"Pet personalities seem to change with age" by: Jessica Shepard

Now that April is steamrolling right ahead, I’m reminded that sometime this month – or right at the end of March thereabouts – Jack-Jack our orange tabby rescue cat made his grand appearance.  Now, we didn’t have him pop up on our radar until the tail end of May last year.

"Uncertain times are arriving with the Spring wildflowers" by: John Sample

I sincerely you had a wonderful Easter with your family and friends.  Here in the Hill Country, we were blessed with rain that was seriously needed.  It cut into my yard work, but that was fine by me. It will always be there next week.

PSA: Four stages of raising confident, money-smart kids

Teaching good money habits starts early and grows through every stage of life.With young children, begin simply.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ movie full of franchise references" by: Jessica Shepard

While most of my Mario in-game knowledge is limited to the late 1990s, I’m still always excited to see the Nintendo franchise’s characters appear on screen.I mean, I’ve been playing video games since I could hold a controller, but the Mario franchise holds some of my earliest memories, too.

Emotional residue

The pollen count has been off the charts in the area for weeks.  The clues are inevitable- watery eyes, running nose, scratchy throat and, of course, the yellow pollen settling on cars, park benches and sidewalks, all subtle hints from Mother Nature that Spring has sprung.

"Easter is almost upon us while bringing up nostalgic feelings" by: Jessica Shepard

I feel like we’re in this weird time vortex since we shifted clocks forward an hour.   It just dawned on me that Easter is really this weekend and I can’t figure out where the time has gone.

"Looking for that gem hidden among all of the rocks" by: John Sample

We have headed south for over a month now - we haven’t seen this type of pullback in four years.     There probably will be some recovery, as so many quality stocks have been lowered to more than reasonable P/E ratios based on forward months earnings projections.

PSA: Ask these 2 questions before buying a home

If you’re looking for a new place to live, you’ve probably heard people say buying is better than renting.It sounds simple, but it’s not.   The right choice depends on your situation, your budget, and how long you plan to stay.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Pretty Lethal’ pits ballerinas against mobsters on Prime Video" by: Jessica Shepard

Last week I was curious and scrolling through a variety of streaming services to find a relatively new movie that could hold my attention.

The Black Sheep

I bet you already guessed I was the black sheep in my family.  It was a struggle for me to fit in.   It wasn’t even about fitting in, it was that sense of belonging I didn’t innately pick up on.    Granted, being the baby of the family, my parents dotted on me, the siblings, not so much.