Loudoun Clear
Yes we can. Yes we did. Yes we will.
Did anybody else wake up today ... | 5 comments ›› more ...
Blog
Behind their men, ahead of their time
Did you catch any of the John Adams miniseries that aired on HBO this summer? There was a lot to like. Great acting, great music, great production values (SPOILER ALERT: We win our independence from England). | 0 comments ›› more ...
Remembering Megan Stewart
It’s been a year since Leesburg teen Megan Stewart died from Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I hope it is a comfort for her family to know that she is remembered and thought of so often – not just with sadness and tears, but with joy and laughter, ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
Dachshunds ready to live large
I heard a horror story this week. For a dachshund lover like me, it was a real killer – but I think it’s going to have a happy ending. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Bean there, done that
Yeah, I suppose I could eat a little healthier. But my diet is varied. I enjoy both dark and milk chocolate, white and red wine, red and white meat (and the other white meat, while we’re at it), iced and hot coffee … you get the ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
Sometimes Europe, sometimes you're down
It’s a terrible summer to go abroad. Everybody says so. The dollar is getting its butt kicked by the British pound and the Euro. Increased fuel prices are driving up the price of everything. ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
A dog-gone Independence Day weekend
We had a quiet Fourth of July this year. The iffy weather kept us away from the fireworks at Ida Lee, but I heard they were quite nice. But the Fifth of July – that was another story. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Confessions of a CNN junkie
I’ve been watching this show called “Intervention” on the A&E channel on Monday nights. Have you seen it? It’s a great show about how families and friends come together to help stop the addictive behaviors of the drug abusers, ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
Hang in there, baby!
You’ve seen them, I’m sure. Perhaps you even have one in your house or someplace on the walls of your workplace. Let’s give a shout-out to motivational posters. | 0 comments ›› more ...
CFF Walk: Steps in the right direction
What are you doing Sunday, May 18, say around 9 a.m.? Are you free? Do you want to make the best possible use of your time? | 0 comments ›› more ...
Down? Go get dirty
Who’s up for playing in the dirt? It’s late April again and I’m thrilled to be back outside. | 0 comments ›› more ...
The writing season
Some curmudgeonly type once noted, “Youth is wasted on the young” (OK, it was George Bernard Shaw). To that, I would respond with a quote from an even more prestigious source, “To everything ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
Which came first, the bunny or the egg?
We had a great Easter. My dear friend, dating from our halcyon days at Ohio State in the early ‘80s, came from Columbus with her husband and kids. We colored eggs. We went to grandma's and grandpa's house in Middleburg for an Easter egg hunt. We ate ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
On beyond penguins: In praise of spelling bees and Odysseys
Yes, yes, I’ve had my own issues with Loudoun County Public Schools, including those of an aquatic, flightless, bird-related nature. | 1 comment ›› more ...
Are we there yet?
Is there a wearier, drearier time of year in Loudoun County than early March? | 0 comments ›› more ...
Leap of faith
It was never my intention to give birth to my daughter on a Leap Day. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Brokeback Iceberg?
Penguins … ya gotta love ‘em. | 1 comment ›› more ...
My Stinky Valentines
“Love Stinks!” Remember that tender, romantic ditty from the ‘80s? Ah, the J. Geils Band – what troubadours they were. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Rock the Vote
All right, all right, Super Tuesday states, you’ve had your fun! We in Virginia, Maryland and the District couldn’t get in on the so-called “National Primary,” so we’re just going to have our own little shindig on February 12, the so-called “Chesapeake Primary.” | 0 comments ›› more ...
Born with the write stuff?
I don’t think anyone will argue that the great geniuses of the creative world – Mozart, Beethoven, DaVinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso and Shakespeare, to name a few – were born with something you and I probably don’t have. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Sexytime!: A writer’s dilemma
All writers have a sticking point. Some can’t figure how to end a story, or how to begin it. Some get tripped up by the niceties of grammar, spelling and punctuation (no, spell-check does not cure all ills). Some have trouble coming up with compelling characters ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
Honest Engine
What do you lie about? Your age? Your weight? Do you tell little white lies to friends or family members? Maybe some big, Technicolor whoppers to your boss or significant other? | 0 comments ›› more ...
Carded for Christmas?
The trips to Target are coming almost daily now. I’m in there so often, I notice if they add a new variety of apple, or a new style of sweater that doesn’t assume I’m a 6-foot, 75-pound, 14-year-old. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Thanksgiving most fowl
I know, I know … time to move on to the December holidays, but before we do, one more little Thanksgiving story. | 0 comments ›› more ...
What are you thankful for?
A day devoted to food and eating … how great is Thanksgiving? As holidays go in America, it’s one of our most democratic. Nearly everyone celebrates, one way or another, regardless of religious persuasion, political affiliation or monetary status. ... | 0 comments ›› more ...
O Captain, My Captain!
There are some things for which I have a definite mental block. Two of my four sisters have the same birthday, but I’ll be darned if I can remember whether it’s May 14 or 15. Every year I’m reminded, and every year I forget. | 0 comments ›› more ...
The true meaning of Halloween
The sweet aroma of Target’s Halloween section is a tractor beam, pulling me in like Captain Kirk and the Enterprise toward certain trouble with the Klingons (or in this case, Baby Ruth bars). | 0 comments ›› more ...
Killing Bambi
It happened again, just the other day. My husband and I were at a gathering in Leesburg, and he happened to mention that he is a hunter. Even in the deer-populated, rolling Hunt Country of Northern Virginia, this often does not go over well. | 0 comments ›› more ...
H-2-Oh!
Clearly, water has become a big issue in our county this summer. We’re experiencing record drought in our area – the kind that conjures phrases like “disaster area” for local farmers (that ... | 1 comment ›› more ...
If the shoe fits
Ever wear somebody else’s shoes? Feels strange, doesn’t it? An uncomfortable departure from our usual comfort. | 0 comments ›› more ...
Megan's walk
Leesburg lost one of its own – one of its best – last week. Megan Stewart, just 15, succumbed to Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and passed away on Thursday, September 13. | 1 comment ›› more ...
Test-drive an Odyssey this year
Imagination is more important than knowledge. – Albert Einstein OK, you heard it loud and clear, from Big Al himself. Now, what did he mean by this? I’m no rocket scientist, ... | 1 comment ›› more ...
Harry Potter: Adults need the magic, too
Clearly, this summer will be remembered as the summer of Harry Potter. It’s hard to walk into a bookstore, or any other place where books are sold – ... | 2 comments ›› more ...