Happy end of summer / start of fall (also known as the time of year when we think summer will never end). I have high hopes of “speaking/writing” cooler weather into existence!
It’s a new world. I remember a story I heard once (okay, maybe 12 times), about a frog in a pot. The story goes that you can cook a frog in a pot, and he will not jump out if you turn the heat up so slowly that he just gets used to it.
This past week, I had a frog moment. walked up to my car and grabbed the door handle to open it, but it did not unlock. Odd, I thought. And then I remembered. My keys were no longer in my purse, because I had handed them to my husband. I turned around to go back in the house and unlocked the door. How, without keys? Smart locks, of course. I grabbed my keys and merrily went on my way.
The frog moment came later. I was sitting at my desk, where I opened a drawer and spotted a key ring with 2 keys on it. For the life of me, have zero idea what those keys are for. In fact, we have an entire basket of keys I cannot make myself get rid of “just in case.” know in my heart as soon as we toss those keys, we will find the lock that goes with at least one of them!
And that is when I realized it. I had become a frog.
At some point over the last few years, had quit using real, honest-togoodness, old-fashioned keys! The “key” to my car is just a fob. The “keys” to the house are a code of numbers. Same goes for the keys to the homes of parents and children. All gone. With the exception of a post office key and safe deposit box key, I think technology has removed the rest.
As has been mentioned in this space before, possibly more than once, I often have a love/hate relationship with technology. More love than hate usually, but for some unknown reason, this “key” moment set me back on my heels a bit.
Inc.,
What other things had changed without me really thinking about it? A lot. Almost everything, in fact. The way we watch TV. The way we spend money. The way we give money. The way we shop. The way we do almost every single thing in our lives.
One thing has not changed--the way it feels when someone is kind and thoughtful. Hang on to that. In fact, go ahead and call one of our fine advertisers and tell them how much you appreciate them bringing you this magazine. It will make them feel good…and you, too.
Until next time, ribbit.
Publisher’s Post
Happy New Year! Notice anything new?
s Postcards Magazine enters its 15-year anniversary, we are celebrating! The past five years have been transformative in many ways, so we set about remaking the magazine to reflect the evolution of the communities represented. As the world gets a little smaller, tastes have become more sophisticated. And like it or not, media is part of our daily lives more and more, and the community and people of our area needed us to keep up.
We hope our redesign expresses our dedication to you and our wish to deliver a place where conversation meets commerce, like a thriving town square. Growing up in Madisonville, life was lived around the square. The town square remains my favorite place to see in any community I visit. Since its inception, Postcards has really been a Main Street of sorts. Think of the places in your community lined up waiting for those of us to meet for food and conversation, share our day-to-day joys and struggles, watch our children play, and do business with our neighbor. All the while, we are just beaming with pride over this little area we have the joy and pleasure to call home.
Our hope is the new look and feel of our publication will take us in a direction that will be cleaner and easier to read, more organized, and simpler to explore. We are taking a fresh approach that blends lifestyle, meaningful conversations, and commerce. While we will continue sharing stories about the people, families, interests, and businesses that make our communities unique, we are also committed to keeping the same warm, familiar feel that readers have grown to love about Postcards It’s all about celebrating what makes our community special in a way that feels both fresh and new, yet true to who we are.
There are more exciting things to come this year. Keep watching for announcements and be sure to connect with us on our Facebook page and through our website. Most importantly, our goal will remain being a positive addition to our community— entertaining, delighting, shining a light, and staying deeply connected right here to the place we proudly call home.
Have you thanked an advertiser this year?
Since its inception, Postcards has really been a Main Street of sorts...like a thriving town square.
Favorite Quote: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Mylie Theisen
Mylie is a senior at Huntsville High School and is the daughter of Krissandra Theisen. Her activities include volleyball, student council, and National English Honor Society. Following graduation, Mylie plans to attend junior college and play volleyball, then transfer to Sam Houston State University to study criminal justice, mainly forensics. She believes, “You can’t prevent every possible thing from going wrong.”
