apr 15 local covers custom 3/13/15 9:37 AM Page 4 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EDITION APRIL 2015 Santa Anna Dinner for Two Rockin’ Out in Llano IT’SWILD OUT THERE Introducing the Natives and Taming the Invasives SEE PAGE 20 BLUEBONNET NEWS We are pioneers. Our mornings, our nights and the waking hours in between — this is when we discover what we can achieve. We are determined to grow and build and cultivate the life of our dreams. Because this is our ground. Our opportunity. Our responsibility. Our life to lead. kubota.com © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2015 Since 1944 April 2015 FAVORITES 20 Local Co-op News Get the latest information plus energy and safety tips from your cooperative. 33 Texas History Santa Anna’s Complex Character By Martha Deeringer 35 Recipes Dinner for Two 38 Focus on Texas In Bloom 40 Around Texas List of Local Events 42 Hit the Road Llano: Between a Rock and a Hard Place By Helen Thompson ONLINE TexasCoopPower.com SPECIAL FEATURES Find these stories online if they don’t appear in your edition of the magazine. It’s Wild Out There Despite the exuberant show Texas USA 8 they put on every spring, wildflowers don’t have it Owl Wisdom all that easy. Plus, find best-bet drives for wildflower By Martha Deeringer watching and tips on how to make your own meadow. Observations By Helen Thompson Breakdown on the Tahoka Circle By Clay Coppedge NEXT MONTH Jump into Summer! In Texas, a summer getaway means finding water. We’ll tell you where. Also, explore breakfast landmarks. 33 38 35 42 LARKSPUR: WILL VAN OVERBEEK. BOY: © DARYL MARQUARDT | DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB ON THE COVER Sunflowers and Indian blanket wildflowers in early dawn light. Photo © Dean Fikar | TDF Photography TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Jerry B. Boze, Chair, Kaufman; David Marricle, Vice Chair, Muleshoe; Mark Tamplin, Secretary-Treasurer, Kirbyville; Debra A. Cole, Itasca; Mike R. Hagy, Tipton, Oklahoma; Robert A. Loth III, Fredericksburg; Mark Rollans, Hondo • PRESIDENT/CEO: Mike Williams, Austin • COMMUNICATIONS & MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE: Greg Henley, Tahoka; Bryan Lightfoot, Bartlett; Billy Marricle, Bellville; Mark McClain, Roby; Blaine Warzecha, Victoria; Jerry Williams, Paris; Kathy Wood, Marshall MAGAZINE STAFF: Martin Bevins, Vice President, Communications & Member Services; Charles J. Lohrmann, Editor; Tom Widlowski, Associate Editor; Karen Nejtek, Production Manager; Andy Doughty, Creative Manager; Grace Arsiaga, Print Production Specialist; Chris Carlson, Communications & Member Services Assistant; Anna Ginsberg, Food Editor; Suzanne Halko, Copy Editor; Elizabeth John, Communications & Member Services Assistant; Randall Maxwell, Videographer/Photographer; Jane Sharpe, Graphic Designer; Ellen Stader, Copy Editor; Shannon Oelrich, Proofreader TexasCoopPower.com April 2015 Texas Co-op Power 3 For stunning beauty combined with superior strength, choose a Mueller metal roof for your home. Our roofs are extremely durable, offering resistance to wind, hail and fi re. And get the look you desire by choosing from more than 30 designer colors. At Mueller, we’ve got you covered. www.muellerinc.com 877-2-MUELLER (877-268-3553) CURRENTS Letters, emails and posts from our readers Life Jackets Flying With Lindy The article about the University of Thank you for the story about “Unlucky Lindy” in your February 2015 issue. Texas Marine Science Institute It was especially interesting [“Immersed in Learning,” January for me because my dad, Homer 2015] covers a great learning pro- gram for middle students, but Fitzgerald, was a teen when something is missing in one of the Lindbergh stayed in their family photographs: It looks like someone hotel/home for a number of days missed the importance of wearing until the plane was repaired. a life jacket on the boat. It appears Lindbergh even gave my dad that three adults are not wearing a short plane ride that was more them, just the students. Safety first scary than fun for my dad at the starts with the instructors! time, but the experience pro- JERRY AND TISH SWIGGART | CANTON vided a great story for many TRINITY VALLEY EC years to come. Response from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute: | KINGSLAND | Safety is our top priority. Our educa- JO ANN FITZGERALD EASTMAN CENTRAL TEXAS EC tion programs on the research vessel Katy require all persons under the age of 13 to wear life jackets while my attention. This uprising was for a flour sack dress. How hard it not remember how many times on board. We also strongly encour- probably the reason my grandpar- was to choose just one from all of those big red ants bit me. My father age older youths, adults and chaper- ents, John and Eula Black Harding, the pretty printed sacks! or grandpa would put tobacco juice ones to wear life jackets, but by law and their three sons, Otis, Dixie and We