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History in the Hills: There always is a best

Two weeks ago, we returned from visiting my wife’s family in New York City. We had a fabulous time visiting and sightseeing all around the city. We were fortunate to have good weather while we were there, and for the drive to and from. Driving up without stopping is about six-and-a-half hours, but traveling with four children takes significantly longer, with many breaks. And if we are lucky, we can make the trip in eight. Traveling is monotonous sometimes and usually after listening to hours of music, I start to listen to audiobooks. Rummaging through my CD selections, I found an ...

My home is empty … but not as much as I am

I wish I would have told them more often in words. Perhaps I should have showed them more often with actions. It’s funny how you contemplate every “what if ...” after it’s too late. I miss my children. I miss my dogs. It is definitely lonely at my house. I remember a time when it seemed as if there wasn’t enough room in my spacious home for everyone to fit comfortably. Having three teenage boys 5-foot-11 or taller, we actually did need that much room in which to live. And love. And grow. The addition of two puppies that eventually grew into fairly large dogs, ...

A stream of pre-vacation odds and ends

I’m leaving for vacation later this week, heading on an eight-day cruise of the Caribbean, so I’m suffering a bit from vacation-brain as I write this. The following will be more of a stream of conscience of things that are on my mind. •••••• My apologies to Delegate Joey Garcia, D-Marion, but he could possibly have competition after all. I wrote last week that with Republican hospital executive Jonathan Board dropping out of the race for the state Senate held by the retiring Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, to run the West Virginia First Foundation meant Garcia had in ...

Our area comes together in adversity

We knew it was coming based on the amount of rain our area has been receiving lately, but that didn’t make it any easier when the Ohio River came up over its shores late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. Many of us are used to seeing flooding in the region. Building so many communities along the Ohio River, it was the lifeblood of the valley in its earliest days, providing some of the fastest transportation in the days before railroads and highways. It has its disadvantages, though, as shown most springs when the heavier rains hit bringing torrents of water rushing from the ...

Understand your West Virginia-American water bill

Today, I would like to assist you in reading your water bill. Your West Virginia-American Water bill includes lots of useful information apart from – but included with – your billing statement. So, when you open a bill from this company, it may contain several pages. But let’s just look at page two, which is what I want to discuss with you. Half-way down the left-side of the second page is a section listed as “account detail.” This explains your entire bill in detail. I’m going to help you navigate the language. Look at the very bottom left of your bill. That tells you ...

It’s not about the price you pay … but rather, the cost

When I was a year old, we had a dog named Fluffy. Around the age of 8, my brother and I were allowed to visit the pound to get another dog for our small family. We chose the sad one lying in the corner as opposed to the one jumping on the bars, excited to see us. Funny how I remember that all these years later. My mom named her Poco. (Yes, after the band.) However, as a child, you do not fully understand exactly what a dog adds to your life. So, following her loss, it ultimately cost us some sadness. Time passed by. Life went by. And it wasn’t until I bought my first home ...