Tag Archive

Cousin’s funeral brings family together in happiness

My husband’s favorite cousin died the other day, and her funeral brought the family together for a happy time to remember her in Georgia where she was born and reared. Bill and his cousin Margene Branch Gerfen grew up in the Atlanta area almost like brother and sister because each was an only child.... »

Some of the best stories go unwritten

Years ago when I applied for a job at the revered Atlanta, Ga., afternoon paper, the Journal, a crusty old managing editor said, “I suppose you want to write the great American novel.” “No,” I replied, “I want to write stories about people that need telling.” All these years later, I still do. And... »

The cicadas are coming!

You can hear them starting up already. That alien-sounding buzz, especially when it’s hot, is the sound of 17-year-cicadas which most people call 17-year-locusts. As Extension Horticulture Technician Barbara Leach points out in this week’s May 10 print issue of the Salem Times-Register, locusts are more like grasshoppers.     They come out in... »

Don’t mess with a kite-eating tree

I should have known there would be a kite-eating tree. I was flying a kite in the parking lot of Salem Montessori School the day before the big Kite Festival, since I was going to be sitting inside in meetings at the Virginia Press Association annual meeting while the festival was going on in... »

Picking up pecans in Georgia

My husband is a North Georgia boy. He grew up next to Emory University in Atlanta and didn’t have the privilege of pecan trees in his yard. I did. My mother and daddy’s yard in South Georgia – Albany, to be exact (pronounced All-benny by those in the know) – had a couple of... »

Chick-fil-A breaks ground in Salem

SALEM – Hometown son Shaine Miles, the Chick-fil-A cows and Salem elected officials officially shoveled dirt and gravel with gold-painted shovels today to break ground for the long-awaited restaurant. The free-standing restaurant will be located in front of Kmart on West Main Street, and is expected to open in April, Miles said. Chick-fil-A lovers... »

Paula Deen has fans eating out of her hands

SALEM – Paula Deen had Salem and Roanoke Valley fans eating out of her hands Saturday night. Well, not literally, but the 2,400 people in the Salem Civic Center couldn’t get enough of her at “Paula Deen Live” at the Salem Civic Center. The Georgian had the crowd hooked from her first “Hey, y’all”... »

Everyday art from the heart of two sculptors

NEW CASTLE – On a bright summer-like day I pulled up to Watson “Waddy” Bowes place in downtown New Castle where two sculptors of some renown were laboriously tearing down his 100-year-old barn, one board at a time. Thanks to a friend who had given me the lead on the story, I had done... »

Paula Deen is coming to Salem

SALEM – Paula Deen, Queen of Southern Cuisine, will appear in Salem on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Salem Civic Center with “Laughter, Stories & Southern Cooking.” Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show go on sale Friday, Aug. 13, at 10 a.m. at the civic center box office and Ticketmaster Outlets. The Georgia resident... »

Blind, deaf hikers tackle Appalachian Trail

NEWPORT – The 2,160-plus-mile Appalachian Trail is daunting enough for most hikers. For Roni Lepore and Roger Poulin, the trail presents extra challenges. Lepore, who is deaf, and Poulin, who both deaf and blind in one eye and has tunnel vision in the other, talked about their special relationship with the trail when they... »