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| Alamo by Gaylord Stevens, 1975 |
Yesterday, was Texas Independence Day. On March 2nd, 1836 Texas declared it’s independence from Mexico. Just four days later, the Alamo fell and around 190 men lost their lives–beat by an army of 2,400 Mexicans led by General Santa Anna. Included in the casualties were James Bowie (pronounced BOO-e), William Travis, and Davy Crockett.
Which instantly reminds me of the tribute to Pancho Villa song:
La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Ya no peude caminar,
Porque le falta
Porque no tiene
Marijuana que fumar!
or in other words…
The Cockroach, the cockroach,
He can’t walk anymore,
Because he lacks
Because he doesn’t have
Marijuana to smoke!
Which doesn’t have a whole lot to do with Texas or even the Alamo, but when I think of music from my neighbor down south, that song instantly comes to mind. That and the Tejano music my Mexican neighbors in my old neighborhood would play at 7 o’clock on a Saturday morning.
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| I may or may not be a proud Texan |
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| I may or may not have annoyed my roommates in college |
In any case, I am proud to be Texan. I am also proud to be American, but there’s still no place like Texas. I mean, where else, but Texas, would I be able to recite by heart countless Texas trivia all in the name of several elementary school teachers that pounded it into my brain:
1.) State Bird – Mockingbird
2.) State Flower – Bluebonnet
3.) State Tree – Pecan
4.) State Mammal – Armadillo
5.) State Reptile – Horny Toad
6.) State Insect – Monarch Butterfly
7.) State Fish – Guadalupe Bass
8.) State Drink – Dr Pepper
9.) State Gem – Blue Topaz
10.) State Freak that also ran for governor and agriculture commissioner – Kinky Friedman
Quotable Kinky Quotes (but I wouldn’t recommend it):
“I don’t remember the first half of my life. All I have to say is a happy childhood is the worst possible preparation for life.“
“I even went so far as to become a Southern Baptist for a while, until I realized that they didn’t hold ‘em under long enough.”
“Remember: Y’all is singular. All y’all is plural. All y’all’s is plural possessive.”
“I have a better head of hair than Rick Perry; it’s just not in a place I can show you.“
“I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us.“
“Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.”
And with that, I leave you with this:
Texas isn’t just a state, but it is also a state of mind.
PS: Lonestar is the State Beer of Texas. Because I felt the need to set that straight.
PPS: A cockroach can live for weeks without it’s head. After that it starves to death.
