he Ryan High School Alumni Association held its bi-annual alumni banquet over the recent Labor Day weekend.
The highlight of the weekend was the banquet held in the high school cafeteria/auditorium where the majority of the people in attendance walked across the stage to graduate from Ryan High School.
Nearly 100 alumni, family and friends gathered for the banquet that was highlighted by a catered meal from Branding Iron of Wichita Falls, TX.
Rob Givens, a 1975 graduate of RHS, was the featured speaker for the afternoon.
GUEST SPEAKER – Bob Givens spoke to the Ryan High School Alumni banquet held last Saturday. (Photo by Trey Smart)
Givens recounted the story of how Brown Brothers Dry Goods in Ryan got its name and a little history behind it.
The last operator of the store was Givens’ dad, Bob Givens, who was known to most everyone in Ryan as a businessman and supporter of all Ryan High School activities.
Bob Givens, for whom the athletic complex is named at Ryan, was the public address announcer at the high school football games for 50 years.
After the elder Givens graduated from high school at Ryan, he joined the army and his son told the story of his dad being missing in action at one time, but returned home and never left Ryan again.
The presentation and introduction of classes was done by Tommy Johnson.
Following the introduction of the classes, the oldest graduate, youngest graduate and the graduate who traveled the furtherest were recognized and awarded a copy of the book, “The Pride of RHS: A Sports History of Ryan High School.”
Earning the oldest graduate present was Nell Largent. The youngest graduate was Alana Miranda. The person traveling the furtherest was Gary Reynolds, who came from Jackson, Tennessee.
The reading of RHS graduates who have died since the last banquet was done by Angela Sullivan, T. Johnson, Furman Clark and Don Johnson.
Since the banquet was interrupted by the pandemic, it had been three years since the association had gathered for the banquet held every two years. A list of 98 names was read to the crowd.
D. Johnson, president of the alumni association, read the names of the scholarship recipients for the past three years. The alumni association awards two scholarships to the top two seniors of the Ryan graduating classes each year.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES – Don Johnson, Ryan High School Alumni Association President, presided over the last Saturday’s gathering held at the Ryan School. (Photo by Trey Smart)
In the program, it was noted that 35 scholarships have been given through the years in the amount of $46,350.
All of the current officers were re-elected to serve again and they will be tasked along with other volunteers to put together the next banquet which will be Labor Day weekend of 2024.
Plans are being made to try and encourage increased attendance at the banquet – especially among the local people. Many RHS graduates traveled across the state and beyond and this event would be enhanced by the participation of local people.
The class of 1972 sponsored an event on Saturday night at the American Legion as they were celebrating their 50th year since graduating at Ryan.
The class of 1962, celebrating their 60th year since graduating, also had a good representation present at the banquet.
On August 23, Jefferson County voters have an opportunity to vote on continuing a one cent sales tax that is currently providing funding for the Jefferson County Hospital. Hospital officials project their obligation will be paid off this year. Jefferson County Commissioners want to keep the one cent tax and use it to place the county in a better financial position. According to Jeffco officials continuing the tax will provide vital funding to meet mandated obligations and position the county to spend money on other important areas like rural fire, better roads and courthouse repairs as well as repairs at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
County officials are presenting a series of Town Meetings to answer questions and talk about how the county works and how funding and budgeting works for counties across Oklahoma. “Our initial One Cent Tax was passed by voters in 1992. It was slated for general county operations, and for the support of county civil defense, OSU extension, county law enforcement, county-wide rural fire protection and fair board maintenance and operations,” according to Bryce Bohot, District One Commissioner. “If you consider it’s now 30 years later and how the cost of everything has risen, that the limited dollars we have to work with can only be increased by sales tax, then it’s vital that this proposition passes. Having these dollars available means that we can actually accomplish all the items mentioned in the original proposal,” Bohot continued. “We still have the same needs, and these dollars will allow us to budget for each of the areas and to have dollars available for matching grants that will make the dollars go even farther.”
