‘Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I’d remember the marvelous meals I’d prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I’d never said, “No thank you, please.”

As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt–

I said to myself, as I only can
“You can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!”

So—away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
‘Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won’t have a cookie—not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won’t have hot biscuits, or corn bead, or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I’m hungry, I’m lonesome, and life is a bore—
But isn’t that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot,
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

-Author Unknown

The Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust (GBR Trust) recently purchased 170 acres in Calhoun County immediately adjacent to the existing 646 acre Hog and Schwing’s Bayou Preserve. With funding provided from the Coastal Impact Assistance program (CIAP) through the Texas General Land Office (GLO) the GBR Trust acquired an important parcel of wetlands and wildlife habitat that will link the original preserve property to the Guadalupe Delta Wildife Management Area administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The property lies in an area of the state important to both migratory and resident wildlife species and is just as important for the water quality for the bays and estuaries just downstream.

This area of the Texas Coast is winter home to large numbers of waterfowl who migrate up and down the Central Flyway and also supports endangered species such as the Whooping Crane.

The GBR Trust purchase of the 170-acre tract was made possible through the CIAP, which is a federally funded program managed nationally by the Department of the Interior. The CIAP program, administered in Texas by the GLO, provides a portion of federal royalties on oil and gas production back to the states for coastal projects, including the conservation of important wildlife habitats and wetlands.

The mission of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust is to preserve the unique natural heritage of the Guadalupe watershed for future generations, by protecting open landscapes, working farms and ranches, and wildlife habitat through conservation easements, education, and outreach that connects people to the water and the land.

Victoria College is conducting an online survey to get the community’s input regarding student success. Business leaders and community members are invited to participate in the short survey along with VC students, alumni and employees to provide ideas for how VC can improve student learning.

“Student success is a top priority at Victoria College, and hearing our constituents’ views on student success is vitally important to us,” said Dr. Tom Butler, VC President.

Based on feedback from the survey, and a review of institutional and other success data, VC will identify important issues that may help improve student learning at the college. The survey and the resulting Quality Enhancement Plan are a part of VC’s ongoing reaffirmation of accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

“As we focus on improving student learning, the first step is to find out what this community believes are the most important elements of student success,” said Ann Brogger, VC’s director of advising and counseling services and co-chair of the QEP topic identification committee. “From there, we can begin crafting a plan that ensures VC’s students are successful.”

The “Give Us a Piece of Your Mind” survey is available online at VictoriaCollege.edu now until the end of January.

December 6: Seadrift VFD responded to a brush/trash fire off of Cherry Street in Seadrift.

December 7: Seadrift VFD responded to an electrical pole fire off of Houston Street in Seadrift.

December 7: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca Fire Department responded to a boat on fire behind a residence off of Blasingham Road in Seadrift; Port O’Connor VFD also responded.

December 8: Port O’Connor VFD and Seadrift VFD responded to smoke in a residence off of Bay Street in Port O’Connor.

December 9: Seadrift VFD responded to smoke in a classroom at the Seadrift School.

December 11: Seadrift VFD responded to a reported gas leak off of 6th Street in Seadrift.

December 19: Seadrift VFD and Port O’Connor VFD responded to an electrical pole fire off of Lane Road.

Have you truly looked at your New Year’s calendar of events? If it looks like mine, you have already filled every day in January and February, and have two days left in March in which to find something to do! Joane and I celebrated our 16th Anniversary this past week with her leaving for Austin and me teaching her class and preparing for a training session Thursday and Friday in Pasadena. Oh, did I mention that we celebrated her birthday Friday with a “big blow-out” in our training session! I have things double-booked and must decide in which one I will participate. My schedule is too busy to attend a funeral of the mother of a friend of almost 30 years.

When I think of all the things I must accomplish, I get tired! There are many days when I am seemingly too tired to remember important dates and events. I know that the Iowa Presidential Caucuses were important, but I will just try to watch the re-runs; likewise the Bowl Games.

But, I am not alone! We all are tired these days, and proud of it! We work hard and pay for it with chronic fatigue. We are often too tired to go to bed without taking a nap on the couch first. We awaken, often later than we hoped, to begin our day with a cup of coffee to try to get us moving, because we are tired. We are living in the fast lane, but are we living well?

Most of the time all of us are burning the candle at both ends. I heard it said that “the hurriered we go, the behinder we get!” Are we perpetually tired as victims of the grind, or is it a case of just poor planning? I have found that we usually get time to do the things that are truly important to us. I cannot remember a Sunday morning when I was too busy to get to church! I find few working people who find themselves very often too busy to get to work! Most of us realize that if we are that busy, the boss will find someone who has more time for making him money.

People who are overworked and overtired hurry along a road of diminishing returns. There is nothing that we do that is improved by fatigue; on the contrary, much is diminished. How much more productive would we be if we were not always tired. I recently heard (you probably did too) a comment by a “star” that “this is the earliest I have ever been late!” He said it with pride, but those waiting for his arrival were not smiling. He is running hard, but accomplishing less.

If being tired was a virtue, we would be the most virtuous generation to ever populate the planet. But, how often do we wear the badge of tiredness proudly on our chest? I do not believe that is could be successfully argued against that “our generation is the most irresponsible, selfish, and unfeeling generation to ever work overtime!”

What would our Creator say about our weariness? Matthew recorded that Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” How about tapping into that!

The Lord loves us more than we love ourselves and His invitation is extended because He knows we need rest. Everything breaks down unless we take time for daily maintenance.

When I was 13, I hired out to a farmer to work in his corn and hay business. Each morning we had a routine. It did not matter what chore was pressing that morning, we did not begin the chore until we followed our routine. It did not matter if our cut hay, lying in the field, was going to get wet, which would lessen its value, we had to do maintenance. For us, maintenance meant getting the grease guns filled and crawl around each piece of farming equipment to find every “cert” on it. We would then fill that “cert” until grease bulged out of the openings.

When it came time to work on the mowers, not only would we grease it, our task also required that we sharpen every “tooth” so the machine would have to work as little as possible. A breakdown in the field would always cost us more time than the maintenance required.

I have learned working with Papaw (Joane’s almost 91 year old father) the importance of buying new saw blades and replacing them often. I have learned that when cutting wood with a chainsaw, that the sharper the blade, the easier the task. So back off, sharpen your saw and reassess your priorities – your life will be better for it.

Abundant living requires more than stress tabs and eight hours of sleep – it required a quieted heart! All of us can find that kind of heart in Jesus!