mi vida issue 5

MI VIDAP & J ELCTRIC, INC. . TEX MEX CAFE . DUVAL COUNTY TREASURER ROBERTO ELIZONDO . EL JALISIENSE . LALA’S MINI KITCHENTHE NEW YORK STORE . GARZA FUNERAL HOME . MAURO P. GARCIA FUNERAL HOMES INC. . ALL STARS AUTO TRANSPORT &

TOWING . DAVID D. TOWLER ATTORNEY AT LAW . DUVAL COUNTY ATTORNEY ROCKY CARRILLO . LUCHAZIE GENERAL STOREAGUILAR’S WELDING INC. . THE TINT SHOP . MI RANCHITO . HINOJOSA WELDING SERVICE . MUY GRANDE VILLAGE

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M. BARTON . JUANITA’S MEXICAN FOOD . ADVENTURE MOONWALKS . U CAN-DO-IT . TAQUERIA VALLARTA . LONEWOLF HOTSHOT R.A.S. TRUCKING . 3 STAR MUFFLER SALES & REPAIR . REALTIME . J. P. GERALDITA L. MARTINEZ . THE PINK DOOR BOUTIQUE

Special Christmas Edition

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Always free. Gratis

DECEMBER 2014

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

HAIR DIVA

GONZALITOZ GROCERY

Compliments of

On-Site Nursing Services

Inc.102 East King

San Diego, Texas

Mauro P. Garcia Funeral Homes Inc.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

A publication of the Jim Hogg County Enterprise

304 E. Galbraith, Hebbronville, Texas 78361Copyright 1998 by The Jim

Hogg County Enterprise. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the express

permission of the publisher.

Entered as Second Class Matter at Hebbronville,

Texas under May 5, 1926, at the Post Office the Act of March 8, 1979, Second

Class Postage Paid at Hebbronville, Jim Hogg

County, Texas 78361.POSTMASTER: Send inquiries to Jim Hogg County

Enterprise304 E. Galbraith

P.O. Box 759Hebbronville, Texas 78361

Call (361) 460-9493 for information.

Base advertising rate is $6.00 per column inch. Volume and frequency

discounts available.Contact us by email at

[email protected] or at

[email protected]

Poncho Hernandez Jr.Juanita I. Hernandez

Publishers

To Advertise:

Sylvia TangumaAdvertising Representative361-389-6612

[email protected]@aol.com

ON THE COVER:

CONTENTS

Unless otherwise noted, all articles and photos by Poncho Hernandez Jr.

Our Special Christmas Edition thanks our advertisers, writers and contributors, who have made Mi Vida Magazine possible. We thank them this month and wish them a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Wishing you and your family a Merry

Christmas

Compliments of

Gilbert Saenz

Freer ISD

School Board Trustee

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Author, artist join forces to tell story of ‘La Tristeza de Candelaria’

Consider it a bone chilling account of love lost and the terrifying encounters a rural family had with a ghost in rural South Texas. It’s a narrative author Hernan Moreno-Hinojosa experienced in his youth, and a tale brought to life by artist Rosa Acevedo Flores.

“La Tristeza de Candelaria,” published by Over-looked Books in Killeen, Texas, tells the story of a small town abandoned when people came to fear the night. It’s the story of a young woman so deeply in love that her gentle and mournful sobs are heard even today from the family well - where her tears still fall softly into the night.

Denied the love of a young man her father disap-proved off and bequeathed to another, Candelaria’s fate, more than 100 years later, remains in question.

“Perhaps she fell in,” writes the author, or perhaps her first love came to her in the night in a fit of des-peration. Did he push her into the well ... knocked unconscious by the fall and drown? Or perhaps, did she take her own life!

She was found the next day floating face down in the well and was buried in unconsecrated soil, described by Hispanics as “tierra bruta.”

“The dead don’t rest.“ She waits still for her true love ... and the hope her father denied her,” wrote Moreno-Hinojosa.

“I was fascinated by the story. In my teens, I started to think the stories were no more than old

While stories of apparitions have been chronicled since ancient times, rarely do they fascinate readers as

powerfully as does author Hernan Moreno-Hinojosa’s “La Tristeza de Candelaria.”

Was town abandoned after ghosts moved in?

legends. I started to disbelieve in them and consid-ered them no more than fiction ... except that one day (alone at night and miles away from town) I heard the sobbing of a young lady coming from the well. I remembered being told that Candelaria was buried in unconsecrated soil, because it was believed she had committed suicide. But until today, I believe she was murdered,” he said.

