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What’s the biggest financial mistake you can make? Choosing the wrong investments? Waiting too long to save for retirement? Underestimating the costs of retirement? All these are reasonable answers, but the biggest mistake you might make is not looking at your financial picture holistically – that is, not bringing into the picture all the elements of yourself.

Kaufman County was formed from Henderson County, which was formed only two years earlier from Nacogdoches County, and from 1848 until 1850, the cities of Kemp and Mabank were in the “overlapping” part that was in the “1850 change.” This caused some of the settlers in the 1850 census to appear in Henderson County instead of Kaufman County, where they rightfully belonged!

Sitting on a hillside in Palo Pinto County last week on the Dale River Ranch, I overlooked a little valley that led down to a creek that joined the Brazos a half mile or so to the north. My goal was to use my trusty old box call to entice a gobbler out of the heavy cover. On my way driving into the ranch, I stopped at a low water crossing to change into my camo and when I shut the truck door, I heard several gobblers sounding off closeby. The birds were sticking in extremely tight cover and I wondered why. Normally during the early portion of the breeding season, they are strutting around and gobbling in relatively open country, hoping to attract a receptive hen. Had they just come off the roost? Probably not, there were no big roost trees nearby, just a lot of thick junipers and low growing brush common to the area.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), through the Texas Nature Trackers program, is inviting Texans to participate in the sixth annual City Nature Challenge, Friday, April 30 through Monday, May 3. This global community-based scientific effort, co-organized by San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, invites current and aspiring citizen scientists of all ages and backgrounds to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals and fungi using the free mobile app iNaturalist.

Spring is in the air and with that comes one of Texas’ best spring traditions, angling for catfish. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Neighborhood Fishin’ program enables friends and families to stay close to home, enjoy time in the outdoors, and have the chance to reel in a catfish.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists at the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center in College Station are using a “table-to-farm” approach to create a safer, healthier and more sustainable melon supply chain in the U.S. by considering consumer preference at the dinner table.

The City of Mesquite announced it has been awarded a state grant of $400,000 for interim improvements to Lawson Road. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) grant will help fund 90% of the project that will add three more feet of road shoulder and a safety guardrail on both lanes of Lawson Road near East Cartwright Road and Milam Road. Construction will begin in 2022.

Like Republicans across the country, Texas lawmakers are pushing to enact sweeping changes to state voting laws, including new restrictions on how and when voters can cast ballots.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched on, families had to adapt to changing situations. Quarantine proved challenging even for the most resilient people, and families sharing close quarters had to find ways to stay calm and comfortable under one roof.

Dogs love spending time outdoors. Dog owners with yards know that dogs benefit greatly from some exercise in the backyard. While that time might be great for dogs, it can take its toll on lawns.

Thought they might be most often associated with dogs, ticks can affect cats as well. According to Blue Cross for Pets, cats are most likely to encounter ticks if they live near areas with lots of deer and sheep or in regions where other wildlife, such as hedgehogs and rabbits, are present. While ticks are active throughout the year, cats are most likely to encounter them between spring and autumn. That’s due in part to the climate during these seasons, which tends to be warmer and therefore more inviting to cats, compelling them to spend more time outdoors than they do in winter. Ticks, which are eggshaped, are big enough to spot, so cat owners should conduct a careful examination of their cats’ fur each time they come into the house after spending time in the yard. Blue Cross for Pets notes that ticks feel like small bumps on a cat’s skin. Ticks are most likely to attach themselves to particular areas of a cat’s body. These areas include the head, neck, ears, and feet. Routine brushing, especially whenever cats come inside after time spent outdoors, can help cat owners spot and remove ticks from their cats. It’s important to recognize that indoor cats are not invulnerable to ticks, as other pets and humans can track ticks indoors. Periodic inspections and brushing of indoor cats’ can protect them from ticks and the diseases ticks carry.

Thick grass is often a hallmark of a healthy lawn. If grass begins to thin, homeowners may feel as though all the time and effort they spent tending to their lawns was for naught.

For the seventh straight year, Forney ISD has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.