"Just when you were sure it was certain, everything changed" by: John Sample

We are into the first quarter and as such the next earnings reports from the big financial companies will be reported at the end of this week.

PSA: Retirees: Talk finances with your grown children

Are your adult children concerned about your finances?     You might be surprised.     Consider this: 66% of the millennial generation worry that their parents or in-laws may not have enough money to live comfortably in retirement, according to a 2023 study by Age Wave and Edward Jones.

"Reel Reviews:Fifth ‘Insidious’ installment fails to follow up scares from previous flicks" by: Jessica Shepard

As you know I’m an avid fan of horror movies and am always making it my mission to catch the latest movies that hit the silver screen.

"Study indicates temperatures too hot for ‘mosquito days’" by: Mike Reddell

The Houston Chronicle reported on an interesting factoid that brought some joy to my heart.    Despite our gloom over the recent occupancy in the heat dome this summer, the Houston paper said a new report calculated that from 1972 to 2022 Houston had a drop in the annual number of “mosquito days.”

"Still trying to pinpoint predator(s) poaching our pets" by: Jessica Shepard

As you’ve probably read in my and Mike’s columns over the past few months we have a predator taking out our beloved pets – domestic and barnyard varieties respectively.    Now the challenge has been to identify said beasty that takes advantage of hens, roosters, and outdoor cats.

"I think the fireworks this year are for how much better things are" by: John Sample

We made it through the first half of the year and, contrary to almost every financial analyst prediction, the markets were positive.      The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock-index closed out the first half of the year at 4450.

PSA: Can you build an estate plan like a house?

If you’ve ever been involved in building a house, you know you must follow a well-defined process - and some of the same steps are needed to build an estate plan.    Your first step in building a home is choosing a qualified contractor.

"I think Indiana Jones would have definitely known of Josephus" by: Caleb Gibson

One thing I always enjoyed about Indiana Jones was his love for History and Archaeology.     We can learn from the past to create a better future.     What does History tell us about Jesus?     Is there any evidence for Jesus outside of the Bible?    Josephus is a man we should be familiar with.

"Reel Reviews: Ford makes last run as Indiana Jones count" by: Jessica Shepard

I grew up watching Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones – that whip-cracking and adventurous archaeologist for decades.    Jones has hunted down artifacts across the globe, fought Nazis, and has only been briefly deterred in the face of snakes and the love of his life – Marion Ravenwood.

"Another rooster gone and memories of long-ago July 4ths" by: Mike Reddell

We lost another casualty in our predator wars here at the house.    I suppose the word wars is inaccurate since that somehow implies one side is fighting.    And aside from putting up motion sensor lights, we’re not striking back much at the critters who are taking and killing our animals.