Country Lifestyles
The Giant Snake Hoax Of Wichita County
By Judy Wade
Over the years, this story has been told in many versions by many people, some of whom claim to have been in on the hoax.
This is the true story, as related by Meta Adams McCauley, daughter, and Robbie Adams, wife of one of the perpetrators.
In the summer of 1946, three young farm boys who were good friends lived in the area east of Burkburnett and west of Thornberry. Twain (also known as O.T.) Adams, Pete Mason and Buddy Warren were bored after working in the fields all day and were looking for a distraction.
Farmers took Sunday off to go to church and rested in the afternoon, reading the Wichita Falls newspaper. The boys read a story in the paper about a truck driver who had spotted a huge snake on Seymour Highway.
They hit upon the idea of a harmless prank, but one that would scare someone—they would build a giant snake.
Using burlap bags stuffed with tin cans and tied up with baling wire, they created a monstrous “snake” about 30 feet long. A rope was tied to one end to allow it to be pulled around. They were ready to try out their creation.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2016 NTFR issue.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Nicholas Waters
As winter plods along – come Spring and gopher mounds – homeowners and farmers find themselves playing a familiar song – fiddling while Rome is burning.
Let’s make a mountain out of a molehill. Those mounds on your lawn and pasture could be moles, but they’re more than likely gophers; Plains Pocket Gophers to be pragmatic – Geomys bursarius to be scientific.
These rodents dig and chew, and the damage they can do goes beyond the mounds we mow over. Iowa State University cited a study in Nebraska showing a 35 percent loss in irrigated alfalfa fields due to the presence of pocket gophers; the number jumped to 46 percent in decreased production of non-irrigated alfalfa fields.
The internet is replete with academic research from coast-to-coast on how to curtail gopher populations, or at least control them. Kansas State University – then called Kansas State Agricultural College – also published a book [Bulletin 152] in February 1908 focused exclusively on the pocket gopher.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Annette Bridges
Everyone needs a room with a view that makes their heart happy. My honest favorite panorama would be either the mountains or the ocean. I have yet to convince my hubby to make permanent moves to either, although he does enjoy the visits as much as I do.
The location of our house on our ranch does not provide the expansive field of vision of our land that I would enjoy. So, I have created a room decorated and furnished in a way that gives me smiles, giggles, and a wonderful peace-filled feeling when I am hanging out in it. I am in that place right now writing this column. I am in a lounging position with my computer in my lap on the chaise that was once my sweet mama’s. I had it reupholstered this year to give it a fresh look.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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