Burrs, Bull Nettles and Bare Feet

About the Book

Burrs, Bull Nettles, and Bare Feet tells of a unique but happy childhood on an East Texas farm in the 1950s. The book relates interesting anecdotes about several of the author's ancestors during turn-of-the-century Texas, and then describes day to day life: life at home and school, raisin' Cain, raisin' crops, and raisin' cows. Each chapter presents recollections of several distinct but related stories reflecting individual people, places, activities, and ideas. But the book is a great deal more. The chapters in combination paint a panorama of rural life in northeast Texas in the 1950s, a time of transition from cotton farming to cattle raising, and from rural to town life.

About the Author

Kirk Blackard was born in 1941 and grew up on a farm outside Mt. Pleasant in northeast Texas. He attended elementary school in the small rural community of Greenhill, graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Texas A&M University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He was employed by Shell Oil Company from 1968 until 1998 and held several senior executive positions in Houston and London.

Kirk and Marcia, his wife of 35 years, live in Houston. They have two grown sons. He is active in civic and public service organizations, and Kirk and Marcia have traveled widely on five continents. Three of his books have been published.