The first two town meetings were held Monday evening in Addington and Hastings. The full meetings are posted to Facebook under the Friends of Jefferson County Group. “We encourage everyone to attend one of the meetings,” Bohot stated. “However, having the full meetings with all the questions and answers available provides a great way for people to watch from home. I’m also available to answer any questions you may have.”
At both meetings the same questions were asked. Attendees wanted an assurance that this was not an additional tax or a new tax; that it would not raise their property taxes and that the county would not come back in a couple of years and ask for an additional increase. Attendees also wanted to make sure there would be dollars available to support our rural fire departments and that those monies would be distributed fairly.
“Oklahoma law allows rural counties to have up to a 2 cent sales tax for county operations,” Bryce Bohot said at both the Hastings and Addington Town Meetings. “We are not allowed to go back to the voters for more sales tax.”
“Having the two cents of sales tax will actually allow us to go back to the original list of items on the 1992 Proposition and begin working with the various groups to get their items budgeted,” Bohot stated. “For the past several years, we have never gotten past the basic mandated items and have not been able to fully fund those items. This additional tax projected to be approximately $35,000 to $40,000 per month will allow us to not only fund the items mentioned, but also to begin saving dollars to use as matching funds to make the county funds go farther.” “Currently we spend all our time trying to cover whatever urgent need we have at the moment. These dollars will allow us to actually plan for a stronger future for all of us.”
“Rural Fire Department funding was part of the original sales tax proposition and is vitally important to our county,” Bohot stated. “I’m part of the Hastings Volunteer Fire Department and I fully understand how important all the volunteer departments are to the county. I’m pleased that all the departments are coming together once a month to meet and share information. I’ve talked with several of the volunteers and talked about the budgeting process and how it would be great for them to come to the budget planning session and bring their projected needs for the coming year. We would visit with them about providing funding for their priorities and would make that part of the budget.”
Denise Bacon, Addington resident, made an excellent point when she asked the group if this helped them understand the importance of shopping local because your sales tax stays right her at home and supports the towns and Jefferson County.
“I hope voters understand that this not asking for a tax increase, but to keep the one cent that is already in place,” County Commissioner, Ty Phillips explained. “Voters have supported the one cent tax for the hospital for the past 23 years and the hospital is retiring their debt and no longer needs the funds. Keeping the one cent that is already in place for the county will go a long way toward allowing us to get Jefferson County up to mandated standards and also so we can have funds to use for matching grants that can help all our organizations including emergency services and rural fire.”
There are three more town meetings that all residents are invited to attend. Monday, August 15 at 6 p.m. at the Community Center; Monday, August 15, at 7:30 at the Claypool Community Center and on Tuesday, August 16, at the Waurika Presbyterian Church.
Waurika Head Start program has been serving families in Jefferson County for many years. The center is currently under the direction of Gaylon Wadsworth and co-teacher Amanda Earnest. The center nutrition program is led by Carol Prewitt. Concerns over Covid-19 led to many challenges last year, and enrollment was impacted. In order to increase enrollment and better serve the families of the community, Waurika Head Start will be open for a full day of school this school year.
Families of Waurika Head Start students will no longer have the challenge of finding additional child care after lunch. The new school day will last from 8:00AM to 3:00PM. Students will receive instruction based on National Head Start Standards, and will help prepare students for elementary school.
Leslea Hixson, the new Director of Head Start and Early Head Start, added, “We are very excited to be able to continue to serve the families of Waurika, and hope the additional time in the school day will help to better meet the needs of our families.” School will begin August 12th, but families can call (580)228-2810 to enroll at any time. You can also contact Head Start offices at any time by email at, CADCHobart@sbcglobal.com, or by phone at,
It was a mad dash to the end of the regular season for the Ryan Cowboys and Cowgirls as they played four contests in eight days in preparation to enter the post-season.
On Tuesday night the Cowboys and Cowgirls dropped a doubleheader at Empire after having swept Temple last Friday night on Senior Night on Raymon West Court.
Last Thursday, the two teams traveled to Turner and split a doubleheader and a week ago Tuesday, Ryan dropped both contests to Geronimo at home.
