Digital RSS feed from the Roanoke Times The Roanoke Times en_us Sun, 19 May 2013 17:29:21 http://www.roanoke.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.rss.XMLServer.cls ellen.mosely@roanoke.com When I think about summer, I think about vacation, and as an avid reader, I think about which books to pack. Although I read all sorts of books, I believe that some make better beach/cruise/vacation reads than others. For example, no matter how beautiful ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1930781-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31552256@rss.roanoke.com Sun, 19 May 2013 17:29:21 On the afternoon of April 12, Bob Abraham of Christiansburg noticed something unusual outside: two female bluebirds “in a knock-down drag-out fight.” “The fight was a very unusual occurrence. Males fight over territory, and that is normal but I had never ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1935487-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31567446@rss.roanoke.com Sat, 18 May 2013 17:29:20 Although I own a Kindle Fire, I don’t know my apps from my elbow. I use it to read, to check e mail and to look at my Facebook account. Anything else, I figured, was a total waste of time and money. Then I found out there are such things as chess app... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1921718-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31521840@rss.roanoke.com Thu, 16 May 2013 17:29:18 I would like to thank Good Samaritan Hospice in Christiansburg for its help, encouragement and the thorough information it provided prior to my dad’s death. It is hard to see your loved one “leaving,” but it helped me to be more prepared knowing what to ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1924311-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31531004@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Ralph Berrier Jr.’s delightful story of his mother’s devotion reminded me of what my mother once did for me long ago. When World War II ended, my father was able to transfer back to his original job in the Galax area, in the fall of 1946. I was 5 years o... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1918078-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31510043@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Esquire magazine honored National Grilled Cheese Month in April by blogging about grilled cheeses from across the map on its Eat Like a Man blog. A former Roanoke Times online intern, Katrina Tulloch (who now works at The Post-Standard in Syracuse, N.Y.)... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1917952-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31509665@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Every other Tuesday morning, or something close to it, I make a five-minute drive to my mom’s place, and we play Scrabble. My mom and I have been playing Scrabble together for nearly five and a half decades. Last Tuesday I rang, and Mom cracked open her f... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1915637-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31502225@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 If you’re a teenager in the Roanoke area, you can help produce The Edge next school year. A group of about 30 high school students meets once a week in our newsroom. Our Edge reporters, photographers and illustrators dream up story ideas and see them thro... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1906325-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31471536@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Don’t get me wrong — I love Michelle Obama, and I am deeply envious of her well-toned arms. I also understand that our most popular first ladies are often fashion trend setters . After all, didn’t my mom take me to church wearing the little pill-box hat... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1903532-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31462311@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Recent stories about the merger of U.S. Airways and American Airlines reminded me of an embarrassing laugh on myself decades ago. I’m an avid commercial aviation collector, dealer and somewhat historian (albeit the historian part came much later in lif... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1903510-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31462239@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I’m certain I inherited a dominant gene for messy eating because I’m so consistently good at it. Oh sure, everybody gets a dab of jelly on a fingertip, a crumb in the lap, or a spot of mustard at the corner of the mouth sometime. But I find globs of wet ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1898987-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31447832@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Years ago, I had a darkroom. I printed black-and-white photos. It was part of who I was. However, my life changed. I packed up my darkroom equipment and stored it . Film photography was replaced by digital photography and my darkroom was replaced by comp... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1889453-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31418922@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 In an intimate theat er, an audience gathered to watch vignettes about love performed on stage. In the front row sat a couple, within arm’s reach of the actors. Lights dimmed and stories unfolded. A voice in the audience exclaimed, “He didn’t look ve... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1886609-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31409592@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Our monthly card gang was at our house the other night and during the course of the conversation, one of the guys said he took his young son “sightseeing” in downtown Roanoke even though he lives in Salem. He said they drove to Reserve Avenue and boarded ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1883482-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31399772@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 According to our front-of-the-house cat, Eli, we have mice. We know this because he is suddenly paying attention to the stove, which he usually views as nothing more than an impediment to the arrival of his dinner because when I’m near it, I’m preparing ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1879104-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31385747@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Recently I caught a television rerun of the 1937 movie “Stella Dallas,” wherein Barbara Stanwyck plays a low-class mom who steps out of her beloved daughter’s life to ensure the daughter’s happiness when she marries into society. I had never seen the m... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1879103-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31385742@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Collecting unintentionally funny misstatements is a hobby of mine. A friend’s elderly mom, telling him about pleasing singers who performed without accompaniment at her retirement home, reported that they sang “Acapulco.” My favorite is something my conse... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1879089-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31385701@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Do you say tuna or tuna fish? My children work with a fellow who says it is redundant to say tuna fish. Wondering why we add fish to tuna, I did a little research and discovered there is a prickly pear cactus called tuna, but I doubt we needed to distin... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1868424-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31352899@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Those of you who read my reviews of country shows at the valley’s civic centers know that I hate, hate, hate when a performer’s show includes a duet with a partner who is only available via the big screen video process. It’s cheesy, and worse, pointless,... