by Joe Snyder
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I am getting to be an old man and have experienced a lot of unusual happenings and experiences due to the two wars, World War II and the Korean conflict, plus numerous unpleasant incidents while in the newspaper business at The Kansas City Star and Times, Natoma, Kan., Mountain Grove, and in Gallatin. This was particularly true in Gallatin where I had the unique experience of publishing both a Democratic and a Republican newspaper.
Because, as I have said several times before, I chose to be more than just a "polly-parrot trained to make change," I found myself out on more limbs than all the squirrels in Daviess County.
So in most of the categories of modern day living, I have seen that and done that and probably would not have made it this far had it not been for my faithful wife and advisor of 63 years, who always seems to have the right answer to my problems.
Together we raised two fine daughters and we now have three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I only mention this because since we now live in Texas and have traveled the world from one end to the other, we have experienced something in Texas we never dreamed of ever seeing. Yes, this past summer we have seen a river run dry!!
Now you may think I took a long way ‘round to make my point, but Texas has some of the most beautiful streams I’ve ever seen – and you may recall that Kathy and I have seen a lot of wonderful rivers in our travels. The rivers here are different than the rivers in Missouri in that they run through mostly rock and gravel and have a lovely blue-green color where that ‘ole Grand River runs through rich top-soil and appears muddy most of the time.
As I’ve mentioned before our oldest daughter, Kathy Ann, lives about 12 miles north of here in a town named Kyle, which borders I-35. We like to stay off I-35 as much as possible so most of the time, in getting to Kyle, we take the old stagecoach road which skirts I-35 and takes us through the countryside. Enroute, we reach "Five-Mile Dam" and an adjoining park heavily used during the summer months.
The Blanco River there, on the south side, is bordered by rocky cliffs which tower several hundred feet, and several wealthy folks have built spectacular homes above the river.
It is truly a gorgeous scene.
Kathy and I were greatly shocked when we passed by there recently to find the water had disappeared! We had never seen a river run dry before! Only a few small puddles of water could be seen, the rest of the river bed looking like an empty rock quarry. At that point we realized the significance of this summer’s drought.
Already in our excursions into the countryside we realized how serious this drought is. For the past two seasons farmers have lost their corn crop, the stalks getting up about foot and a half and then dying due to lack of rain. The past two weeks we have some moisture, but as many of my readers understand, it came too late!