finally made our choices on the bite to help with the pain. this is not required on vessels as Travis, left almost everything behind and hurried home ready to wear That was back in the 1940s. large as Katy, and we respect per- except the old family Bible and evac- our new dresses. It seemed an eter- I still have a recollection of when sonal preferences. uated from Sinton by train in 1915 to nity before all of that flour had electric power came to our farm- Inez, where they lived on the Bald- been used and we could actually house. Thank you for the memories. win property south of Inez. My dad wear our special dresses. CHARLES SKWERES | MAGNOLIA and grandmother always told stories ANN BOST | ELKHART SAN BERNARD EC of how they had to hide in the fields HOUSTON COUNTY EC because of the raids going on. | HOUSTON I was one who wore feed sack JEANNETTE MULLENIX GET MORE TCP AT VICTORIA EC dresses and underwear. I was always so happy to see the new prints and TexasCoopPower.com Fashion Sense on the Farm loved them. After I married, my Find more letters online in the Iguana in New York I enjoyed “Feeding Their Fashion first maternity dress was feed sack Table of Contents. Sign up for While visiting a friend in New York Sense” [February 2015]. It reminded material. That was the good old our E-Newsletter for monthly in October of 1998, I took this picture me of one time in the early ’50s that days. If you never had that privilege, updates, prize drawings and more! of this giant iguana. It looks like the my sister and I went to the store you don’t know what you missed. same one in the February issue of with Mama for something special. NELL LARREMORE | VIA FACEBOOK WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Texas Co-op Power [“The Curious Would it be an ice-cold Grapette ONLINE: TexasCoopPower.com/share Creations of Daddy-O Wade”]. from the box by the door or maybe Bitten by Memory EMAIL: [email protected] | SCHERTZ PETE LARRIEU a Baby Ruth candy bar? No, Mama “Gone But Not Forgotten” [Feb- MAIL: Editor, Texas Co-op Power, GUADALUPE VALLEY EC had something else in mind. ruary 2015] really brought back 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, We entered the store, and she memories from long ago during Austin, TX 78701 Remembering the Uprising steered us toward the back corner, my childhood on my grandparents’ Please include your town and electric co-op. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. The article about the San Diego where there was a mound of flour- farm in Brenham (serviced by Blue- uprising [“Plan of San Diego Upris- filled cloth sacks on pallets. Mama bonnet EC). There were many horny ing,” January 2015] certainly caught wanted each of us to choose one toads that I played with, and I can- Texas Co-op Power Magazine TEXAS CO-OP POWER VOLUME 71, NUMBER 10 (USPS 540-560). Texas Co-op Power is published monthly by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, TX, and at additional offices. TEC is the statewide association representing 76 electric cooperatives. Texas Co-op Power’s website is TexasCoopPower.com. Call (512) 454-0311 or email [email protected]. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE is $4.08 per year for individual members of subscribing cooperatives. If you are not a member of a subscribing cooperative, you can purchase an annual subscription at the nonmember rate of $7.50. Individual copies and back issues are available for $3 each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Co-op Power (USPS 540-560), 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. Please enclose label from this copy of Texas Co-op Power showing old address and key numbers. ADVERTISING: Advertisers interested in buying display ad space in Texas Co-op Power and/or in our 30 sister publications in other states, contact Martin Bevins at (512) 486-6249. Advertisements in Texas Co-op Power are paid solicitations. The publisher neither endorses nor guarantees in any manner any product or company included in this publication. Product satisfaction and delivery responsibility lie solely with the advertiser. © Copyright 2015 Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Reproduction of this issue or any portion of it is expressly prohibited without written permission. LINDY: JOHN KACHIK. IGUANA: PETE LARRIEU IGUANA: JOHN KACHIK. LINDY: Willie Wiredhand © Copyright 2015 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. TexasCoopPower.com April 2015 Texas Co-op Power 5 CURRENTS Energy, innovation, people, places and events in Texas KIDS CORNER Five Rules for Kids and Electrical Safety Touchstone Energy and Kids EnergyZone.com offer five important lessons to share with youngsters to help them stay safe around electricity. “Teaching electrical safety from the very earliest of ages ensures a healthy respect of this resource to help prevent accidents and injuries,” says Debbie Robinson, CEO and general manager of Wood County Electric Cooperative.