By Keith Alexander
If you are walking along German Street this July and see someone dressed in old-fashioned clothes leading a tour, you probably aren’t hallucinating. You’re seeing a summer living history tour, a new initiative of Shepherd University’s historic preservation program.
Two Shepherd University students lead the tours, which they researched and wrote themselves. The students were chosen based on their excellent performance in a living history class offered at Shepherd during spring semester 2010. The program gives tourists and town residents alike new insights into the stories and structures of …

By Lyn Widmyer
I have now been a Jefferson County Commissioner for one year. What have I learned after attending 75 meetings of the commission? Here are a few of my insights.Never leave town during February. I entered office on January 8, 2009 with no clue about what was awaiting me in less than 30 days. In February, property owners can appealtheir tax assessments to the County Commission. Last year homeowners could not believe their tax appraisal was so much higher than market value, es-pecially as the sales prices of homes …

by Darlene Truman
Squirrels are the fly in the ointment of my husband’s otherwise peaceful home life. It’s not that Brian dislikes them; he just thinks that birds should eat at the bird feeder, and that everyone, including wildlife, should know the rules.
I’d noticed the disrespectful squirrels at the feeder and decided not to point them out. Nature was preparing for winter, another season of darkness, and I needed to think about the holidays. “Do you think we’re up to hosting Thanksgiving dinner here this year?” I asked.
Brian looked up from …

 By Darlene Truman
When I was pregnant, I wanted a daughter, a pretty doll-like being to play with. She’d smile at me, laughing and cooing in her frilly pink dress.
Wishing so hard, I produced Desiree and Stephanie, twin girls — tiny red-faced creatures that cried and pooped and ate like piglets.
I wished they’d feed themselves. Soon enough, they drank from their Sippy cups like two recovering drunks that had fallen off the wagon. The cute silver spoons that grandma gifted them were lobbed to the floor in favor of their hands, …

By Lyn Widmyer
Occasional looks at the people and places of the Eastern Panhandle
Finally! I can say those five little words that represent the culmination of 24 years of parenting: “My son has a job.”
Sort of.
My son Nick earned a degree in history. You can imagine how many job offers he received. He ended up living at home while earning a certificate in teaching English as a second language. At night, he volunteered in Charles Town to teach English to immigrants. While Nick was home, we engaged in many intellectual discussions …