COUNTY LIFE
Unique hobby full of surprises for Bowie man
By BARBARA GREEN
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When Tom Cate picked up his first brick from an old downtown building site the “King. B” brick just caught his eye. He thought it was unique so he took it home. Six years later he has nearly 400 bricks in an unusual collection that decorates his back yard.
Folks around Bowie may be familiar with Cate and his frisky brown and white dog Ginger as they make lengthy daily walks throughout the downtown.
“When I saw the King. B six years ago I thought it may be fun to see how many different bricks I could find. I’d heard of Palmer, Farris, Acme, but there are so many as I found in the research. That’s when it started for me. I looked down allies, at old buildings that were torn down, visited small towns and I began finding more. I got excited by the different ones,” explains Cate.
The collector came to Bowie in 2004 and remodeled a home on the southside of town. He retired from Coca Cola Bottling Company in Dallas after 35 years of servicing the equipment. While he had been living in Ennis, a divorce as he retired led him to explore other possibilities.
He moved to Van Alystyne and was doing some remodeling jobs when his niece in Chico asked him to come help her for a few months at her trophy shop. He worked during the week and went home on the weekend. He ended up staying four years also helping her and her husband out when she was diagnosed with a serious illness.
“I liked it up here and enjoyed riding my motorcycle. It all happened for a reason and came to together that I was able to help them. I liked Bowie and found this house that reminded me of where I grew up. It has a large corner lot and a shop in the back. I remodeled and have been here ever since,” explains Cate.
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
It has been quite a busy few days at the Montague County Youth Fair with schedule changes, juggling of events and trying to cope with the unexpected snow storm. However, the youth fair always rolls on thanks to the dedicated volunteers, coordinators, parents and students.
Friday the rabbit how starts at 10 a.m., with heifer and steer show at 2 p.m. Ag. mech. check-in at 6 p.m. with that show at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Swine will move into the barn later today with its show at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Saturday the home economics silent auction will start at 6 p.m. and run to 9 p.m. in the show barn. Showmanship buckles will be presented at 6 p.m. in the barn followed by leadership day awards. The premium sale is at 6:30 p.m. Make plans to come out and support these hard working kids and families.
See all the winners in the Thursday Bowie News.
Top photo – Poultry show photo taken by Rashonda Hobbs of Unfazed Creations, official photographer for the youth fair. Make sure and check out her photos.
When we were going through my grandmother’s house in Nocona after it sold, I found a few neat keepsakes, but the biggest treasure I thought I had found was her biscuit cutter. I was so excited to show my mother (her daughter) and just knew she would be happy it was found and would still be used after all this time.
My mother, however, had a different thought about my precious biscuit cutter. She said, “Suzanne, you know that biscuit cutter is just an old tomato paste can that has both ends cut out.”
I was still no less delighted with my cutter. I continue to use it today. My husband has bought me vintage, new and fancier cutters, but this cutter is something I go back to time and again.
My Memaw was recruited to be a lunch lady from 1952 to 1958 at Nocona Elementary, back when lunches were cooked, not “fixed.” Lenora Brown Burnett was an excellent cook and everyone knew it. She went on to work at the Nocona Major Clinic kitchen from 1958 to 1969.
You could only use shortcuts if you knew how to do it the long way. That is how I still approach cooking. You can only use a cake mix if you know how to make a cake with lots of ingredients, time and effort.
Read Suzanne’s Love & Luck column in the Thursday Bowie News on the On the Table page.
Top photo – Grandmother’s biscuit cutter and hand written recipes. (Photo by Suzanne Storey)
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