If you’re going to garden organically around here, you’ve got to be tough—at least as tough as my friend Nancy, who confesses that the greatest pleasure of her summertime morning is to roam her dewy garden, waking up sleepy grasshoppers and flicking their heads off with her thumbnail.

All too often the holiday season can be completely overwhelming— gifts to buy and wrap, cards to mail, meals to prepare, parties to plan. With so much to do, there is little time left for anything else. As daunting a task as it may seem, holiday decorating does not have to contribute to the stress level.

Poinsettias are one of the longest-lasting blooming plants available to consumers. Here are the basic Do’s and Don’ts to keep yours alive and well throughout the year!

You can grow an astounding array of flowers, vegetables and herbs from seeds right here in Texomaland, if you just don’t let the instructions on the seed packets intimidate you. “Start seeds indoors six weeks before first frost-free date,” they direct you. Balderdash!

You are irritable. Your blood pressure looks like a pro-bowler’s high score, and everyone is jumping up and down on your last nerve. Life gets tedious, don’t it? Sherman-based therapist, author, and life coach Brent O’Bannon can provide wisdom to keep you from snapping like a pop star taking that third trip to rehab.