Columns

Food For Thought And Bellies

Driving into Wheeling via 16th Street on Tuesday morning, something was amiss. It was still an hour from noon, yet the line outside the Wheeling Soup Kitchen was already filling up. On 18th Street, the number of people milling about Catholic Charities’ 18th Street Center was noticeably larger. On Chapline Street, vehicles were double-parked in the parking lot of St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church. People were hurrying in and out of the food pantry at the church. Across the street at St. James Evangelical Church, people were clustered near the door of the food pantry offered at the ...

I Still Do That

There are some things that have gone the way of “modern” living, but not so fast. I guess I am still a bit old school. Yes, I still write checks to pay bills. Recently, I was looking to buy a nice, sturdy checkbook cover and could not find one in any stores locally. A clerk at Boscov’s looked at me like I had two heads when I asked if the store carried checkbook covers. I suppose I could resort to online shopping, yet I’m not sure such items still exist. More and more things are disappearing in the retail world. What happened to the L’eggs pantyhose eggs? I realize that the ...

Swear It Was An Accident

I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was and still am a bit sick about it. It was a perfect fall driving day, sunny and clear out in the county when it happened. Despite my obeying the speed limit and trying to be alert to the wildlife I may encounter, there was no avoiding the collision with the raccoon. It came out of nowhere from the side of the road. The poor thing attempted to beat my wheels to no avail. The quick thud sent shivers up my spine as I realized the animal’s fate was sealed. Despite my best efforts, there was nothing I could do. I was always taught to never ...

A Dollar For Your Thoughts

There was a time when parents would pile their children into the family car — a station wagon in our home — and take a “Sunday drive” through the country. Of course that was after church when we would be instructed to change into our play clothes. The Sunday drive for our family usually meant a ride through the winding countryside of Marshall County to Moundsville to visit our aunt and uncle. Our dad always made it a point to drive us past the West Virginia State Penitentiary and remind us that if we didn’t behave, we could end up there. If we did behave, we might stop for ...

No Time For Checkers

There are a lot of myths about firefighters. For instance, some believe that professional firefighters just sit around playing checkers and cards all day, waiting for an alarm to come in. Well, let me assure you there is nothing farther from the truth. If you are one of the many visitors to stop in recently and check out the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters in East Wheeling, you were assured most definitely that city fire crews have little time to play anything. This beautifully decked-out fire station houses some of the city’s biggest and best fire apparatus and equipment ...

The Season Of Goodbye And Hello

The hummingbirds have all but left the homestead. I kept one or two small feeders up for the stragglers heading south. I saw one at mid-week but the rest have taken nature’s cue and left for warmer destinations. I have to say I miss those little birds. They provided us with so much entertainment in the early morning hours and again just before dusk. At one point, there was a frenzy of activity with up to 10 hummers flying about the feeders. The changing of the seasons is all around. The leaves are falling fast, and some trees have managed to display their autumnal colors. ...