I dream I can make a garden of everything I have ever lost. —Poet Siarra Freeman Last week I had to break off a discarded tree branch near a dumpster to fish something out of that same container. The backstory will come as no surprise to my family.

The Texas Education Agency’s annual report was released last week. It indicates per-student funding in the 2021-2022 school year averaged $14,928 per student, up42%since2011.However, state funding has only risen slightly in the past decade, while local funding has increased substantially.

More Texans than ever have signed up for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act for 2024, according to federal health data released last week and reported by the Texas Tribune. The number of Texans in ACA programs, which offer inexpensive or free health care coverage, rose 37% to nearly 3.5 million – or 1 in 9 residents.

It’s tempting during the sweltering summer months to despise the sun. Ah, but come winter, a day of sunshine that follows overcast and foggy days is pure gold with a Vitamin D boost.

The past week a mother sat vigil for her 36-yearold son, an unfortunate victim of sepsis that invaded his body while he was receiving cancer treatment. Much like a hired assassin, it did its dirty work, packed up, and left behind a brokenhearted family.

The U.S. Justice Department issued a scathing report late last week on the May 4, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

It is time for Girl Scout cookie sales to begin. It has been a few years since cookie sales in Post. This is because there hasn’t been an active Girl Scouts troop active. That is not the problem this year. There is a troop of Juliettes selling this year. The Girl Scout organization was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912. The first troop was 18 girls in Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912. Low envisioned a movement where girls could embrace their unique strengths and passions. The organization’s mission is to “build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.”

It would be a disservice to romanticize my recent train trip, one that took me to Virginia and then to North Carolina and then back to Slidell, Louisiana. The fact that the trip was not luxurious or at times convenient does not minimize the advantages of traveling by rail. A train trip is simply another option, and I am glad that I chose it this time.

AUSTIN—The deadline to register to vote in the Texas Democratic and Republican primary elections is Feb. 5. VotersonMarch5willchoose theirnomineesforpresident, U.S.Senator,all38U.S.House members from Texas, and a number of other state and local offices, from the Texas Supreme Court to district attorneys, sheriffs and county commissioners.

Do you know what water witching is? It is a practice that many of the farmers who lived and farmed in this area have practiced for years. You hold a forked stick out in front of you while they walk around the land. When the stick would start to shake and point to the ground, there was supposed to be underground water. This would be where to plant your garden or drill a water well. The farmers swore by this method. Some call it “a gift”. Others call it dowsing, while others call it “doodle bugging” or just plain old “water witching.” It has been a practice that has existed for thousands of years. The American Society of Dowsers found cave paintings in the Tassili caves of northern Africa depicting a man with a forked stick, apparently searching for water. If you want to try this practice, get a y-shaped twig about 12 to 16 inches long from a tree. Hold both ends of the branch with the palms of your hands facing the sky. The pointed end should be horizontal, so it points in front of your walking direction. Keep your grasp somewhat loose as you walk around searching for water. Some stories say you need to concentrate on finding water while walking. Others believe it is a gift people possess. When you find the place where water is underground the pointed edge will start pointing downward. It can be slowly pointing down or rapidly. If it goes fast, you need to tighten your grip on the branch.