The story is brought to life by the renderings of Rosa Acevedo Flores, a long-time resident of South Texas born in Rio Grande City and reared in Hebbronville, Texas. Working in her unique style, Acevedo’s renderings capture the sorrow of Can-delaria’s plight, portraying the heartache the young girl must have felt.

“I knew it was something I had to do,” said Acevedo-Flores, after reading the transcript. “The pictures just flowed freely through my mind. After that, I sent the illustrations to Hernan and he was very pleased.”

A former art teacher with the Corpus Christi Inde-pendent School District for 31 years and a first year teacher at West Oso High School, her work today includes illustrations, portraits and paintings.

In 2006, she was a featured artist at the Hispanic Heritage Conference held in Corpus Christi as well as the Chicano Symposium at Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2005.

In the early 1980s, Acevedo-Flores was one of several premier artists at Corpus Christi’s “Canto al Pueblo” helping create several murals.

Hernan Moreno-Hinojosa is best known as the author of The Ghostly Rider and Other Chilling Stories. His other work has appeared in various magazines and print media. He grew up in the part of South Texas that used to be known as “el desierto muerto,” a region that served as the inspiration for many of his stories.

“La Tristeza de Candelaria” is available at Ama-zon.com at a purchase price of $7.99

Acevedo’s work displayed at a recent showing.

SOUTH TEXAS

Illustrations by Rosa Acevedo-Flores

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

By Genaro and Nora PerezMi Vida Magazine

The old Santo Nino ranch was in operation when Texas was part of Mexico. Hilario Leal, was given the ranch by his relatives. Hilario, built the rock house shown here in 1870. Santo Nino’s homestead is located nine miles northeast of Bruni in Webb County, with partial acreage connected with Duval County. Mr. Leal died in 1890, his children Civilo, Pedro, Eleno, Juan, Lorenzo, Lazaro and Estevan Leal, inherited the property.

The present (Perez) Santo Nino Ranch was established by Severiano and Concepcion Perez in January of 1905. At that time the ranch was used for agriculture purposes and livestock. Due to hardship Severiano had to sell part of their property in order to keep up with his farming goods. Severi-ano and Concepcion kept 659 acres, at his demise their children Amado, Estela, and Hermojenes Perez became owners. Together with their spouses they continued with their legacy.

The old santo nino ranch and the present santo Nino Ranch are the same. Pedro was Hilarios son, so As we understand Pedro Leal was ill and asked

that at his demise Severiano Perez was to marry his wife Concepcion and raise his son.

The present Santo Nino was established by Severiano and Concepcion in 1905 ,to-gether they bought about 1,200 acres of land from the state of Texas for $1.50 an acre.

Amado Perez married Es-ter Trevino. Amado acquired his share of the property and together with his wife Ester they continued with the pro-duction of the property by raising chickens, goats, pigs, cattle and hay.

Amado and Ester both loved cooking, so on cer-tain days they took off by wagon in the mornings to local ranches where they either sold or exchanged their meals, vegetables and production goods in ex-change for production from other ranchers. As time went by Amado kept up with the cropping of hay and livestock. Amado establishes his own dairy business; Borden being one of his buyers.

STORIES FROM OUR READERS

Welcome authors and contributors Have an article you’ve written that you would like to see posted here? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a novice or professional, we hope you’ll accept our invitation to become one of our many contributors. So as long as your story has value to our readers, we’ll be happy to publish it, and we’ll even send you copies to share with your family. Contributors should post their stories, photos, at [email protected] or at [email protected].

Historic ranch started with rock houseDuval, Webb County

ranch was in operation when Texas was still

part of Mexico

Honored by the Texas Family Land Heritage Program at the State Capitol in Austin on November 6, 2014, the Perez family tells their family story.

Concepcion Perez Severiano Perez

The old photo of the Santo Nino house

Remembering Felipe

When shopping was difficult,

there was always Sears &

Roebuck

By Ida LuttrellMi Vida Magazine

Felipe drove a faded black pickup truck down the rutted caliche road south of hebbronville to Randado and Escobas delivering mail in the late nineteen-thirties and for many decades thereafter. He left our mail in the hump-top metal mail box at the gate to our ranch, seven miles south of town. Our house stood on a low hill about a half a mile from the mailbox and we could watch for Felipe from our front porch.

Felipe, punctual and faithful as the sun, arrived at the same time daily and even Trixie, our little black and white terrier, knew the hour and became restless and whined at the back door to get in the car and go get the mail. This was the major event of the day, especially around Christmas time.

Shopping for Christmas gifts was difficult for mother because family was always with her when she went to town. So she relived on Sears roebuck, ordered or gifts, and counted on Sears and Felipe to do the rest.