The Cowboys will enter district play with a 5-16 mark, while the Cowgirls hold a 7-14 record.
The seven wins by the Cowgirls is more victories than the previous two seasons combined.
Here’s a brief look at each contest from the last seven days of action:
Empire 59, Ryan 40 (Boys)
The Bulldogs and Cowboys battled to a 9-9 tie after one quarter, but Empire heated up in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.
The Bulldogs opened the second quarter on a 14-0 run and it wasn’t until Joseph Martin connected on a layup with 4:08 before halftime that Ryan was able to narrow the gap to 23-11.
Empire quickly answered with a bucket and scored six straight and was never threatened again.
The Bulldogs took advantage of 11 Ryan turnovers in the quarter and held a 35-13 advantage at intermission.
The Cowboys trailed 54-24 at the end of the third quarter, but were able to trim the deficit by outscoring the Bulldogs, 16-5, in the final quarter.
Grayson Tomberlin tied his season high with 17 points to lead the Cowboys. He was the only player in double figures.
Empire 59, Ryan 49 (Girls)
The lack of depth that has plagued the Cowgirls through most of the 2018 season reared its ugly head again at Empire.
The Cowgirls battled with the Class 2A Lady Bulldogs through most of the game, but could not finish.
Both teams were tied at 13 after one quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs forged to a seven-point advantage with 3:29 left in the first half.
Juliet Spangler completed a three-point play to trim the lead back to 26-22 with 2:53 before halftime and Kenzie Lewis’ layup with six seconds left brought the Cowgirls to within three at 29-26 going into the break.
Samantha Good opened the third quarter with a three-point basket to tie the score, Spangler connected on a short turnaround jumper and Good hit a short jumper to give the Cowgirls a 33-29 lead with 4:52 left in the third quarter.
Layups by MacKenzie Keith and Lily York gave Ryan its biggest lead of the game at 37-29 at the four-minute mark.
However, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Cowgirls 13-3 the rest of the third quarter to hold a 42-40 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Cowgirls pulled to within one point on two occasions in the fourth quarter – the last with 6:05 left in the game when York converted on one of two free throws.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled away from there outscoring the Cowgirls 14-5 to secure the win.
Missed free throws again hampered the Cowgirls as they missed nine attempts from the charity stripe in the final quarter.
York led the Cowgirls in scoring with 15 points, while Good added 11 points. Empire’s Korie Allensworth, a sophomore, led the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points.
Ryan 67, Temple 38 (Boys)
It was a good final home appearance for four Ryan seniors – River Williams, Tate Kimbro, Dawson Tomberlin and Martin.
The Cowboys got off to a 12-5 advantage after one quarter and the Tigers narrowed the gap to 14-10 on Quinzell Tisdale’s two free throws at the 4:25 mark of the second quarter.
However, from there the Cowboys took control and close the half on an 11-0 run to lead 27-11 at the half.
Skyler Parkhill converted a traditional three-point play with just 2.5 seconds left in the third quarter to give Ryan its largest lead of the game – 52-19.
The Cowboys overcame the outstanding performance by Tisdale and he dominated play for the Tigers. He finished with 33 of the team’s 38 points.
Ryan had five players in double figures with Martin leading the way with 15 tallies.
The Cowboys dominated the boards with a 56-26 advantage and many of those came on the offensive end of the court as Ryan outscored Temple, 18-0, on second chance points.
The 56 rebounds ties the school record for most rebounds in a game. The Cowboys hauled down 56 boards in a 2006 game against Grandfield.
The three highest scoring games for the Cowboys in the 2018 season have come against the Tigers and Ryan has now won seven of the last eight meetings with Temple.
Ryan 54, Temple 8 (Girls)
The Cowgirls said goodbye to their lone senior – Lewis – in resounding fashion by totally dominating an outmanned Lady Tiger squad.
The Cowgirls overcame the physical play of the Lady Tigers for a record-setting win. The eight points scored by Temple ties the school record for fewest points in a game by an opponent set in a 1946 game with Sugden.
The Cowgirl defense was stifling throughout the game as Temple did not score a field goal until 44 seconds remained in the third quarter.
