Praying for Edmund

Rep. Edmund Kuempel, who collapsed at the Capitol during a late-night House session Tuesday, remains in intensive care in stable condition at an Austin hospital, a spokeswoman for Speaker Joe Straus announced this morning.

O God of heavenly powers, by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies all sickness and all infirmity: Be present in your goodness with your servant Edmund that his health is renewed.

In your Son's name. Amen.

Zombies

Phorid fly

OVERTON – Zombie fire ants may not sound like a cool thing, but wait a minute, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
On April 29, on the grounds of the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton in East Texas, Dr. Scott Ludwig released fire ants infected with a new type of phorid fly, a minuscule parasite that only preys on red imported fire ants.
The infected ants will soon exhibit some very bizarre behavior, he said.
"First they become zombies, their movements under the control of the parasite. Then their heads fall off and the parasite emerges," said Ludwig, , AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist.
Previously released phorid flies only preyed on ants in disturbed mounds. In contrast, the species, Pseudacteon obtusus, that Ludwig released in April is attracted to foraging red imported fire ants and not disturbed mounts. Which is even better, he said, as attacks of ants are not dependent upon the mounds being disturbed.

Our Kind of People

One of my first encounters with an early pioneering family in the black upper class was meeting members of the aristocratic Syphax family from Virginia. . . . the history of [this] family can be traced back to Maria Custis, the mulatto child of First Lady Martha Washington's grandson, George Washington Parke Custis. "Custis fathered Maria with Ariana Carter, one of his female house slaves," explained Syphax, a well-to-do, retired real estate broker who lives in Virginia, "and when Maria asked her father, who was also still her owner, for permission to marry Charles Syphax, a black slave who worked for her father, he released both from slavery, gave her a wedding in the mansion, and offered her and her new husband fifteen acres of the Arlington estate...."

Our Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham, pp 8-9

Handle with Care

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

page 119

When Mom called me down to dinner that night, I moved with all the wild and crazy enthusiasm of a death row prisoner heading to an execution. I mean, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that nobody in this household was happy, and that it had something to do with the lawyer's office we'd gone to. My parents had not done much to mask their voices when they were yelling at each other. In the three hours since Dad had left and returned again, since Mom had cried into the mixing bowl while whipping up her meat loaf, you'd been whimpering. So I did what I always did when you were in pain: I stuck my iPod headphones in my ears and cranked the volume.

Law Enforcement Appreciation Week

The Seguin Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association provided lunch for the Seguin Police Department today - a small act of appreciation for all the SPD does for Seguin.

ALMOST A MEAL CASSEROLE

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef - browned, drained

1 cup chopped onions

28 ounces canned tomatoes - chopped

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups potatoes - diced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

10 ounces frozen corn - thawed

10 ounced frozen lima beans - thawed

1 large bell pepper - cut in strips

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine browned and drained beef, onion, and tomatoes with liquid, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
2. Spoon into a greased 3-quart casserole.
3. Layer the potatoes, flour, corn, lima beans and green peppers on top.
4. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 minutes
5. Sprinkle with the cheese and continue baking, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer.

[Very good for preparing ahead of time. To reheat, place foil loosely over top and reheat in oven for about 20 minutes.]

Where is he going?

he looked so very very weary . . .

Work on the Justice Center Continues