We celebrated Christmas at our house on Christ-mas Eve. The prior week daddy bought the biggest tree at the Red and White grocery store. We decorated it with a dwindling supply of glass ornaments. So many had fallen, dropped by overeager hands, and shattered on the tile and concrete living floor. The endless red and green paper rope my brother, Bubs, had bought in town for a nickel, filled in the blank spaces.

FELIPE - Page 14

A Christmas Story

RANCH - Page 14

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

AMERICA’S LAST PATROL RANCH, INC.Texas Highway 359

Benavides, Texas

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

DATE OF BIRTH

NAME (Last) (First) (Middle Name)

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

PHONE (Home) (Cell) (Work)

Annual Dues: $15.00Lifetime Dues: $150.00PLEASE SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

AMERICA’S LAST PATROL RANCH, INC.C/O Adjutant Pete VasquezP.O. Box 906Kingsville, Texas 78361

MILITARY SERVICE

BRANCH OF SERVICE DATES

IRAQ (Date) (Unit)

PERSIAN GULF (Date) (Unit)

VIETNAM (Date) (Unit)

KOREA (Date) (Unit)

WWII (Date) (Unit)

Other or War Era

I am not a Veteran, but would like to become an ASSOCIATE member and give my support to AMERICA’S LAST PATROL RANCH, INC.

(My signature of support)

Let’s not forget our vets

Our military strength has always been a crucial part of our existence. From the simpler days following the birth of our nation to our highly technical society today, our men and women in uniform have been there to preserve our freedom — a freedom that is best exemplified by our right to assemble freely, to worship as we wish, and to play a role in selecting our elected officials.

The result is the greatest military in the world, from the civilian militias of the 18th Century to the best trained and equipped all-volunteer armed services in the world today.

Together, they have defeated tyrannical lead-ers, have overcome immense odds, and have given their service and lives for our freedom.

We honor our men and women who have fought for our freedom yearly on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, but renewing our commit-ment to the ideals of this country should never elude us.

Even here, in a part of the country that appears safe from the dictators or religious zealots who use terror to gain power and reign terror, freedom is earned only through the work of our service men and women. And I assure you, that if called upon, they will be there.

But they also need our help.In South Texas, our local veteran’s group is

asking that you consider joining the cause of free-dom. It’s a simple, inexpensive request to preserve the memories of those who lost their lives on the battlefield and for those who continue to fight for our freedom today.

So now’s the time to join the group’s member-ship, as a veteran or supporter for a reasonable cost of $15 a year or $150.00 for a lifetime member-ship. Not a high price to pay for our freedom! Just fill in and sign the attached membership applica-tion and you’ll be a part of America’s struggle for freedom.

As President John F. Kennedy said, “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have al-ways paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.”

Inspiring words from a very smart man.Join today!

Join the fight for freedom today!

Dear Editor:

The group really got excited about the news-paper that you are putting out and the information that is in it. They were surprised to see the ar-ticles, news, photos, and what you wrote down.

One of the guys got a handful from some-where and took them to the meeting (held Nov. 15, 2014) to pass them around, and then when you brought in yours, everyone there also got a handful and said that they were going to pass them out.

They said that this is the first newspaper that has ever written some-thing about the Last Pa-trol Ranch, or it's events, (in recent history).

From:

Ildefonso GarzaAmerica’s Last Patrol

Ranch, Inc.Hwy. 359

Benavides, Texas

Excerpts from a letter written by America’s Last Patrol Ranch to Mi Vida Magazine

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

December 09 to December 31st. 2014

Take An Additional10%OFF

One in Store ItemOn Sale

Limit 1 coupon per customer per day. Excludes prior purchases, special orders and lay-a-ways. Present this coupon at time of purchase. In store coupons are available also.

Single use coupon. Offer ends December 31, 2014

Dr. Lino Garcia Jr., Professor Emeritus (second from left) is pictured with (left to right) Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Interim President of UTPA, Mr. John Cantú, the donor of the statue, and Roberto Garcia, Jr., sculptor.

A dream come true!After waiting 36

years, Dr. Lino Garcia Jr., a Professor Emeritus with the University of Texas Pan America (UTPA), realized his dream with the unveil-ing of a bronze statue of historic Rio Grande Valley figure Col. José de Escan-dón y Helguera.

Escandon is credited in bringing families, includ-ing the pioneering Longo-ria-Chapa families, to the South Texas area as early as 1749 and is considered by many to be the colonizer of South Texas.

A special unveiling, at-tended by both the statue’s artist and Garcia, was held November 18, 2014 at the university campus.

According to Garcia, the statue is a symbol of a heri-tage that set the foundation

for the culture of Texas and South Texas - the “Vaquero” culture with its horses and cattle.

