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Staff Picks

A Glimpse of Nature - Another Surprise

On a quiet June afternoon, I was scouting the grounds to see what might be seen and, truth be told, hoping to get another look at the painted turtle . . . or any turtle, for that matter. I didn’t. It was about about six o’clock when I circled back towards the pergola, close to the bocce court, when some movement caught my attention. Beyond the pergola near the back end of the garden, a brown animal ran across the grass towards a dense thicket. The cottontail often grazes at this time of day, in the open but with an escape route nearby.

Juneteenth National Independence Day

On June 17, 2021 President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act which made June 19 a federally observed holiday. However, what is Juneteenth and what are its origins? The legacy of Juneteenth began in Galveston Bay, Texas in 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was made which freed slaves from bondage following the Civil War. Despite the decree being given by the president, many states, especially those in the confederate areas, did not want to follow suit with the new law. Texas was one of the states which resisted.

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