Favorite Movie: Avatar
Favorite Music/Artist: Seventeen
Favorite Food: Cane’s
Addison Wood Huntsville High School
Star Students
Favorite Quote: “Once this tiresome journey is over, we’ll be something the world has never seen.” –Dino (of Seventeen)
Addison is a senior at Huntsville High School and is the daughter of William Wood and Christan Wood. Her activities include soccer, volleyball, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. Addison is currently undecided on her plans following graduation. She believes, “Every day, do your best to be a better person than you were yesterday.”
IColten Humphrey
Huntsville High School
sabel is a senior at Huntsville High School and is the daughter of Jill and Rafael Saumell. Her activities include National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National English Honor Society, student council, wrestling, and volleyball. Following graduation, Isabel plans to play sports in college and major in business and sports management.
FAVORITE MOVIE: Interstellar
FAVORITE MUSIC/ARTIST: Christian Country / Josh Turner
FAVORITE FOOD: Steak and Potatoes
Chidinma Favour Okonkwo
Huntsville High School
FAVORITE MOVIE: Breaded Life
FAVORITE MUSIC/ARTIST: Davido
Valary Perla
Huntsville High School
FAVORITE MOVIE: Toy Story
FAVORITE MUSIC/ARTIST: Hip Hop, Country
FAVORITE FOOD: Birria Tacos
Alyssa Loesch
Trinity High School
FAVORITE MOVIE: Avatar (2009)
FAVORITE MUSIC/ARTIST: WHAM!
FAVORITE FOOD: Chicken Alfredo
FAVORITE QUOTE:
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Fear not, for I am with you;
baking, bodybuilding, jogging, hunting, and fishing. Following graduation, Colten plans to attend Texas A&M University to study biology/ zoology, then work at a zoo,
FAVORITE FOOD: Party Jollof Rice w/Fried Plantain and Fried Chicken
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord will be with you.” –Joshua 1:9
Favour is a senior at Huntsville High School and is the daughter of Funmilayo F. Okonkwo and Chikeme A. Okonkwo. Her activities include French Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and volunteer work. Following graduation, Favour plans to pursue a career as a labor and delivery (L&D) nurse. She believes, “Keep going! All this hard work will be worth it in the end.”
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Winners are not people who never fail; they are people who never quit.”
Valary is a senior at Huntsville High School and is the daughter of Nitzia Perez. Her activities include soccer. Following graduation, Valary plans to become a pro soccer player while also pursuing a career in business. She believes in having a growth mindset.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt
Alyssa is a senior at Trinity High School and is the daughter of Marci Loesch and Nathan Loesch. Her activities include BETA Club (president), FFA, student council, UIL, Yearbook Club, painting competitions (HLSR), and working. Following graduation, Alyssa plans to attend Blinn College and Texas A&M University to study architecture. She believes, “Don’t change for anybody. Life your life how you wish, as long as it makes you happy and harms nobody.”
Winners are not people who never fail; they are people who never quit.
Postcards Magazine: Piney Woods Edition September 2024
Madilyn
Constance
The Garden Post
By
Fall is on the way!
Fall and spring are a gardener’s favorite seasons. Cooler temperatures and more abundant rain will make any gardener smile. Here are a few tips that will help make your transition from summer to fall and fall to winter easier, less costly, and less time consuming.
Fertilizer – Excessive summer watering leaches our soils of needed nutrients. Plants need a slight boost coming out of summer to look their best in the fall. There are many good products on the market. For busier gardeners with limited time, go with a slow-release granular such as Osmocote or Fertilome’s Gardeners Special for 6090 days of coverage. For gardeners who always plan on a weekly gardening day, try liquid humate or Medina Hasta Grow. Bayer makes an excellent insecticide/fungicide/ fertilizer for roses that can also be used on azaleas and camellias with great success. Plants will benefit from a fall dose of iron, especially gardenias and azaleas. “Limey” green foliage is the first sign of iron deficiency.
