Pat Green, Charlie Robison in Town This Weekend for "Texas Country Woodfest"

     Pat Green                                       Charlie Robison

Big doings are in the works for country music fans this weekend, as the Lumberyard will host the “Texas Country Woodfest” with two of the genre’s big names—Pat Green on Friday night and Charlie Robison on Saturday.  Each will be preceded by an opening band.  On Friday, it will be Green River Ordinance from Fort Worth and on Saturday the Remains from Brownwood.

Pat Green, 41, a native Texan, got his start in Lubbock playing gigs while attending Texas Tech but didn’t commit to music as a career until 1997.  His first step toward national recognition came when he played at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic in 1998.  In 2001, his CD Three Days was released, followed by Wave on Wave in 2003, Lucky Ones in 2004, Cannonball in 2006, and What I’m For in 2008.

Top singles include “Wave on Wave,” “Don’t Break My Heart Again,” “Baby Doll,” “Feels Just Like it Should,” “Let Me,” and “What I’m For.”  His most recent singles (2012) are “Austin” and “Even the Losers.”

Charlie Robison, 48, also a native Texan, is probably best known for his single “My Home Town.” His musical career began in Austin in the late eighties when he played in various bands.  He went solo and released his first album, Bandera, in 1996, followed by Life of the Party in 1998, Unleashed Live in 2000, Step Right Up in 2001, Live in 2003, Good Times in 2004, and Beautiful Day in 2009.  His latest CD, Live at Billy Bob’s Texas, just came out last month.

Besides “My Hometown,” his best known singles include “I Want You Bad,” “Barlight,” “Poor Man’s Son,” and “Walter.”

Both acts will begin around 9:30pm.  Cover charge for Pat Green is $20 and for Charlie Robison $15.  Those attending both performances can get tickets to both shows for $27.  For more information, call the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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PLOWBOYS ELIMINATED AT STATE TOURNAMENT

The 2013 Plowboys

Roscoe’s teenage baseball team, 13-15 year-olds, were eliminated from the State Tournament at Ennis last Wednesday by Ennis, who had earlier beaten Anson.  As with the first game, the locals were simply outmatched by teams from larger towns.

The final score was 11-3.  It was 0-0 until the fourth inning when a 3-run homer put Ennis up 3-0, and before the inning was over, they had scored another run to go up 4-0. They added two more in the fifth to make it 6-0, but the Plowboys came back with two in the top of the sixth to make it 6-2.  Ennis then got five more in the bottom of the inning, and it was 11-2.  The Plowboys could only get one more after that, making the final score 11-3.

However, even though the game was lost, the season has to be considered a roaring success.  The Plowboys went farther than any teenage Roscoe team ever has in the Mitchell County league, and the organizers and coaches once again kept baseball alive and well in Roscoe for all age groups from T-ball to teenage.

The Roscoe Little League has a number of sponsors who are deserving of gratitude.  These include Sweetwater Steel, CPS, West Texas Rock Resources, Stanley Ford, the Roscoe State Bank, the Lumberyard, Sweetwater Collision Center, and Debra Loven.

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ATTEMPTED BREAK-IN, ASSAULT FOILED NEAR MARYNEAL

When Susan Dent, who lives in a ranch southwest of Maryneal, answered the front door Monday morning, she was surprised by a Hispanic male, who grabbed her by the neck and attempted to enter the house.  She managed to break free and slam the door without him entering and ran to her bedroom where she locked the door, called 911, and got her gun.  The intruder then escaped in a white pickup.  Police arrived shortly thereafter. 

Anyone with information about this incident or the identity of the intruder should contact the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office at 325-235-5471.

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HEAD-ON COLLISION NEAR SWEETWATER STEEL ON MONDAY TOTALS BOTH VEHICLES

A head-on collision on the service road near Sweetwater Steel between Roscoe and Sweetwater on Monday morning resulted in the loss of both vehicles, but luckily no serious injuries.

Eric Ortega of Roscoe, who was driving a black Dodge pickup, hit an employee of Sweetwater Steel in a black Toyota pickup when one of the drivers attempted to enter I-20 and the other failed to yield.

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CARELESS WEEDS FOR DINNER?  WHY NOT?

Careless weeds, cooked and ready to eat.

The careless weed (Amaranthus Palmeri) is one of the most common weeds in this area.  To local farmers and gardeners, it is about as popular as mosquitoes or scorpions, and countless gallons of Roundup have been used in the attempt to get rid of it.  However, it always seems to come back, and, with the possible exception of Johnson grass, is probably considered in these parts about as worthless a plant as one could imagine.

I remember as a kid, however, one of my Hispanic friends mentioning that his grandparents liked to eat it as a green.  I assumed at the time they must have been pretty hard up to have to resort to such measures, but then didn’t think about it any further. 

Later, as an adult, I learned to cook and have always enjoyed trying out new recipes and foods.  You may remember that last year I wrote about yucca blooms and algerita berries and a couple of years ago about jujubes, all local foods that are worth a try. 

Anyway, when the big rains came a couple of weeks ago, careless weeds came out by the thousands in alleys, vacant lots, yards, and ditches all over Roscoe, and I remembered my friend’s saying they could be eaten. 
 
I did a little research on the Internet and found that the Aztecs regularly ate different kinds of amaranthus, not only the leaves, but, with some varieties, also the seeds.  I also found that the local Spanish word for careless weed, quelite, is just a generic term that means ‘wild greens.’  I also looked for some recipes, but couldn’t find any specifically for careless weeds. 

Nevertheless, one afternoon last week I went out and gathered a big coffee can full of the leaves of the young careless weeds growing next to my garden.  It didn’t take long since they were pretty thick back there.  I brought them back into the house and cooked them up the same way I cook up other greens like collards, spinach, or turnip greens.

They cook like spinach.  The leaves cook down quite a bit, and it doesn’t take long to cook them, just four or five minutes after the water starts boiling.  I added a little salt to the water, and when they were done, I put them in a bowl and added a little vinegar. 

I was amazed by the result.  They are very tender and tasty and are as good as or better than any of the greens you can buy in the supermarket. 

If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.  Bon appétit!

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WEATHER REPORT

The rain on Monday evening.

On Monday evening, we got an unexpected shower.  In and around town, as well as Avenger Field and Sweetwater, it rained about a quarter of an inch, but farther west the rain was heavier.  Farms around Champion got an inch and a half, and there were reports that places around Colorado City got three and a half inches.

Otherwise, it was sunny and still more humid than usual.  Temperatures were slightly below what we normally get this time of year with highs in the upper eighties and low nineties.  Monday and yesterday were hotter, though, with temperatures reaching 94°F both days.

The outlook for the rest of the week is for hotter weather.  Temperatures for today and tomorrow should  to go up to about 98° with lows in the mid-seventies and stay that way through the weekend.  There is no rain in the forecast.

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† LEROY EDWARD PIETZSCH

LeRoy Edward Pietzsch, 87, who passed away on July 25 in Lubbock, was buried privately in Lindale Cemetery in Bowie on Monday.

He was born on September 3, 1925, in Nolan County and married Glenna Mae Gilcrease on April 20, 1963, in Roscoe.  He was a member of the First Salem Lutheran Church, a veteran of World War II, and a member of American Legion Post 227 and VFW Post 2479.

He is survived by special loved ones Terry and Sara Sansing of Lubbock, Tara and Drury Buxkemper of Lubbock, brother-in-law Frank Gilcrease of Lubbock, brother R. D. Pietzsch of Amarillo, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Glenna, in 1999; his mother in 1998, his father in 1935, and one brother.

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