...Texans are so gun crazy even some of the local panhandlers are armed. When one approached me with "Can you spare some change?" I handed him a twenty-dollar bill. "Here, go get yourself a good California cabernet." But at least he was entertaining. As I walked away I could hear him crooning, "I left my heart in San Francisco and my liver at the bar." ... But even if you have guns,  you can't carry them everywhere. Many public facilities have signs that persons carrying weapons cannot enter. Some supermarkets have gone further—they not only scan your groceries but can identify make and caliber of what you are carrying. But it's really sad, Santa had to start packing because so many of the children were. At one mall, the following was overheard "And what would you like for Christmas little boy." The kid pulled a .38 and growled, "Give all your cash." ... I told a friend I had been following the engagement of Britain's Prince Harry closely. "Yeah, but she's so much older." "Older, no she's not." "Well, she's been chancellor of Germany for such a long time." "He's not marrying Merkel; he's marrying Markle." ... There are a lot of signs the Republicans in Congress rushed through the proposed tax law. Someone noticed it kept referring to the "Internal Revenue Surface" and proposed new tacks rates.