Opinion

The Texas Legislature, conceived as a part-time body to meet every other year for 140 days, is now in its record fifth session (counting the regular session). When the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is included, legislators have been in Austin pretty much the entire year, as the Texas Tribune noted. While legislators are paid just $7,200 a year in salary, per diem payments – meant to cover their expenses while in Austin – have mounted. If the fourth special session goes a full 30 days, taxpayers will have spent $4.8 million keeping lawmakers in Austin.

GARDENER’S MAILBAG Dear Neil: I noticed last night that I had about a dozen hammerhead worms crawling onto my porch. They were one to two inches long.

As the clock ran down on the Legislature’s third special session, Texas House and Senate leaders exchanged barbs over Gov. Greg Abbott’s school choice bill and border security proposals, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

According to my extensive research (approximately five minutes on Google when I should have been folding underwear), the Chinese zodiac system assigns an animal symbol to each year. It is believed that people born in a given year have the personality of that year’s animal. For example, based on the placemats at my favorite Chinese buffet, I was born in the Year of the Dog, which means I am loyal, honest and difficult to housebreak.

We moved around a lot when I was younger, and sometimes it was hard for our family to find a nearby Church. One annual event that impacted my life was when we spent the summers with my mother’s parents. We always went to church, and it was there in those little Sunday School classes, and Church I learned about God. But I probably learned a lot more from the Vacation Bible Schools the church had during the summer.

I am I measured my worth by the opinions of people around me. Let it be relationships, family, work, but what hurt the most was from my church family. Now, we all go through a rough patch where you have conflict with someone or with a lot of ones about your ministry. You think you are doing right but somehow it takes a wrong turn. That’s what happen to me and well, I lost my identity and followed my feelings.

GARDENER’S MAILBAG Dear Neil: I hear many people suggesting that we “leave the leaves” on our lawns this fall and winter. What is your opinion? We put a lot of money into fertilizers and even water that we apply to our lawns and landscapes.