Lifestyle

A.H. Meadows Public Library is a fun place to beat the heat this summer.

A free, ½-mile nature walk will be led by a member of Indian Trail Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists on Saturday, June 18, 9 a.m. at Mockingbird Nature Park, 1361 Onward Road, Midlothian. Experience summer in the life the prairie and earn about the indigenous plants and wildlife.

The City of Midlothian invites all those interested in the future of the city’s parks to a Community Open House on Wednesday, June 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Midlothian Conference Center, located at 1 Community Circle Drive.

On the weekend of May 21, six teams from Midlothian ISD competed in the Global Finals Destination Imagination tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. After months of preparation, more than 450 student teams from all over the United States and at least five other countries presented their creative solutions to a number of STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) challenges.

Young readers will dive into the ocean depths this summer as A.H. Meadows Public Library, presents “Oceans of Possibilities” during its summer reading program, June 6 through July 28.

The increase in sunshine brightens moods and makes the day more enjoyable, though you might be on the hunt for more comfortable ways to make the most of the longer daylight. Outdoor furniture or patio seating may be a fit for your home, but if you’re lacking on space or looking for a breezy alternative, try a backyard hammock.• Hammocks are easy to care for—hang them and then enjoy—and tend to only take up a small footprint; some don’t need any ground space at all! We’ve rounded up the comfiest and coziest hammocks to soak up the nice weather in.

Classic shrimp cocktail is ready in minutes and always a crowd pleaser, making it the perfect make-ahead appetizer for your any gathering. It combines succulent boiled shrimp with a spicy tomato-based sauce for the ultimate blending of flavors. • I’ve been making this shrimp cocktail for as long as I can remember. Sometimes for dinner parties, I serve it as a sit-down first course. Other times, I put it on the counter along with other appetizers before the meal. • Regardless of how I serve it, the shrimp cocktail disappears in minutes!

You might think of storage cabinets as utilitarian. But designers are forever fascinated with how a simple cupboard can be built, dressed and adorned in ways that showcase craftsmanship and inventiveness. • There are sleek, low-slung consoles with jewelryesque handles. Swanky Deco-style bar cabinets. Rustic credenzas hewn of timber. And some pieces clad in artistic flourishes, or that are even art themselves. • Far from workhorses, these casegoods are dressage ponies, ready for their closeups.

MOIESE, Mont. – A sunlit field along the Flathead River outside of Moiese was home base for all kinds of student learning recently. • Wildlife and science lessons paired with cultural activities and traditional games such as double ball, prompting some students to run and scream with glee. • All those play a part in the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ River Honoring, which brought about 400 children a day on Tuesday and Wednesday for its largest turnout since 2019. • The goal was to teach children about the river and natural resource programs, said Stephanie Gillin, CSKT information and education specialist, and “everything we do, we try to incorporate culture.” • So the presentations ran the gamut from wildlife to forestry and water quality. The children heard from Séliš and Q’lispé elders and scientists and experts from Salish Kootenai College and tribal departments. The Mission Valley Backcountry Horsemen came, too.

For a while, the days of needing to warm up with a hot bowl of soup are past us. Now we want to cool down with something cold. That’s why I like to keep a rotating and regular supply of pasta salad in the fridge. It practically goes with everything and improves with a little time.