“You got to sing, like you don’t need the money

Love, like you’ll never get hurt

You got to dance, like nobody’s watchin’

It’s gotta come from the heart, if you want it to work.

Susanna Clark and Richard C. Leigh

It was my pleasure to share good news for the Upper East Side of Texas week after week. In case you missed the notice, all that goodness is going into The Portal to Texas History — a user-friendly site managed by the University of North Texas — where you can find loads of information about the people, places, and special attributes of the region as reported by the CLM writers and photographers.

In this last newsletter we share a comprehensive list of 250 “touchstones” from our final magazine; some parting words by our most devoted poetic contributor, Darrell Lindsey; some delicious ideas from Katie-Rose Watson for celebrating America’s 250th birthday; and our last list of fun and meaningful things to do in the coming weeks. We also tell you how to keep getting good information about the region, and leave you with a song born at the same time as County Line Magazine, with a common purpose of encouraging people to live their best lives.

When the idea for County Line started taking shape more than 26 years ago, the anticipation of rolling into the 2000 years was met around the globe with Y2K concerns that our computers were going to experience a millennium bug and shut down systems and wreak havoc on us all. Some people were stocking up on food, emergency funds, generators, and building bunkers. Not to be deterred, the optimists held grand celebrations for entering the new millennium. I decided it was the perfect time to grasp this massive burst of universal energy and boldly dive into the unknown.

I followed my heart, and that leap of faith paid off more than I ever imagined.

Thank you readers for taking this journey with me across the towns and countryside of the Upper East Side of Texas. I’ve enjoyed each step of the way and hope our talented team of creative souls brought joy to your life and introduced you to thousands of reasons to love this treasured piece of the planet. I will always look back on these years with deep affection and gratitude for time well spent.  P.A. Geddie

250 Touchstones

Highlighting the Region One Person, One Community at a Time

County Line Magazine’s goal to highlight beautiful things in the Upper East Side of Texas over the past 26 years has culminated in a massive collection of stories told one person, one community at a time. We collected 250 touchstones from those stories, forever part of the tapestry of people, places, and experiences that shifted the planet a bit. The “undertold” stories were often a priority, broadening our perspectives and for the most part shedding light on love, diversity, tolerance, and following our dreams. Take a look at our list of touchstones and find many more in The Portal to Texas History. READ MORE

Here and There and Gone

Here and there and gone

like a firefly

on a summer night,

like a soldier

in the trenches

lost to fog and time.

Here and there and gone

like a dream

around the bend,

like a tender love song

on the lips

of a missing friend.

Here and there and gone

sometimes coming back

to glance at me,

some of those occasions

eyeing me down now

in these 3 A.M. memories.

Darrell Lindsey, Nacogdoches

READ MORE poems in the County Line Magazine archives.