John Moore’s genuine Scouting pocketknife. Courtesy John Moore  I learned a lot from Scouting. Started as a Cub Scout, then joined Webelos, then the Boy Scouts.  Girls and making money took priority over my time around age 14, so I never made Eagle Scout....

As Texans endure the dog days of summer, experts say deaths related to heat in Texas and nationwide are likely undercounted, the Texas Standard reported. With climate change causing warmer days and nights, last year was the hottest on record in Texas. Though this...

Columnist John Moore’s sister took first place at the county fair with a photo she snapped on a Colorado train trip. Photo/ John Moore The photo was taken quickly with little thought of its future impact. It was just one on the 36-count roll of Kodak color film that...

A federal investigation into five state facilities concluded children in custody face excessive force, sexual abuse and a lack of vital services, The Dallas Morning News reported. At a news conference last week, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the...

Columnist John Moore takes sopping seriously. Courtesy John Moore Southerner’s are big on sopping. We like to sop our biscuits in lots of things. There isn’t much that’s better than sopping a cathead biscuit in gravy. Especially if your mom made both. My mother worked...

About 40 years ago, my dad gave me a radio. Not just any radio. It is what’s called a farm radio.  According to Texas Co-op Power Magazine, in 1936 just three out of 100 farms had electricity. By the mid-1940’s it was three out of 10. That still left most farm...

Columnist John Moore’s wife grows a lot of food. And boy, is he glad. Photo: John Moore The great thing about growing a lot of your own food is the ability to walk out the back door and pick it. It doesn’t get much fresher than that. If there’s a downside to growing a...

Columnist John Moore grew up in a Baptist church in the South. Consequently, he doesn’t know any of the third verses in the hymnal. Photo : John Moore If you’re a Baptist from the South, you’re hoping that if there’s a Pearly Gates pop quiz, the question isn’t,...

“Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.” – Anthony Bourdain Barbecue is a versatile word. It can refer to an outdoor place to cook meat; to cooking meat; and can also reference a gathering of people for the purpose of serving meat cooked...

My grandfather called it a “Po Boy Lunch.” That meant we were having leftovers in whatever creative way my grandmother came up with. Recently, I took two biscuits from breakfast and loaded them with smoked brisket, and from the garden, purple onions and jalapeños. A...