Temple was whistled for 25 fouls in the contest – 12 of them in the first quarter. The Cowgirls, however, could only hit seven of 18 three throws in the quarter, but it helped them gain a 12-1 lead and at that point the game was essentially decided.
Photo by Sheree Hanson
The overwhelming victory was secured despite a less than stellar shooting performance by the Cowgirls. Ryan was only 14 of 34 from the charity stripe for the game (41%) and connected on only 18 of 61 from the field – a dismal 29.5%.
But, the Cowgirls played nearly flawless in most other categories. Ryan had a season-low six turnovers, while Temple recorded 27.
Ryan outrebounded the Lady Tigers, 52-27, to set the school record for most rebounds in a game. The previous mark was 43 set last year against Temple.
The rebound edge helped the Cowgirls own a 12-0 advantage on second chance points.
The 54 points scored was the highest point total this season for the Cowgirls.
York led the Cowgirls in scoring with 21 points and she contributed four steals. Good added 11 points and Spangler contributed eight points and led the Cowgirls in rebounding with 13 boards.
This was only the second time this season the Cowgirls have won two games in a row.
Turner 40, Ryan 23 (Boys)
The Cowboys suffered from cold-shooting from the field and could not stay up with the Falcons.
Turner jumped out to a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and maintained the margin at the half taking an 18-12 lead into the locker room.
The teams battled on even terms through the third quarter as the Falcons clung to a 27-21 lead, but outscored the Cowboys, 13-2, in the final quarter to secure the win.
The Cowboys were without two players – including one starter.
Andrew Villerreal was the leading scoring for the Cowboys with eight points.
The loss to Turner snapped a three-game winning streak over the Falcons.
Ryan 40, Turner 30 (Girls)
Despite shooting only nine of 19 from the free throw line, the Cowgirls snapped a three-game losing streak with a big victory over the Lady Falcons.
The Cowgirls built a 24-19 lead at the half and then got two critical treys from Good to help extend the lead to 33-25 heading into the fourth quarter.
Good returned to the Cowgirl squad after missing six games with an injury. She led the Cowgirls in scoring with 15 points – one of three Cowgirls in double figures.
Spangler and York each had 10 tallies for the Cowgirls.
The win avenged an earlier 19-point loss to the Lady Falcons in the Healdton Tournament and it ended a five-game losing streak to Turner.
Geronimo 56, Ryan 37 (Boys)
The Cowgirls fell behind 16-4 in the first quarter against the talented Blue Jays and were never really in the contest.
Geronimo increased the lead with 29-10 at the half and held the Cowboys at bay in the second half as each team scored 27 points.
Brock Smith and Villerreal each had eight points to lead the Cowboys in scoring.
The Cowboys have dropped four of the last five meetings with Geronimo.
Geronimo 45, Ryan 33
It was another tough night shooting for the Cowgirls in this fifth straight loss to the Lady Blue Jays.
Geronimo raced to a 26-5 advantage at the half thanks to six three-pointers – four of which came in the second quarter.
The Cowgirls could not keep pace as they connected on only one field goal in the first half.
After trailing 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cowgirls somewhat found the range and outscored Geronimo, 21-6 to cut the final margin to 12 points.
York paced the Cowgirls in scoring with 16 points – including two treys and four of four from the free throw line.
The Cowgirls have suffered from a lack of depth the entire season and only suited six players for this contest.
LAWTON, Oklahoma – The councils of Ringling, Ryan, Terral and Waurika have all issued a proclamation declaring October 23 – 31, 2022 as Red Ribbon Week. The nation’s largest and longest running drug-use prevention program, Red Ribbon Week was started in 1985 as a response to the torture and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena at the hands of drug traffickers in Mexico when people began wearing red ribbons to honor his commitment and dedication. Now, schools and communities across the country commemorate Red Ribbon Week through wearing ribbons, participating in events, educating youth, and pledging to live drug-free lives.
