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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...