Things Artisanal
By Edward H. Garcia The other day I picked up some "artisanal" lettuce at WalMart. It was a little assortment of different kinds of lettuce packed tightly in a clear plastic cube. Naturally, it cost a little more than plain, non-artisanal lettuce. The lettuce...
Becoming a Tiger Landscaper is Not for Everyone
By Edward H. Garcia I’ve never been much of a lawn man. Even in North Dallas, where lawn is king, ours was the one that was pale green from a lack of fertilizer in the summer and the one with the unraked leaves in the fall. So it was a relief when we moved to our...
Black Beauty Ranch Recognized as America’s Largest Animal Sanctuary
By Tom Geddie The Free Dictionary defines "sanctuary" as both a sacred place, as a place of refuge or asylum, and as a reserved area where animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting or molestation. It is a word often heard in discussions at the...
Ceremony Attracts Descendants
By Tom Geddie As people gather in the woods between Tyler and Edom July 13 to remember one of the most horrific days in the history of East Texas, the crowd will include descendents of the Cherokee leader slaughtered, along with much of his family and 800 other native...
Man Vs. Machine
By Edward H. Garcia When I was a kid, there were people around--not necessarily in my family--who could fix every machine they owned. No doubt that had been truer in earlier generations, but even in, say, 1950, most machines were fixable. When one broke down, your...
Ceremony Attracts Descendants
As people gather in the woods between Tyler and Edom July 13 to remember one of the most horrific days in the history of East Texas, the crowd will include descendants of the Cherokee leader slaughtered, along with much of his family and 800 other native Americans....
Kyser Capo Strikes a Winning Chord
What is that thing seen holding down strings on guitars played by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Patti Griffin, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis, and thousands of other musicians around the world? It’s a capo, most likely a Kyser capo that’s...
Cliburn Defined by Big, Small Moments
By Tom Geddie Some people’s lives are defined by a single big moment, or at least it seems that way. For Van Cliburn, the biggest moment was back in 1958 when, as a 23-year-old East Texan at the height of the Cold War, he played Tchaikovsky’s "Piano Concerto No. 1"...
Clearing Land and Psychological Thickets
By Edward H. Garcia These nice spring days, my wife and I often go back to the thicket near our house before supper for an hour or so of clearing. Our place is thick with oaks, pines, sassafras, cedars, the occasional hickory and maple and lots and lots of vines. We...
James Surls’ Expressionist Sculptures
By Tom Geddie As a child growing up in East Texas, James Surls spent a lot of time making things. He didn’t call it art; it was just stuff he made because he was passionate about it. As an adult, he’s been called "one of the most important sculptors working in America...
The Care and Feeding of Your Old Person
By Edward H. Garcia Demographers tell us that old folks are the fastest growing segment of the population, so if you don’t have one of your own now, you probably will in the next few years. If you haven’t been around old people or have avoided them because they creep...
East Texas Helped Jennings Make It
By Tom Geddie Think of Eric Clapton’s song "Tears in Heaven." Think of Steve Winwood’s "Higher Love" and "Valerie." Or Dionne Warwick’s "I’ll Never Love This Way Again," Barry Manilow’s "Looks Like We Made It," and Whitney Houston’s "Didn’t We Almost Have It All." And...
Coming Summer 2025
County Line Magazine archives are going to The Portal to Texas History, a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas. Look for the County Line issues there soon.