The Wichita Mountains Prevention Network (WMPN) and Jefferson County Pathways Coalition worked together to get the proclamation brought forward. Each community was enthusiastic in their support, and the councils wasted no time approving the proclamation at their October meetings.
“We are thrilled that Ringling, Ryan, Terral, and Waurika have joined our campaign to raise awareness for Red Ribbon Week,” says Jennifer Gormley, Community Based Prevention Services Coordinator with WMPN. “With the constant pressure to turn to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, we must do all we can to show students that we support them.” Coalition member Lauren Nitschke of Waurika agrees. “It is so vital that we empower our youth with the tools they need to make smart choices for their health, and we are proud to see our communities stand behind this effort.”
Wondering how to get involved in Red Ribbon Week? There are many ideas at www.redribbon.org, such as:
• Plant red flower bulbs
• Decorate cars and plan a neighborhood Red Ribbon “Cruiseby”
• Enter the Red Ribbon Week Theme Contest
• Use the #CelebrateLifeLiveDrugFree and #RedRibbonWeek hashtags in your social media posts
• Talk to the kids in your life about the importance of abstaining from drugs and alcohol
Wichita Mountains Prevention Network (WMPN) is a nonprofit dedicated to creating safe communities through promoting proven substance abuse prevention strategies among teens and adults. WMPN is grant funded by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. For more information on how you can protect your teens, please contact CBPS Coordinator Jennifer Gormley at jgormley@wmpn.org, and follow WMPN on Facebook.
While regular season records mean something for district tournament pairings and seeding, every basketball squad in Oklahoma starts the post-season with a 0-0 mark.
That is good news for the roundball squads at Waurika and Ryan as all four teams enter the playoffs with losing records.
Play begins tomorrow night (Friday) in the Class A District Tournament for both Waurika and Ryan.
Both Waurika teams will travel to Ft. Cobb-Broxton to face Ringling, while both Ryan teams will journey to Central High to face Bray-Doyle.
The girls’ tilts will open the tournament at 6:30 p.m. at both sites.
Awaiting the winner of the Waurika-Ringling games will be Ft. Cobb, while Central High will take on the winner of the Ryan and Bray-Doyle matchups.
The championship games will be played Saturday with the girls’ games tipping at 6:30 p.m.
Waurika and Ringling drew a tough assignment for the district tourney.
The only regular season meeting between the two Jefferson County schools was canceled because of the flu.
However, the boys’ team that survives that contest will have to face a legitimate state title contender.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 22-3 on the year and the only three losses have been to ranked teams in Class B, Class 2A and Class 5A. The Mustangs have won nine straight contests.
The Mustangs, ranked second in Class A, won the Caddo County Tournament and garnered runner up honors in tournaments at Chattanooga and Anadarko.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton will be well-rested as the Mustangs last played last Saturday against Walters giving them a week to prepare for the winner of Waurika and Ringling.
The Blue Devil boys come into the tournament with an 8-10 mark. They have been inconsistent much of the season, but should be competitive against the Eagles.
Coach Joe Masoner’s Waurika boys have also struggled to find wins in 2018. The Eagles were 4-13 heading into last Tuesday’s game with Grandfield.
Waurika has had three games canceled because of the flu and have only played once since January 23 before last Tuesday.
The Eagles have had turnover troubles most of the season averaging almost 20 miscues a game.
Cache Arellano has been the ringleader for the Eagles averaging over nine points a game and pulling down an average of eight rebounds a game.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton handed Waurika an 81-28 loss in the first round of the Chattanooga Tournament.
The girls’ bracket of the district tourney at Ft. Cobb will be much the same as the boys’ bracket.
The Lady Mustangs will be the overwhelming favorite as they come in ranked 15th in Class A and won the Chattanooga Tournament and were the runner up at the tough Caddo County fray.
Ft. Cobb-Broxton is 15-10 on the year, but only 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Ringling’s girls will come into the tournament with a 9-6 record and have one tournament title to their credit – the St. Jo, Texas Invitational.
The Waurika girls have struggled all year under first-year coach Kalee Baxter and hold a 5-11 record not including Tuesday’s result with Grandfield.
