Sherry Hester (Trasp)

OK, Rex you made me feel guilty!!
Thanks Fred and Paula I enjoyed Your stories!
We didn't have pets growing up! But in about 1983
my niece had 2 black teacup poodles and was 
moving and could not take them, so I took the girl
to Santa Fe where I had a Upstairs Condo. Her name was 
"BUG" it was a lot longer than that because of her pedigree
but I don't remember it. She was so tiny I would open the
door she would run down stairs do her busiess and run back.
She was so cute. When I moved to Abuquerque in1985
she went with me. When my First Grand son would come
to visit and he was 4 they would chase each other up and
down the hall! SO CUTE AND SO FUNNY! I do have videos
but the Kidos have them. She sadly got sick and passed in 1994. 

Then when I moved back home to Roswell in 2022 I would 
babysit my younger brothers 2 toy chihuahua's 5 and 6 pounds.
they love doing tricks and walking until the older one had heart
problems and my brother got sick and passed 5-17-2026.
I do have pictures Jaxon 13yrs and Moses 9yrs! So sweet!! I have tons more
but or some reason I couldn't add any more. Maybe too large.

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

I made the pictures smaller.
These pictures were way over a Year ago.
They are watching for Dad and Mom to
come Home! How they knew they were on
their way only Dogs Know!! Moses the younger
one is on the back of the couch! Jaxon has a hard
time jumping. These were at 3 different times.
How about the picture o the wall??
This is my story and I'm sticking to it! 
No more I promise!!  

Rex Booth

Paula & Sherry,

Was that a picture of your brother taken at the Sunken Gardens in Cahoon Park?

Very good  stories about your dogs and birds! 

OK Gents, you gonna let these Dolls out do you?!!

After "Red" went to dog-gone heaven, Mom brought home a parakeet. It's cere, the fleshy part above the beak was royal blue. When we'd call him pretty Ricky, he'd get excited and wave his head from one side to the other while whistling and singing. (Kinda like Stevie Wonder moving his head back and forth when singing). Only part about the bird I didn't like was having to clean the cage! Your gift, your bird, you clean. A few months later, we purchased a female parakeet from a breeder. We hoped the female would be a good companion for Ricky. When Ricky would get close and sing, the female would move away as if uninterested. A few months later we were surprised to find the cere on the female was turning blue... !@#%! (french expletive)

Fred Miller

I follow a comic strip called "Mutts" by Patrick McConnell.  He is always tackling issues involving pets.  August is Clear the Shelters month.  I have always said the best dog breed is Rescued...

Cal Turley

I do have a story about my favorite pet though it isn't as touching and heart felt as the ones shared by other classmates. My brothers and I grew up in a not so nice or influential area of Roswell so being able to have a pedigree or expensive pet was never going to happen. I owned 2 dogs, Blacky and Sparkles, but unfortunately our neighbor had a serious drinking problem and somehow managed to run over both dogs killing them. My Dad, with all of his ingenuity, decided he would get a bigger pet that maybe our neighbor would be able to avoid hitting even in his drunken stupor. He bought me a donkey. What a surprise! At the time " Francis the talking mule was a popular TV show. Being a young naive teenager I came up with the brilliant idea of trying to teach my donkey to talk. I was going to make a fortune. Unfortunately after 4 years of training Franky, I was drafted and had to leave Roswell. Being unable to care for Franky my parents sold him to a guy from California. After a couple of years in the Army I was discharged and was in California visiting with Billy before returning to Roswell. We were watching a late night TV show and the main guest was Stephen Spielberg with his special secret guest. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he brought out his guest. "Franky " the talking donkey. He explained how he was in Roswell researching data for an up coming movie when he came accross this crazy old couple selling a donkey they claimed could talk.

Cal Turley

He explained that he came up with a brilliant idea. That he was going to turn Franky into a politician. Who would have ever thought Franky would eventually become President of the United States. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Rex Booth

Thanks Fred!

Sherry,

I don't purposely wish to make anyone feel guilty. But I do tend to admire Judge Roy Bean, the "most hangingest Judge" West of the Pecos, in Langtry, Texas!! Judge Bean was famous for saying: "Hang 'em first and try 'em later".  If all are born in sin, then all born are guilty until proven innocent...  

Judge Roy Bean with right hand on his Law Book

It is said, Judge Roy Bean had a large picture of British Actress "Lillie Langtry" on the wall behind his bar 

Anyone who spoke disrespectful of Lillie Langtry was "hanging offence"!!