The statue was a gift from Mr. John Cantu, a descendant of Capt.

Carlos Cantú, who along with others helped to settle Reynosa, Tamps. in 1749.

“It’s been a dream of almost 36 years,” Garcia said.

Compliments of

Mr. & Mrs. Alejo Garcia & Family

Happy Holidays!

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

By Sophie JudsonMi Vida Magazine

A steady decline in the Bobwhite Quail population is raising questions as to the future of quail hunt-ing in South Texas.

Throughout southwestern states, Bobwhite Quail are becoming increas-ingly scarce, with the quail population in a steady decline over the past 15 years.

The result is a dramatic decline and fear that quail populations in certain areas of southwestern states, includ-ing Texas, could someday become extinct.

Hunting enthusiasts, bird watchers, and supporters of Texas wildlife alike are well aware of the possibility of this species extinction.

Traditionally, quail populations have a recorded trend of increases and decreases over five to ten year spans. However, over the past 15 years, these grassland birds population has yet to increase. This puzzles specialists, researchers, and managers of the spe-cies alike.

There are many different theories being pursued on the reasoning behind the decrease in this native species. Examples including: drought and eye parasites. Although, what seems to be the main issue causing the most negative impact on the population of Bobwhite and Scaled Quail include land fragmentation.

The definition of land fragmentation

is described as the breaking up of par-cels of land that causes a disturbance in the migration of birds to new areas, increase in predation, and smaller area of land that cannot support the Quail population numbers to increase. A solution is not clearly defined as there could be a variety of factors negatively affecting these birds.

As the human population increases and develops habitats of Quail into housing and living needs, the quail population may continue to fall.

Today, Quail species are being pen raised by agricultural industries to provide for the demand of hunting and/or dining. It is not the pen raised quail we should be afraid of going extinct it is the true wild and native Bobwhite and Scaled Quail that will disappear from Texas.

If not careful, the distinct whistle of the Bobwhite Quail will fade away the more we break up the habitat of quail, develop, and refuse to recognize the issue that humans are contributing the decrease in population numbers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sophie Judson is an extension agent with Jim Hogg County.

Where have all the Bobwhite Quail gone!

Are Bobwhite Quail close to extinction?

361-527-4505Open 6 to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday - 7 thru 2 p.m. Saturday

Closed Sunday

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

YOUR GATE KEEPER TO GOOD HEALTH

“Mother was referred to St. Peter’s

after we spoke to her doctor about

the weakness to her legs. Their

physical therapy program was able

to get mom walking steadily in just

a few weeks. It has really improved

her quality of life.”

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- Josie G. San Diego, TX

YOUR GATE KEEPER TO GOOD HEALTH

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

WWW.STPETERSHOMEHEALTH.COM

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Welcome to our special Christmas edition of Mi Vida Magazine. With more than 2,500 copies in circulation and growing, we’ve crafted our magazine to provide South Texans with a diversity of topics, featuring local events and history while showcasing high-profile individuals and businesses.

We hope you enjoy our stories and encourage you to pick up our magazine at selected newsstands.

The Publisher

By Marcie GossMi Vida Magazine

Marvin farmed and raised cattle and sheep on land inherited from his family. One of 11 children, he had grown up on the land and had worked it all of his life. He knew every slope, fence, field, and clump of cactus on the place. He had built most of the pens and the barn himself. He planted cotton and maize in the fields he had plowed behind a horse when he was young. He could fix or build most anything, and recycling was a second nature to him.

He was a good judge of horse flesh, too. He had a bay mare that he had once been offered a thou-sand dollars for, but he had turned down the offer because Dolly was a horse he could leave out in the pasture to roam and graze for months, and then when needed, could saddle her up and work livestock all

day, without worrying the horse would pitch. Dolly had a smooth gate, was easy to mount, and was not easily spooked; all good qualities that suited a man with back problems.

Marvin's habit or routine was to drop by the farm on his way home from the office every weekday afternoon. He was sheriff and tax collector-assessor

of Concho County, and had two offices. One was in the court house in Paint Rock, the county seat, and one in Eden, the largest community in the county and also where he lived.

Marvin was known for his extraordinary math skills. The 18 years that he was tax assessor and collector, the county tax roll had been submitted to the state comptroller's office in Austin, and had come back every year without one single penalty for an er-ror. And this was in the days long before computers; the highest level of "technology" used was a hand cranked adding machine.

