This author has yet to write their bio.Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Aundrea contributed a whooping 265 entries.
By Victoria L. Kidd Hollywood does not have the market cornered on horror. While October advertisements entreat audiences to settle into theater seats for the next big blockbuster, true aficionados of the genre are scheduling an alternative way to get their horror fix by planning to attend the upcoming Virginia Independent Horror Film Festival, an […]
By Karen Cifala Last month I wrote about how to pay for the great privilege of longevity when you don’t have much to start with as part of what we all face as we age. In the “if I die” category of life what matters is figuring out how you want to live out your […]
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Apple founder Steve Jobs famously disagreed on education and technology—although their opinions were probably closer than they articulated. Both thought the modern education system was in need of a major overhaul. Gates called for greater emphasis on technology and science education, so that young people could be ready for the […]
Touring Virginia’s wine country has become such a popular pastime that many of us have forgotten the time, not so long ago, when the term Virginia wine referred to a handful of vineyards near Charlottesville. Now there are nearly 200 vineyards and wineries in the Commonwealth. As recently as 1950, there were only 15 acres […]
by JiJi Russell Apples: one fine reason to look forward to autumn in Clarke County. Offering one of the most delicious bounties of the Shenandoah Valley, these nutritional powerhouses are touted for their phytonutrients, which help with blood sugar regulation; their good fiber content; and, of course, their texture and taste. A member of the […]
By Doug Pifer Since high school days I’ve been known as the bucket guy. Folks find some kind of creature and bring it to me, usually in a bucket, to identify. Sometimes I know what it is and sometimes I don’t, but I always enjoy trying to solve the mystery. My most memorable bucket was […]
By Wendy Gooditis Do you have an olfactory memory? Does the smell of almond extract suddenly have you back in your grandmother’s kitchen? How about the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil? Are you at your desk on the first day of third grade, watching the teacher write her name on the board in a […]
By Annie Young We the residents of Clarke County have the honor of having the nation’s first privately funded, rural combat-veteran wellness center. It’s nestled in the mountain that we share with Loudoun County. Tucked in Bluemont is Boulder Crest Retreat Center, which hosts 700 combat veterans and their families each year since 2013. It […]
By Victoria Kidd The United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley’s brochure asks a bold question. “What happens when people work together?” It’s a question answered every year during their annual Day of Caring. On a particular day in the waning weeks of summer, hundreds of volunteers from the Top of Virginia Region come together to […]