Winterizer – Apply to lawns in late October to promote overall hardiness from freezing temperatures and a dose of nitrogen to feed the root system while the top growth is dormant. Fertilome is my favorite, with
a 10-0-14 analysis. Phosphorous is not needed because the plant is not producing fruit or blooms.
Weed Control – A healthy lawn will “choke out” weeds to some extent, but a droughtstricken lawn will be taken over by weeds in just a month. St. Augustine, centipede, zoysia, and Bermuda cannot compete with the low water requirements and dramatic root growth of weeds and are quickly choked out themselves. Using a pre-emergent is low cost. Dimension can be used in lawns or in flowerbeds with no residual affect except on desired seeds that will also be killed upon germination. Amaze, Portrait, and Preen are other excellent pre-emergents, but you cannot beat Hi-yield products--priced well, best on the market, and made in Texas.
back into old wood, causing damage if early freezes arrive within 60 days. In our area, the first big dip into freezing temperatures is typically the first week in November and sporadically in early December.
Seeds/Bulbs – Fall is time to plant wildflower seeds (such as bluebonnets) for germination in the spring. Also time to divide perennials that have not been divided in the past 4 years. Consider using extra bulbs as gifts for gardening friends, donations to local gardening clubs, or set up your own beautification project in your neighborhood.
Cow chips need to dry out for a spell before you toss them.
The Garden Post The Garden Industry, Then and Now
The New Year is here, and not a minute too soon. 2024 has been a “doozy” of a year, with unprecedented flooding, followed by drought, with a total lack of consumer confidence mixed in….but we made it, and amazing “times” are ahead.
By
gardening lines, apparel, and additives that have found their way to the market over the years (and gone in a flash along with some of the theories), but I get to—been there…done that for decades…and got the work shirt.
Mulch - All gardens, landscape shrubs, beds, etc., will benefit from a 3” layer of mulch. Variety is a preference. Refrain from using hardwood mulch around acidloving plants such as azaleas, camellias and gardenias. All wood mulches are organic, thus biodegradable. Plastic mulch will never break down, but will mold and have to be removed at some point.
Pruning – Keep it light, if at all. New growth, stimulated by heavy pruning, will be frozen
Fungicide - Treat with a systemic granular fungicide, such as F-stop. Fungal strains can develop resistance over time, so be prepared to switch to a liquid variety if necessary. Fungi is easily spread from one yard to another by mowers, pets, air currents. The easiest way to treat fungal growth is to stay aggressive and apply as a preventative at least twice a year (April and October).
Color – Pansy season is almost here! On the perennial side, chrysanthemums are the most popular flower synonymous with fall. Keep thinking fall; it’s just around the corner. Happy Gardening.
Being
For me, January 2, 2025 marks 40 years of owning/operating a business in the retail garden and landscape industry, and what changes there have been!
Nothing is impossible, except peeing in a naked man’s pocket.
The mosquito never gets a slap on the back until he goes to work.
Better for a pot to boil over than never boil.
In the 80s and early 90s, the garden industry had not been “corporatized,” and mass production of plants was not common. The plants were grown the old-fashioned way (without heavy steroids and additives), and there were just a few good lines of fertilizers. The concept of being organic was not even a thought… that was just how our grandparents had farmed…and some of us just kept following the same. Who remembers using dusting sulphur (organic) as a great insecticide/fungicide on your vegetable garden or spraying 25% vinegar to kill weeds, and having a compost pile to top dress the garden with?
He who has no fire in himself cannot warm others.
I guess I am telling my age by remembering gardening with grandpa in the mid 60s. These are not “new concepts,” just concepts that were replaced with newer, more marketable products with shiny packages and specialty clothing (so everyone could be the cool new gardener on the block). Maybe I am poking a little fun at the hundreds of new
As we move into 2025 and beyond, intuition tells me there are some major innovations in technology coming. Like all industries, this one will change, but in a very positive and natural way. More and more, folks will see the benefit of sourcing their own food, even on the smallest scale, along with the benefit of a garden—whether as a food source or just to enjoy.