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1867457-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31349555@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 At first, the behavior manifested itself within a reasonable time of our alarm clock sounding. Recently, it started happening as early as midnight to about 3 a.m. Our orange tabby cat, Omar, began his quest to force us to rise and feed him by going thro... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1864741-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31340589@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 The recent kerfuffle involving two members of the Kandinsky Trio (Alan Weinstein and Benedict Goodfriend) and a couple of readers reminded me that several years ago, as a board member of a Roanoke nonprofit, I met with those same two gentlemen. Our organ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1864734-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31340563@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 The administrator’s review committee had emailed recently its novel notice of planned “listening circles” to faculty members. Grateful for a chance to share our views, nearly 40 folks quickly slipped into an ordinary classroom in a 50-year-old building a... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1861804-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31331432@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Mentioning areas of the state where I grew up gets my attention. I’ll make a beeline to speak to a Sandlapper (South Carolinian). Now, for 34 years, Roanoke has been my home. Thanks to The Roanoke Times, I learned of Luke Hancock and Gregg Marshall. Talk... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1861803-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31331425@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 In early April, my wife and I came back to the area after leaving Roanoke in the summer of 1980 for Richmond. It was great to come back home after more than 30 years and to visit relatives and friends. Both of us taught public school music in the Roanok... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1851945-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31300334@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 What is the etiquette when taking your assault rifle for a walk? My husband and I were watching our pooches at the dog park recently as we talked with friends. Then one of our group pointed down the hill to a gathering of police officers. “Wonder... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1845956-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31280832@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Actress Jen Lilley is returning to daytime television. The announcement that the Roanoke County native joined the cast of NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” wasn’t supposed to come out until June, but as happens these days, word leaked last week on Twitter. ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1845946-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31280809@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Every time a celebrity dies, news programs and papers show legions of mourning fans surrounding funeral homes or stadiums where a service is being held. I’ve always watched those proceedings with a degree of cynicism. After all, how could these people hav... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1845377-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31279020@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 The joyous effect of spring unearths the spirits within us all that slumbered in the looming of winter. Jaws that once cracked and clattered from frostbitten temperatures now widen with smiles and gleeful chanting of the white’s demise. Where in winter w... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1845375-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31279013@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 When something simple completely changes your life, you tend to remember it well. For me one of those shifts occurred on a Saturday evening in the summer of 1981, just before sunset. Look into my flashback a sec and see me at age 11: Flipping channels on ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1837755-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31234845@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 My husband and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary in August. These are my tips for a long and happy marriage: 1. Marry a friend. When the hard times come (and they will) and you ask yourself why you married this person, you’ll have plenty of good memor... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1829918-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31232589@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 If you ever feel you’re the parent of a gifted child, get on YouTube to get back in touch with reality. Think it’s great your 2-year-old can sing the alphabet song? There’s a kid on YouTube who can do it at 18 months. Think it’s amazing that your 4-year-o... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1839409-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31214922@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It held a strange fascination for me, that cherry tree. As soon as I was able to climb a ladder, my brother and I picked the dark red, sour fruit that Mother made into pies. In spring, the blooms promised the joy of the season on its way. Before there w... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1839072-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31214917@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 When I was a teenager, the only library I could go to was the Roanoke City Library. It was huge (to me, then) but you could check out only six books at a time. Then they built the Hollins library, where the librarians are always helpful and friendly. I... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1824183-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31214914@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I became a Michael Crichton fan in high school after reading “The Andromeda Strain,” a chilling piece of fiction about an extraterrestrial microoranism that infects humans. I was already fond of Stephen King’s work, and Crichton’s brand of sci-fi thriller... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1832345-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31214912@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1823947-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31191286@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Our granddaughter, a junior at Virginia Tech majoring in molecular biology, is in the last weeks of a study-abroad program in Costa Rica taking classes in biology sciences and Spanish. She loves the lush country and its friendly people, the clear night... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1821253-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31178958@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I have been chief cook in my family since my first wife died in 1976, leaving me with two children still at home. My first wife was French-Canadian, Polish and Hungarian, and it was she and her family who introduced me to the wonders of kielbasa in 195... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1815998-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31172825@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 In the grocery store, as in other public places, people don’t tend to engage one another unless they spot a familiar face. A recent Sunday was no different, with folks pushing buggies down the aisles and barely muttering “excuse me” when passing other cu... