Ahh…the highlight of summer…the Fourth of July, Independence Day.  A lot of us Baby Boomers have such fond memories of long days at the lake, cookouts in the evening, and fireworks that night, and are creating those memories for our own children.

But the significance of the day is a celebration of our nation’s independence, which brings to mind the question: What does freedom mean to you? What would you pay for liberty? At what cost do we gain independence?

By definition, independence is freedom from dependence; exemption from reliance on, or control by, others; self-subsistence or maintenance; direction of one’s own affairs without interference; sufficient means for a comfortable livelihood.

As children, we wait impatiently for independence from parental control, and, when that is achieved, often long for that once-hated dependence when real life sets its hungry eyes upon us and we begin to pay the price for our freedom, both financially and by having to live with the consequences of our independent decisions. As adults, we long for liberty from boring jobs, stale relationships, high debt…and as we age, sometimes we look forward to freedom from pain and suffering.

So are we ever really free?

Some quotes about independence:

True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.  – Franklin D. Roosevelt

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. – Henry Ford

Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.  – George Bernard Shaw

True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right. – Brigham Young

…those who would joyously march in rank and file, they have already earned my contempt, for they were given a large brain by accident when a spinal cord would have sufficed. – Albert Einstein

The price for independence is often isolation and solitude.  – Steve Schmidt

Men say they love independence in a woman, but they don’t waste a second demolishing it brick by brick. – Candice Bergen

It’s easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing — that’s the Lord’s test.  – Mahalia Jackson

So on this Independence Day, take a moment and reflect on what freedom means to you, both as an American and an individual. We may never actually achieve true freedom from any and all, but as they say, it is not the destination, it is the journey.

Springtime in Denton!
- Denton Redbud Festival
- Community Takes on The Fight: Relay For Life
- Looking Inside: Equine Thermography

Click here to view the current issue.

Ahh, Spring…the hint of it is in the air!  The Denton Festival calendar is filled, the horses are foaling, Mardi Gras beads abound. Everyone is cleaning the sand and chemicals off their vehicles, making up missed schoolwork from those housebound ice days, and can’t wait until this awful winter we have had is officially over.

But wait…Why are we so anxious to be rid of one season and to jump into another? Yes, North Texas springtime is beautiful, but it is also fleeting.  We seem to go directly from cold to hot within a week or two.  And wasn’t it only a few months ago that we were saying, “We can’t wait until it’s cooler, these hundred degree days are just too hot; we can’t wait until it’s Christmas shopping season so we don’t melt going to and from our cars; we can’t wait until it’s cold enough to have a hot, steaming bowl of chili”?

Why is it the human condition that we are anxious and impatient for what is not currently happening?  And why is our memory so selective?  Is it the nature of the beast to want what we don’t have, forgetting that we might not want it once we have it?

One type of selective memory is “representativeness,” which is a mental shortcut that causes us to give too much weight to recent evidence and too little weight to the evidence from the more distant past. Narcissists suffer from cognitive distortions, among them selective amnesia, which allows them to eventually believe the lies they tell that cast them in a positive light. It has been said that if women remembered exactly what childbirth felt like, no second children would be born, so selective memory plays a part in population growth.

And our impatience for change drives us forward, but is it an effective motivator?  Change is inevitable, so why can’t we wait?  So often parents “can’t wait” until the children are grown and gone, then become empty nesters who “can’t wait” to see them again at holidays.  We “can’t wait” for retirement, then find ourselves bored and wishing for the everyday work interactions we presently “can’t wait” to escape.  Northerners “can’t wait” for summer; Southerners “can’t wait” for cooler weather.

Some wise words from an anonymous philosopher: “Fight the growing urge to speed up your life – what you think you want in your life may already be happening right now, but you’re not able to notice it because you’re so concerned with what is coming next.  It isn’t that difficult to live in the moment – just slow down, and think about what is happening today, not tomorrow.  Going faster doesn’t mean you will get to the good stuff more quickly.  It just means that you will abandon the good stuff you already have even faster.”

That said, barring one more freak ice storm (which we have had in the past as late as April), it’s springtime in North Texas…enjoy it while you can!

Taryn McColpin is Newsletter Editor for Denton ABATE, the local Motorcyclists Rights Organization.  For more information on joining, or on rides and events, call 940-595-1144.

Ahh, here we are in 2011…The holidays are over, New Year’s celebrations have come and gone, the bills are rolling in, but what a lot of Texans are lamenting is the looming end of football season.  (Of course, for Cowboys fans, the season was pretty much over in October, but that’s another story.)

We did have a great baseball season, with Your Texas Rangers finally going to the World Series as the AL Champions.  And the Mavs and Stars are enjoying winning seasons, as of this writing. The biggest news for Denton was two of our hometown high school football teams going to State Championships, representing our city with a whole lot of heart, and making us all proud.

