By their 80's most folks are enjoying retirement, or at least a slower pace of life.
But not one woman in Troy.
81-year-old Haroldine Early handles the local paper as a one woman show.
Thanks to her, people who live in this "bedroom community" don't need to rely on nearby Temple for their paper.
She writes, edits, photographs and published the Troy Country Sun, and she's done it for nearly 26 years.
Haroldine says she has a philosophy behind her paper. She wants to "get people to think." She includes local news, announcements, events, even critiques of local leaders and policies, if she deems it necessary.
"I would never want to get in an argument with Haroldine early. She
knows what she's doing," said Troy ISD teacher and friend Jack
Blackwell.
You can find her in her small office usually working 10-hour days.
"I've joked about it I've said if I was paid by the hour I probably make 50 cents an hour," she laughed.
No computers here. She formats her paper the old fashioned way, using graph paper, scissors and glue to piece the articles together.
Delivery? She does that too. This great grandmother hits the pavement every Thursday. She delivers to 25 spots around town, chatting up everyone, finding stories and making friends along the way.
"Whether its freezing or it's hot, she's out there delivering papers in that little pickup of hers," Blackwell said.
She does not have a college degree or any journalism training. But in her 50's she decided the town needed a newspaper. So she went for it.
"The little red hen syndrome kicked in and I said 'okay I'll do it myself.'"
And at a time when papers around the world are faltering, the "Sun" is doing better than ever.
"The papers just fly off the racks," she said.
Troy only has a population of around 1,500, but the paper actually has 5,000 subscribers. She mails it across the country to individuals with ties to the area. And she insists, "it's with the Lord's help that I've been able to do this."
So if you ever pass through Troy, keep an eye out for a little blue truck. Because Haroldine plans to keep on going - bringing a community together through a small newspaper, as long as she still can.