He could start out any random day going to the farm and loading up cows and calves to take to the Producers' Livestock Auction in San Angelo to sell, sell them, buy perhaps a few calves, take them back to the farm and unload them, then go to the feed store and buy 20 bales of hay and a pick-up load of feed, then go to the grain elevator office and pick up his check for his maize crop, deposit it in the bank, then go to the John Deere dealership and buy parts for his

tractor, and at the end of the day, would know to the penny the balance of his farm account at the Farm-ers and Merchants Bank without ever having written down one single transaction or recording one single draft or deposit. He figured it all in his head.

He was good at trading, too. If somebody had a few sacks of cotton seed to trade, he'd find something to trade for it. A dog for a rifle? Sounded reason-able to him.

He stopped off at the local Gulf station one hot summer afternoon to drink a Dr. Pepper and jaw with a few of the locals. They talked about grain prices, the last time they got any rain, politics, Marvin squat-ted down on his knees just inside the office door, sipping his soda pop and petting his dog.

The dog was black, medium-sized, and had just shown up out at the farm one day. He was still a pup, but rode well in the back of the pick-up and proved to be a pretty good watch dog. He'd bark and snap at anyone who came up to the bed of the truck. One of the other fellas there at the gas station that day noticed the dog.

Marvin bragged on anything or anybody when he had the chance, and it was the same when someone asked about this dog. He'd named him Nick for some reason. This guy said he needed a good dog. Marvin, never passing a chance for a trade, asked what he'd trade for the dog.

The New Rifle

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

I was at the house with Aunt Lily when I heard the pick-up pull into the driveway that ran along-side the house. Marvin came in all excited and carrying a rifle. I don't know what kind of rifle. I don't know that much about firearms. But Marvin headed straight for the gun cabinet and pulled a box of bullets out of one of the drawers. He wanted to go back out to the farm and shoot the rifle he'd just traded the dog for.

I guess his enthusiasm rubbed off on Aunt Lily somehow, because she agreed to ride along with us to the farm. This was a rare event. Lily didn't like the heat, and she didn't like cows, or sheep, or barns, or guns, or riding in Marvin's dusty pick-up. So I was rather surprised when she agreed to go with us.

While waiting for Aunt Lily to change clothes, Marvin and I went out to the pick-up. We had to clear a spot for Lily to sit.

The old '62 Chevy side-step pick-up had a bench seat, but the middle section was covered with "stuff"-a can of Prince Albert tobacco, a clip board, a pair of leather gloves, wire cutters, a phillips screwdriver, an empty pack of Marlboros, a can of lighter fluid, some loose change, a half-empty box of .38 bullets, and a bandana.

On the dashboard was a spittoon, a roll of duct-tape, a roll of electrical tape, washers, nuts, bolts, a

pouch of Red Man chewing tobacco, a broken set of bridle reins, and a couple of empty cans of snuff. In the floorboard on the passenger side was a red metal toolbox full of tools. A passenger had to ride with his feet sitting on the toolbox. In the bed of the truck was about 3 inches of dirt, empty cotton seed sacks, baling wire, paint cans, a roll of barbed wire, a few fence stays, and a can of fence nails. It was a ranch truck. It had manual transmission that included a "grandma gear" that was strong enough to pull a mesquite stump out of the ground.

After clearing off the seat, Marvin sat in the driver's seat with the door ajar, holding his newly acquired rifle between his knees, barrel resting on the floorboard, loading the bullets into the gun. For every bullet he dropped in, he dropped three on the ground. His hands and fingers were too large to position the bullets so they would slide down into the slot. Feeling his frustration, I offered to help. After the 2nd or 3rd bullet, I asked, "Are you sure the safety is on on this thing?"

"Hell yes, the safety's on!" Click. Click. Boom!!

A cloud of dust puffed up so thick the pick-up dis-appeared. Coughing violently and waving his arms, Marvin emerged from the cloud of dust, staggering away from the truck. I don't really remember exactly

what happened next, because I was laughing so hard I could scarcely breathe. I felt weak with laughter, and fell to my knees on the grass, holding my sides. A minute later, Aunt Lily came running out across the grass. "Marvin! It sounded like a truck ran into the house! Are you alright?"

He couldn't answer; he was still choking from the dust.

I couldn't answer; I was still laughing and couldn't find my voice.

The dust finally settled and we finally caught our breath. The bullet had ricocheted off the concrete pavement of the driveway and had come back up through the hood of the pick-up, leaving a huge, gaping hole in the hood. Marvin fetched a hammer from the toolbox and hammered the jagged metal of the hood back into place as best he could. Another "mark of distinction" that made it a one-of-a-kind ranch truck.

Well, Lily went back into the house. Marvin brought the rifle into the house and put it away in the gun cabinet. I went into the kitchen and got a banana, then into the den and turned on the TV to watch "The High Chaparral." We didn't go to the farm that evening. We had found out that the rifle worked just fine without leaving the house.

