—
I never figured I‘d ever have much in common with the Pharaoh of Egypt who lived a few thousand years ago. As it turns out, I do, because he hated grasshoppers and so do I.
If I correctly remember my Sunday school lessons at the Brock Baptist Church about a half century ago, I believe it was the eighth plague, which consisted of a great swarm of locusts that God sent down on Egypt for enslaving the Israelites. These locusts, or grasshoppers to us old farmers, devoured everything in their path, leaving not a green thing “through all the land of Egypt.” Are you now starting to see the similarity to Parker County?
I’m sure Moses hasn’t had anything to do with this, but in recent decades, it seems that Parker County and the State of Texas as a whole have endured quite a few severe weather and pestilent related phenomena. Droughts, floods, hail, lightning, grasshoppers, feral hogs, West Nile virus, and a host of other unusual and disruptive events or “things” have presented significant challenge to the peaceful tranquility of country living.
I suppose that in actuality such attention demanding events have always been with us. The first that made a huge impact on my life was the epic Drought of the ‘50s. It forever changed the face of Parker County and rural Texas. There was a mass exodus from the farms to the big city — I suppose much akin the Israelites seeking the Promised Land. When the drought finally “broke” in 1957, we suffered great flooding of our rivers. The 1957 flood of the Brazos, along with the heat and drought of 1980, became “events of record” by which others have been measured for years. It’s been years since I considered some of these earlier problems, but we also endured massive sandstorms that would bury our peanut crop in sand dunes making it impossible to harvest. In addition, I saw fields inundated by lakes of standing water, making it likewise impossible to plant in the spring. It would drown those crops that were already growing, with the soil souring and becoming stagnant from too much rainfall.
In the last decade or so, we have again endured some other epic challenges to our Parker County lifestyle. In addition to the agricultural travails, we’ve suffered from a burst of population growth placing a great challenge on our infrastructure. Our roads, schools, medical facilities, and utilities have felt the impact of greatly increased demand. Like the generations before us, we have met each challenge and will continue to do so.
As I mentioned earlier, down here on the poor farm, we are currently experiencing a grasshopper problem of biblical proportions. With our modern smug scientific knowledge, we proclaim to have quite an effective toolset to deal with our Orthopteran interlopers. We have growth regulator hormone sprays and several generations of pesticides and baits to limit their numbers, yet they still deal us quite a large amount of damage. The Pharaoh dealt with the problem differently. He asked Moses to “intreat” the Lord to remove the pestilence. The Lord sent a mighty west wind that blew every last locust into the Red Sea. Man, I’ll bet there were some fat and happy fish there.
Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to nowhearthis@pwhome.com.
Viewpoints
COLUMN: Floods, droughts and locust plagues
- Viewpoints
-
-
CNHI EDITORIAL: Seizure of AP phone records an insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
NOW HEAR THIS: ‘What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate’
This famous quote addressing communication failure is a classic line from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman. Strother Martin, who played the role of the warden in a southern prison, would use this phrase every time he gave Luke a good whack with his baton. The concept resonated so well with moviegoers that it was voted No. 11 of the 100 all-time favorite movie quotes according to the American Film Institute.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 19, 2013
Do you remember the “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” sign that the personnel on the USS Abraham Lincoln displayed to greet President Bush when he went out to greet them?
-
Guest opinion: Campaign with honor
All politics is local and personal! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful summer, filled with relationship building experiences and times of relaxation. As you do all the things that re-charge us for the next round at work and involvement in community and political activities, let’s reflect on the 2013 local elections for a moment.
-
TISCIONE: Woe for calling evil good
You don’t often see “woe” used in an article. It’s a word that has fallen out of usage in our day. But it’s a word that ought to be understood and taken seriously.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 17, 2013
As mercury pollution threatens our waterways and carbon pollution-fueled climate change worsens extreme weather, we need someone in Washington who knows how to get things done.
-
Letters to the Editor – May 15, 2013
I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to the slobs, idiots and inconsiderate people who continually decorate the beautiful Texas landscape with their trash. I guess it’s really a form of art with beer bottles and cans, boxes, plastic drink containers, food packaging and just about anything else you can think of. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Thank you.
-
NOW HEAR THIS: Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin
I had never really considered this possibility, but every one of the Three Little Pigs was almost certainly a guy. I know that assumption is not particularly popular from an equal opportunity standpoint, but the fact is fairly certain. How do I know? They all three had hair on their chinny chin chins.
-
ESTES: Securing a bright future for Texas
Texas businesses have created more than 500,000 jobs since November 2011. Our economy is growing nearly 50 percent faster than the rest of the country and our cost of living remains low.
-
TISCIONE: ‘It’s not about me’
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night.”
- More Viewpoints Headlines
-
CNHI EDITORIAL: Seizure of AP phone records an insult to independent press
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Fierce Bombing in Qusair, Syria
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
