June is the month for weddings. According to Soundvision.com, nearly 11 percent of all couples tie the nuptial knot sometime during this month. Not only is there wedding weather, but the timing also coincides nicely with graduations when many are ready to begin new chapters in their lives. As ...
As a child, worms I and were great friends because they helped me with two things in my life: catch fish and kept pesky girls at bay. Decades later, I’ve learned that the mighty and underappreciated earthworm does a lot more than catch fish and chase off pigtails. In fact, they may well be ...
Dodge dropped its limited edition of the Durango for 2017, replacing it with a new GT (Grand Touring) trim with a monochromatic exterior preserving the SUV’s already good looks. Our test drive had an eye-catching bright White Knuckle Clear-Coat paint job mimicking a Star Wars Storm Troopers ...
Our Shenandoah Valley forests are taking another hit. A little over 100 years ago, the chestnut blight eliminated one of the most useful and stately trees in our woodlands. About 50 years later, the hemlock woolly adelgid began to hammer our Eastern hemlocks and many have succumbed to their ...
It’s a special weekend here in Shenandoah County as our high school seniors walk across stages, pick up their diplomas, and head off into life. Many surrounding localities have already celebrated these milestones and a few are yet to come, but by mid-June most schools are out and students who ...
Graduates, let’s talk about truth. You’re about to step into a world where it’s increasingly difficult to discern truth. Where the ability to deceive is often viewed as a talent and a praiseworthy attribute. Where slick marketing, PhotoShop and fancy filters create lies and illusions ...
Most people like super heroes, even conservationists. Comic books, movies and even international conventions have been dedicated to names like Super Man, Aqua Man and of course, Wonder Woman because they all help save our fantasy world. Make believe can be fun, if not futile. Super heroes do ...
Sunday is a very special day for the church. Not Antioch nor any other particular congregation, nor even any denomination, but all denominations and all congregations of true Christians. This Sunday is the birthday of THE church universal. Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, God the ...
Most folks I know like green lawns. Some of us like ours, others like theirs – and a few like our neighbors’ more than our own. Envy it seems can be a fertilizer too. Having a healthy lawn though doesn’t mean it’s always green, cut golf-course short or free from critters. The truth is ...
In 2002, Millennium Partners pitched a proposal to build the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi in San Francisco. The Planning Commission approved their request and the $350 million construction project began in 2005. Four years later, the 645-foot, 58-story skyscraper known ...
Teamwork usually enables success. This is true in sports, business and conservation. In fact, many of your local conservationists like the Natural Resources Conservation Service and we here at the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District are big fans of collaboration. So much so that ...
The other day while mowing the front yard, I noticed a lone peony next to the large boxwood. What drew my attention to it was that it was about to open into the full bloom of pink like those in front of the bay windows. Some years ago while digging at the roots of an old lilac bush that was ...
As I shared in last week’s column, Nancy and I were privileged to recently visit Hawaii and enjoy many scenic and historic sites as well as the local cuisine, of which I brought back not a little on my person. It was truly an enjoyable trip and we are thankful for this special ...
Like to party? No, not ice cream cake, party hats and candles kind of stuff we pass off as “fun.” I mean do you like to party hard? You know, with knee pads, spades and Azaleas? Because if you do, and chances are you might, have I got the party for you. On June 3 the Northern ...
Volkswagen is the second largest automotive manufacturer in the world and knows it has to win back the public’s confidence after its U.S. emission-altering scandal. The Jetta remains the company’s best seller in the U.S. and while sales declined last year, changes for 2017 are minor for ...
My wife and I recently enjoyed a wonderful vacation in Hawaii. It was the first either of us had been to the Aloha State and it was incredible. Inviting beaches, amazing mountains, and beautiful flowers everywhere you look. God’s creative genius amazed us and moved us to worship him more than ...
On April 27 the several newspapers published a story chronicling the excessive E. coli levels in the Shenandoah River. We are sure the story raised quite a few eyebrows across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. However, none of those raised were ours. The Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation ...
Most folks I know take great pride in their homes, and I bet animals feel the same way. The only problem is we humans aren’t always the best guests. As such, throughout the year, thousands of volunteers donate thousands of hours to clean up the messes we make enjoying Mother Nature. Often ...
When your sedan is the best selling car in the U.S., you don’t meddle with it much, so changes to the 2017 Toyota Camry were not major this year. However, Toyota plans to start selling a revamped, eighth-generation 2018 Camry this summer, opening up a unique buying window for this model ...
The first Thursday of every May has been designated as America’s National Day of Prayer. Although we should pray every day, this special time is set aside for Christians to join together to pray for our nation, our citizens, and our leaders. The U.S. has and continues to enjoy many special ...