Truth be, Judge Roy Bean never hanged anyone... 'cept maybe Paul Newman in "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePV3G51Jqlg&t=15s

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

Well now I'll tell you my cat stories. Soon after Flip the dog disappeared we began to accumulate cats. Someone gave us wild Fred who helped us control the rats and mice in our feed store in Alief so we were pleased. Sometime later wild Fred presented us with babies. They too were wild and Fred remained Fred until he/she disappeared. Then we had a long-legged black cat named Midnight. He was no mouser but he loved my daughter's Spagettio's!  I finally learned to give him some in a bowl so Tonya could have her lunch peacefully. Then there was Princess the Siamese cat. She had babies so I brought them into the house. Princess would go in and out as needed. One day when I let her in she brought a live mouse in and gave it to her babies. I closed them in that room while they learned to stalk the prey. Interesting day. The last cat, a big grey dude, was a great deal of fun. We trained him to chase and fetch a foil ball. He would sometimes hide his "ball" but would fetch it on command.  He survived a snake bite but that took several days. End of pet stories for me!!

Fred Miller

When I lived in El Paso, I had a customer near Langtry, TX.  that I would go see 3 - 4 times a year.  I always made it a point to swing by Langtry.  

Judge Bean was infatuated with Lillie Langtry.  He built the town bar, named the Jersey Lillie.  He also built a small one room adobe "opera house" in hopes of enticing her to come over from England and perform.  

Nobody ever performed in the opera house, in fact Judge Bean made it his home.  He died in 1903.  Lillie Langtry actually did visit Langtry, TX in 1904.  She toured the town named after her, but didn't perform.

There is some very interesting history in a lot of these smaller towns in the southwest.

  Two Thumbs Up!!   - The Shadow

Rex Booth

Sadly, it looks like the dog & cat stories have run the gamut. And based on those who did own dogs & cats, it appears the rest of our "reluctant ones" never enjoyed the joy of caring for a pet and the reward of a pet's affection. All together now: "Bless their pea-pickin' hearts"!

As a result, the "Suggestion Box" is now open for more interesting and "enticing" subjects or beer cans to kick down the road. Which is a subject not broached lately, hmmm...

Wait for it...

"When did you have your first beer, wine, or alky-haulic drink"? What was the result? 

"Teetotalers" are welcome to join in on the fun too!  🤠
 

Bill Leggett

REX, I THINK  CAN CLAIM 1ST PLACE. I WAS TWO (2) YEARS OLD. 

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY. I WAS SITTING ON MY MOM'S LAP AT THE TABLE WITH LOTS OF FAMILY MEMBERS SITTING AROUND THE TABLE. MY MOM TURNED HER HEAD, TALKING TO SOMEONE. THEY SAY I PICKED UP THE SHOT GLASS AND DRANK THE DRINK DOWN AND DIDN'T EVEN MAKE A FACE.  I USED TO HAVE A PHOTO OF ME SITTING ON MY MONS LAP WHEN THIS HAPPENDED.

Fred Miller

I cannot let the pet stories end without talking about Daddy's girl.  This is Harley.  Years back she belonged to one of Nancy's co-workers.  She told Nancy that she was just tired of putting up with her and was going to take her to the pound. Nancy blew up and told her to bring her the next day and Nancy would take her home. She slept in our bed curled into my chest.

I had an online friend in Florida. She was a marine biologist, but also an artist.  I emailed her a picture of Harley.  She drew a really beautiful picture of her, see below.

Harley's favorite toy was a rubber strawberry.  She played with it for hours on end.  When she passed, we buried the strawberry with her.

Mark Meiering

Today, the Albuquerque Journal has a front-page article on the 1956 Roswell Little League champions. It continues for another full page with a side article about Dewey Johnson's book. Extensively mention and quoted are Tommy Jordan and Ferrell Dunham. Also cited are Dickie Storey, David Sherrod, Harold Hobson, Jimmy Valdez and Dave Smith. Also, there was the photo of Dick St. John lifting Tommy Jordan after the latter hit the winning homer !!!!

And a "Tip 'o the Hat" to Mark!     

Rex Booth

     by Jim Hilley Roswell Daily Record  August 13, 2026

  Roswell Lions Hondo All-Star Harold Hobson takes first base in the 1956 Little League World Series championship game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 24, 1956.

On Saturday August 15 at 7:30 p.m, the public is invited to the Lions Hondo Little League field, 2758 S. Sunset Ave., which will feature a talk by Dewey Johnson, author of “That'll Be the Day,” a book telling the story of the Lions Hondo All-Stars World Series championship and the unveiling of “Roswell, Where?” a documentary by Peter Reddoch, about the 1956 series.

On Sunday August 16 at 2 p.m. the HSSNM (Historical Society South East New Mexico) will host a presentation at its archive building, 208 N. Lea Ave., featuring Johnson and Reddoch speaking about their work as well as several members of the 1956 series winners talking about their experience. The archive facility will also have some historical artifacts from the 1956 series on display.

