It has become clear to me that one of the most deep-rooted causes of our problems is the way we treat children and above all babies. I am equally convinced that no program of social and political change that does not include and begin with changes in the ways in which we bear and rear […]
Righteous – Meeting the standards of what is right and just; morally right. ~ The American Heritage Dictionary I wore an assortment of hats, caps, and visors throughout the 4th annual Floyd Fest weekend to keep from being sunburned and from getting WET. We seemed to get all variety of weather over the 3 […]
When “Life in the Rural Fast Lane” was originally posted at “Loose Leaf” on April 5, a reader humorously asked where the accompanying photo was (in reference to the line where I say that because I have no visible neighbors, I can garden topless if I want to). More recently, the essay appeared in the […]
We drove from Massachusetts to Virginia with the ocean on our skin. My husband, Joe, flew into Logan Airport; I picked him up at the ferry, and we swam in the ocean before beginning our road-trip home, all in the same day. After a sleepover in “The Promised Land,” a state park in Pennsylvania, and […]
I’ve been a big fan of Robin Hood’s since I was a young girl. I still am. Robbing from the rich – when they’re corrupt and abusing their power – and giving to the poor appeals to my sense of progressive politics. (And isn’t it interesting how some themes never change. Sadly, I think Robin […]
There are about 5 ways to go to and from town from my house. My favorite route is via Woods Gap Road. It’s a dusty dirt road, but often worth the trip. There’s a family of golden finch that live on Woods Gap, and I frequently spot mountain bluebirds or occasionally an indigo bunting there. […]
In my small town, old-time bluegrass is the traditional music, and we have many talented fiddle players and such. We also have talented hip hop reggae musicians and others who produce their own CDs. We’re famous for the Friday Night Jamboree that happens at the Country Store each weekend and, more recently, for our annual […]
You can call me nosey. Or you can call me curious. You could say I like gossip. Or you could say I like biographies. It’s all just a matter of degree. For many years, I was a member of a woman’s circle. It was in this circle that I made my first breakthrough with my […]
Okay Gretchen, I wrote it on my calendar…1:00 Friday, Cafe del Sol. Looking forward to it. ~ e-mail message from Colleen to Gretchen St. Lawrence on 6/6/05 I arrived at the Café del Sol on Friday at 11:00, excited to meet Gretchen and David St. Lawrence from over at ripples.typepad.com. David is a blogger and […]
~ Yesterday I got an e-mail from my friend, Fragments Fred, a blogger who has been mulling over the idea of a “blook” (a book drawn from blog entries), according to a recent post at “Fragments From Floyd.” He asked if I wanted to meet him and some out-of-town fellow bloggers at the local Café […]
On the night of the day that my essay aired on WVTF public radio, I participated in a poetry slam at The London Underground in Blacksburg and won $100! Initially, I was leery about reading my poetry in such a smoky, chaotic atmosphere where rowdy guys holding onto mugs of beer seemed to be […]
“Road hard and put away wet” is a new phrase I learned from my son – the Asheville potter who loves the Red Sox – when he was in town recently for a wedding. The rain held off until the vows were exchanged and then it came down in buckets, and we headed for the […]