It’s a puzzle as to why football is so big in Texas…Is it because EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas?  Is it because Texas (and much of the South) still promote young men being strong and competitive? Is it because there was such a large number of football players in the 70’s who were from Texas that people in Texas think every high school game could have a player who will be the next big thing? Is it the Cowboys Mystique?

This year, the Super Bowl will be played at Cowboys Stadium, aka Jerry World, or as the sports radio station The Ticket calls it, the Death Star.  It has indeed been deathly for the Cowboys this year, with a home record of 2-6, and someone heard Jerry say he built a billion dollar party tent where we can celebrate our losses. Since the Super Bowl “home team” this year will be the NFC Champions, it might be a good bet to wager against them, since their “home stadium” will be the Death Star.

Some interesting facts about the Super Bowl: No network footage exists of Super Bowl I. It was taped over, supposedly for a soap opera. Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest U.S. food consumption day, following Thanksgiving, with most of those munchies being guacamole (8 million pounds!) and chips.

Super Bowl Sunday is also the 8th biggest beer-selling occasion in our country. More drivers are involved in alcohol-related accidents on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year (except St. Patrick’s Day), according to the Insurance Information Institute. Six percent of Americans call in sick the Monday after Super Bowl, and on that same Monday, antacid sales increase by twenty percent.

The NFL pays for up to 150 rings for the winning Super Bowl team at $5,000 apiece, and (how sportsmanlike of them!) 150 pieces of jewelry for the losing Super Bowl team, each costing up to half the price of the Super Bowl ring.  Jostens, with a facility right here in Denton, is the manufacturer of 28 of the Championship jewelry lines.

It used to be that the Super Bowl, and football in general, was a man’s game, and the womenfolk took that Sunday opportunity to go shopping or have a girl’s day out.  Nowadays, females make up to 44% of the NFL fan base, so we do our own share of beer drinking and commercial watching in front of the TV that evening.

Given the consumer-driven excess that day, while we can’t cheer for our poor Cowboys this year, we can still take heart in the knowledge that we are giving our poor economy a boost.  So on February 6th, cuddle up in front of the fire (or the AC, as the case may be here in Texas) and enjoy Dallas’ first entry into the Super Bowl record books. Maybe we can set a new record for guacamole eating!

Beaujolais and More
November 18th  •  5:30 pm – 7:30 pm  •  Denton Civic Center
Wine tasting and gourmet food, with proceeds benefiting the Campus Theater.

Denton Holiday Lighting Festival
December 2nd  •  5:30 pm – 9:00 pm  •  Denton Courthouse-on-the-Square Lawn
22nd Annual kicks off with a sing-along and the lighting of the community Christmas tree. Twinkling lights, choirs, bell-ringers, dancers and the aroma of spicy hot cider will transport the child in you to memories of Christmas past. Take a spin in a horse-drawn wagon, have your child’s photo taken with Santa, or participate in interactive arts and crafts activities that will forge memories for the entire family.  Be a part of the true meaning of the holidays by bringing an unwrapped toy for the Denton Community Toy. All toys collected during the festival will be distributed to area families in Denton County.  Don’t miss Denton’s Grammy Award winning band, Brave Combo for their “chicken dance” on the Courthouse lawn while they introduce new local musicians to the event. It’s only one evening, but you will remember it forever!

During the Holiday Season, downtown shops will be open for extended hours in the evening and Sunday afternoons.

Ahh, October…The month of Harvest and Halloween, pumpkins and parties, fall and food.

Surprisingly, the fall month most associated with food is not November, but October. What first comes to mind is the bags full of candy we collect on the last day of the month for most of our childhoods, but many Halloween traditions are associated with actual food.

Samhain, the Celtic harvest festival, is one of the origins of Halloween as we know it. In the first century, the Romans adopted some Celtic practices as their own, and Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of other October Roman traditions, such as their day to honor Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween, as the Romans were fond of dunking as a torture device, which carried through to our Salem days.

Trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for “soul cakes” made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more jelly sandwiches the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to ensure the donors’ deceased relatives a quick trip to their just rewards.

Halloween customs were brought to America in the 1840’s by Irish immigrants fleeing their country’s potato famine. The Jack-o-lantern probably comes from Irish folklore, although the original carved vegetables were usually gourds or turnips, which don’t make very good pies. They were left on the doorstep to ward off spirits, sometimes with treats to avoid the spirits’ tricks. Trick-or-treating has somehow morphed into setting fire to the village of Detroit, but at that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses (hopefully uninhabited) and unhinging fence gates.