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1812740-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31170243@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I have been a loyal customer of Grandin Automotive for the past 20 years. So when I learned the owner planned to close the business in December, I was upset. I cheered up immediately when he later changed his mind and decided to sell it instead. Like many... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1813677-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31164142@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I would like to express how grateful we should be to George Pelton from First Team Auto for his stand against drinking and driving. As sure as Santa is coming every Christmas Eve, George is going to be telling us about his beautiful son Geoff being kille... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1806949-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31148434@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 There is no doubt that texting or talking on a phone, reading a book, applying makeup, etc. all contribute to motorist accidents and fatalities. Sadly, I have seen all of these many times. But there are other issues that are also serious. Recently, I was... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1803758-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31115016@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s funny what you remember. Until last February, I had not read music since I was a kid, laboring over my clarinet lessons. I gave up the clarinet for the electric bass about 1972 and never looked back. Since then, I have worked from memory, instinct,... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1798370-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31114996@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 My friend was filling her pill box . As we caught up on the phone the other night, I could hear the rattling and clicking of the familiar activity in the background. A few years ago, after tiring of the daily ritual of opening multiple bottles and shakin... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1798242-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31112353@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I am a fan of reruns (and leftovers). If a classic “Seinfeld” episode is on, I’ll watch it just to see if I correctly remember which classic episode it was (does the “man hands” episode also include the parking space showdown?). But when I came across a r... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1794392-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31105954@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I have a passion for serving others. My family and my faith planted this seed in me decades ago. Since then, this hunger has grown deeply meaningful to me. I have two jobs and I look at both of them as opportunities to serve. By day I serve children, and ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1788516-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31091914@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s time to rethink cemeteries. This was my thought — one of them, anyway — on my last visit to the cemetery where my parents’ funeral urns are buried, hundreds of miles away from here. I think about my parents often, but I haven’t been to their grave s... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1784438-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31054790@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Barbie is just three weeks older than me, and this is our birthday month. We met in 1964 when my father, a career Army officer, was stationed in Bad Kruezenach, Germany . In December, my brothers (ages 6 and 1), my sister (age 4), and I went to ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1778373-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31054762@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Eighteenth-century English writer Samuel Johnson may have described puns as the lowest form of humor, but they have been gleefully used by thousands of other writers from the Roman playwright Plautus (who punned in Latin) to William Shakespeare, Oscar Wil... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1774702-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31043747@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 A passing glance at a headline in the online edition of the Sunday New York Times conjured up a 45-year-old memory. Instantly, I remembered Mr. Hardy delivering the afternoon Roanoke World-News up and down Wycliffe and Avenham avenues. In warm weather, ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1775511-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31043727@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s nearly spring and those gorgeous full-color seed and plant catalogs are showing up in the mail again. Dazzling sunflowers! Juicy red tomatoes! I read them like I do science fiction, a few pages in and I say to myself, “Well, that’s never going to h... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1768211-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31014021@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 On Wednesday , we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of my dad’s birth. Dad was a very special person. In 1919, at age 6, he became an orphan because of the Spanish Flu pandemic. He grew up in the ’20s and early ’30s in North Carolina orphanages, which,... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1765010-6/cornershot.html cornershot 31003969@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 There’s been a big dust-up lately about changes to Roanoke’s Shamrock Festival, which is held in conjunction with the St. Patrick’s Day parade. My beef is not with the festival, but with the parade itself. We quit going two years ago, when, as usual, we ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1758310-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30992364@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I’ve never been a shopper. Never, that is, until the Internet turned my laptop computer into an international department store. Now, unfortunately, the guy who used to be allergic to shopping malls has become a shopaholic. There were always things that I... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1758280-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30982651@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Last fall, neighbors gave us a bag of turnips from the bounty of their garden. So pretty, those smooth-skinned spheres with their royal purple tops. We put the bag in the garage, which stays cold. Perfect preservation so we could use a few whenever we wa... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1755253-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30982614@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s a classic zombie film trope — the decayed hand suddenly juts up from the grave, signaling that the dead are going to walk. The remake of the notoriously terrible 1959 movie “Plan 9 from Outer Space” jutted a metaphorical undead hand last month at th... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1754176-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30982371@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I was an early fan of Kevin Myatt’s Weather Journal and his blog on  roanoke.com. Being a fellow weather geek myself, who as a kid drew his own weather maps of low-pressure systems plowing toward the Mid-Atlantic region, I loved reading Kevin’s regular-g... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1747819-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30954649@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 In child rearing, as in everything else, it pays to pick your battles. One of the battles I chose for many years was over my son’s clothes. Call me stupid (and he did, often, under his breath) but I think when it’s below 50 degrees outside, one should we... