying shades of blue on roadsides and pastures?
4. Friendliness. "Being glad to see you -- no matter who you are -- is something our mamas taught us from birth. The wide smile, the firm handshake, the slap on the back -- it's the way Texans meet the world, the social grease that makes living here so pleasant and easy. . . ." To which I'd add an Amen! (Mimi also contributed this item.)
9. The humidity. A few of the items seem to be spoofs, if not outright sarcasm, and this one by Sarah Bird is one of these, probably the latter. Who could truly love the humidity so endemic to the South Central and Southeastern USA?
11. Nachos. In a display of "State Items" of Texas, such as State Flower and State Tree, I saw this tagged as the "State Snack". Of course! nachos were first created here, in one of our border cities. (Years ago I read that the inventive cook was named Ignacio, for which the diminutive is "Nacho".) "They are as Texan as the Alamo," writes contributor Patricia Sharpe.
12. The three bells at Mission. . . Espada, San Antonio. Our (S.A.'s) own Jane Jarboe Russell, columnist for the Express-News, contributed this. And I could not describe the "love"-liness of that little old Spanish mission better than she. Her paragraph is rather long to copy here, so I invite you to find a copy of this Texas Monthly issue and read it for yourself!
14. The sky. This contribution displayed several photos of Texas sunsets, startling cloud formations and one time-lapse of the starry night. The sunsets reminded me of the frequent and gorgeous evenings which blessed me during the two years in Devine. Which have occurred only a little less frequently here.
16. Larry McMurtry. His novels are neither the art nor the size of James Michener's. Certain aspects of them displease me: the profanity even tho' it's realistic, the cynicism, the fascination with violence and/or sex (usually weird or perverted). Nevertheless, I've read Horseman, Pass By (made into the film "Hud") at least once, and The Last Picture Show just about every November.
18. Medina to Leakey on Ranch-to-Market Road 337. This is indeed a most beautiful drive, thru one of the most picturesque portions of the glorious Hill Country. As contributor Brian D. Sweeney writes, "take this drive on a Sunday afternnon in October. Trust me." To which I might add to continue westward to Camp Wood for more scenic views!
19. The county courthouse. I can still picture the red Romanesque Wise County courthouse in Decatur, and several others built during the heyday of courthouse building (the late 1800s).
43. Farm-to-market roads. Where these are still rural, and not overwhelmed by urban sprawl from S.A. or Austin, etc., they are fun to travel along. Contributor Paul Burka states that they take one into serene areas of the state "and best of all, along the rivers and ridges of the Hill Country." Trust him, he's correct!
58. Code-switching. " 'Me da un Whataburger with no cheese y también una orden de french fries, please.' The hybrid language of Mexican Americans is often referred to as 'Tex-Mex' or 'Spanglish,' but neither label does justice to its richness and complexity. While most people believe that speakers who switch languages within a sentence are linguistically deficient, language specialists argue the opposite. . . ." As would yours truly. I mentioned code-switching in an earlier posting, along with my code-switching poem which describes my A.D. 2002 in San Antonio.
So there you have them: just a few -- eleven to be exact -- of 75 reasons to love Texas. Come try 'em out, dear reader! But warning! you just may fall in love. . . .
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