"Click on link below" for the whole story!  

https://www.rdrnews.com/news/local/1956-little-league-championship-celebrated/article_c76b5c6f-939d-4d46-92ac-28b5e04b9821.html

Rex Booth

Mark,

Thank you for the heads up on the 1956 LLWS Champs on the front page of the "Albuquerque Journal"!! 

From what you said,  the Albuquerque Journal provided much more information and pictures (than the Roswell Daily Record).  

Thanks again for posting!!

Click below for additional 1956 Champs coverage by the "Albuquerque Journal"

https://www.abqjournal.com/sports/the-jordans-father-and-son-were-nm-baseball-royalty/3100703

Rex Booth

Patrick, 

Thank you for sending the web link to the Albuquerque Journal re: 1956 LLWS Champs!!

Patrick Riley

Rex, re your question about first experiences with adult beverages:

I do remember my "first taste of sin"! Yep ... "first time for everything". It was at a Roswell Country Club's 4th of July BBQ. On the grounds was a Budweiser beer wagon dispensing free draft beer. As you might expect, there was a line. I was in the 8th grade at the time and joined the queue fully expecting to be turned away. But no, upon reaching the head of the line, I was handed a 16 ounce cup of a frothy beverage. It didn't taste that good, maybe even bad, but I started with a "big old sip" and finished it without doing a "double back flip".

Perhaps unfortunately, I soon acquired a taste for this fermented malt beverage and could "chug-a-lug" with the best of them ... "burns your tummy, don't you know" but I soon "swallowed it with a smile".

This lead to a raft of not so great activities "like I ain't never seen" including:

• Fermenting hard cider in a "mason jar" by adding yeast to apple juice and leaving in a warm sunny spot. It was "homemade and brought to school" (South Junior High) where I'd freely share it with "other fools".

• Stealing liquor from my parent's liquor cabinet. We "helped ourselves" and we'd "drink our fill" even if we had to "sneak off behind" the garage.

• Along with John Denton, making our own hard stuff by purchasing a still from Edmund Scientific and becoming amateur moonshiners (this didn't end well when, in an attempt to make our version of distilled Cognac brandy from Welch's grape juice, sugar, and yeast; the still clogged and blew up in his mom's utility room dying the walls a permanent purple).

• Creating my first fake ID so I could buy the real stuff. This worked ... I became a regular at several local liquor stores usually purchasing A-1 Pilsner Beer 40 ounce Big Brown Jugs ... the cheapest beer by the ounce.

• Providing fake IDs to a number of classmates after I'd perfected the technique.

• At first we "snuck in" but after gaining confidence that our false identity documents actually worked, a group of us would occasionally visit local bars and lounges for a cocktail ... "somethin' like I ain't never seen" before ... kind of a "jukebox and sawdust floor" experience.

• Posing as an airman at the Walker Air Force base base exchange to purchase beer even cheaper.

• Being picked up and detained three different times by the Roswell Police Department for driving around with friends drinking beer. They mostly wanted to move upstream by finding out how you got the beer and would turn us loose after you said an "airman bought it for me".

• Keeping liquor "brought to school" in my locker. I'd often share it with a "friend of mine after class".

• Along with classmates, often hidden in the trunk, going to one of Roswell's three drive in movies with a minimum of two six-packs each. No surprise that I don't remember most of the movies very well.

• Playing a number of drinking games. One favorite was repeatedly drinking a shot glass of beer every minute until there was only one man left standing. My "ears still ring" from this activity.

• Spiking my date's soft drink with sloe gin or some other sweet tasting liquor in hopes that her inhibitions would relax (this never worked).

• Speed contests seeing who could drink a quart of beer the fastest (a true "chug-a-lug").

• Being grabbed by a deputy sheriff for relieving myself, after too many beers, in the parking lot of Carmello's. Fortunately the sheriff was Demo Metarelis' brother George who let me off with a stern lecture after escorting me to Carmello's restroom to finish up.

• Along with John Denton, Don Hayes, Tom Mangham, Howard Holt, and others ... building our own private beer bust party spot about a half mile north of U.S. 380 on a sandy beach on the east side of the Pecos River just before Comanche Hill. With substantial effort, we cut a trail through the dense salt cedars from the bridge to our semi-private beach. The trail head entrance was disguised.

• Plus other activities I can't reveal until I'm sure the statute of limitations has run.

All of these memories kinda make me "wanna holler hi-dee-ho"!

Oh, are you wonder about my quoted phrases in bold? They're all credit of Roger Miller's song Chug-A-Lug ... see full lyrics below with plagerized phrases in red.

"Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end." (another copied song lyric but this one's not by Roger Miller).

