Columns
The more things change
A Longwood alumna who graduated a little more than a decade ago was recently back in town for a short visit. She commented on how much ...
Karen Bellenir, Author at Farmville - Page 4 of 4
Columns
Answers to your questions
Last month, when I confessed my love of Groundhog Day, I did not include details on Punxsutawney Phil’s current prognostication. I couldn’t. My column deadline ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, March 2, 2017 9:29 am
Columns
Sunshine and shadows
Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday. It marks the halfway point of winter and the turning toward spring, at least astronomically speaking. During an annual ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, February 2, 2017 9:02 am
Columns
Ho, ho, ho, it’s a new year
I’m not sure whether 2016 was especially challenging or if its press agent simply chose to portray it that way. In either case, I’d like ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, December 29, 2016 8:57 am
Columns
Instant messaging
On a Sunday afternoon not long ago, my daughter called to chat. My phone provides the option of assigning photos to specific people, so when ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, December 1, 2016 6:06 am
Columns
Rolling at last
I haven’t had many opportunities to ride my bike this year. One early obstacle was the bike itself. After years of faithful service, it started ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, November 3, 2016 8:31 am
Columns
What comes next?
As I type these words, the vice presidential debate is still in Farmville’s future. By the time you read this, the debate will be history. ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, October 20, 2016 7:34 am
Columns
Planning things out
I’m the type of person who likes to plan things out. I want to know what’s going to happen and what will be required of ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, September 1, 2016 6:02 am
Columns
Feeding the hungry
I think I’m a reasonably generous person. My husband and I contribute to several worthy causes, and we volunteer for a few community organizations. In ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, August 4, 2016 4:59 am
Columns
Summertime tasks
I use to-do lists to help me remember things. My list of routine household chores (make the bed, cook dinner, do laundry) is short enough ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, June 30, 2016 6:10 am
Columns
Twinkle, twinkle, little bug
Light fascinates me. It comes in so many different forms. Fireworks, sparklers, Christmas displays. Flames that lap the air from a campfire. The red-hot glow ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, June 9, 2016 5:41 am
Columns
Into the future
Congratulations to this year’s graduates. Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney College, and Southside Virginia Community College are hosting ceremonies this month to celebrate the successes of students ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, May 12, 2016 5:21 am
Columns
I’m rooting for the ravens
Let me begin with a note to sports fans: The ravens I’m rooting for don’t wear football helmets. Ravens of the feathered kind have haunted ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, April 7, 2016 4:39 am
Columns
Beloved bees
I’ve been reading information from the Xerces Society, an organization formed to promote the conservation of insects and other invertebrates. They claim that bumblebees are ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, March 3, 2016 5:18 am
Columns
Winter reading recommendations from local libraries
For a few more weeks, cold days will linger and the hours of nighttime darkness will outnumber the hours of sunlight. It’s the perfect time ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, February 12, 2016 7:40 am
Columns
What a colorful world — where we all shine
Isn’t the world supposed to be drab and monochromatic this time of year? Trees stretch out bare branches. Flowers wait for brighter days. Night lingers, ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, January 7, 2016 4:01 pm
Church & Community
The Star of Bethlehem
Several months ago during an astronomy event at High Bridge Trail State Park, I pointed out some of the sights overhead. I retold a couple ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, December 10, 2015 10:34 am
Columns
Still Happy to Be Here — and grateful too
This column appears monthly under the title “Happy to Be Here.” Such a public declaration leads people to question me. “You can’t be happy about ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, November 12, 2015 1:45 pm
Church & Community
Collecting art
I have a small sculpture in my office. It stands about four inches tall and consists of a twisted wire, a slice of cork, and ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, October 1, 2015 12:17 pm
Church & Community
A blood-red super Harvest Moon
The moon over Farmville is planning quite a show for the month of September. During the early days of the month, the moon’s opening act ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, September 3, 2015 8:18 am
Columns
Happy to be here: Farmville, that’s where I live
When my husband and I tell people from other places that we live in Farmville, their reactions are typically based on one of two basic ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, August 6, 2015 6:57 am
Columns
Be a Superhero
Usually it’s only superheroes who get an opportunity to save the planet, but last month I had my chance. I didn’t have to soar through ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, July 2, 2015 2:17 pm
Columns
Getting the Worm
Everyone knows the early bird gets the worm. And people who know me, know that I am not an early bird. When it comes to ...