I wonder what became of that dog......

BARRIENTOS TIRES & WHEELS

411 S. Dr. E.E. DunlapSan Diego, Texas 78384

(361)279-7500Wheels•NewTires•TireRepairs•BrakeJobs•AutoDetailing•ComputerBalancing•OilChange•TransmissionOilChange•

Owner: P. Barrientos Sr.Sales: Rosalinda BrionesManager: P. Barrientos Jr.

Sales: Sara Barrientos

Call and ask about our end of the year wheel specials

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Ester passed away at a very young age leaving one son Genaro Sr. who passed away in 1990. Amado passed away on January 1993 at the age of 88.

Genaro Perez,Jr., grandson of Amado, acquired his share of the property and to-gether with his wife,

Nora H. Perez, con-tinue to improve their share of the Santo Nino Ranch.

Genaro and Nora have two children, Odette Perez Godwin and Genaro Alberto Perez and two grand-daughters, Serena God-win and Alexa God-win.

RANCH - From Page 6

Genaro Perez Jr. and wife Nora Perez

The trip to the mail box became more excit-ing as Christmas cards arrived and, better still, boxes from out-of-town relatives. Aunt Carrie and Uncle Clyde sent each of us something, rag dolls or doll quilts Aunt Carrie had made for the younger girls, autograph books for the older girls and Chinese Checkers for my brother. Big cardboard boxes came from Aunt Mettie and Uncle Earl, who lived in Victoria. Childless themselves, sometimes they would lose track of all our names and forget how many of us there were. After all, the numbers kept changing until there were six, one boy outnumbered by five sisters. So odds told them they were safe throwing in an extra doll.

Those presents, along with those from mother, daddy and Sears Roebuck went under the tree until Christmas Eve. We didn’t wait until “Eve” to open the gifts. Instead, we opened them following dinner, our noon meal. Daddy with his little morbid take on life, gave his excuse for giving the green light to open them early, “ I might die tonight and then I won’t know what I got.”

On Christmas Eve morning we tried to make the time pass faster by writing letters to Santa, a little late, but I don’t remember ever believing in Santa. Mother, with her outspoken, straightforward honesty, could never say “yes” if pinned down for an answer to the Santa question. But we wrote letters anyway, sent them up the chimney, then ran outside to watch them spiral on the updraft above the house toward the bright blue South Texas sky.

The Christmas of 1940, mother sent in her order to Sears and we began watching for the package to arrive. Every day we waited on the porch for Fe-lipe, and either walked to the mailbox or rode with mother and Trixie in the car after Felipe dropped off the mail.

That December 24th morning we went out to the porch early, watching and waiting for Felipe. A coyote trotted across the pasture into the mesquite brush and a buzzard soared overhead, but nothing else moved. Then we heard the rattle of a vehicle on the bumpy road and sunlight glinted of chrome. Felipe’s truck rolled into view and slowed to a stop. We yelled for mother. With hopes riding high, we piled into the car with Trixie in the front seat, and drove to get the mail.

At the gate, my sister, Alice, jumped out of the car and ran to the mail box. She opened it, reached in and pulled out the Jim Hogg County Enterprise

wrapped around a couple of Christmas cards and tied with a string, but no package of any kind.

Disappointment was heavy in the car on the way back to the house.

Mother was mad.“I sent in that order weeks ago! Well, there’s

nothing we can do about it now. We’ll just have to wait until it gets here.”

It wasn’t as if we wouldn’t have a Christmas. But still it had put a damper on the day. Nothing seemed to go right. Dinner was late. It took forever to clear off the table and do the dishes. And mother kept put-ting off opening gifts, like maybe the cover of night would help. The day grew late and daddy went out to get the big chunk of mesquite wood he had saved for his Yule log.

He stuck his head back in the house and said, “A car’s coming.”

We ran to the door to see who it could possible be this late in the day on Christmas Eve. In the waning light, trailing a cloud of dust, a faded black pickup drew to a stop in front of the house.

Mother and daddy rushed to greet Felipe. He reached in the back of his truck and handed them a big box stamped with Sears Roebuck.

“The box was very late in getting in the post of-fice,” he said. “Pero, you creo que, it’s Christmas. You know, maybe the box has something for the children, no? So I brought it.

“Muchas gracias, muchas gracias!” mother and daddy offered over and over, inviting him in for cof-fee. He declined their invitation, said he had to get back home and headed back to Hebbronville.