Over the years, gardening has become more of a lifestyle choice—and as “Southerners,” that is just a part of who we are and what we do. It is up to us (seasoned gardeners) to pull the “newbies” along and share in the success and “how to” of actually growing their first tomato. First rule of thumb, “there are not dumb questions,” so please ask away. Overall, this gardener is very excited about the future of the garden industry and where we are going, and I hope you are too!
January is fruit tree and rose season, and these will be hitting the market mid-month. Shop early for best selection of varieties, and late winter planting is preferred. When you see the bloom on the plant or fruit on the tree, you missed the optimum planting time. Stay tuned for upcoming workshops.
Happy New Year!
Like all industries, this one will change... more and more, folks will see the benefit of sourcing their own food, even on the smallest scale.
Kim Bius President, Kim's Home & Garden Center
Long ago, the concept of being organic was not even a thought.
24 Postcards Magazine: Piney Woods Edition September 2024
Kim Bius
A country dog never forgets where he buried his bone.
neighborly don’t mean stickin’ your nose in somebody else’s business.
What’s Cookin’
Air-Fried Italian Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
4 med tomatoes olive oil, as needed
1 cup cooked brown rice
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil, divided, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, divided
1 Tbs olive oil
Directions
Step 1: Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out flesh with a melon baller, leaving 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick sides and bottoms. Discard tomato tops and flesh.
Step 2: Brush the bottom of an air fryer basket with olive oil.
Step 3: Combine cooked rice, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, walnuts, 1 tablespoon basil, and garlic in a medium bowl. Combine breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Fill tomatoes with rice mixture, then sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Place stuffed tomatoes into the prepared air fryer basket.
Step 4: Cook in the air fryer at 370 degrees until tomatoes are tender, filling is heated through, and topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil.
Cook’s Note: You can substitute shredded mozzarella for goat cheese, if preferred.
Tasty Bites
Butternut Squash Risotto
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
½ onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
⅓ cup dry white wine
5 cups hot chicken stock
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Step 1: Place squash into a steamer basket in a saucepan; fill with water to just below the bottom of the basket. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam squash until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; use a fork to mash squash in a bowl.
Step 2: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until onion begins to soften, then stir in rice. Continue cooking and stirring until rice is glossy and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more.
Step 3: Pour in white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium.
Step 4: Cook and stir until chicken stock has been absorbed into rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1/2 of the remaining chicken stock and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in remaining stock and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy.
Step 5: Stir in Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
COOK’S NOTE:
If you like the naturally sweet flavor of butternut squash, you’ll love this risotto! It is so creamy and full of flavor. Great as a side dish or main course.
Section > BUSINESS FOCUS
G2 Construction G2 Construction
“Can’t never could until he tried.”
BUSINESS FOCUS
City of Huntsville Parks & Leisure
So, what is exactly under the “umbrella” of the Parks and Leisure Department for the City of Huntsville? Several things you would expect… and some you might not!
BY WES ALTOM
e shared a conversation with Penny Joiner, Director of Parks and Leisure and Kristy Wheeler, Administrative/Recreation Coordinator to learn more about the parks, the processes, and the people who work every day to bring these services to our community.
The Who and What Huntsville’s Parks and Leisure Department is responsible for the following functions and facilities:
[3 City Parks; 7 Neighborhood Parks; 7 Passive Parks; 8 Greenspaces; and additional city facilities]
• Martin Luther King, Jr Community Center
• Oakwood Cemetery
• Aquatic Center
• Building Maintenance (for ALL city buildings/facilities)
Most local government groups in our area are funding-challenged due to dealing with our
unique property taxbase situation (large amount of tax-exempt property due to state lands owned by Sam Houston State University and the Texas Department of Corrections, as well as the Sam Houston National Forest). This results in employees “wearing a lot of different hats” and working to make the most with what they have—all in the name of serving our area residents to the best of their ability.
Says Joiner, “We are here, doing our best for the community with the small crews we have.” The staff is organized and led as follows:
Because resources are limited and staff is stretched thin, both Joiner and Wheeler point out the numerous partnerships that have been successful in maximizing what the department has been able to accomplish.
