The City Waste Water Treatment Plant over the years has become overwhelmed with its capacity due to population increases over the years as well as water influx during heavy rain events. It was decided that we construct a new facility with increased capacity to alleviate this problem. We acquired grant money to build this new facility which amounted to $1.8M. Bids were received to accomplish this project, however, these bids came in at $3,8M, nearly $2M over. We found ourselves woefully short with no options to obtain the additional funds. The design engineers came up with a plan that could get our plant back in a condition that could carry us 5/8 years into the future with our current facility by rehabilitating our current waste clarifier to bring it back to original production numbers and adding a new Chlorine contact chamber. After much discussion it was the decision of council that we should take this option with hopes that we may in the near future acquire additional funds through grants to complete the original plans for the new facility. I might add that the rehabbed clarifier and Chlorine contact chamber will be able to be used in the new facility.
Councilman Kenneth Reese

One night, several years ago, I heard what sounded like a horse neighing. Being in the suburbs at the time, I knew it wasn’t a horse, but actually the sound of an Eastern Screech-Owl. I rushed outside to find it, grabbing my spot light as I went, and started to shine to light around the tree branches. Screech-Owls are quite small, so I knew it might take a moment to get the light on it. When I finally found it, I was amazed at how well it blended in to the tree bark behind it. If I hadn’t known it was there, I would never have spotted it.

Many animals have the amazing ability to match their appearance to their environment. Camouflage in the natural world is also called cryptic coloration. This ability acts like a defense mechanism for animals that allows them to disguise their appearance, masking their location, identity, and movement. This provides an advantage for the individual, concealing them from possible predators and sometimes prey.

Camouflage itself is created differently depending on the species. Some animals use feather or fur coloration to match their environment, but these have very different properties. Feathers or scales can be replaced fairly quickly and regularly, but fur can take weeks or months to grow. Animals with fur are more likely to be camouflaged by season; for example, the arctic fox is brown during the summer months and white during the winter.

Another consideration for camouflage and how it is created is if the animal is a social or solitary animal. The black and white stripes on a zebra make it stand out, but because zebras congregate in large herds, it can be impossible for a predator to pick out an individual animal.

Easily the most common example of background matching is the chameleon. Many people think the chameleon is able to change their skin color and pattern to match whatever their background is, but that actually isn’t true. Chameleons have a group of patterns and colors that they can display by changing hormone levels and nerve impulses in their skin, creating the blended colors that we see.

Other reptiles, and some insects, use camouflage as a warning. Warning colorations signal to potential predators that the animal is toxic or dangerous. An example from our area is the coral snake. With brightly colored rings, the coral snake is alerting other species to its toxic venom. Interestingly, the coloration pattern is so well known that there are other species, like the scarlet king snake, that attempt to mimic the colors and patterns.
For birds, camouflage can be vital to their survival. Raptors blend in to surprise their prey, while birds that don’t want to become prey want to be less conspicuous. Camouflage can also be important for nesting birds, who are vulnerable while siting on their nests. Many ground nesting birds have feathers that match the colors of the ground where they live, whether it be forest, beach, or marsh. American Bitterns have stripes lining their necks; when they extend their heads up all the way, they look just like the marsh grass around them.

As birders, we often emphasize the value of learning bird calls and songs, and this is a prime example for why that is so important. We are often out birding and we stop when we hear a bird call; we always hope to see it, but often we can’t find it because of how well the bird blends in to its environment. Next time you’re out, take a moment to appreciate the colors of the animals you see, and think about how those colors provide protection for the animal. Animals are amazing, and we can learn a lot from them!

We continue moving forward toward a special announcement about a very special event! Look for it! It will be historic and something we will want to tell our grandchildren about in the years ahead! It seems like the events are happening quickly, so be watching!

The Pantry is very busy helping people with their food items. We are so grateful to the Ladies’ Service Club, the Baptist Church, and the many individuals who come by and leave food. A great blessing to the Pantry was receiving a grant from Formosa, administered by First National Bank – it has made it possible for us to provide more protein to help the needy. We have the fishing tournament from which we glean the f ish, but local fishermen and hunters regularly donate their extras, which is a great treat for our Port O’Connor families. Most would be amazed that our community have so many needy folks, but we are honored that people in need know that help is available on Main Street.

Warriors’ Weekend is rapidly approaching.  On Friday, October 11, at 6:00 p.m., for our yearly “Egg Cracking Party!” We do not presently have the numbers, but we are thinking that we will need about 1,000 eggs to be prepared for Taco Making on Saturday morning, October 12. We will be preparing the Breakfast tacos at the Chapel and feeding the Warriors at 5-D around 7 a.m. This is a great labor of love, and every service person deserves all the love and attention we can muster! We have had requests for information about donations. Yes, we will need all the supplies – Eggs, Tortillas, Coffee and sweeteners and creamers, Orange Juice, Milk – both regular and chocolate, Apples, Hot Sauce, and paper goods like plates, cups, and plastic wear. This is a huge undertaking  and the Chapel is honored to be asked each year to provide the Saturday Morning Breakfast. BUT, we can only accomplish this great feat with the help of many volunteers, and either the funds or supplies that is needed to complete the task! Port O’Connor loves our Warriors, and each can have a part in providing this meal! Contact Pastor Joane at 361/648-4622.

