Ah.. the magical 1950s on the Border

I need to share a tale or two...

Dr Victor Davis Hanson, Dr Robert Malone. ME…

As I have read their writings and see how we three “doctors” all think alike…I believe it has to do with those maturing years in high school and beyond.. Certainly a picture of Dr Malones child hood “barn” with an old Ford 8N sitting in there, dirt floor, tools on the inside.. Reminded me of my grandfathers tool shed. Now our daddy taught us some building skills.. an old WWII buddy, Eddy came over and showed my brother and me how to set up to our a concrete floor, using a garden hose to make sure it was level (oh!! that is where they get the term cornerstone!!).. concrete poured then we got to build the sides and used Asbestos “ shingles. Oh my goodness, what poisons! Wonder I don’t have mesothelioma! Two car garage eventually morphed into a place for one car, and the other side like a machine shop and a small corner complete with an air conditioner, my ham radio equipment. The “garage” was an amazing place. We overhauled a Model T, then sold it to Bill Minyard who drove it in the parades, Robert Metz came over and built a simplistic computer before Bill Gates even got his diapers changed. Bill Morris was always there helping out. Expect to see a story or a book about “The Garage” by my sister Martha. It was magic to us.

But, like Hanson and Malone, although we lived in town, we were connected to the land.. Picked cotton at Grandmothers house, worked in a cotton gin, flagged “duster” airplanes with George Smid so his dad could fly over in the airplane.. Oh goodness, once again, all those chemicals we breathed! ( now you know why a silly little corona virus doesn’t scare most of us.). One summer, I worked for Mr Polis with a bunch of “Mexican agriculture exchange students.” as we called them. They were all good guys. My grandmother would never lock the doors at her house, left water, fruit, sandwich bread, peanut butter out for those “wets” braving south Texas heat and walking north. North of her was the Sal Del Rey (look it up). special salt source where wagon trains took salt to Mexico City for the King back in the day.. Point is, Like Malone and Hansen, we were just fine with our compadres. How do you think I learned Spanish? Mr Polis’ job was cutting down and piling up and burning old dead citrus trees killed by a frost. Somehow or another, I worked in daily trips to the radio station KURV to type in news for the AP into telegraph machines with a yellow tape spitting out the side, and go to the courthouse and get the filings for the Edinburg Daily Review, and like daddy in WWII, working in a photo lab, I knew how you develop and print..(D76, sodium thiosulfate - see I still remember) so I got photographer details and then developed film, printed pictures for the paper. ALL MAGICAL?

Of course College had to fit in somewhere, so a Pan American College chemistry major was had so I could go on to UTMB for the medical degree. Baylor was too expensive, and I wanted to go to the oldest medical school west of the Missippii anyway.

I must say I never discussed Homer or the Aeneid with my fellow agricultural workers!

https://victorhanson.com/how-the-old-breed-made-a-raisin-part-three/

As for Dr Malone. his history is similar to mine except his high school sweetheart Jill still married…came from the magic times. My sweetheart was nursing student at UTMB.. We teased the nurses and said that they came to nursing school to get an RN but really what they wanted was an MD (husband). Well…53 years later, still side by side…And like Hansen.. and Malone, still living on acreage, dealing with bugs, weeds, mowing, baling hay, on and on. Of course with large stock tanks I prefer to call bass ponds. Oh you wonder what an 8N is.. ?? this one is about two years younger than me.

After reading about all this experience, albeit a long time ago. keep in mind Hank Williams Jr song.. “A Country Boy can Survive.” Might explain our political leanings as well.

Here is Dr Dr Bob’s tractor..

.Here is the link to Dr Malone..

California, here they go.