By Steve Chaconas This has been the subject matter of my June column for over 10 years and it still holds true. Dude, don’t get Dad another tie! He might wear it…only when you’re in town or when you mention it. He really dreads having to tie one on for you! It’s Father’s Day, put a bit of thought into gifts for the guy who was always thinking of you! Show Dad he’s legendary. Nothing bugs dad if he’s using Thermacell’s E-series mosquito repeller. A 20 foot bug and scent free zone works up to 9 hours on a single charge. Lightweight Thermacell EL55 is portable, and ambient dimple lights set the mood for evening entertainment without taking up a lot of space. Audio and LED alerts for protection and battery life. Within 15 minutes, Thermacell casts a safe and EPA reviewed effective barrier repelling mosquitoes that may transmit Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, and Zika Virus. People and pet friendly. thermacell.com If an American made Gerber knife or multi-tool isn’t enough, allow your imagination to custom design the perfect knife or multi-tool showing who dad really is. An extensive library of designs creates the perfect surprise Father’s Day gift! Gerber’s website allows colorful customization from the blade to the screws of original Gerbers for hunters, fishermen, or any outdoorsman. Founded in 1939 and based in Portland, Oregon, customized Gerber’s innovative knives and problem solving tools meet unique needs of specific activities with the most individualized gift. gerbergear.com Don’t leave dad in the dark. Shedding light into his tackle box or under the hood, a reliable and durable working flashlight will come in handy. 5.11, known for supplying professionals with tactical gear, has the EDC PL 1AAA mini flashlight. This big light comes in a small package with a removable clip. Requiring only 1 AAA battery,…
By Lori Welch Brown My father passed in 2020, and I’d give anything to have him back if for one minute. To hear him say, “Hey—got a little more of that ice cream over there?” When prompted about how he enjoyed his dinner, you might get a response such as, “It’s something to eat.” Or even the occasional, “Hey, Lori. Can you help me with my shoes?”, before I had a sip of coffee to which I’d remind him my rule of “No feet before I eat,” and we’d laugh. He was wheelchair bound the last few years of his life, and it was hard on all of us, but mostly him. Dad lived with us for eight months prior to COVID, until his safety became an issue, and we had to make the difficult decision that he needed more care than we could provide at home. There were a lot of highs and lows during that time with us. I was so happy to wake up and have coffee with my Dad. We hadn’t spent quality time alone together in ions. I loved watching Judge Judy in the afternoons with him—our ritual. There were days, however, that I couldn’t wait to get out of the house, away from him and everyone else. Two days a week an aide came to assist Dad with his personal grooming, and on those days, I was out the door headed to the gym the second her tires hit the driveway. One night when I was helping him get into bed, tears started rolling down his cheeks. My heart sank. It had been a hard day. A really hard day for both of us. I kissed the top of his head, assured him I loved him, and that tomorrow would be a better day….
By Carl Trevison and Stephen Bearce When the daily news is filled with discussions about inflation, interest rates, market volatility, and endless other angst-producing events, how you react could make a difference in your financial outcomes. These tips may help you sort through the noise and create an action plan that fits your situation. Evaluate The first step is to evaluate. Do you have a current retirement income plan that you have been following? If your plan is documented, it is likely that it includes how much cash flow you need to meet your day-to-day expenses as well as for discretionary spending. Pull out your plan and take a look to determine where adjustments might be applied. If you do not have a plan or it has not been updated to reflect your current circumstances, document your assets, income sources, expenses, and debt. Gathering all the information in one place helps clearly define your total money picture. In the process, you may uncover expenditures that can be reduced or eliminated. A few adjustments may be enough to reduce the pressure on your income flow. Retain or adjust If your plan is addressing your current needs, it can be reassuring to confirm that your plan is working as you had expected. If your income needs no longer match your income plan, depending on your circumstances, there are actions you may want to consider to get your plan on track. These may include: Altering your withdrawal strategy to change the amount in taxes you pay on your retirement income to give you greater spending power Reallocating your assets or temporarily reducing withdrawal amounts to address any concerns about drawing down your investments in a down market Including inflation-indexed investments or other income-generating strategies in your portfolio Adding an annuity with income protection,…
By: Michael J. McGroarty Don’t be afraid to trim those flowering shrubs and trees that need it. Failure to prune is probably the biggest gardening mistake a person can make. I spent 20 years landscaping homes and businesses, and I watched people make the investment in my services, then they failed to prune when the plants needed it, and before you know it their landscape looks terrible. If you make a mistake pruning, don’t worry about it. It’s like a bad haircut, it will grow out. Of course use common sense and read the previous articles that I’ve written on pruning. Along with summer time comes high humidity. High humidity can cause a lot of problems with the plants in your garden and around your house. One of the simple things you can do is don’t water just before dark. Make sure your plants are nice and dry when you tuck them in for the night and you can cut down of the chance fungus being a problem. One of the more common fungi that I get asked about a lot is powdery mildew. This appears as a white film on the leaves of ornamental plants. Dogwoods and Purple Sandcherry are often the victim of powdery mildew. Powdery mildew isn’t extremely harmful to the plants, it’s just that the foliage is damaged, and little growing takes place once it sets in. Your local garden center will have a general fungicide you can spray if you’d like to try and control it. Usually once the plant defoliates in the fall the plant is back to normal. If you have perennial rye grass in your lawn, you must be careful not to leave your grass wet at night. There is a fungus known as pythium blight that appears in very humid conditions….
