Hello and welcome back to the traveling Dogpound. That is right…I took my first extended vacation in a long time and I survived. It was worth it because I actually got to meet my Master for the first time. I know it sounds strange, after so many years, but in my defense, I have made an effort, but for some reason I was always missing him…barely…but still no contact. I did wonder about the open swinging doors and the squeal of tires, but the staff was always reassuring that I would catch him next year. Despite all that, we did…
Browsing: Commentary
Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of the Dogpound, where we keep on sending out articles so I can enjoy my vacation…with no interruptions from you-know-who. LOL I must tell you the presidential race is something to behold. There was that little trip to Mexico by Trump. When I first heard he was invited to meet with the president of Mexico, I just brushed it off as someone’s poor attempt to make a joke. It was for real! It appears it went well enough….there were no reported shouting matches and Trump was not excommunicated from Mexico for life. The…
A lesson that guarantees you can win at life By M.A. Fuller, Reiki Practitioner & Stress Management Coach Whew! What a week, the kids are back in school, there is more traffic than you remembered, and joyful memories of a not-so-distant summer are waning. This is an extremely stressful time of year, and not just for parents. Whether you stay at home, you work with someone who has school-aged children, or you are a student yourself, it is important to remember your stress management techniques to keep your mind and body healthy this time of year. With the timely spirit…
As we prepare to leave for the beach tomorrow, I am thankful that Invest 99L has not materialized into more than a rainmaker at this point. We are now at the height of hurricane season. Tropical waves come off of the west coast of Africa and make their track across the Atlantic. Even with superb, advanced technology, there is still no way to know exactly what these storms will do. Some waves will encounter favorable strengthening conditions, becoming a hurricane, while others will encounter things like wind sheer and have a hard time developing into a tropical depression. Whatever the…
Hello and welcome back to the wonderful and rested world of the Dogpound. Here is hoping you had a nice long weekend, since it will be a while before we see another one. As for me…I am still writing these articles ahead of time, since I plan to take a few days off and do some traveling to go visit my oldest daughter. Most of my vacations of late have been long three-day weekends, where I take a Friday off to make it a four-day week. This time I am flying on Thursday and returning the following Tuesday. I have…
Sometimes as gardeners we have a bug that’s buggin’ us, a fungus among us, or plant that is an indeed a weed. There is a positive way to identify the problem, the Cooperative Extension office. I had a chance recently to visit Mike Likins, County Agent at the Chesterfield Cooperative Extension office. The office is located at the county government complex behind the old courthouse and adjacent to the museum. The physical address is 6807 Mimms Loop, Chesterfield. I asked Mike a few questions about collecting samples and how the Extension Service can help citizens with those pesky pests: If…
To the Editor: With the new school year starting, parents’ to-do lists are now filled with shopping for school clothes, school supplies, and school food. That’s right – school food! In past years, our nation’s schools were used by the USDA as a dumping ground for surplus meat and dairy commodities. It is neither a surprise nor coincidence that one-third of our children have become overweight or obese. Such dietary mistakes at an early age become lifelong addictions, raising their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Then came President Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, requiring double the…
As summer comes to an end, many schools have already been in session for the last three weeks. Schools in this area will begin the 2016-2017 school year on Sept. 6. As students get ready to return to school, we, too, must prepare ourselves for their return. What do I mean? Traffic around school zones has not lessened, but has increased, while school buses will be back on the roads, picking up some students in the wee hours of the morning. Drivers must give themselves more time by leaving earlier each day. Most schools have a school crossing, whether or…
Hello and welcome back to the “we are ready for a three-day weekend!” Dogpound. Hard to believe we are here already…where has the summer gone? Labor Day officially marks the end of summer, kids are tucked nicely back into school, and this is our last three-day weekend till Thanksgiving. Seems like a long time between holidays…but fortunately I still have a few vacation days left so I can squeeze out a couple four-day work weeks. Did you know that Labor Day actually started out as a state holiday and Oregon was the first state to put this on their calendar…
I feel as though someone has hit the “pause” button. From the birth of my first child, my darling boy, to this very moment; time has been on fast forward. I can barely remember that sweet towheaded little boy, with curls bouncing as he ran on his chubby little legs towards me, arms outstretched. I know that I wrote endless columns in this very paper about our adventures in parenting this delightful boy from tantrums in the Chester Library to singing sweetly to the Disney “Cars” soundtrack in our minivan. Then there was the birth of my precious flower. My…