We opened the box, and this could have been a Hallmark moment, but for one thing. Mother was dismayed to discover that Sears had sent the wrong order, mostly toys for boys. I didn’t care. I liked the little rubber tired tractor that pulled tiny plows and wagons. The little farm set entertained Alice, Carrie Lee and me. The older girls dug through the box and found a wind-up submarine for Bubs. A teenager then and interested in photography, he took it to the pila, our water tank. We all climbed up on the mas-sive concrete walls that held the water and “oohed” and “ahhed” and had a fine time as we watched the submarine dive and surface while Bubs took pictures of it in the dying light.

Many Christmases have passed since that long ago time, but each year when yuletide rolls around again I think of Felipe, our Saint Felipe.

FELIPE - From Page 6

‘She opened it, reached in and pulled out the Jim Hogg County Enterprise wrapped around a couple of Christmas cards and tied with a string, but no package of any kind.’

The old Santo Nino house.

Amado and Esther Perez

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

THE HOLIDAYSACROSS

1. It’s played with a ball6. “What’s Up, __?” starring Barbra Streisand9. Hurry up!13. D-Day beach14. Greek R15. Swap meet deal?16. Thai chicken staple17. Down Under runner18. Make reference to19. *Disgruntled TV elf21. *It’s under the tree?23. PÈrignon’s honorific24. Swarm25. De Niro’s 1976 ride28. *Kind of Holiday list30. “__ ____, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night”35. In bed37. “Cinema Paradiso” roll39. The relative magnitudes of two quantities40. Intense anger41. Material used by one of three little pigs43. Hahn or von Bismark44. Eyes or optics46. Used in hunting47. Series of reps, pl.48. To make lame50. “Moonlight Sonata,” e.g.52. Bread type53. Sleep in a convenient place55. French lake57. *Used during Hanukkah61. *Season of four Sundays before Christmas64. Legal excuse65. Shoemaker’s tool67. “The _____” by Dos-toyevsky69. Capital of Tunisia70. Pied Piper follower71. Mother-of-pearl72. Strip of wood73. Head ___ at a country club74. *Color of most Christmas trees

DOWN

1. Trigonometry abbr.2. Nanjing nanny3. London art museum4. Swiss leafy green5. Barn loft

6. Squirrel’s nest7. Unit of electrical resistance8. Two-door car9. Bellicose deity, Greek10. Goes with sound?11. Yemeni port12. Lively15. Seismic shake20. Middle Eastern V.I.P.’s22. Hi-___24. Winter flask25. *”A Christmas _____”26. Manila hemp27. Muslim woman of high rank29. “___ _ good example”31. Vientiane location32. Weasel’s aquatic cousin33. _____-gritty

34. *A traditional holiday main course36. Sub station38. *Kitschy prop in “A Christ-mas Story”42. Expressing a desire45. Madagascar lemurs49. India’s smallest state51. “______ Private Ryan”54. Like a cheddar variety56. An aromatic wood57. Welcome ____, pl.58. Twelfth month of Jewish civil year59. Fashion house founder Ricci60. One’s final notice61. The lowest female voice62. *Elf on the Shelf’s report

63. Ripped66. “What is it good for? Abso-lutely nothin’!”68. Face cards are counted as this in Blackjack

SOLUTION

StatePoint) Sin importar dónde viva, usted quiere aprovechar al máximo su espacio de vida y almace-namiento.

Esto es especialmente cierto para los residentes de zonas urbanas que habitualmente tienen espacios más pequeños. Y la vida en la ciudad está incremen-tándose. A fecha de 2010, más de la mitad de todas las personas vivían en una zona urbana, y para 2030 se prevé que seis de cada 10 personas estarán vivi-endo en una ciudad, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Sin embargo, menos espacio no significa que haya que privarse de las cosas, dicen los expertos.

“Algunos sencillos ajustes pueden ayudarle a mantener su comodidad en una casa pequeña”, dice Robin Wilson, diseñador de interiores para las celeb-ridades, con experiencia en la creación de espacios saludables.

Hay muchas maneras de “abrir” los espacios donde vive para crear más sitio.

La salaElija muebles para una sala pequeña adecuada

al espacio. Por ejemplo, evite sofás con faldones y seleccione sillones que estén elevados sobre el suelo para crear un aspecto más abierto.

Un espejo grande, estratégicamente colocado, también puede ayudar a crear la ilusión de que su sala de estar es en realidad mucho más grande. Lo mismo vale para no tener desorden. Asegúrese de mantener un espacio pequeño organizado con una revisión diaria.

AlmacenamientoVivir con sencillez puede hacer mucho para que

su casa se sienta más grande. Cada cambio de est-ación, revise su clóset y haga a un lado las prendas desgastadas, que ya no le quedan o que ya no están de moda.