During October, many foods are in season, including all the root crops, and the squash family, such as the venerable pumpkin, nuts and berries, apples and pears and peppers…plus oysters (since it is a month with an R) and the beginning of Archery Only hunting season on October 2 (where the hunters bring home venison, goose, partridge, and empty cases of beer).

In Canada, they get a foodie jump on us by celebrating Thanksgiving on October 11. Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, the biggest Harvest festival of them all, is September 18-October 4. Early Oktoberfest celebrations were, naturally, held in October, but the festival was eventually moved to September, as the weather was better earlier in the fall, a sentiment with which we Texans can empathize.

In the USA, almost all food-related special days are referred to as “National,” whether they have been declared so officially or not. We Americans like our food…and it shows. We start out healthy, with World Vegetarian Day on October 1st; however, Pudding Season begins on that day as well. Sweetest Day is the third Saturday in October, and we also have National Taco Day, National Dessert Day (and Chocolate Covered Insect Day), National Pasta Day, and National Nut Day. And on October 30 is a National Day for candy corn, which amazingly is fat-free, but serves its Halloween purpose by making people scream when they step on the scale after indulging in a bag or two of the stuff.

National Chili Week is October 3-9, followed logically by American Beer Week. October is Pickled Pepper Month, Pizza Month, Popcorn Poppin’ Month, and Eat Country Ham Month, among many others. The puzzling part about this is that October is also Hunger Awareness Month.

So contribute to your local Food Bank on World Food Day, October 16th, pass out jelly sandwiches for Halloween if you have any pesky ghosts you wish to rush along to their final destination, and make sure there are no stray Romans behind you when you are dunking for apples.

Ahhh…August.  Backyard gardens are giving up their crops, and pantries are filling with jewel-toned glass jars of canned goods.  The air is ripe with the sound of ice cream truck music, air conditioner hum, childrens’ swimming pool squeals, and…cell phone ringtones?

As recently as 60 years ago, some places in this country did not even have landline phones. This is the story of The Time The Phones Went On In Texas.

Once upon a time, there was little girl who lived on a farm waaaay out in the country, on Garrett’s Creek Road, with her grandparents.  She spent her days playing with baby chicks and climbing the peach tree behind the farmhouse, which was covered in hot pink blossoms and butterflies in the spring, and carefully-avoided reddish fruits in the summer.

On a steamy day in July, the bushel baskets and Mason jars were pulled from the dry cellar, and Mammaw walked the path to the peach tree in her sundress and wide-brimmed hat. Carefully inspecting for worms, she dropped the winners into the baskets, and soon the kitchen counter was covered with piles of fruit.  The little girl watched from her yellow metal chair-stool, wistfully yearning to help Mammaw can the peaches, but such a dangerous process is not for the young.

Soon the big black cookpot of peaches was boiling away to help with the peeling process, the scented steam roiling above it, then they were cut in half, pitted, stowed away in the hot Mason jars, and carefully lowered into the canner, with its ominous-looking gauge on top.  After what seemed like hours but was only ten minutes, the weight on the lid began its jiggling dance and off went the fire. More “hours” for the pressure to subside, then the golden jars were carefully lifted from the canner and set on hotplates to cool, covered with dish towels. The little girl had been told that this was important, in case one of the jars exploded, and when she saw a towel slip off, she leaned over from her perch to re-cover the jars, and….bang! Too far of a reach, too top-heavy of a stool, and down she went.

Mammaw turned around at the noise and saw her unconscious baby lying on the floor, a knot already forming on her forehead.  Panicked, she scooped her up in her arms, calling out her name, and when no response came she ran cold water in the tub and immersed the fully-clothed child, hoping to waken her.  Still no response, and with the girl again in her arms, she ran out the door and down the rock road, not noticing the rocks cutting into her bare feet. The closest neighbor, the local nurse, lived an eighth mile away, and Mammaw flew there on wings of adrenaline and love.  By the time she arrived, the child was awake; the diagnosis, possible concussion and “keep her off high stools.”

In those days, telephones were an option and a luxury, not the necessity they have become, and the small and poor country community had seen no need for the expense. But the little girl’s fall, and the cloud of “what might have been,” put things in a different light.  Within the month, phone lines were in, and Garrett’s Creek Road was connected to the rest of the country.

Nowadays, there is no longer a landline at the old farmhouse.  Everyone who lives there has a cell phone, connecting them not only to the country, but to the world.  The rock road is paved, the peach tree is gone, but a little girl’s memory of peaches – and love – lives on.

