My wife and I have always tried to raise our daughters (one now seventeen and one fourteen) to be strong, independent women – critical thinkers who don’t just believe what they are told, but who are eager to dive into a subject, whatever it is, research the facts, and develop their own opinions. It is with this mindset that I was approached by my eldest a few weeks ago with the question – “can we go to the ‘March For…
As we move past the St. Patrick’s Day holiday (which I’m sure was a boon to many a pub and tavern this year since it fell on a Saturday), I’d like to take a moment to talk about beer. Not just any beer, mind you, but a drink that is so much more than just the sum of its ingredients. I’m talking, of course, about Guinness. Dark, rich, and hearty, it’s the beverage that literally fuels Ireland. I’ve been lucky…
Spring is in the air. The March winds will soon give way to April showers. The nights will grow warmer, the birds will fill the trees with their morning songs, and the local area will once again come alive with the colors of the season. That means that it is also the time of year to start thinking about planting a garden. It doesn’t have to be much. A few windowsill containers can qualify, just the same as a half-acre…
I’ve written previously about how hard it is for a small-town, rural school to compete in athletics and other extra-curricular activities against larger, more populous institutions – where there is a larger pool of talent to choose from and use each and every year (click here to link to that article). But every now and then, lightning strikes – even in a small school. The town where I live (Clear Spring, MD) is a tiny hamlet (only 350 residents, according…