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Tips For Keeping Trees Alive

WHEELING — The final Public Garden Lecture, “Keeping Trees Alive,” will be held on Monday, Aug. 28, at the Schrader Environmental Center within Oglebay Park. This lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. Last Spring I purchased a redbud tree. I planted it following all of the advice that the grower could give. I watered it deeply every week for two months and then settled into watching this tree mature. Never did I give any thought to the fact that the newest crop of baby deer might want to nibble on the leaves, nor the possibility that we would go 22 days without any appreciable ...

The Water Is Calling

There is a saying that if you want to see your neighbors during the summer, just head to the beach. At least that is the thinking of a lot of West Virginia folks. It’s true. Just visit Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, Hilton Head or any other seaside town on the Atlantic Ocean in July, and you will see plenty of West Virginia license plates in parking lots along the beachfront hotels and motels. There is something about living in a landlocked state that sends Mountaineers to the ocean in large numbers. I know friends and family members who make it a yearly pilgrimage each summer to an ...

Book Bags Are Getting Heavier

Fourteen items, that’s how many are listed on the average back-to-school supply list to send a public grade schooler back to class for the 2023-24 school year. I was just curious as to what my kids would need to start the new year, and I was a bit surprised at that list. Items on the list included the usual pencils, paper, scissors, crayons and glue. However, students are also asked to bring tissues, paper plates, Play Dough and disinfecting wipes to class in some schools. I guess times have changed a great deal since this baby boomer went to first grade at St. Michael’s ...

What Really Matters

If there is anything that the COVID-19 pandemic taught us is that there is nothing more important than the people you love and who love you. Like many families, we were separated from loved ones for weeks and months that rolled onto years. Birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, births, graduations and other celebrations were canceled. Time stood still as days dragged into endless worry and fear. There were frantic phone calls announcing the latest family member and friends to pray for as the virus took hold. Through it all, we learned the deep importance of the human touch especially ...

Take The Picture Already!

When I was a child, we were taught that it was not polite to stare at someone. As kids, we developed a saying to handle such incidents. You probably said it, too. We would look at the person who was staring at us and say, “Why don’t you take a picture. It lasts longer!” That usually did the trick, and the staring dissipated. Today, everyone who owns a smartphone or digital camera takes photos of everything from the food they are eating to their pets in various costumes. The sky’s the limit for online posting of such photos. As a longtime news reporter, I would take ...

Enjoying The Simple Pleasures

As an experienced grandparent, I have learned that there are so many simple pleasures that can only be enjoyed with grandchildren. I have learned that as grandparents, our expectations are so distant from that which we required of our children. It’s probably not fair. It’s just the way it is. So this past week we had a one-on-one with grandson Deacon. As it turned out, the timing of our visit together was also the week of the Marshall County Fair. Deacon was thrilled with the thought of seeing the oversized pigs and other animals on display. We kind of were, too. Nothing brings ...