"Chug-A-Lug"
 

Joe Treat

Speaking of dogs, my dog Barney is great.  He has saved us from being murdered by the FedEx delivery man, the UPS delivery man or the USPS mailman many times.  He now knows the sound of their trucks before they stop here.  We have had him for 5 years.  He was 2 when we adopted from the animal shelter.  He had been turned-in twice.  The first due to a divorce and moving to apartment.  The second time returned because they did not like him nipping at their heels and he escaped the yard twice.  We liked his photo and visited.  Loved when he jumped into the caretakers arms.  That weekend we went to movie and there he was in the Animal shelter ad.  He as so handsome and was wearing a little hat.  He weighs in at 35 lbs.  He has a really loud bark.  He looks like a terrier, but DNA says he is 1/2 Chihuahua and1/2 Australian cattle dog.  

Charline Lake

Joe Treat, nice story.  Love your Barney!  

Charline Lake

He might be nipping at your heals because of the cattle dog DNA?  Is he trying to herd you?

Peter 'Hurd' that... 

Fred Miller

At one point we also had a couple of Llamas  on the property.  They were very friendly and would let us pet them.  If a Llama got upset with you, he would spit on you, and man, does that spit stink.  

Son-in-law named them Obama and Biden, and the names just stuck.

And here is a fact that I bet you did not know.  Llamas don't just poop anywhere they want to like other livestock.  They poop in the same place, and in a straight line every time.

Which one spits the farthest?  ~ The Shadow

Rex Booth

Patrick and Bill are in the running for best "Alky-haul" stories.  So far there's no mention of the blue agave plant which grows mainly in the volcanic soils of Jalisco, Mexico. Connoisseurs know the correct spelling as "ta-kill-ya"... 

However, a li'l voice keeps bugging me saying there are some out there who love to partake of the vine (fruit of the gods). Like before dinner or when ladies have lunch with their girlfriends. Come on, lasses and lads get ready for show and tell time. 

How many prefer Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or a smooth Cabernet? Voice your opine in wine! For example: Gewürztraminer, Mogen David, Ripple, or other. 

Step up to the tasting bar, swirl it in your mouth, and give your 2 cents!
 

John Landess

Well, I thought this website was truly going to the dogs!!! I'll have to see if I can find some photos of my cats!!!

But now it has moved to vino!! My late wife's family once owned more that a thousand acres of vinyards in the Napa/Sonoma Valley area, much of it on the Russian River. Sadly, the third and fourth generations thought it was too much work, so it was sold off. This before the BIG California wine thing kicked off.

Personally, I like a little dry wine once in awhile, either red or white.Great for sipping and for cooking.

As to drinking during high school, it would be VERY difficult to top Pat's story!!  However, by accident, one year in deer camp, I found that some of that good cherry cider from up in the Hondo valley, if left out in the sun for a couple of days would start bubbling and soon have a pretty good kick!

Since I didn't partake, I got to be the designated driver often, which was great when we were with Ross Carsarez. His family had some great cars to drive!

Joe, I liked your Barney story. One of my sons has one of those "protective" dogs too. Amazing that they ever get any mail or deliveries..

Bill Leggett

ONE EVENING CRUZING  MAIN STREET. I STOPPED TO TALK TO A  LOCAL LAWOFFICER.  HE GOT A CALL AND SAID HOP IN. I DID. ENDED UP RIDEING WITH HIM FOR SEVERAL HOURS. WE WERE OUT IN THE BOON DOCKS AS EVERYONE CALLED THEM. HE WAS  THE DRIVING CAR NO, LITES ON. DROVE UP BEHIND A CAR THEN TURNED ON THE SPOT LITE UP ON A CAR WITH ONE FEMALE IN THE DRIVER SEAT AND A CADET FROM UP THE HILL, I STILL REMEMBER THE LOOK ON HER FACE WHEN SHE NOTICED ME. 

MONDAY MORNING IN CLASS, THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF HER, WERE YOU HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE. I JUST LOOKED AT HER AND SAID WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT.  NOW HERE IS THE BEST PART IS ANY TIME WHEN A TEACHER. REQUIRED A TYPED REPORT. I DID MY REACHSEARCH HANDED MY  REPORT TO HER AN IT  WAS TYPED. WE  WERE IN CHOURS  TOGETHER.  I WORKED FOR, THE MOVIE SHOWS LOTS OF RHS CLASSMATES GOT IN FREE. THEY HAD A SMOKING AREA. i HAD THE KEY. OPENED THE DOOR, LET CLASS MALE &CLASS  HAVE KISSING TIME. 

I type In, caps  due to my eyes and being in a Thanks to

BEING IN A MILITARY   CHEMICAL DECON  COMPANY. 

Rex Booth

Speaking of beer, how bout an "old" Extra Stout Guinness Beer...

https://nypost.com/2026/08/10/world-news/divers-find-162-year-old-guinness-in-shipwreck-and-theres-a-possibility-its-still-drinkable/