Pine Tinder Press, Austin, TX

Time.. Mariska Hargitay.
Jayne Mansfield & Miklós Hargitay.

Yep, I was and am a true nerd! I was bullied for doing well in school and even skipped a grade. My mother Judge Maryellen Whitlock Hicks became a judge at 27. Little did anyone know my true story.

My father died before I was born. My Mother and my Aunt Deb Deborah Peoples struggled as single parents. My first memories are of us living in an apartment on Las Vegas Trail. My cousin Channing & I had ‘Let There be Lights’ parties after our lights were turned back on. I learned my love of the arts because my Mum and Aunt Deb often took us to free exhibitions that our great city still offers.

My Mother took on countless pro bono (FREE!) legal work and still does because she cares deeply about helping others. She also let domestic battered women and their children stay in our home and those down on their luck.

My upbringing was very different than my friends but I learned at an early age that as Maya Angelou once asserted we must ‘try to be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.’

My upbringing led me to working in one of the largest refugee camps in the world where war was a constant threat. It led me to becoming the youngest Councilwoman ever elected in the City of Fort Worth earning about $60 per meeting while working an 80 hour work week. My upbringing now brings me here, ready to give my all, as your County Commissioner.

Flower power: Mrs. Lee's Daffodil Garden near Gladewater ready to bloom In the 1950s, Helen Lee began transforming the once-ordinary landscape surrounding her property near Gladewater into a breathtaking daffodil haven that annually produces a spectacular sea of yellow and white

President Biden, Congressional Black Caucus bid farewell to the late Eddie Bernice Johnson “Without an Eddie Bernice Johnson, there would be no Vice President [Kamala] Harris,” Pastor Michael Waters said at the Monday wake.

I love this place 🤎🖤🏡🪴

If you’re looking for more quotes about children, click here. bit.ly/3vtMXiM

Governor Abbott just turned down $350 million in federal funding to help feed hungry Texas kids. With inflation and long delays for SNAP benefits, it’s criminal that we would turn down money to help solve this crisis.

The Governor needs to stop playing politics with our kids’ lives.

Texas has 1.2 million children on food assistance. 1 in 5 Texas kids are at risk of going hungry — higher than the national average. And child hunger worsens during the summer when kids can’t eat at school.

The federal government is offering Texas $350 million to help fund needy families’ nutrition assistance programs during the summer months. But Texas turned it down.

Texas HHSC cited “current resource constraints” at the state agency for rejecting the assistance. After years of systematically underfunding our state government, now we can’t even keep our kids fed. This isn’t just a policy failure — it’s a moral failure.

Abbott’s petty political games have real consequences for Texas families. This is about the health and future of our children.

Texas kids deserve better.

Laura Failner is a SkyWest flight attendant. She witnessed this moment of kindness. The world would be a much better place if everyone is like her.
"I love looking for the good in the world! As I flew up to Washington today, I had this cute little 94-year-old lady get on my plane. She was frail and had a hard time getting back to her seat. There was a bit of confusion about where she was supposed to be seated. In first-class, this wonderful gentleman saw her plight and flagged me down. He said, "can you please get her and put her in my seat, and I will take hers." He walked back with me to get her and take her to first class. She was so touched. The woman gave him a big hug and said, "Never in my 94 years has someone done that for me. Thank you, young man." She had tears of gratitude. It was amazing how his thoughtful act changed the attitude of everyone on the flight. May we all look for the little things we can do to help others around us and show kindness. In this crazy world, let's all try to be the good." 🥰🥰🥰

Credits: Herself

4 news photographers shot in southern Mexico, a case authorities consider attempted murder Unidentified assailants wounded four news photographers in the violence-wracked southern Mexico city of Chilpancingo

Mark Cuban agrees to sell majority share of Mavericks to Adelson family The longtime Dallas Mavericks owner is slated to retain an ownership stake and maintain control over basketball operations.

Melania Trump joins first ladies at Rosalynn Carter memorial Melania Trump made a rare public appearance to mourn former first lady Rosalynn Carter at a tribute in Atlanta, gathering with other former first ladies.

P

10 Ways to care for your Orchid 👇💬

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Exceptional Cucumbers
Full guide in the first comment 💬👀

Life and art.

Ukraine live briefing: U.S. warns of Russia-North Korea arms talks; Wagner commander buried The funeral for Dmitry Utkin, a top Wagner Group commander, took place in Russia. He died in the plane crash that also killed Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

Analysis | Georgia Republicans are unusually skeptical of Trump’s 2020 actions A new poll reinforces something we saw in the 2022 primaries. And it could matter for the case ahead.

Proud Boy leader Joseph Biggs sentenced to 17 years for Jan. 6 crimes Prosecutors sought what would be a record-setting punishment for a Jan. 6 defendant.

An effort to ban faculty tenure in public universities has failed in the Texas Legislature The state Senate originally passed a bill to ban tenure, but on Saturday it approved the House’s counterproposal, which enshrines tenure in state law.

No teacher raises, no vouchers: Lawmakers fail to reach compromise on school funding bill The end of House Bill 100 is a bittersweet victory for public education advocates who vehemently oppose school voucher programs but lament that schools won’t get additional funds to pay for teacher raises or balance their budgets.

Washing Machines
In all the horrors of Buchra, there are numerous accounts of Russian soldiers breaking in apartments and taking jewelry and money and washing machines. Washing Machines! Why would a soldier retreating from a battlefield loot washing machines. Did they tuck them into their tanks intending to take them home or what? The brutality of the Russian occupation has occurred repeatedly throughout history. Stalin put Russian soldiers who were released from POW prisons in gulags. Getting caught was unacceptable.

Back to the washing machines: In the 1980s I assisted Dr Charles McDowell, founder of UTAs Center for Sino and Post Soviet studies in hosting exchange professors from the Soviet Union and Eastern Union. I remember introducing three of the professors (engineers) to the pay laundrymat. They watched. They said the washer wasn't too unfamiliar but was different from theirs. They totally distrusted the dryer. They came back after I left and took a few towels and ran them through the wash and dry to be sure the dryer did not destroy their clothes. I have not been there since 1990. I wonder if despite the advances in availability of consumer goods in the past 30 years if washer are still in short supply? Is there some officer directing the workers to consficate washers so he can sell them on the black market in Russia?

Featured Art of the Day: Leaves in Green (Right) by J Chatham - J Chatham Pine Tinder Press Available now for purchase. Austin, TX artist J Chatham’s 2020 Decorator Collection of Prints features Leaves and Cattails with a multiplicity of background colors. Decorators can match the prints to their color schemes. These prints are available in pairs (facing left and facing right). These des...

Featured Art of the Day: Leaves in Green (Left) by J Chatham - J Chatham Pine Tinder Press Available now for purchase. Austin, TX artist J Chatham’s 2020 Decorator Collection of Prints features Leaves and Cattails with a multiplicity of background colors. Decorators can match the prints to their color schemes. These prints are available in pairs (facing left and facing right). These des...

Featured Art of the Day: Leaves in Flame by J Chatham (Left) - J Chatham Pine Tinder Press Available now for purchase. Austin, TX artist J Chatham’s 2020 Decorator Collection of Prints features Leaves and Cattails with a multiplicity of background colors. Decorators can match the prints to their color schemes. These prints are available in pairs (facing left and facing right). These des...