The Lady Eagles have been led most of the season by Madison Roberson. Roberson has averaged 15 points a game and averages about 15 boards a game.
In the district tournament at Central High, none of the boys’ squads will enter the tournament with a winning record – and it isn’t close.
Ryan, with a mark of 5-16, was granted the top seed, but Bray-Doyle chose to match up with the Cowboys in the first round of the tournament.
Central High’s boys started the season 0-10, but earned the consolation title at the Black Diamond Tournament at Rush Springs at the beginning of 2018. The Bronchos are 4-16 on the year.
Bray-Doyle has had a tough year as well as the Cowboys and Bronchos.
The Donkeys have a 3-15 record heading to the district tourney not including last Monday’s results.
The Cowboys own a win over the Donkeys just before Christmas, but Bray-Doyle has been playing a bit better as of late.
Coach Judd Matthes’ squad has struggled to score during most of the season.
While a number of Cowboys can contribute points on a given night, Ryan lacks the go-to player that is a consistent scorer.
Skyler Parkhill has been the top point-getter for the Cowboys overall.
Central High drew the top seed in the girls’ bracket and comes into the tournament with a 15-8 mark that does not include last Tuesday’s game with Sterling.
The Lady Bronchos won the Minco Invitational and were runner up at the Black Diamond Tournament.
Bray-Doyle’s girls own a two-point win over Ryan in a regular season meeting before Christmas and have a 12-8 mark not including last Monday’s contest with Oklahoma School for the Deaf.
The Lady Donkeys won the Maysville Shootout in December, but are only 4-7 since January 1 – not including the game with OSD.
The Cowgirls, under first-year coach Steve Spangler, have compiled a 7-14 record for the season.
It has been a struggle on the offensive end for the Cowgirls most of the season, but Lily York has been the top point-getter for the season especially in the recent part of the schedule.
Ryan closed out the regular season, however, with two of their better games on the offensive end of the court.
The Cowgirls will start four sophomores and only one senior. The roster has been limited most of the season due to lack of participation and injuries.
Both the district champion and the district runner up will advance to next week’s regional tournament.
Well my friends, we are into June and the only hunting season that is open is Squirrel season! When I was growing up a lot of folks I know ate squirrel regularly. I had a beloved uncle, Clevie Goodrich, who put squirrel hunting nearly on the same level as quail hunting and he enthusiastically pursued both! If you haven’t tried fried squirrel you are actually missing a treat. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken!
But, if you are not into bushytails and aren’t willing to chase hogs this summer, then now is the premier time for fishing. And I’m here to tell you that the reports I’m getting show that it doesn’t matter if you’re on the lake, a stock pond, a creek or wherever there is water, the fishing is great. I have even seen some energetic young men pulling some nice fish from the ditches along side of the roads.
When I was a youngster, this time of year was marked by my grandmother, Abbie Gaines, loading us up for a day of fishing. We would spend time digging worms and catching grasshoppers for bait, then loaded our equipment and heading to the North Pasture tank. Our equipment consisted of cane poles, bobbers and an assortment of hooks, not very sophisticated by today’s standards. Babbie, as we called her, could spend hours watching a cork bob! Most of the fish we caught back then were mudcats and perch, but they were great fried up!
Canyon Carter lands a nice bass with help from Gary and Jane!
Things, and especially equipment, have changed a lot since those days but there is no better way to spend a warm summer morning than on your local pond!
Stock ponds or tanks have been around for years and they have fed families and provided angling recreation ever since I can remember. You don’t need a lot of money or a fancy boat to fish them. A lot of us were introduced to fishing on their banks, and some might wish to go back to those days when the sight of a bobber slipping under the water was all we needed to make us happy.
Farm ponds, stock tanks, watershed lakes, by whatever name – they’re small waters that are easy to learn and on which we can hone our skills.
“Farm ponds come anywhere from a half acre to thirty acres, but I’ve always thought that fifteen acres or more leans toward a lake,” says Bill Dance, television fishing icon, avid pond fisherman and lake designer. Some farm ponds are constructed in gullies or valleys, some are impounded and some are just round dish-type holes in the ground.
