Taking to heart an old lesson (Published Saturday, March 19, 2011)
This week, as I exercised my dog in my yard, I noticed my neighbor had almost silently a few rows of turnips and carrots, both crops that are planted in early spring. Read more ...
I’ve always loved to eat. And more than that, I loved to eat many different things. I was not an overly picky child, beyond an odd dislike for what I perceived to be the weird textures of foods like chicken and dumplings and liver and onions. Read more ...
Being whatever you want to be (Published Saturday, February 25, 2011)
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question I’ve personally been asked hundreds of times, which is a lot when you consider that I don’t quite feel grown up yet. Read more ...
Getting outdoors for a good cause (Published Saturday, February 19, 2011)
It feels like a typical week in April. Except it’s February and despite my excitement over the warm weather, I know in a few days, when the temperatures dip back into the 40s, I won’t appreciate the weather’s fakeout very much. Read more ...
It's easy to fight hunger (Published Saturday, February 12, 2011)
While food can satisfy, give you much-needed nutrients, even spark memories you may have forgotten, the lack of it can leave you so empty that it feels as though a little mouse has taken up residence in your belly, gnawing at your stomach. It can stunt the development of children and even kill. It’s this aspect of food, the realities of hunger, that we are so loathe to discuss. Read more ...
Don't forget Fido in your safety plan (Published Saturday, February 5, 2011)
It was an exciting day in my elementary school class when we arrived at our desks to find coloring books and a small boxes of crayons. But this was no ordinary book. Instead of ponies and dinosaurs, this book was filled with fire trucks, firemen and puzzles that all served one purpose — to teach us about fire safety. Read more ...
My not-so-green thumb (Published Saturday, January 29, 2011)
In the 4 or 5 years since I’ve had him, I’ve never considered giving up on him until this week. We’d been through a lot together, but when he started losing limbs I decided it must be the end. That, and his green leaves were turning brown and brittle at an alarming rate. Read more ...
Complaining vs. real engagement (Published Saturday, January 22, 2011)
When I was in high school, my favorite class was English. Considering my current career, it's obvious that my interests haven't changed much. What has changed is my opinion of my then-least-favorite subject: American government. Read more ...
Time spent with a good book (Published Saturday, January 15, 2011)
I’ve always been a reader. From the age of 3, when my mother handed me a copy of Hooked On Phonics, to now, I’ve sought entertainment and solace in the world of the printed word. Read more ...
Holding on to what's important (Published Saturday, January 8, 2011)
For me, the onset of winter usually means a growing inclination to clean everything, if only to warm myself up by doing something. And so this past weekend I planned a massive cleaning marathon. Read more ...
My changing perception of snow (Published Sunday, January 1, 2011)
BWith all that fluffy white stuff that coats Hampton Roads finally beginning to melt, I began to look back on a childhood of snow. Though I can’t remember my first experience with the precipitation that countless schoolchildren have prayed for over the years, I do remember what it meant to me. Read more ...
Surrendering to the french fries (Published Saturday, December 25, 2010)
It was the middle of January 2006 when I found myself looking over my shoulder as I walked into a Chick-fil-A. Satisfied that no one would witness my transgression, I hurried in to do something I knew I would regret the rest of the year: I was going to buy as many fries as I could get my hands on; and then I was going to eat them. Read more ...
A military brats view on Christmas (Published Saturday, December 11, 2010)
Being a transplant to this area, there is perhaps one question I dread above all others: “Now, where exactly are you from originally?” The way I speak must be odd to area residents, because I get that question a lot, even if I’ve just met the person. It may seem like an easy question to answer, but for me it’s not. Read more ...
Typing my way into the holidays (Published Saturday, December 4, 2010)
Maybe it was the Christmas trees decked out with ornaments that I spied at a Cracker Barrel in August or the Christmas music I heard in a store sometime in October, but I entered December mostly fed up with a holiday that hadn’t even begun. Read more ...
It’s that time of year again, folks. When the leaves change, the air takes on a chilly bite and there is nothing more important than eating as much delicious food as possible. Read more ...
I got my start in professional journalism earlier than some of my peers. During my senior year in high school I joined a mentorship program in which students spent a half-day, every day in a professional workplace for a semester in exchange for class credit. Read more ...
Planning ahead to stay warm this winter (Published Saturday, November 6, 2010)
It’s been a roller coaster in the weather over the past few weeks. One day, temperatures were finally dropping below 50 degrees at night; the next day, the weather did a 180 and reached summery conditions for days. Read more ...
A delicious reason to support a Suffolk business (Published Saturday, October 31, 2010)
Compared to most of the surrounding cities, Suffolk evokes a small-town feel, complete with miles and miles and miles of rural farmland and a strong community that is able to come together when the circumstances call for it. And with new construction bringing big-box stores and popular restaurants to the area, residents are finding more and more reasons to stay in Suffolk. Read more ...
It’s a shame that such an important issue has become so politicized over the years. If you’re for it, you’re a crazy, left-wing liberal. If you’re against it, you’re a crazy, right-wing conservative. I am, of course, talking about protecting the environment. Read more ...
Thankful for autumn showers (Published Saturday, October 16, 2010)
If you ever go by the Suffolk News-Herald office, I’m usually easy to pick out. All summer, for example, while everyone else was wearing T-shirts and relishing the air conditioner, I was most likely hunkering down in a heavy knit sweater with a hot beverage of some sort keeping my hands from getting frostbite. Read more ...
Let me preface this column by saying that my mother is a nurse. From an early age, I knew more about illness and medicine than any child really wants to know. ... Despite her stories about the glamorous life of a nurse, I did not grow up to be one. My mother did manage to impart the knowledge that providing medical care takes a lot — of time, of effort, of the basic things necessary for human life, such as blood. Read more ...
Meet me at the market (Published Saturday, October 2, 2010)
I grew up in mostly urban areas, so upon moving to a rural area in western Virginia I was shocked when my mom decided to start a vegetable garden to learn that you could actually grow fruits and vegetables in your own backyard. Read more ...
A great place to learn about families (Published Saturday, September 25, 2010)
One thing I’ve learned about Suffolk over the past few months is the importance of family in this town. It is not uncommon to witness individuals streaming into our office to purchase several extra copies of the paper just for a single photo that celebrates the achievements of their children or siblings or parents or even friends who are so close they might as well be family. Read more ...
Finding the perfect friend (Published Saturday, September 18, 2010)
After moving out of my mom’s house to go college, I began a weekly journey to the animal shelter. At first meant to ease the pain of missing the family dogs, the trips became a quest to find my own furry soul mate. Read more ...
Making a 'home' in Suffolk (Published Saturday, September 11, 2010)
It’s getting to the point that every one of us has been affected by the economy this year, whether in big or small ways. For me, this meant that I was among the many workers who lost their jobs after their companies were faced with the choice of saving money to stay in business or keeping valued employees on the job. Read more ...
Making a 'home' in Suffolk (Published Saturday, September 11, 2010)
It’s getting to the point that every one of us has been affected by the economy this year, whether in big or small ways. For me, this meant that I was among the many workers who lost their jobs after their companies were faced with the choice of saving money to stay in business or keeping valued employees on the job. Read more ...
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