Lifestyle

Recently, there was a baby born in Tennessee. The mother was a teenager with no money and no means to raise a child. The father had already left the scene. Other family members opted not to be involved and were several states away, regardless. Mom had no suitcase or extra clothes for herself, much less insurance or transportation to the hospital. Did I mention teenager? She was ill equipped to understand the involvements of childbirth in the first place. Did I mention the baby’s father was older? Did I mention that he abandoned her when she went inside a store to purchase shoes after losing her only pair? Did I tell you she fled inside a Walmart and hid there until all the employees were gone, sleeping in the sporting goods section and birthing her baby in a tent she’d hastily assembled? Oh, wait, that’s a book turned into a movie, Where the Heart Is, starring Natalie Portman. She plays Nova Lee Nation, a down and out gal who garners the attention of the entire country after baby Americus was discovered nestled with mom on a Walmart aisle. Still, Walmart is a place where Miracles happen, yes?

LUKE LOOKS BACK THIS WEEK

From western trail to drill team and ranch roping competitions, the Texas State 4-H Horse Show held July 21-27 in Bryan showcased the culmination of the Texas 4-H horse projects. More than 350 Texas 4-H youth exhibitors from across the state competed in 40 classes of competition, educational programs and college preparation activities.

Spring and summer are perhaps the busiest times of year for gardeners. However, fall also is a prime time to tend to gardens.

The University of Wyoming lists the following students from Texas on the 2024 spring semester academic Dean’s and Dean’s Freshman Honor Rolls.

Nearly 250 University of Dallas undergraduate students were named to the spring 2024 honor roll for earning a semester GPA of 3.0-3.49.

The human body is capable of various amazing feats, but many will attest that the ability of women to nurture and grow what will become another person is the body’s most impressive characteristic.

Life on a college campus can be exciting, especially for freshmen enjoying their first taste of life away from home. As exciting as campus life can be, it also can be a bit nervewracking for students who have never before had to fend for themselves.

I can’t remember my professor’s name from Art History 101 in community college. You’d think I would recall. After all, I only finished a handful of semesters, leaving sans degree to tend to my boys: the one I had and the one on the way. I do still have the textbook. It has survived almost 40 years of moving. That book calls the inside of a box home more than a bookcase shelf. An unattractive, massive thing, it’s a function over form philosophy, for sure. It has weighted down all sorts of papers, from pastdue notices to baby shower invitations. It has pressed innumerable roses, taking them from robust reds to paper-thin browns. Even back in its heyday, it was beloved to me. Professor Nice Lady wielded that book like a historical light saber. Down with history means down with art, she would surmise. The part that hit me the hardest was the part where both Prof and book taught me about what lurks in the shadows. She gave it a name. Chiaroscuro.

“It is real important to be brave so you are not afraid to fight boys,” says Chelsea, age 6. Well, before you battle boys, you’ll have to battle Rebecca, 5, because she defines courage as: “You don’t want to hit anybody.”

Children will soon be trading in the chimes of neighborhood ice cream trucks for the bells of school as summer vacation gives way to the start of a new academic year. August through September is prime back-to-school season, with children all across the country stocking their backpacks and shopping for new school wardrobes.

Crandall Independent School District is thrilled to announce a special backto- school event aimed at preparing students for a successful academic year. The event will take place on Saturday, August 3, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Crandall Middle School.

Determining how much water your yard needs each week to stay healthy and green can be tricky, but the free mobile app – WaterMy-Yard – does the figuring for you.