Lucille Whittaker shows her sister Edna’s Friendship Quilt.

Although Port O’Connor’s Miss Edna Whittaker left us for a better life on December 20 of last year, she left behind a legacy of love of family and friends which will not be forgotten. One testament is her “friendship quilt”, which is a treasure to her sister Lucille.
Begun in 1932, the “butterfly” panels were done separately by fifteen different friends and relatives. The last block was completed in 1938, but Edna was busy with many things, and put the blocks in a drawer where they stayed until sometime in the 1950’s. Sister Lucille thought it a shame that such a beautiful idea had not found its completion, and without Edna’s knowledge, took the quilt with her to San Antonio, where she lived and worked at that time.
Lucille put the blocks together, made the backing and then took it to a group of ladies at the Catholic church in Schulenburg, who did an excellent job of quilting it. Lucille then put the finishing touches on the quilt and presented it to a much surprised Edna at Christmas.
“Edna prized that quilt and took special care of it. And each winter she could keep warm with the memories of special friends covering her,” recalled Lucille.
The quilt blocks are embroidered with the names, place of residence, and year made:
Eva Pickett         1932    Port O’Connor, TX
Evelyn C. Hawes    1932    U.S. Coast Guard,
Galveston, TX
Irene Canion        1932    Port O’Connor, TX
Lillian Laney        1932    Port O’Connor, TX
Mrs. A.H. Mundt    1938    Port O’Connor, TX
Gertie Koeber        1938    Palacios, TX
Mrs. E.A. Laney        1932    Port O’Connor, TX
Mother
(Mrs. E.T. Whittaker)    1932    Port O’Connor, TX
Mrs. J.B. Fairchild    1935    Freeport, TX
Lucille Whittaker    1936    Port O’Connor, TX
Thelma Madden        no date    Port O’Connor, TX
Aunt Mary        1935    Freeport, TX
Aunt Aurelia        1935    Freeport, TX
Aunt Rosie        1935    Freeport, TX
Janie Lou Sanders    1932    Seadrift, TX

This beautiful quilt was pieced by Carol Haverfield and quilted and donated by Nancy Clement, both Calhoun County Quilt Guild members. Sally Jones (left) was the happy winner of the quilt in a recent Lions Club fund raiser. At right is Lion, Alice Reed.

Started in 1988 with 25 quilters, the Calhoun County Quilt Guild is still going strong.  The guild is open to all residents of Calhoun County and the immediate surrounding area who share a love of quilting and want to support the community.  To support fund raising activities of organizations within the community the guild has donated hand made quilts to the following:  The Calhoun County Museum, Calhoun County Senior Citizens, Breast Cancer Awareness, The Harbor House, Go Texas – Houston for scholarship funds for Calhoun County, and the Humane Society.
Individual members are encouraged to donate items for needed causes.  They have donated cuddly quilts for Child Protective Services, lap quilts for veterans living in the local nursing home, wall hangings for display at Memorial Medical Center, and blocks which were used to construct quilts donated to the National Quilts of Valor and World Trade Center Memorial Quilt Project.  They have also made and donated pillow cases to be used by local charities.  One of the projects for this year are table place mats to be donated to Meals on Wheels, a local charity delivering a hot meal to people who otherwise might not have that opportunity.
The Guild strives to educate the public and guild members about the history and beauty of quilt making.  This is done through workshops throughout the year, an extensive library of quilting books, an annual trip to the Houston Quilt Show,  and a three day quilt retreat held twice a year.  They also have a quilt show every year featuring the beautiful works of our members.  The show is free and open to the public.  At the quilt show the public is encouraged to purchase opportunity tickets for a drawing to win a quilt made by the guild.  They also have a booth featuring hand made items available for purchase,  furthering the opportunity to give back to the community by helping financially support  their donations given to needy causes.
The Calhoun County Quilt Guild meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m.  at the Fairgrounds Exhibit Building.   If interested call Membership Chairperson Carol Haverfield at 361-983-4969.  Or simply come to a meeting and you will be welcomed.   You don’t have to be a quilter, just someone who loves needle art.

March 11: Lamar Wilkinson  March 12: Daisy Lee Arnold  March 13: Duyen T. Nguyen  March 14: Mark Pendergrass Jr.; Cameron Manuel; Zackary D. Wittnebert  March 15: Gayle Wilson  March 16: Samantha D. Daniel; Kelli Stryker; Cameron Wisenant  March 17: Kelly Ryan; Pat Garner  March 18: Randall McLemore; Thomas Skalak; Stefani Spears  March 19: Cheryl J. Finster; Heather Osborn; Wanda Redding; Darin Vasquez-Luna  March 21: Ashley Johnson; Wesley Hempel; Kaleigh Diaz  March 22: Matthew McCauley; Peggy Guy; Skylar Fisher  March 24: Joy Fryou; Tammy Davis  March 25: Richard Aguilar; Ray Castillo
March Birthstone: Aquamarine; Flower: Jonquil

