hail to the champs

Houston Astros head to White House to celebrate World Series win with President Joe Biden

Your Houston Astros have a meeting with President Biden.

Photo courtesy of Houston Astros

For the second time in five years, the Houston Astros are headed to the White House to toast another World Series title.

The White House announced on Monday, July 17 that the 2022 World Series champs will make their official World Championship visit to the White House on Monday, August 7 to greet President Joe Biden and staffers.

Die-hard fans, not to worry: August 7 is a scheduled off for the team.

One of the most pivotal Astros players to hoist the 2017 and 2022 World Series trophy is Jose Altuve, who made headlines in 2018 for what was described as his "mean mugging," awkward photos after President Donald Trump commented on the All Star's height during the ceremony. The president and Altuve also exchanged an awkward non-handshake (see below).

Awkward moment between Donald Trump and José Altuve. #Astros pic.twitter.com/BQHgclZEYa
— Richard W. (@IceManNYR) March 12, 2018

"The president was talking," plainly explained Altuve after the ceremony in response to the alleged awkwardness. "What do you want me to do? I was just standing there listening. It was an honor to be there. If I didn't want to go, I just wouldn't go."

"I'm (standing) behind the president, probably one of the most important guys in the world," he told reporters. "I can't be laughing or doing stupid things while he's talking. I need to listen."

Altuve is one of just three Astros from the 2017 squad to make the trip, as his teammates Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers, Jr. are also invited to the White House. We'll see how his handshake with the leader of the free world goes this time around.

As for the two other OG 'Stros, here's hoping Bregman hand delivers a case of Breggy Bomb products to the president, along with a "Bury Me in The H" T-shirt from McCullers.

Just who was the very first World Series team to visit the White House? That honor goes to the 1925 tradition of World Champion Washington Senators, who didn't have to travel far from their home base of Washington, D.C. to visit the White House in 1924.

good for the soul

Houston blooms as No. 3 best city for urban gardening in the U.S.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Let's get gardening, Houston

Folks in the Bayou City have plenty of reasons to develop a green thumb: Houston has harvested new acclaim as the No. 3 best city in America for urban gardening in 2026.

Lawnstarter's annual report, "2026’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening," compared 500 U.S. cities based on their respective public access to community gardens, climate, the prevalence of nurseries and gardening supply stores, and the number of regional gardening clubs and online groups.

Atlanta topped the list as the No. 1 best U.S. city, followed by Miami (No. 2); St. Louis (No. 4); and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 5).

For the uninitiated, urban gardening is the practice of growing plants or food in densely populated areas. Local examples include Blackwood Skyfarm, which is the largest rooftop farm in Texas, or Urban Harvest's 160 affiliate gardens – but backyards, apartment balconies, and vacant lots could also fit the bill. Additionally, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department has an Urban Garden Program where residents can volunteer to help locate sections of local parks to turn into community gardens.

Houston was No. 1 nationally in the "supplies" rank, and Lawnstarter said the city is home to 253 landscaping equipment shops – the most in the U.S. – and the second-highest number of gardening stores (276) and nurseries (132). The city also earned a respectable No. 6 rank for its "support and interest" of urban gardening, meaning many residents are searching terms like "community gardens," "vertical gardening," and others.

Here's how the city fared in the remaining three categories:

No. 115 – Public access
No. 157 – Climate
No. 390 – Private access (based on average yard size for starting an at-home garden)

Cathy Walker, president of the American Community Gardening Association, offered some tips for first-time gardeners to help get their hands in the soil: choose only a few easy growing plants to start; learn which growing zone you're in to determine the plants that will thrive in your area; watch how much sunlight your garden space gets daily; and prioritize keeping soil healthy with compost and mulch.

Ecoregions are also helpful for understanding what plants will thrive. Whereas zones are about temperature, ecoregions are much more detailed groups. Planters can learn about their ecoregion and get personalized growing tips from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in its new native planting app, Wild Thumb.

Starting your own garden can also have a financial benefit, the report suggested. However, up-front costs can get high in gardening, so gardeners might have to stick to it for a few seasons to see savings.

"With grocery prices projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2026, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food," the report's author wrote. "Estimates show that growing a 600-square-foot plot for fruits and vegetables can save you around $600 in a single season."

The top 10 best cities for urban gardening in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Miami
No. 3 – Houston
No. 4 – St. Louis
No. 5 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 6 – Orlando
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Fort Meyers, Florida
No. 9 – Tampa
No. 10 – Austin

urban gardening gardening houston