Utilice soluciones de almacenamiento creativas para hacer más espacio. Por ejemplo, un sillón oto-mano que sirva como baúl es un lugar excelente para almacenar recuerdos y fotos antiguas.

La cocinaLa cocina es a menudo el corazón de la casa, espe-

cialmente si le gusta tener visitas o le encanta cocinar. Por desgracia, las cocinas pueden verse atestadas rápidamente con demasiados aparatos.

En EspanolConsejos de mejorar su hogar

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Merry Christmas and thanks!

Martinez Insurance

Roldan’s Service Center

FOR ALL YOUR TIRE NEEDS

361-527-3951

Merry Christmasfrom all of us at

Mi Vida MagazineMay all your holiday wishes be fulfilled!

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Kids fun Page

Learn to say Merry Christmas in another language

Mi Vida Magazine 2-Minute Read

What crashed near Laredo in

1948?You may be interested to learn, if you

browse the internet frequently, that the UFO that allegedly crashed at Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947 isn’t the only incident that peeks the imagination of UFO investigators.

Zoom forward one year to 1948, in the area south of Laredo in northern Mexico, where in-vestigators allege a UFO plowed into the Earth leaving debris and at least one dead body.

But a more accurate location of the crash site would put the crash “almost directly” across the border from a tiny Texas town of San Ygnacio, in nearby Zapata County.

According to reports, the crash is believed to have occurred when the unidentified object was chased over the skies of Texas by at least two aircraft, determined to have been Lockheed P 80 Starfire jets, the most advanced fighter jet at the time, from an undisclosed base.

Following the crash, the UFO was allegedly recovered by US troops with permission from the Mexican government. It is unknown whether the UFO was fired upon by the jets.

And though it may seem hard to believe, even Texas Monthly took notice of the event, listing it among the magazine’s “most signifi-cant” UFO crashes in Texas.

The best kept secret in Jim Wells County

With an archi-tectural style undeni-ably patterned after San Antonio’s Alamo, t h e S o u t h Te x a s Museum in Alice also presents an undeni-able resource for his-tory lovers.

Built in 1941 to provide office space for the McGill broth-ers ranching opera-tion, the museum’s exhibits delve into the county’s rich and diverse heritage, chronicling the areas development with newspaper articles, photographs, and exhibits behind two copper doors adorning a concrete and stone-cut exterior wall of some expense.

The museum also features collections spanning the Civil War era to antique saddles, rifles, furniture, and arrowheads of the late19th and early 20th centuries, along with artist’s prints on display and sold to the public.

Cristy Todd, the museum’s curator, said many of the exhibits date back to 1911, when the town was better known as Collins, Texas, a part of Nueces County before legisla-tion creating Jim Wells County was formally organized in 1912. Before the county’s creation, Collins was a shipping and mail center for ranchers in the area between Agua Dulce to the east and San Diego to the west. In 1888, the town’s population was listed at about 500.

In 1912, one year later, Alice was named the county seat with a population at about 887. Because of the great expanses at the time, most of the population was concen-trated in Alice,

The South Texas Museum is located at 66 South Wright Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

LAREDOALICEHEBBRONVILLE

A WONDERFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

Once again, thanks to everyone who played and contributed to The second An-nual Children of Christmas Men’s Flag football Tournament! Because of you, 181 less fortunate kids in the elementary will be receiving gifts this christmas! Life gets busy and we don’t always realize how many kids go without the simple things in life. For one day, these kids will feel special opening their gifts!

Ten teams entered our tournament this year from Hebbronville and surrounding areas.

Special thanks to 1st place SOVA,2nd place- destroyers3rd place - Barrio Boys,4th place-Gators/Bruni,Let it Fly, Buck Nation, Bruni, John Trevino’s

Team, Longhorns, A-Game, Ashley and Danny Salazar, Triple AAA/ Pete and Yvonne Garcia, Melissa and Jason Merritt, Beto and Kayla Garza, Jason Almaraz Family, and Coach Rios. Thank you also to Mr. Trevino, Mrs.Alvarez, Mr. Salazar, and Mrs. Barraz at the Elementary for helping us find a way to distribute these gifts yearly! May The Lord bless each and every one of you and keep you safe during the holidays! Blessing from our family to yours!

MI VIDA MAGAZINE

Window Tinting - 5 Year WarrantyMobile Audio/VideoTruck Accessories1485 E. Main St.

Alice, Texas 78332 361-661-0190

Juan Munoz Jr.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

PUIG INSURANCE

AGENCYHebbronville, Texas

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VERA’S TRUCKINGBEL, NICK, KRISTINA, VERA BOYS & ISAIAH

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