Kiwanis Fireworks Show & Independence Day Celebration
5:30 pm:    Gates Open – only west side stands are open
6:30 pm:    City Folk Band- Set #1
7:50 pm:    Kiwanis Welcome and Announcements
8:00 pm:    Color Guard, National Anthem
8:15 pm:    George Dunham and the Bird Dogs Band
9:45 pm:    (Approximate time) – Fireworks Show
10:15 pm:    Happy Trails
George Dunham from Sports Radio 1310 “The Ticket” (and the Mean Green Radio Network) is lead singer for the Bird Dogs.  Veteran Dallas/Fort Worth guitarist, Steve Porcari anchors both bands who will perform a blend of covers from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, as well as original country/rock songs written by Dunham.  Denton Kiwanis, 940-390-7869.

Lake Cities Celebration
Saturday July 3rd, from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. Cities of Corinth, Hickory Creek, Shady Shores and Lake Dallas unite for a one-of-a-kind, 4th of July blow-out Celebration!  City Park of Lake Dallas is filled with FREE 4th of July festivities including an old fashioned parade, the CrossPointe KidZone with free kid’s games, giant waterslide, inflatables, contests for cash prizes, great food, art & craft booths, free live entertainment  and a spectacular fireworks show tops off the celebration!

Red, White & Lewisville
The city’s annual fireworks show, will be held July 4th around Vista Ridge Mall. The show will start at approximately 9:30 pm.  The best viewing opportunities will be on the South side of Vista Ridge Mall and along the 121 Bypass.  For more information please call 972-219-3401.

10th Annual Freedomfest
July 4th, gate opens at 5:30 pm. Event benefits Peace of the Rock Ministries and local and international missions.  Cost is $5.00 per person, kids 3 and under are FREE.  Family Fun including: pedal boats, canoes, fishing (bring your gear), playgrounds, inflatables, mechanical bull, Old McDonald’s Kiddie Train and LifeGate Church Praise Band.  Food and drinks may be purchased at the Chicken Coop Cafe.  No alcohol or pets please.  Firework Show begins at 9:30 pm. Located at Rancho De La Roca Retreat Ranch, 2459 W. Blackjack in Aubrey, 940.365.7625, www.peaceoftherock.org

Ahh, April…  The snow has finally stopped, the weather is warming, and there is a welcome release from the cabin fever that drives us all outside.  People take to the roads without fear of black ice skids and low visibility.  With February’s hearts and flowers behind us and June’s wedding marches yet to come, what can get our hearts thumping and adrenaline rushing more than…traffic?

Nothing in our modern world brings about more irritation, frustration, or bad behavior than driving…except maybe politics!  Want to really insult someone?  Call them a lousy driver.  Want to witness 3-year-old stubbornness in a 40-yr-old woman?  Try to merge in front of her in a rush-hour standstill.  Want to see a normally sane and mild-mannered gentleman turn into a testosterone-fueled raging bull?  Put him behind the wheel of a pickup truck in…traffic.

The differences in traffic between countries can be startling, especially since it is such a universal activity and there is no universal standard. An example is the high degree of American irritation and blocking behavior brought on by those driving to the end of a closing lane and merging into the waiting traffic.  In Britain, this is an encouraged common practice called Late Merge, and the ensuing “zippering” of traffic is highly effective, causing 35% less congestion.

In Texas, highway travel is ubiquitous and necessary, given the sprawling size of our state. To get to work, to school, to play, we find ourselves stuck in, dealing with, navigating…traffic.  How is the traffic? There was bad traffic. Allow for the traffic! I’m late because of the traffic. While in Italy tailgating is seen as a sign to Move Over, which the tailgatee graciously does, here in Texas we see it as either aggressive road-hogging or as “drafting,” which really doesn’t work as well on highways as it does in NASCAR.

In Denton, we have our own Olympic-style challenges: The double-turn-lane-only-on-arrow slalom at Sherman and Carroll, the 6-name-change road course that starts as Cooper Creek and ends as Nottingham, and the enter-merge-exit triathlon at the Dallas Drive/ I-35/Lillian Miller cluster.  Oh, and did you hear that there’s going to be more construction lane closures on the Loop?  April Fool!  (Not.)

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, nearly 80% of crashes involve driver inattention, 75% of drivers over age 40 have received at least one traffic citation, and 65% of the same age group have been involved in an accident…which makes the 80% self-rating of “above average” in a recent drivers’ poll both highly improbable and statistically impossible.

There’s an old saying:  Everyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and everyone who drives faster than you is a maniac.  So unless you are driving exactly the same as every other driver around you, you are either someone’s idiot or someone’s maniac.  Let’s find a median between idiotic and maniacal, and remember: If you think you are a member of the special percentage of above-average drivers who can drive and text at the same time, you truly are an April Fool.

Information and statistics courtesy of Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic – Why We Drive The Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) My favorite quote: “Traffic is like a language.  It generally works best if everyone knows and obeys the rules of grammar, though slang can be brutally effective.”