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Snuffed Out?

It’s funny how something as simple as a piece of trash can give me pause. I was getting out of my car at Walmart in Moundsville recently when I spotted it. It wasn’t hard to miss as it was literally placed at my feet. There it was — an empty package of Marlboro Lights cigarettes. I recognized the package immediately. After all, it was the brand of cigarettes I once smoked. It’s been over 40 years since I quit the dirty, unhealthy habit. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed smoking, as did many of my friends and family members back in the 1970s. However, I wanted to start a ...

A Visit To Lewisburg

Let’s take a ride, one of my siblings suggested last week. Not just a short ride, but a change of scenery. It isn’t that we don’t love our hometown, but sometimes you have to get out of town to appreciate coming back home. That was pretty much the consensus of two of my siblings. So we plotted our destination — Lewisburg, West Virginia. Our niece Sara is attending medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg. So we decided to take our ride and visit with Sara. With my brother, Greg, at the wheel and my sister, Denny, riding shotgun, I enjoyed ...

Just A False Alarm

I was standing at the kitchen window the other afternoon, when I saw it. First it was just one. No big deal, I thought. Then two more floated softly to the earth. There was no real breeze to speak of so my concern continued to grow. It is only Aug. 12, I tell myself. This can’t be happening. Yet, I know what I saw. Leaves were beginning to drop-off the very full trees in the backyard. I’m not ready for fall. I’m not even close to thinking of sweaters and socks back on my summer-sandaled feet. Falling leaves are for October, not August. And then meteorologist Jeff Oechslein ...

Be Careful What We Wish For

Water. In all my years of living, the topic of water has never been more prevalent than in the past year or so. Just one year ago, the Ohio Valley was in the midst of a scorching drought. In fact, it was downright frightening as the threat of wildfires kept many vigilant. Each day through late summer and early fall, the promise of rain was just that — a promise unfulfilled. Weather forecasters kept a low profile as they seemed to be held responsible for what does or doesn’t fall from the sky. Fire danger warnings became a daily thing. The once lush, green lawns turned dusty and ...

Summer Fun Even In The Heat

It was ridiculously hot on Monday, but we persevered. We were determined to take the 9- and 10-year-old grandkids to the famed Kennywood Park as promised. And so we did. Yes I questioned our sanity at such an adventure during a heat advisory. Yet there are just some promises you cannot break. Traveling to Kennywood is a monumental feat in itself. It would not have been possible without a voice over the car radio directing each turn and stoplight through the Pittsburgh area neighborhoods. It is clear to me that it would never have been accomplished via the old paper map style of ...

What’s Bugging You?

There are some things I can put up with and some things I can’t. For one, I do not cotton to bugs, especially the eight-legged kind. It’s a true phobia that I admit but deal with. Fortunately this summer, I have not spied many of the insects that bother me the most. I have been told they are waiting for cooler weather to attempt to enter my domain. In the coming months, I will be on the lookout for spiders and stink bugs. However, summertime brings its own pests. A housefly has managed to outlive its supposed lifespan and has been torturing us for days. I am determined to suck ...