It’s hard to believe that Shenandoah County School students already have two weeks under their belts and it’s not even fair week yet. Having spent 17 years in front of a classroom myself, my sympathies are with those teachers who have already gotten their classes rolling. What started as a ...
Most high school seniors are ecstatic about graduation and it's a highlight of their youth. In fact, some love the experience so much, wearing the cap and gown once just isn't enough. On Aug. 12 at W.O. Riley Park in Woodstock, a dozen graduates of Central High School and their families ...
Chevrolet hopes to keep driving Equinox’s success for 2018 with a lighter, slightly smaller crossover that is a quicker, more nimble vehicle. Equinox has become the second best selling vehicle among Chevrolet’s 33 models, second only to the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. This year’s ...
Someone once told me that you know you are getting old when you can sit in the rocking chair but can’t get it rocking. Or, when you hear snap, crackle, and pop in the morning and it’s not your cereal – it’s you! Well, I’ve got one more way to tell you are getting along in years – ...
If you have seen me around the valley with an extra-wide grin, there’s a reason, lots of reasons, actually. It’s true. I won the lottery. In fact, I’ve won lots of them. I can’t think of a single person who has won more of them than yours truly. No. I haven’t figured out a way to ...
One of the more popular reality TV series of late is CBS’s "Undercover Boss." This engaging program originated in Great Britain but has now found its way into the nightly lineup of many nations, including our own. This show features typical workplace environments with actual lower level ...
The beauty of tomorrow is we’re always creating it. We can improve it, ruin it or simply ignore it. I’ve done all three, sometimes in the same day. I’m sure we all have. As conservationists, however, making tomorrows impacts a lot more than our own future. Our work, or lack thereof, ...
Tomato month is here! Although imported and hothouse varieties have teased us for a month or more, August has finally arrived when we can enjoy local homegrown tomatoes! Gardeners throughout the valley have been tending plants since April or May in anticipation of the fruit that is now ...
There are a lot of ways to build a community. We here at the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District like using broccoli, cucumbers and tomatoes. We like it so much that we, along with other local community stakeholders like the Town of Strasburg, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, ...
Any company still employing workers that once faced bankruptcy - as Chrysler did in 2009 - becomes invigorated with a second chance. Chrysler, purchased by Fiat, hasn’t wasted the opportunity. It shows in the luxurious 2017 Chrysler 300C Platinum full-size sedan, now outfitted with top ...
I have lots of stuff in my office – so many that they clutter my desk. Though this stuff might appear without value to many, each one has special meaning for me. But there’s one I must always have within reach. It’s the “B.o.T.” Okay. I hear you. “What’s the ‘B.o.T.’?” Be ...
The cool nights and clear days of spring have given way to the hot and humid days of summer, and along with those changes have come different flowers. April’s hyacinths and daffodils are a distance memory as the daylilies have now taken center stage. These showy plants are a favorite of ...
I heard the sirens today … like every day … and I thought of James … and I prayed… For 10 years we had lived in a rural part of Virginia. Having moved to Charlottesville and then to Northern Virginia, there were many adjustments to make. One of the greatest was the sound of sirens. It ...
Each summer, the world watches as some of the toughest athletes on the globe gather in Europe for the Tour de France. This grueling test of endurance stretches over 2,200 miles in just 21 days and covers some of the steepest terrain on the continent. This year’s contest will conclude on ...
Guys walk past my gun show tables wearing black T-shirts that provocatively proclaim, "All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11." The single word "Infidel" forms another shirt message, as if to say: 'Make my Day; just try and do something!' I dislike the evil-branding of ...
In one sense, it gets harder every year for Subaru to find first-time buyers for its best-selling Forester crossover. Vehicle registration records show 98 percent of all Foresters sold in the last 10 years are still on the road. Then consider that after 10 years, Foresters still maintain the ...
There are many advantages to riding my stationary bicycle on the side deck: no automobile traffic to worry about, no travel time to a course for my workout, I control the workout, the deck is in the morning shade, and I can watch and study the flower garden. All of these points are good, but I ...
If you ever have a hankering for a story, just say the word, “snake.” Everyone has their own favorite tale about these legless creatures that strike fear in the hearts of all humanity and most are anxious to share them with anyone who will listen. My friend Benny shared a snake story with ...
There are a few folks in life I dare not upset while they’re working: the waitress bringing my food, the dentist just before I say aaaaaaaaaaah, and farmers. There are a few others, but the most important one is probably too busy on a tractor growing my food right now to care. Depending on ...
Many years ago a man came into enormous wealth. No one was ever quite sure where it came from, but his net worth seemed infinite. With part of his money he purchased several square miles and built a huge two-story castle that sprawled over several acres. He constructed the first floor much ...