Buy that man a Gatorade.

Looking down on the nation’s breadbasket from 35,000 feet, one wouldn’t know that our food policy is as out of whack as our energy policy.

How do we simplify in a high-speed, complicated age? Though the generations before us didn’t seem to have this challenge, I sometimes think they could coach us through it—if only we could stop long enough to listen.

I’m not sure why he thought I might have tattooed “pizza” on my arm. I suppose, though, that it makes about as much sense as “gizzard,” especially if you’re 4 years old and like pizza about as good as anything in this world.

A printed statement from Keith Blankenship’s attorney said that in entering guilty pleas to reckless driving and refusing a breath test charges the juvenile court judge “takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the consequences arising from his actions.”

Most expectant mothers keep a bag packed ready to grab and go when the first contractions occur. The bag contents vary but probably include a beautiful yet comfortable gown, lists of names and phone numbers to call after the baby’s arrival, and a going-home outfit for the newborn.

I continue to be amazed at how, over 25 years, Plumb Alley Day has grown from a neighborhood yard sale into one of the major events in the Southeast.  With an estimated 10,000 people expected this Saturday, public figures know that the Day is an ideal venue to attend to advance their agendas and enhance their images. 

I read “Tale of Two Cities” in the ninth grade.  There I met Madame Defarge, a character who quietly knits the names of victims into a threadscape to do her part for the French Revolution.

The annual Relay for Life fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, which is held at Withers Park in Wytheville, is always one of our community’s most anticipated happenings. I was honored to be a part of this year’s festivities serving as co-captain of the relay team for Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church. I had the pleasure of being involved with this church’s team in 2006 when they walked in honor of my friend, Jeff, who was battling lymphoma at that time. When I became a member of Mount Pleasant the following year, I was disappointed when our church did not form a team

Maybelle Blossom fussed because her hips were too wide for the aisles at the Wally mart store.  Cans of stuff toppled from the shelves as she pushed her shopping cart.  People fell to the floor when she bumped into them.  She knew that it was time to fix the problem.  She drove straight to the Modern Shoe Shop to consult Sammy Veneziano, her shoe doctor.