Latest Happy To Be Here

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Caterpillars and butterflies

Earlier this summer, my husband and I were walking near our home. I stopped short to avoid stepping ...

Lifestyles

Happy To Be Here: Some of my favorite things

What are your favorite memories of summers gone by? Barbecues, patriotic bunting, and fireworks? Vacation planning, iced drinks, ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Fun and games

Theresa A. Kestly, a psychologist and play therapist, wrote a book designed to help her fellow clinicians understand ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be Here: In defense of cell phones

You’ve probably heard some grumbling about the awfulness of cell phones. We spend too much time on them. ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be Here: Time for Some Spring Cleaning

Punxsutawney Phil, arguably the world’s most famous groundhog, emerged from his burrow last month and predicted an early ...

Lifestyles

Happy To Be Here: Questioning an established authority

For those who have wondered: Yes, I am still working my way through the dictionary. I started reading ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Here comes the sun

We experienced our shortest day and longest night on the winter solstice, Dec. 21. In Farmville, sunrise that ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Empty chairs

According to many different calendars, we’re deep into the season of holidays. Depending on your outlook, the festivities ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Grateful for the years I almost didn’t get

As a young adult, I wasn’t making enough money for ends to meet, but occasionally those ends got ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be Here: Cryptids on the Loose

Welcome to the time of year when we delight in the mysteries that occupy the boundary of what ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Celebrities and Celebri-Trees

Some people enjoy watching for celebrities, and Farmville has seen a fair number throughout its history. Generals. Civil ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: On the lookout for a Blue Moon

Some novels include tales of family members or lovers who will soon be separated. While they are apart, ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Taking an alternate route

Summer provides an excellent opportunity to hit the road and visit favorite people and places. Some trips span ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Lessons my father taught me

A few weeks ago, I drove past a home where a father, maybe a grandfather, was teaching a child ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Finding the flowers

In 1955, Pete Seeger wrote a song asking “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” Additional verses were later ...

Lifestyles

Happy To Be Here: The Wind Blows

When I think of the wind, I usually picture gentle breezes. I hear it whisper secrets about the ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be Here: A nostalgic viewpoint

I  hadn’t been to the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA) since before COVID became a household word. ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — Cozy comfort

Many people enjoy winter. Some look forward to skiing. They arrange vacations and plan travel to seek out ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — From cut to Farkleberry

Some of you have been asking about my progress reading Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. My original, overly ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be Here — Listen and let the songs play

As the song says, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Nature sets the stage with starlight ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — Observing with both eyes

A friend recently asked me about buying an inexpensive, fun telescope suitable for taking a first step into ...

Free Speech

Columns

Happy To Be Here: Let’s talk about freedom of speech

Last August, author Salman Rushdie was attacked and seriously injured while onstage for a panel discussion at the ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — Standing on new shores

Here in Virginia, the opening years of the seventeenth century are probably best remembered for the arrival of ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — Keep distance from bears, despite the cute, cuddly look

Maybe you’ve seen amusing bear videos on the internet. There’s a cute one with a cub climbing onto ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here: Bigger than any one of us

Among Christians, the prayer commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father is well known. I ...

Lifestyles

Called by a scammer

A few weeks ago, I received a disturbing voice mail message. The recorded announcement claimed that permission to ...

Lifestyles

Happy to be here — Waking up

I’ve been watching the world wake up. As the year turns from its winter slumber, it reminds me ...

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