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My family visited the Dallas Zoo upon many occasions—usually at least yearly—when I was a youngster, and we often went as a group of “church families” from our congregation on Day Street off Jim Miller Road. Our moms cooked up bags of unsalted, un-buttered popcorn to feed to the animals (allowed back then), and we took other snacks along to eat as a group at the picnic tables. “Truth be known,” we kids (and some of the sneaky adults) often ate quite a bit of the “animal popcorn” as we traversed the zoo grounds.

With fall hunting seasons quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to visit this week about scouting and learning land that you are not familiar with.

October is National Retirement Security Month. But what does retirement security mean to you? And how can you work toward achieving it?

It has been almost two years since my dad died and left my “special” brother Shawn in the care of my brothers Ron, Jeff and myself. It came as a shock that dad left guardianship with Ron since he is an Electrical Contractor that does a lot of work in the Caribbean in places like St Kits, Martinique, Antigua, St Martin as well as in other states. He just finished a job in North Carolina.

Two o’clock is my favorite appointment time. It’s after lunch, but before The Waltons comes on. Fridays are best. I like the slower pace of Saturdays, too, but sometimes you have to wait for what seems like hours just to get someone to come to the door. There are questions, so many questions. I know the drill now. The required form is on the tablet. Take your own temperature. Adjust your mask. I’m always so nervous. The tears are right under the surface, simmering and prickling against my eyelashes. I’m inviting you to come with me this time. We’re here, in the lobby of the longterm care facility, to see my mom. I think I’m ready to say these words out loud. She has Alzheimer’s.

Dear Aunt B,

THE SOURCE OF LIFE

“God created babies to entertain people,” says Jacob, age unknown. “They entertain by looking cute and talking baby talk. For some reason, people find it entertaining. Personally, I think it is silly.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, the District presented a site plan to the Forney City Council for “The OC” set to open in 2023. The Keith Bell Opportunity Central (OC) is a state-of-theart college and career center designed to create a collaborative space for the Forney community to engage in learning at all levels. The estimated 350,000 square foot, three-tier learning facility will be built across from the new Jackson Middle School and Rhodes Intermediate campus on Innovation Blvd. and will serve as a national model for education.

The City of Mesquite’s Animal Service Division rescued 111 dogs from a single residential location on September 23, and all were made available for immediate rescue to animal rescue partners.

All of us hope to live long, healthy lives, so we do what we can to take care of ourselves through proper diet, exercise and avoiding unhealthy activities. However, none of us can predict our future, so it pays to be prepared for anything – including a serious physical illness or the onset of some type of mental incapacity, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

How about the cooler mornings we’ve been enjoying the past week or so? Each year I look forward to mid September when I know we have those sweltering summer days officially whipped. Oh, the heat is not over. Those of us that have spent a lifetime in Texas know that. We’ll have a few more hot days but the nighttime cooling temperatures will become more common as the month progresses and within a few weeks, if we get outside just after a passing cool front, chances are very good we will hear the wavering cry of migrating white front geese, the first to wing their way down from the northern climes where they spend the summer raising their young.

“God created me very pretty. No one looks just like me,” says Alexis, 5.