By Erin Shackleford Sunny – We know you won’t be able to help falling in love with Sunny. This guy has become a staff and volunteer favorite for his bright and shiny disposition (and adorable under bite). He has attended many of our adoption events – all around town – but still hasn’t found the perfect family yet. Sunny loves playing with plush squeaky toys and dog puzzles. You have to keep the body and mind sharp, you know! Sunny would make an excellent low key companion for someone special. Carmello – We’re not sure if Carmello has a suspicious mind or just likes to look at people suspiciously. Either way, his photos always crack us up! Carmello is a very sweet kitty, but he takes a little bit of time to warm up to new people. Sadly, this means he’s passed up for adoption too often at the shelter. Carmello would make an excellent steadfast companion if given the chance. He likes squeezable kitty treats, which make getting to know him a little easier. Once he knows you’re on the up and up, you’ll have a friend for life! Enid – She ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog! And ain’t that the truth – Enid was DNA tested, and she’s 100% American Foxhound! This mature, calm lady is looking for a home where she can enjoy a laid back lifestyle. However, that doesn’t mean she’s not up for a sniff around town though – and this gal does love to follow her nose. Enid loves to explore her world via her olfactory senses. Her high-functioning nose is very helpful when sniffing out snacks. You can’t hide a pocketful of treats from this gal. Enid also enjoys basking in the sunlight and receiving pets. Ear rubs are probably her favorite.
By Kristen Koirtyohann It’s June, so in honor of both Father’s Day and National Adopt-a-Cat month, let’s take a minute to celebrate some of the top fathers of the animal kingdom and discuss the steps you can take when you decide to become a cat parent. Champion of the original “dad bod,” the Emperor penguin has a lot of responsibility before his offspring have even entered the world. Serial monogamists, Emperor penguins mate for life at their inland ancestral breeding grounds. Once the mother lays her egg and leaves for her march back to the sea to hunt for food, the father takes over and is responsible for keeping the egg safe, warm, and unharmed. During this time, which could be two months or longer, the dad protects the egg in his pouch and balances the egg on his feet. He also fasts during this time as there is no food at his inland location and he will not get a bite to eat until the mother returns, thus signaling his turn to march to the sea. Next, the flamingo is an exceptional dad who splits parenting duties 50/50 with the mother. Not only do fathers alternate egg incubation with the mothers, but they also help feed their newborns with crop milk (which comes from their digestive tract), the only source of nourishment for their growing chicks. Finally, as one of the very few male species able to give birth, the seahorse is perhaps one of the most astounding fathers of the animal kingdom. To start, female seahorses transfer their eggs into a unique pouch on the male’s tail. The male is responsible for fertilizing the eggs, providing nutrients, and creating a safe environment for his offspring. The babies hatch while still inside the pouch and are expelled with quick…
By Bob Tagert & Lani Gering With June ranking as one of the most popular months for weddings, we decided to take a drive over the Blue Ridge Mountains at Thornton Gap to spend the night at Shadow Mountain Escape and to talk to Karen and Ralph Riddle about their new specialty – elopements. Karen is an ordained officiant so not only do they provide a romantic getaway, they can perform the ceremony right on their gorgeous property. There are so many amazing places on this acreage it would be difficult to choose the exact place for your nuptials. They are quickly filling a popular niche for those couples wanting to avoid the hullabaloo of a traditional wedding. It is always nice to visit Shadow Mountain and enjoy this secluded place off of Skyline Drive. You might remember reading about SME in our February 2021 issue. Ralph and Karen had a dream of making a couples retreat and building romantic timber frame cabins and they both came true. On their 25-acre property they have built their home as well as four charming cabins. Inspired by their European heritage and many years of living in Europe they have brought a touch of traditional Europe to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cabins were raised by old world craftsmanship and made from solid oak timbers that were harvested on the property and completed with old world joinery and hand forged iron all around. While the cabins are fantastic, the best part of staying here is Karen and Ralph. They are two of the coolest people you will meet anywhere. As we learned, the town of Luray has recently experienced a revitalization with some much needed new businesses opening. It has been in dire need of eating establishments for the last couple of years….
