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Taking Flight

I was just shy of 15 years old when I experienced my first trip in an airplane. My godmother at the time treated me to a trip to New York City and her home in Westchester County, New York. We caught the plane at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport. It was in the summer of 1969 when commercial airlines frequented our airfield. That was a time when they rolled a pair of portable stairs to the plane and you climbed the steps without any fancy escalator or internal walkway. Having never been on a plane, I didn’t know what to expect. I just know that the takeoff was swift and I wasn’t ...

It’s All In The Bag

At last count, I had 10 of them. They are in my car, my pantry and clothes closet. A couple of them carry the same logo and store name. If you haven’t guessed by now, I am talking about reusable shopping bags. It took me a while to get used to the idea of carrying my own bags into stores, but I soon learned that I liked the concept. First I can decide how many bags to use on any given shopping excursion. Second, I will most likely be packing my own bags which prevents the less knowledgeable bagger from putting my chocolate bars next to my bars of Lever soap. There is nothing ...

Made in the Good Old USA

It’s been 21 years since our son played basketball at Wheeling Park High School. I am proud to note that he lettered all four years and maintained an “A” average to earn him college scholarships. OK, enough of my proud parent’s talk. What I want to share with you about those ...

Mending What Needs Fixed

One week ago, after a freak cloudburst decimated parts of Ohio County, and I witnessed the destruction, the words of a 1972 song kept repeating in my head. They sort of summed up how I and others were feeling for all those who lost homes, businesses, vehicles and the most heartbreaking — lives. The song goes like this: “And how can you mend a broken heart? How can you stop the rain from falling down?” The truth of the matter is that none of us can truly mend someone’s broken heart at times like this. And only divine intervention can stop the rain from continuing to ...

Fathers Do Matter

Being an amateur birdwatcher of sorts, I have come to see several different species that visit our homestead. While there are hummingbirds of various sizes and colors, the Baltimore Orioles are among the most colorful winged creatures to stop at our jelly feeders. While we don’t feed seed to birds in the summer, those birds that do appear now are fun to watch and listen to as they sing for their supper. What I have come to realize about the bird kingdom is that the male species are the most colorful while their female counterparts sport more subdued colorations. For instance, the ...

Another Viewpoint

Anyone who regularly reads this weekly column knows that I rarely get political in this space. I tend to leave the heavy politics to the op-ed pages. While this week’s column may come off as politically-motivated, it’s not. With that being said, I will first say that I never cared for former president Joe Biden and his political leanings. However, I have always respected the office of the President of the United States. The fact that we, the voting public, elect the person to hold that title is somewhat sacred to me. As for the former president, I was saddened and moved by what I ...