Schools of my day were vastly different from those of today,  But we learned  to add and subtract, and to multiply and  divide. We wrote curviest and had history and civics lessons.

These insignificant math talents come in handy when the cashier’s  computer is down and she doesn’t know how to make change. But  of little  use when involved with  bytes and megabytes. 

 The two-room schools were actually one  long  room divided by a  folding partition. Each had a huge iron wood-burning stove.

All the school of those  days  were similar in appearance, with large windows that could be  opened  for fresh air along each side, a front  and back door and a steep roof.  We still see them occasionally.

We nick-named the room for the first  five grades the “little room.” It was taught by a young woman named Jewel Frazer, and  affectionally caller Miss Jewel. By the next year she had married a young dairyman from a nearby community and requested we call her Mrs. Ellis. It just wasn’t the same.

James Harper taught the remaining four grades and was responsible  for the school’s activities and problems. The high  point of the year was the annual Interscholastic  League held in Weatherford. Mr. Harper helped his students chose the events they wished to enter and helped them prepare for the  contests. 

 He  drove a two-seated car that was only a few years old so when the big day arrived he  crammed  in  eight or nine contestants  and headed  for Weatherford. 

 The  athletic events  were held at the ballpark  on South Main, now the site of  the Ninth Grade Center. We parked  nearby and wiggled  our   way  out of the car.   It became our home base and held things such as lunches and  jackets.

We  girls  entered only the races. Our school was small, so we barely had enough  runners  (four) for the  relays.  Our boys participated in more athletic events but shied away from the literary competitions  which  were held at the high school  on Palo Pinto Street more than a mile   away. Somehow we managed the distance and schedules and went home with a handful of ribbons. 

 Another big day,  especially  for the “little rom” was Inspection  Day. That was the day set for the County School Superintendent's visit. It caused a flurry  of  activity. Erasers were taken outside and pounded until they were dust-free. Blackboards  were cleaned, wastebaskets emptied and the floor  swept.

One of the responsibilites of the Superintendent was to visit each school  to check their progress  and help with the  any problems. His name was Ivan Stone. I believe  his secretary’s name was Mozelle  His office was on the third floor of the courthouse. It was a huge room, maybe using the entire floor. At one end  were  shelves  holding  thousands of books that  were loaned to the county’s  schools. They were  also available to others,  a real boon to  book lovers,  since at that time, Weatherford  had  no library.

In1939, the little country schools were  merged  with larger schools in their  district  that  taught all eleven grades. In my  day thats all it took to graduate. That was also the year schools started the twelve year system.

The end  of an era.

In Defense  of Onions

It’s a real stinker. It’s thin outer peel clings to your hands; falls to the floor, and into open drawers Slicing  into it makes your eyes burn and tears flow. It's sulphur content is responsible for the discomfort.

These are small problems compared the benefits.  Onions are chock-full of nutrients yet low in calories. They are loaded witonionsh antioxidants,  have anticancer compounds, and regulate blood sugar and lower blood pressure They  also have antibacterial properties, boost digestive health, strengthen  bones, and may help  prevent osteoporosis. It challenges the old  adage “an  apple a day  keeps he doctor away,”   but who is willing to meet meet the challenge of eating  an onion each day!

Onions have  been around for a long time  Medieval doctors used them to treat headaches, heart  disease, and mouth sores.

Somewhere I read that Vidalia onions were discovered  in Texas.  Unable to find any more mention of  Visalia’s  and Texas, I decided it was a mistake...until I came  across “The Legend of the Texas  Sweet Onion.”

As the story goes, back in the 40s, the  Bermuda Islands grew a well-liked onion. and  were finding it difficult to meet the demand for its seed. And Texas farmers were struggling to meet the demand for this sweet onion.

In those days, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station was using crossing techniques to improve various  vegetables, but had neglected the onion, the main Texas crop, because it was difficult to cross.

 In an attempt to meet the farmers’ demands, they contacted New Mexico's Director of its Experimental Station and found he had imported a high yielding variety from Spain from which he had selected a strain for New Mexico and named Bravo.

Texas tried this Bravo in a test field and when the neighbors saw the results they asked for all the available seeds.  

Finally, after more ups and downs and more cross breeding, the Texas bred Granex was created  and became famous world-wide under different names. 

In 1952  a Georgia farmer bought Texas Granex plants for  his farm and the Georgia Vidalia was created after being discovering in Texas. The Georgia  Vidalia and the Texas Grannex are the same although Georgia claims theirs is better because of the  low sulphur content of their soil. Because of this,  the State has limited it’s counties qualified to grow and market Vidalia onions

Now that  you know there are low-sulfur onions in the markets, pay a little  extra and   be a  happier cook.