By Carl Trevison and Stephen Bearce Four key considerations could help young adults create a mindset to succeed with saving and investing for the future. Michelle Wan, Wells Fargo Investment Institute senior wealth investment solutions analyst, has met many younger clients who have had reservations about investing. “Young investors may find themselves delaying investing for retirement because it seems so far in the future. Alternatively, they may enjoy trading volatile investment instruments for rapid profits,” she says. “They don’t realize how important it is to methodically develop planning and investing goals at a young age. Time is a young saver’s greatest ally.” Here, Wan shares four key considerations for young savers when it comes to prioritizing long-term savings and investment plans. Adopt a planning mindset One key factor is having a planning mindset — a positive and proactive stance that could set savers on a path to positive financial outcomes. A planning mindset can provide a road map that can help strengthen a person’s financial future. Start with small changes Small changes in your financial behavior today could have a big impact on long-term success. Creating a budget, building healthy financial habits, and becoming more comfortable and familiar with investing could go a long way in contributing toward achieving long-term financial goals. Some practices to consider: Automatically transferring part of your income into a savings account or an investment account Paying down student loans to avoid late fees and damage to credit scores Begin saving and investing now Start saving for retirement as soon as you can. The sooner you start, the more time every dollar saved has the potential to grow. If dollars saved early in your working years generate investment gains year after year, they can have a much bigger impact on the size of your account balance…
By Cheryl Burns When your life path hasn’t involved children, Mother’s Day can feel like a reminder of something you didn’t do. But, while I know there’s an ineffable difference, I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as much like a mom as I did the day the veterinarian said “cancer.” This is my story; Smoky Tiggs Burns’s story. I’m not an expert, but I’m sharing these words with the hope that they help at least one pet parent feel less alone. Because, as I always knew but experiencing feline cancer confirmed, pets ARE family. Smoky was around 12 years old and had been with us for seven years when my husband noticed “bumps” on her neck. Although he was pretty sure they were new, he grabbed our second cat – we jokingly thanked her for being our “control group kitty” – to confirm it wasn’t normal. We got her to the vet that day. The bumps were swollen lymph nodes. The vet looked grim; while she needed to run some tests, it looked very much like lymphoma. They drained Smoky’s lungs, which were filled with fluid, and sent blood out for testing. Even before the results came back, the vet told us that Smoky wouldn’t have lasted the week if my husband hadn’t noticed the swelling and acted quickly. The first test confirmed cancer. The second classified it as large T-cell lymphoma. The vet was blunt, which we probably needed: it was the result they always hoped they wouldn’t get. It was a Thursday when we contacted a feline oncologist, and we felt lucky to get an appointment the following Wednesday. The gravity of the situation sunk in when our regular vet asked, “Can you get her in sooner?” We started Smoky on steroids and had her lungs cleared…
By Rita Jacinto The inspiration for this column began at the local shopping mall. Yeah, I know it is a pretty bizarre place to get any kind of inspiration let alone gardening inspiration but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. You see sitting out front of one of the mega stores was a WWII veteran and what looked like his grandson. On the shaky card table were a bunch of red silk poppies and a can for donations. I always put some money in the can and get a poppy to wear. It’s a habit I picked up from my Dad when I was a little kid. He always bought a poppy and kept it in the visor of his truck. I didn’t know why he did this exactly except that it had something to do with the war. He was a veteran of WWII and since he is no longer around to buy his poppy I do it for him. That old vet sitting at his table a few weeks before Memorial Day got me wondering about the story of the red poppy. There are many kinds of poppies but the poppy mentioned in John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields”, was found growing in the fields of Flanders and often referred to as Flanders Poppy is actually Papaver rhoeas more commonly called Corn Poppy. This Mediterranean native is found growing in cultivated fields all over southern Europe. Its legend reaches back thousands of years. They have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back 3,000 years. There is a drawing of a poppy that was found in the Codex Vindobonensis which was put together for the Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana. The Codex is dated at over a thousand years. Homer mentions poppies in the Iliad, comparing the…
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