Cold snap explained; next up – pigs to fly 52

Last week, Texas was slammed with seriously cold (for us, anyway) weather. Some people chalk this up to changes in the jet stream; others say it’s due to a disruption of El Niño or La Niña or perhaps Columbus’s other ship. I’ve even seen it attributed to a polar vortex (whatever that is – sounds like a Mannheim Steamroller album to me).

I’m here to tell you it’s none of these things. It’s cold here because hell has frozen over. More…

If Mexico didn’t exist, Texas songwriters would have to invent it 5

The other night I got to hear Terry Allen for the first time. Allen is a Texas singer/songwriter, a clique that includes Joe Ely (my personal favorite) the late Steven Fromholz, Lyle Lovett and Gene Autry (Gene Autry?).

Allen floored me, so I immediately set out to hear more. When I did, one thing that struck me was how much his songwriting benefits from the proximity of Mexico. In fact, if it weren’t for our neighbor to the south, I’m not sure what Allen and his amigos would write about. More…

Forget the naughty-or-nice list; this one’s about survival 2

Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably noticed (starting about Halloween) that Christmas is coming. For lots of us, that means travel and spending time with family. And, love them as we do, getting along with people we see only once a year isn’t always easy (and believe me, it’s not any easier for them).

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