Most ponds have a dam of some sort. Many have off-color water, sometimes even muddy. Ponds can provide good fishing for bass, bluegills and catfish. Don’t expect crappies in small bodies of water, though—the species is so prolific that crappie populations occupy too much of the available water space. In fact, most game and fish departments won’t even consider stocking crappies unless the body of water is at least 50 acres in size.
A small pond is a miniature version of a big lake: Fish do basically the same things in each body of water. They relate to key structural features that are available. They’re affected by water temperature and by water clarity just as their big-water cousins are. Anglers should look for them near the same sorts of cover and structure, and fish for them accordingly.
If fishing for bluegills/sunfish, keep as many of the sunfish you catch as the law allows; you’ll have the makings for a great fish fry regardless of the size of the fish, and you’ll be doing the pond fishery a favor. A pond’s sunfish population can get out of control in a hurry. A number of female bluegills might all spawn with one male, so breeding success each year is high. Removing stunted sunfish will increase the average size of the survivors within a few summers.
Our niece, Nikki Green, caught this nice cat off the patio during Texoma’s flooding!
Catfish, whether bullheads or channel, tend to prowl close to the banks during low-light periods. Look for most to stay in the deepest portion of the pond or around drop-offs near currents during warm weather and the brightest part of the day.
Fish earthworms or scented baits under a float, with the bait positioned near the bottom. If the water is too deep to use a clip-on or pegged float, use a slip bobber. Otherwise, try tight lining, by sliding a small barrel sinker on the line, tie on a small barrel swivel followed by 16—20 inches of monofilament, and then add the bait hook.
Nowadays a lot of farm ponds are stocked with channel catfish, which do well in small waters with minimum current. If channel catfish are present, fish for them at low-light times with in-line spinners, such as those made by Mepps and Blue Fox. Channel catfish in farm ponds are especially predatory in early to midsummer, when the fins of nearly spawned bass and sunfish are still in the”soft-ray” stage of development.
Regardless of which type of fishing you prefer, your local body of water has a lot to offer. Get out and enjoy fishing in your Oklahoma and call and let me know when the “fish fry” is on!
As I write this Tuesday morning I wonder how many of you got much sleep last night? Thank goodness our little corner of Oklahoma was spared any severe weather and our prayers go out to those suffering with tornado and flood damage throughout the state!
The fishing reports I’ve gotten from Lake Waurika have been great on the north area, especially around the island, despite the high water levels. I know Houston Scott and Slade Cathey have been slaying the crappie and bass the last few weeks on their ponds.
On another note, please remember that the Farmer’s Market will take place this weekend after being cancelled last Saturday because of weather! Come out and support our local folks.
I happened on an interesting article last week about turtles and tortoises I think you will find informative.
A tortoise is a turtle but a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise. Confusing isn’t it?
The tongue twister of the relationship between turtles and tortoises is the same as those two boxy geometric shapes we learned in elementary school. A tortoise is a turtle just like a square is a rectangle, but a turtle is not a tortoise just like a rectangle is not always a square.
“Turtle” is a broad term that can refer to any reptile with a shell. However, the classification can be further broken down into types of turtles. Confusingly, a turtle is a type of turtle. Tortoises and terrapins are the other two kinds of turtles.
Tortoise or Turtle
If you look at the larger picture, all turtles are reptiles with a shell, and therefore all tortoises are turtles–in the broadest sense of the word. However, in the smaller scope of things, when you divide the larger category into three different types, you see that a turtle is not necessarily a tortoise or even a turtle, because it can be a terrapin instead.
Are you confused yet? Let’s leave our vocabulary lesson behind for now and dive right into the science of things. In order to have divisions of these reptiles, they have to have different characteristics.
Distinguishing attributes of the feet, shell and habitat help to tell these reptiles apart. The most obvious distinction is where they live. Tortoises live on land. Turtles can live in water or land, with some species being almost solely aquatic.
No doubt about this one!