We are honored to host several groups for Retreats. Hope House from Bastrop will be here for a few days later this month. Hope House is a rehabilitation center which helps reclaim ladies who have temporarily lost their pathway. The following week, we will be hosting the Trevino Family for several days. Sister Trevino was the most seasoned lady to be ordained in South Texas, and Pastor Joane was her Ordaining elder. Richard Vega will be bringing several men from C.T. Houston for a special time of relaxing and rebooting. Richard has been a friend of the Chapel for many years and is always a great blessing when he comes.

Pastor Joane and I are continuing our preaching through the Bible, which we are calling “Route 66.” We have been working at it since last year, but we are close to finishing the first 39 Books – the Old Testament.  Presently we are ministering from Zachariah. This has been a great challenge for me even though I have been preaching for over 60 years. My messages have most often come from the New Testament, especially the Gospels, but, since one can teach old dogs’ new tricks, I have stepped up to the challenge and thoroughly enjoyed learning more about God’s Word.

We are thinking about the upcoming Holidays, with the many activities, but especially the Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets for needy families. This is a huge undertaking, but we have a lot of helpful hands which makes the burden light! If you are in need, please be ready to respond when we open the list and if you know someone in need, please let us know. I am certain that we are missing some needy folks because we just do not know! We need your help!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to help all of us on our journey. We all know that this life will not last forever – it will one day end for each of us. We know we are going to take a trip, but the question is not are we going, nor when are we going, but WHERE we are going! Jesus is still the answer and God loved us enough to provide His Son to guide us to His Home!

One will always find a welcome at the Chapel. We gather on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. for Bible Class, 11:00 a.m. for Morning Service, and 6:00 p.m. for Evening Service. Each Wednesday, we begin at 7::00 p.m.with a fellowship meal, followed with a time exploring God’s Word. All are welcomed and urged to, “Come, Grow With Us!”

 

The twenty-four ladies who attended September’s Hooked On Books Club meeting were delighted to reunite after taking a summer break and enjoyed a delightful meal together. Special thanks to Susan Bertlshofer for opening her beautiful home to us and to her co-hostesses, Sherri Judice, Nancy Ladshaw, Judy Overton, and Shaney Bradford.

The ladies were very pleased with the vintage clothing and hats worn by the hostesses to represent the time period of the novel. They were treated to a magnificent spread of food representative of items mentioned in Sylvia Plath’s only novel, The Bell Jar. The table displayed artifacts, such as bell jars. Chicken, turkey and tuna salad sandwiches were served with chips, Cowboy Caviar and avocados with garnet sauce. Garnet sauce, ketchup mixed with French dressing, was a connection to the novel.

After feasting on the delicious food, a lively book discussion followed with ladies discussing the similarities and differences in Plath’s novel and a book we read in the spring, Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry.

Several members were struck by the central focus of both novels: societal expectations and the pressure to conform to traditional female roles during the mid-20th century. The ladies took umbrage at the main characters’ decline in mental health and her struggle to find success under the oppressive expectations placed on women. Many remarked on the lack of the main character’s struggle to achieve true independence.

All in attendance agreed that it was an engaging and fun-filled afternoon. They thanked their wonderful hostesses for the ingenuity, expert planning, and hard work put into making it all happen. It was definitely an afternoon to remember!

The Club’s next meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. on October 8th and the book choice is The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. If you are interested in joining “Hooked On Books”, please email your contact information to alanehaardt@yhoo.com. All Ladies are welcome!

Care.

It’s a simple word, a four letter word not as nasty as some others you may or may not know, as a matter of fact the definition is the opposite of a curse, but a blessing.

As far as a definitive definition, it is one of those words that goes far beyond what you might find if you looked it up in the pages of Webster’s Dictionary, like love or beauty or even darker subject matter such as hatred, it is too deep and complex to be easily categorized.

Transcending any simple explanation of what its meaning or value is, it instead leads you down a multi-forked path where its meaning shifts and changes depending on the situation.

For me, it definitely is something I’ve been called on to do many times over the nearly fifty years I’ve been living on this planet.

First, I was charged with my mom’s care and the responsibilities within when my father was unable to take that care on himself (see what I mean about the word care constantly shifting tone and description?) be it for selfish or psychological reasons.

Being just slightly older than ten years old when I started, I admit it taught me a certain kind of perspective on reality in terms that for the young is rare due to the horrors of aging being shrouded for most young people until a later date.

It also taught me how to be responsible as well, how to see the phases of human life as something more than some abstract concept early on and how to use kindness as a tool to make others comfortable.

That’s not to say it was not hard at times, it’s never easy to be a caretaker for anyone by any means and that doubles or triples when you’re talking about someone in close relation to you like your own mother.

Exhaustion is also a very fitting word to use in these situations, as it is that in many ways.

Physically it can be a challenge moving and helping a grown adult, especially if they are in pain.

Mentally, it can burn you out when you are constantly on call for them, when any moment can bring a complication or a new problem.

It is a contest of wills, your will to keep a level head and continue giving care with the intent to heal, the other person’s will to fight and be strong, and the ability to know that even though your own freedom may be compromised you can only hope that when you are in the same place someone shows you the same kindness.

As I find myself in this role again temporarily or more long term due to my own predicament, I can only pray for guidance and keep on keeping on.

Finally, speaking on the same subject of caring, let’s be glad that my ‘boss’ and the main cog behind the Dolphin Talk newspaper, Joyce Rhyne is feeling better and is still cranking out the news…we care a lot Joyce.