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1738520-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30932949@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 A golden anniversary is special, and I hope someday my spouse and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. My 50th birth anniversary and party are well behind me, and I have spent at least 50 years working. This year marks 50 years since a 15-year... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1744988-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30932941@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Dear Table of Six, We’re glad you had the chance to catch up over lunch. It looks like y’all had a great time. We’re not so glad that after you paid your bill and your table had been cleared, you spent the next hour sitting there chatting. You see, we w... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1727853-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30894695@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in Roanoke can say to Q99, “Thanks a million.” The popular adult-contemporary radio station has raised more than $1 million since 2004 for sick and injured children who are treated at Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospita... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1725003-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30883764@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Our region has a winning streak when it comes to forging connections to Academy Award-nominated movies. Proud Roanoke mom Jackie Logan let us know about her son Bill Logan , who worked as props master for the independent magical realist movie “Beasts of ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1715307-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30871257@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It’s nearly the end of February and I am proud to say I am still sticking with my New Year’s resolution to increase my daily exercise. If you need motivation to keep going (or to finally start), here’s an event that will not only help your fitness goal, b... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1708212-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30838492@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 There are many things to dislike about Twitter, the social media engine. Too much information flies by; too little information can be absorbed. Most of the information is random commentary — and too often, when it comes to news, false. But it does have an... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1705743-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30835580@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I almost skipped church one Sunday last month because the aches and pains of middle age had kept me up all night. But I went anyway, and I sat next to my 2-year-old pal and his mom. He played quietly in my lap or hers during the entire service. Sometime... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1699729-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30827247@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 For those of us who are mindful of the less privileged and handicapped , I would like to draw attention to the wildlife surrounding us. On a recent morning, I noticed two crows pecking the ice in my neighbor’s birdbath. In the subfreezing temper... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1699777-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30808863@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I love old musical instruments, and have a few. Not Stradivarius old, but older than I am. I buy them because they sound good, and in some cases they’re cheaper than new ones. But I love them because they’ve lived. They’ve made music in orchestras and d... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1696787-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30798802@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Thanks to everyone in our community who helped to make the Good Neighbors Fund drive a success again this year. The board, staff and volunteers of Roanoke Area Ministries especially want to thank The Roanoke Times for continuing this annual tradition. Usi... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1686457-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30795449@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 What is this thing called love? When and how does it begin? It began for me 75 years ago — I was 11, she was 10. What we had in common was the public park where summer games were provided by the town. I always took notice to see if she were present. There... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1689430-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30776248@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I have always wanted to get to the theater early enough to catch all of the previews. So I was a bit taken aback by the small spate of letters recently from preview-haters, most complaining that the content of previews is not appropriate. With those comme... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1680493-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30758799@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 The label read, “chopped turnip greens with diced white turnips.” The tab was pulled. What’s that smell? Spinach! What a surprise! It wasn’t what I’d planned for dinner, but at least we had a green vegetable. I was reminded of a friend who bought inexpens... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1686317-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30758781@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 As my wife and I watched the new horror film “Mama” recently, my amusement grew, for a fun yet distracting reason. The abandoned, haunted cabin where the movie’s supernatural hullaballoo begins and ends happens to be located about nine miles outside Clift... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1676448-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30751168@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I sit and watch the snow fall for hours on end. I am fascinated by the change in the landscape from cafe au lait to vanilla icing. I am mesmerized above all by the stark contrasts of snow on trees. Denuded brown trees, arms arcing skyward, contrast sha... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1677183-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30751147@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 I recently learned of the passing of Alfred H. Newman of Danville at the age of 89. He was a tireless advocate for many groups, and I was privileged to know him. At every Virginia Association of Community Services Boards conference, he would look me up ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1669809-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30722050@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 Every February, I think about the trip my son’s kindergarten class made to the Science Museum of Roanoke Valleyentury woodcuts of slaves being tortured by their white masters. The little boy on my right was black, and I looked over at him, worried that i... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1666920-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30710081@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17 It may be winter now, but I promise you that spring is just around the corner and the heat is on the way — and not just the external temperature. Spring turns up the heat on the sex drives of unaltered dogs and cats. An un-spayed female cat can produce, ... http://www.roanoke.com//living/cornershot/1660171-6/cornershot.html cornershot 30700576@rss.roanoke.com Wed, 15 May 2013 17:29:17