As terrestrial individuals, tortoises adapted flat feet to more easily traverse the landscape. For life in the water, turtles have at least some degree of webbing between their toes–even full-fledged flippers in the most aquatic individuals.
Box turtles spend a lot of time on land and so are often mistaken for tortoises. But, they have slightly webbed feet, making them turtles!
The last difference between turtles and tortoises is shell shape. Because turtles spend time in the water, their shells are flatter for stream-lined swimming. A tortoise has more of a dome shape to its shell. As Box turtles spend most of their life on land, their shells look more like an Aldabra tortoise than a red-eared slider.
To clarify things even further, the tortoise shell pattern seen on sunglasses is not actually made from tortoises. It was made from turtles–the hawksbill sea turtle, specifically. Nowadays, the species is protected and so that material is just plastic.
Common red-eared turtle!
The shape of a turtle’s body with regard to its feet and shell can offer understanding of its habitat. It also helps you classify if it is indeed a turtle or a tortoise! To simplify-they are all TURTLES!
Don’t forget the Farmer’s Market this weekend and certainly keep in mind those that have gone before us and our Veterans who gave it all!
In the meantime get out and enjoy our great Oklahoma outdoors!
My wife and I have $72,000 in debt from student loans and a car loan. We’re trying to pay off our debt using the debt snowball system, and we each make about $45,000 a year. She’s a teacher, and she’s planning on going back to school for her master’s degree, but she’s thinking about quitting her job to do this. She’ll be able to make more money with the additional education, and she would only be unemployed for two years. The degree program will cost us $2,000 out of pocket per semester for two years. Does this sound like a good idea?
Chris
Dear Chris,
There’s no reason for your wife to quit her job to make this happen. Lots of people — especially teachers — hold down their jobs and go back to school to further their education. I’m not sure trying to make it on one income when you’re that deep in debt is a good idea.
Whatever you do, don’t borrow more money to make this happen. Cash flow it, or don’t do it. We’re talking about $8,000 total, and you’ve got $72,000 in debt hanging over your heads already. My advice would be to wait until you’ve got the other debt knocked out, then save up and pay cash for school. You could slow down your debt snowball, and use some of that to pay for school, but I’d hate to see you lose the momentum you have when it comes to getting out of debt.
The choice is yours, but don’t tack on anymore student loan debt. I know her income will go up with a master’s degree, so from that standpoint it’s a good thing to do. But if you do a good thing a dumb way, it ends up being dumb!
—Dave
Pre-planning explained
Dear Dave,
My grandmother passed away a week ago. She was 98, and I know both she and my grandfather had pre-paid for their funerals in 2004. However, there were outstanding costs of $1,500 with the funeral services we had to pay out of pocket, because she had outlived the insurance policy attached to the pre-payment plan. I know you say it’s always better to pre-plan, not pre-pay, for a funeral. Can you refresh my understanding of this?
Rebecca
Dear Rebecca,
Let’s use a round figure, and say the cost of a funeral is $10,000. What would $10,000 grow to 25 years from now if it were invested in a good mutual fund? Now, juxtapose that number with the increase in the cost of a funeral over that time. The average inflation rate of consumer-purchased items is around four percent. So, the cost of funerals, on average, has risen about four percent a year. By comparison, you could’ve invested that money, and it would’ve grown at 10 or 12 percent in a good mutual fund.
Now understand, I’m not knocking folks who are in the funeral business. But lots of businesses that provide these services realize more margin in selling pre-paid policies than they do in caskets. In other words, they don’t make as much money selling the casket as they do selling a pre-paid policy on the casket.
Do you understand my reasoning? If we knew the exact date she pre-paid, and how much she pre-paid, that figure invested in a good mutual fund would be a whole lot more than the cost of a reasonable funeral. It’s the same principle behind the reason I advise folks to not pre-pay college, or just about anything else, that’s likely far into the future. The money you could’ve made on the investment is a lot more than the value of pre-paying. Pre-planning, on the other hand, is a great idea for many things — including funerals.
I’m truly sorry for your loss, Rebecca. God bless you all.
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 13 million listeners each week on 585 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.
