THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER

Mrs. Charm is the television consumer at the rancho. Unless you count Mr. Boy’s periodic consumption of Sponge Bob. Her fave Roku show these days is Mad Men, a soaper return to the early 1960s urban advertising game, with lots of skinny ties, incessant smoking and martini lunches. Also the girdled wives and girlfriends, which [...]

I played my first violin notes for Mrs. Charm the other day. The old viola player rewarded me with a broad smile and a reminiscence or two. The one-note-at-a-time playing was accompaniment to the Web instructor playing (on video) and a piano behind her adding a flourish or two. Have discovered in these violin lessons that it’s [...]

I have rented a violin, embarking upon an effort to learn the instrument. Next is finding a teacher near the rancho. I have no illusions. It took me years to learn to play the trumpet and I was never very good at it. Likewise the acoustic guitar. Violin is just something I’ve been thinking about [...]

Mrs. Charm came home from work last night announcing that Gov. P. had “destroyed himself” in the latest of the interminably-stupid Republican “debates.” Well, that’s part of her job in the Democrat media, to draw such conclusions about politicians, particularly Republican ones. I watched the video and thought how amusing. He froze. So what? How [...]

Mrs. Charm’s photo, celebrating yesterday’s brief shower in near South Austin, something quite rare this year in any part of the city.

Never a dull moment when you own a pool, and not because of the wild sex parties (if you have them) but because of the expense, breakdowns, and recurring irritants. Comes a new one: congregating bees. A (so far) small swarm of them are clustering on the tile surround, just above the water line which [...]

All the windows are open and the ceiling fans chucking around. Got heavy objects on the loose papers in the study to keep them in place. Fortunately it’s only in the upper 80s lower 90s and there’s a nice breeze. Regular old-timer Texas (pre-AC) feel to the day so far. Part of the sheet rock [...]

Takeoff is at roughly 6:30 this morning for the first (three-hour) leg of my thirteen-hour flight to Israel. I’m looking forward to the visit, despite the ongoing onslaught of rockets, mortars and deadly bus bombs from Israel’s alleged “peace partners” of the pathetic “peace process.” But I’m not a good air traveler. I plan to [...]

Dear, old friend, journalist Michele Kay Schultz, 66, Mrs. C.’s best friend, whom the toddler Mr. B. always called mee-fell, passed away this morning after a long illness. She was aptly called a “five-foot fireball” by journalism and political friends in her several obits. The angels will care for her now.

My Valentine’s gift to Mrs. Charm, a Roku XD, was a hit. She likes Masterpiece Theater and similar Brit stuff, but isn’t always available when the local channel decides to run them. Now, with the various streaming video channels the Roku offers, she can choose her own time. One more reason to read Instapundit.