Citizens of the Week at Port O’Connor School
Week ending February 25:  PreK- Cody Branch; Kindergarten- Chase Harding; First Grade- Maddie Hawes; Second Grade- McKaelyn Carriles; Third Grade- Kaleigh Diaz; Fourth Grade- Marshall Arlitt; Fifth Grade- Parker Luna; Sixth Grade- Whitney Ronshausen
Week ending March 4:  PreK- Aislin Guzman; Kindergarten- Leah Lucey; First Grade- John Rosenboom; Second Grade- Taylor Ragusin; Third Grade- Elizabeth Carey; Fourth Grade- Mitchell Arlitt; Fifth Grade- Parker Luna & Jerry Satterfield; Sixth Grade- Will Ragusin
Students of the Week at Seadrift School
Week ending February 25:  Pre-K, Mrs. Myers- Mia Salazar; K, Mrs. Kern- Alissa Blevins; 1st, Mrs. Christy- Maritza Jaramillo; 1st, Ms. Stringham- Julissa Banda; 2nd, Mrs. Petrisky- Matthan Morgan; 2nd, Miss Sistare- Alexis Williams; 3rd, Mrs. Hons- Jasmine Guthrie; 3rd, Mrs. Rivera- Danny Munoz; 4th, Mrs. Gray- Kellie Blevins; 4th, Mrs. Spaeth- Cayled Chaka;  5th, Mrs. Canales- Alex Morales; 5th, Mrs. Flisowski- Kelsey Vannoy  Junior High: Mrs. Cady- Marcus Carabajal; Mrs. Parnell- Jacob Montano; Coach Anderson- Alexandra Martinez; Coach Sternadel- Katherine Glover; Mrs. Charnetski- Monica Medez; Mrs. Smith- Samantha Shaw; Coach Lillge- Becky Johnson; Mr. Lavigne- Rosalinda Klamm; Mrs. Rivera- Mario Vallejo
Week ending March 4:  PreK, Mrs. Myers- BreAnn Kelley; K, Mrs. Kern- Keenen Hardrick; 1st, Mrs. Christy- Hayden Gillespie; 1st, Ms. Stringham- Joel Zarate; 2nd, Mrs. Petrisky- Shelby Cady; 2nd, Miss Sistare- Caleb Gregory; 3rd, Mrs. Hons- Damien Cardiel; 3rd, Mrs. Rivera- Jasmine Wooldridge; 4th, Mrs. Gray- Brianna Cruz; 4th, Mrs. Spaeth- Danielle Morales; 5th, Mrs. Canales- Selby DeForest; 5th, Mrs. Flisowski- Sean Daniels  Junior High: Mrs. Henderson- Mariah Wilson; Mrs. Cady- Marcus Carabajal; Ms. Parnell- Ashley Ramirez; Coach Anderson- Jacob Medina; Coach Sternadel- Kayla Anchondo; Mrs. Charnetski- Grant Gray; Mrs. Smith- Tessa Mikolas; Coach Lillge- Dakota James; Mr. Lavigne- Jacob Medina; Mrs. Rivera- Becky Johnson
March 14-18 – Spring Break!

Gunny’s Dancing Hooves Rescue
Everyone sees rescues asking for money, they don’t seem to understand just what it takes to care for these horses. A rescue horse more often than not is somewhat more expensive than your usual pet. They come with special needs. They need to gain weight; they have compromised immune systems; they have trust issues that can adversely effect their health. All of these things require patience and money to overcome. So I am going to try and provide a breakdown of just what a rescue might spend to rehab a horse before adopting it out.
Feed & Supplements
Our rescue pays $9.10 per bag of feed; the rescue horses consume 1 1/2 bags of feed a day. $13.65 a day in feed. We supplement with alfalfa pellets $7.99 per bag and beet pulp $8.99 per bag. 1 bag of beet pulp a day, 1/3 bag of alfalfa pellets. $11.66 a day.
We also provide ProBios, Red Cell, and Wheat Germ Oil. Red Cell $1 per day, Probios $1.50 per day, and Wheat Germ Oil 50₵ per day. $3.00 per day. Hay costs us $40 per round bale or $8 per square bale. We go through three round bales every week and a half. $12 a day. So when all is said and done, we are spending $40.31 a day to feed our current rescues. That is $1,209.30 a month simply to feed our rescues.
Vet & Misc.
Yearly Vaccinations: $107 per horse.
Coggins report: $27 per horse.
Gelding: Average $150 per horse.
Wormer: $15 every 3 months per horse.
Farrier: $35 – $40 per horse every 8 weeks.
This only covers our expenses if no horse gets sick, hurt, or needs special care. This also does not even begin to cover what we spend to build and maintain fences, round pen panels, halters, lead ropes, sheds, lean-tos, and countless other small things here and there. At the moment we have Sister’s Herd that has been through hell and trying to come back. They are currently on antibiotics, $40 a bottle, plus needles, and syringes.
So when you think a horse is safe after you pull it from a bad situation or “bail” it out, you are only half right. It may very well be with a rescue or someone who cares for it, but the expenses do NOT stop with the “bail”. In fact that is the LEAST expensive part of a rescue.
Please consider volunteering or donating to a rescue near you! There are MANY legitimate and hard working rescues out there that need YOUR help.
A lot of people have turned away from the rescues because they have been burned before by greedy and unreliable people claiming to be rescues. For those of you who are concerned about how your money is spent, I highly recommend making your donation in feed or paid directly to a rescue’s vet. Our current feed store and vet info is located below and all donations are appreciated more than you will ever know.

Dr. Kenneth Motl
Bayfront Animal Hospital
Port Lavaca, TX.
361-552-2602
Dr. Sam Williams
3804 Houston Hwy.
Victoria, TX, 77901
361-575-3692

Bayou Feed Barn
Port Lavaca, TX.
361-552-9894 (The account is under Hummel.)
http://bayoufeedbarn.com/

Gunny’s Dancing Hooves Rescue
P.O. Box 761
Port O’Connor, TX 77982
www.dancinghooves.com