Vera and I stand in my butterfly garden. Bees and butterflies flit from flower to flower, avidly sipping nectar. The Joe Pye Weed is in full bloom, tall billows of pink waving in the breeze. Today is the Great Georgia Pollinator Census [Aug. 21-22]. Vera and I wait for the O’Dell family from down the street. Like thousands of other citizen scientists around the state, today … [Read more...]

Friends, Fare and Fun Invigorate Book Clubs Book clubs are more popular than ever, whether in person with social distance or virtual. There is something cathartic about sharing the love of the written word. For some, it is all about the books. For other groups, it may be about the drink of choice. Some are seriously committed to the discussion, while members of other groups … [Read more...]

Many of us are faced with redefining our social gatherings, an extra challenge during a month when, it seems, everyone comes out of the woodwork for Halloween parties and trick-or-treating. We asked Woodstock resident Debbie Nickerson, who organizes events for her community, to share some ideas for keeping fall a festive time, in a safe way. We hope you get inspiration from the … [Read more...]

Teacher creates community to support distance learners. Two days before the June 17 deadline to choose between digital or face-to-face learning for the new school year, I was making every attempt to determine what was best for my sons. I researched medical websites and studied fact-checkers that analyzed news reports. I sought the advice of my retired-educator parents. My … [Read more...]

Etowah cross-country families rally to support beloved coach. If you’ve ever seen students from Etowah High School running along Towne Lake Parkway (known as the TLP), then you know training for the cross-country season probably has started. You probably also saw one of the coaches running with the student athletes — a man known around Towne Lake as Coach Joe. Joe Robinson … [Read more...]