News

Welcome to Summer!

Welcome to Summer!

When it is “July hot” in June, inside activities become more popular unless you have access to the beach or a swimming pool! Teachers and students, paraprofessionals and administrative staff are into their respective summer routines recharging themselves or tying up the endof-year details before their breaks can begin.

Learn About Butterflies

A course covering butterflies is now available for online learning. It covers the basics of butterflies, helps Texans to identify which species are in their region, and how to garden to attract them. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

Learn About Butterflies, Bring Them to Your Garden

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service online learning course on butterflies is now available. The course covers butterfly biology, how to identify different species and what plants will attract them to a garden.

Texas Melon, Cantaloupe Quality Up, Yields Down

Texas cantaloupe sweetness is expected to be outstanding, but yields are expected to be slightly below average due to tough weather conditions. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

Texas Melon, Cantaloupe Quality Up, Yields Down

Watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon quality is exceptionally high this season as Fourth of July celebrations near. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie)

Texas Melon, Cantaloupe Quality Up, Yields Down

Texas melon producers reported exceptional fruit quality but slightly lower yields amid budget-breaking production costs and stagnant market prices, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.

BBB Tip: Contracting with Confidence

BBB Tip: Contracting with Confidence This National Homeownership Month

June is National Homeownership Month, an opportunity for U.S. residents to reflect on the importance of the home and its role in their lives. With a median asking price of $225,500 for a home, becoming a homeowner takes dedication, patience and smart budgeting. For many first-time homebuyers, closing the deal on their purchase is a time of celebration and gratitude. While moving furniture and solidifying paperwork might seem like the biggest obstacle to enjoying their new home, it doesn’t take long before they find their first major home improvement project.

The Farmer from Ferris
The Farmer from Ferris

The Farmer from Ferris

I have few recollections of my paternal grandfather, J.B. Stilwell. My grandparents already seemed so old when I was a wee lass. Pardon me. I just dove into my Ancestry DNA origins page. I’m more Scottish than any other heritage, so I’m channeling the words of my people. Was that too feeble of an attempt at humor? The crickets in the background agree. Anyway, whether they were old in age or simply old-fashioned in their habits, probably a bit of both, I didn’t interact with them as often as I did with my mom’s parents. Still, I recall my Gramp dressed to the nines all of the time. He operated a barber shop in the parlor of his modest Wilmer, TX bungalow. There’s nothing like the smell of a barbershop. Give me a whiff of 3 Roses Hair Tonic, some “mixed on the spot” shaving cream, and a bit of Brut aftershave and I will go on for hours about this legend of a man. He wore a barber smock each day: pristine white, zipper up the front, embroidered flowers down the lapels. I recall the white color was blinding. Granny Stilwell once told me she never used bleach, just lemon juice and sunlight. I still live by those words. There he would stand with his horn-rimmed black glasses and his perpetual perfectly trimmed flattop haircut, sporting a crooked smile and a twinkle in his eye. My memory has trouble differentiating between Gramp recollections and those of my own father. That is how closely they resembled each other. Now, my grandparents had 5 children. Many of those children had 5 or more children. I was one of many grandkids. My privilege existed in the fact that I was the youngest granddaughter. Also, there was the fact of my eyes. They are, what is still recognized as the primary family trait, Stilwell eyes – dark brown, heavily browed, and slightly downturned at the edges. This was a fact never unmentioned by Gramp. If we visited on Sundays, he’d be in dress slacks and glossy black wing tip shoes, even though church was never his thing. He wouldn’t so much as step off of his porch without his signature Fedora. He’d get in the floor with me and act like a bear, making growling noises and swiping at me with his “gramp-paw”. I would shriek with laughter and he would sit back on his knees and laugh with me. As his Alzheimer’s took hold, the bear game stuck with us until the end. I was seventeen when he passed away. I remember thinking how ironic it was that all his late-in-life speech attempts sounded like his sweet, cuddly bear alter-ego. That sums up all I knew about this adorable old guy. It’s funny how we don’t realize that our elders had lives and adventures and tragedies of their own, that we are only chapters of a much larger story.

Pick Tomatoes at Color Break

The range of tomato ripeness from a “breaker” to fully ripe. Picking tomatoes earlier and ripening them off the vine can help growers avoid fruit damage and extend the shelf life of their harvest. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Larry Stein)

Pick Tomatoes at Color Break

Tomatoes ripening on a window ledge. Tomatoes ripen best at room temperature on a solid surface. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Adam Russell)

Pick Tomatoes at Color Break

Home gardeners should pick tomatoes sooner than later.

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Forney Messenger

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 936, Forney, TX 75126
Physical Address: 201 W. Broad St., Forney, TX 75126
Phone: 972-564-3121
Fax: 972-552-3599