Browsing: Commentary

Jingle Bell Rock, not just a Christmas song for my fellow garden enthusiasts, but it is also one of the new varieties of poinsettias available to brighten your home this Christmas season. I had the opportunity to spend an hour on location with Mark Landa, owner of Boulevard Flower Gardens on Ruffin Mill Road last week. Boulevard is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2015 and has produced poinsettias since the late 80’s. Part of that time was spent in the green house where they produce over 8,000 plants annually. They have over 20 varieties in colors such as red, pink,…

It is that time of year. Thanksgiving has passed and folks cannot wait to put their Christmas trees and other decorations up. Some will put up their artificial trees, but many will put up live trees from a Christmas tree farm or from some lot, somewhere in the area. When picking a live tree that is dying, it is important to choose the freshest tree possible. One way to determine freshness is to pull on the branches. If needles come off in your hand, leave that tree on the lot. You want to start with a tree that will last…

Hello and welcome back to the wonderful world of the Dogpound. Hopefully everyone survived another Black Friday. I, for one, am content to sit at home and wait for all the catalogs to show up. For some reason…this year…my mailbox has been overflowing. I have a small private mailbox, but still…it is just jammed in there. What happened to all this paperless stuff? Some humbug did come in the mail…my bank sent me a notice that they are going to start charging me three dollars every time they send me a savings or checking account statement. Really? Now realize this…

Did you have turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings on Thanksgiving? A friend said she thought my family would of had roasted duck. I have eaten duck; what does it taste like? Chicken. While duck or turkey or tofurkey would have worked for me, I had to eat crow – crow sure ain’t chicken. A couple of months ago I wrote about the newly built bike lanes on West Hundred Roadthe title of my introduction to the paper that week was called “Great Idea Poor Execution.” I had my opinion which was welcomed by the naysayers but frowned upon by…

I have spent this week assisting in running a shelter for homeless families at my church. I am writing this the day after Thanksgiving; there are so many thoughts swirling around in my head that I want to share with you, that I don’t know where to start. So, I will start with this; community, what is a community and what does that word mean to you? My sweet daughter has learned about communities in kindergarten this year, so this word is one that we should all know. It is my hope that the word is one that will become…

I assume that most of you either saw the pictures or heard the story of the McKenney pumper and Dinwiddie sheriff’s vehicle that were struck on I-85, by a tractor-trailer. The units were working an accident at 2 a.m. in the morning, when the second accident occurred. I know very few details about this incident, but I spent my last four years, blocking for the engine or serving as the Tactical Safety Officer. Interstates and other limited access roadways present tremendous safety challenges to fire, police and EMS personnel. You have noticed that the entire back of new ambulances and…

Hello and welcome back to the holiday edition of the Dogpound. As usual we at the Dogpound lose track of holidays and stick to our philosophy that for the most part holidays are just a reminder of something we should be doing on a regular bases. So for starters, a big shout out to all that have proudly served or are serving to keep this great country safe and free (Veteran’s Day). I served by joining the Army ROTC while in college and when it became time for me to become active, the Army, by a toss of the coin,…

The more keys you have, the more important you are. That’s why I have so many keys, although I have no idea what most of them fit. But I am surely important. Let’s see, I have one for my truck, one for my house, one for the office and one for the lock on my shed. The rest are just random keys. I got the key to the highway Billed out and bound to go I’m gonna leave here running Walking goes too slow The original Charlie Segar tune, made famous by Eric Clapton, makes reference to walking away from…

Shoulder pain is among the most common musculoskeletal complaints for those seeking medical care. Injuries to the shoulder can occur suddenly, such as with a fall, or develop over a longer period of time due to repetitive overuse, such as with throwing or repeated lifting. The shoulder joint is a very shallow joint. The upper arm bone, the humerus, has a rounded end that sits on the small and concave surface of the shoulder blade or scapula. Ligaments and muscles are strategically placed to keep the shoulder joint in place. This configuration allows the arm a wide range of motion,…

As a follow up to my last column on organic mulches, I will discuss inorganic mulch. But before I get to that, I want to expand on my comment regarding “mulch should not be piled up on the tree.” As you travel around, especially in parking lots, you will notice what is referred to as “mulch volcanos.” One to two feet of mulch stacked onto the tree may look attractive but the bark of the tree retains moisture. That haven of moisture is an invitation to insects as well as disease. Inorganic mulch may be natural stones, pea gravel, crushed…

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