Columns
Happy to be Here: A nostalgic viewpoint
I hadn’t been to the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA) since before COVID became a household word. Some neighbors suggested it was time for ...
Karen Bellenir, Author at Farmville
Columns
Happy to be here — Cozy comfort
Many people enjoy winter. Some look forward to skiing. They arrange vacations and plan travel to seek out snow. My daughter is a snowboarder. She ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, February 3, 2023 5:19 pm
Columns
Happy to be here — From cut to Farkleberry
Some of you have been asking about my progress reading Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. My original, overly optimistic plan entailed reading it, all 1,459 ...
by Karen Bellenir, Monday, January 9, 2023 8:36 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Happy to be Here — Listen and let the songs play
As the song says, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Nature sets the stage with starlight and moonlight. Human hands decorate it with ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, December 2, 2022 3:54 pm
Columns
Happy to be here — Observing with both eyes
A friend recently asked me about buying an inexpensive, fun telescope suitable for taking a first step into the hobby of backyard astronomy. It’s a ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, November 3, 2022 3:51 pm
Columns
Happy To Be Here: Let’s talk about freedom of speech
Last August, author Salman Rushdie was attacked and seriously injured while onstage for a panel discussion at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York. Chautauqua ...
by Karen Bellenir, Saturday, October 8, 2022 11:43 pm
Columns
Happy to be here — Standing on new shores
Here in Virginia, the opening years of the seventeenth century are probably best remembered for the arrival of the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. The ...
by Karen Bellenir, Sunday, September 4, 2022 11:41 am
Columns
Happy to be here — Keep distance from bears, despite the cute, cuddly look
Maybe you’ve seen amusing bear videos on the internet. There’s a cute one with a cub climbing onto a swing. Another shows a bear running ...
by Karen Bellenir, Monday, August 8, 2022 12:37 pm
Columns
Happy to be here: Bigger than any one of us
Among Christians, the prayer commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father is well known. I memorized its words when I was a ...
by Karen Bellenir, Sunday, July 3, 2022 11:52 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Called by a scammer
A few weeks ago, I received a disturbing voice mail message. The recorded announcement claimed that permission to place a call via my phone was ...
by Karen Bellenir, Saturday, June 11, 2022 10:47 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
It is a small world
I remember when the earth seemed unimaginably large. It’s still easy to feel that way. If I spread a blanket on the grass and look ...
by Karen Bellenir, Sunday, April 3, 2022 3:24 pm
Columns
Happy to be here — Waking up
I’ve been watching the world wake up. As the year turns from its winter slumber, it reminds me of waking to embrace a new day. ...
by Karen Bellenir, Sunday, March 20, 2022 5:54 pm
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Multiple meanings
Many months ago, on page 42 of my reading ramble through Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, I encountered the word amphibology. In it, I discovered ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, February 4, 2022 10:00 am
Columns
An unfinished project
A year ago, when 2021 was brand new, I set myself a challenge. I planned to read through the dictionary in a year. An inspiration ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, January 7, 2022 5:00 pm
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Ladybug, ladybug
A couple weeks ago, I stepped out of my house on a warm, Indian summer day. A ladybug landed on my glasses. I waved a ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, December 9, 2021 6:05 pm
HAPPY TO BE HERE
How much is enough?
I’ve recently seen several versions of a funny story about how much garlic should be used in a recipe. The instructions start with a clove ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, November 5, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Agricultural teamwork
Last spring, my husband and I decided to transform part of our side yard into a meadow-like collection of wildflowers. We had a vision of ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, October 1, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Column – Wondering why
Why is the sky blue? This common question is one I know how to answer, although learning the truth required that I set aside a ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, September 3, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
We are not all OK
When I was in high school, I lost a classmate to suicide. His tragic story incorporated some of the same fatal elements Shakespeare mentioned in ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, August 6, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Despite our heritage, we are all people of the United States
In normal times, the Fourth of July is marked with family gatherings, barbecued feasts and fireworks. The subdued tone of last year’s pandemic-inspired quiet may ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, July 2, 2021 6:00 am
LIFESTYLES
Anticipating better surprises
I dislike surprises. I prefer it when life’s events align with expectations. I’ve noticed that the most common surprises seem to feature unpleasant consequences. An ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, June 4, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Honoring a mothering mindset
Mother’s Day arrives in the U.S. Sunday as the year comes into full bloom. In all 50 states, the occasion has been recognized on the ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, May 7, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
The hummingbirds are coming
Many people view the approach of April 15 with trepidation as the typical IRS tax deadline looms. Mother Nature has provided a more pleasant association ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, April 2, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Reflecting on a year of isolation
When the words “coronavirus” and “COVID” first began appearing in every day vocabulary, my husband and I were visiting relatives on a beach in Florida. ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, March 5, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
Books can provide a break from reality
A couple Christmases ago, my husband gave me a coffee mug that declares, “A book a day keeps reality away.” Are you ready to join ...
by Karen Bellenir, Friday, February 5, 2021 6:00 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
COLUMN — Waking up to a New Year
I am not a morning person. My husband can go from asleep to awake in an instant, but my journey between those two states involves ...
by Karen Bellenir, Thursday, December 31, 2020 11:14 am
HAPPY TO BE HERE
COLUMN — Let there be peace on Earth
Decorations have sprouted all around town, trees are erected indoors and colorful lights sparkle through the long nights. Once again, it’s time to tell the ...