Searcy Living Magazine

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So, handsomeness is what you’re looking for. Well, we have that! His name is Ronin and he’s exactly what he appears to be…a gorgeous German shepherd. He came to rescue only because his owner die suddenly, leaving Ronin confused and lonely. But he’s going to be okay. He will get plenty of love and attention from the inmate trainers to help him move forward. He’s a gentle, easy-going boy…very calm and affectionate. He adores all…big people, little people, and other dogs. He’s smart and focuses easily. He loves lounging on the couch and going outside for adventures. No matter what it is, it’s okay by Ronin. He is 6 years old and weighs 60 pounds. Ronin still has years of life to live and be active and be loved. All he needs is someone like you to take him home.

The finishing touch your outfit was waiting for ✨

In one Virginia high school, the final product is not a grade but a working car rebuilt by teenagers and handed free to a single mother.

At Louisa County High School in Mineral, students have spent eight years turning donated vehicles into reliable transportation through a partnership with nonprofit Giving Words.

Around 20 students work on each car, repairing brakes and tires, changing fluids, testing batteries, and servicing heating and cooling systems before a professional mechanic performs a safety inspection.

The program completes roughly four or five cars each school year, while Giving Words has donated more than 60 vehicles since 2018.

Jessica Rader received a refurbished 2007 Prius in 2023, helping her move from part-time work to full-time employment while attending school.

For these students, learning to repair a car also reveals exactly what reliable transportation can unlock.

Mexico's shifting away from genetically modified corn back to native varieties is a bigger deal than it might sound. They're phasing out glyphosate and returning to seeds that have been grown there for centuries. That's not just changing what gets planted—it's reclaiming food sovereignty and protecting soil and water in the process.

Native corn varieties bring resilience that industrial crops often lack. They're adapted to local conditions, they support biodiversity, and they carry generations of agricultural knowledge. When a country chooses what's been cultivated over what's been engineered for profit, it changes everything downstream.

Our food systems shape culture. And sometimes culture has to reshape food systems first.

I Like Growing Supper. Starting The Whole Garden From Scratch Every Spring Is The Part I Could Happily Do Less Of. It’s Easy To Fill Every Available Space With Vegetables That Need Replanting Each Year, Then Accept All That Repeated Work As Part Of The Deal. Next Spring, The Same Jobs Are Waiting.

This Guide Includes Fourteen Choices, From True Perennials To Plants That Can Renew Themselves Another Way. But The Detail I’d Pay Attention To Comes Before Planting: A Couple Of These Vegetables Need A Particular Setup To Keep Their Enthusiasm From Becoming Your Next Garden Chore. The List Identifies Which Ones And Explains How To Give Them Boundaries.

I’ve Left The Guide In The Comments If You’d Like Part Of Your Vegetable Patch To Feel Less Like An Annual Restart. I’m Quite Willing To Let The Plants Do Some Work.

Sunflowers pull their weight in the garden. They're not just pretty—they feed bees, butterflies, and birds. A single flower can support dozens of bee species, and once it matures, the seeds become a feast for finches and sparrows.

There's something else worth knowing. Sunflowers absorb toxins from soil, including heavy metals and other contaminants. It's called phytoremediation, and while they won't fix everything overnight, they've been used in serious cleanup work—places with lead issues, radiation-affected areas. They actually help.

Growing them is straightforward. Full sun, minimal fuss, and they adapt to most soil types. Plant a seed, water it, let it grow. That's really it.

This is all.