Chain-fishing and the “Greater D”

I’m sure you’ve seen parents with their kids on a leash and kids who “need to be on a leash” (not the same meaning). The nicer term for “leash” is “tether” (however, I don’t think there’s a nicer term for “need to be on a leash”). But this article isn’t about the behavior. It’s about... Read More

Essays

September 7, 2023

Inside the Methid of Acting with Liz Cervantes

Though recently being seen as the stoic Mrs. White in Smokestack Theatre Company’s production of Clue, Liz Moser Cervantes considers herself to be “goofy, weird, and (someone who) loves to make silly jokes, do silly voices, and tries to make others laugh.” Having been on stage since high school, Cervantes is no newbie to the... Read More

Action

September 5, 2023

Why Not Pickleball?

As a child, sports gave me an outlet to leave the mundane existence which was my life. For most kids from a small community, competitive sports are over after high school. I filled the void with fantasy sports or slow-pitch softball, but it was not the same level of energy. Pickleball fell into my life... Read More

Cover Features

September 1, 2023

Wines for the Labor Day Barbecue and Beyond

I’ve seen a commercial where a man is sitting on a beach looking out on the horizon with an intense, thoughtful look as he eats a piece of candy, and a voice is heard saying, “Why can’t I wear white after Labor Day?” Depending on your region, some Americans think the Labor Day holiday is... Read More

The Wine Spot

August 17, 2023

Movies You Missed From 20 Years Ago: Open Range

Open Range (8/10 Rating) Released August 15, 2003 Streaming on Amazon Prime. For rent/purchase on all major platforms. Genre: Action, Drama, Romance, Western R: Violence 2h 19m Four cowboys find themselves defending their cattle and their lives when they encounter a corrupt lawman and the kingpin rancher that controls a small town on the... Read More

Movies You Missed

August 15, 2023

Bubbles in a “Straw”

The extreme “fizziness”(carbonation) within a bottle of Cheerwine soft drink recently took me back to my early childhood in my old hometown of Salisbury, N.C. (still the home of Cheerwine). In the hottest part of summer, the meteorologist warns us of thunderstorms popping up in the sky. But the above-ground, adult immersion pool pops up... Read More

Uncategorized

August 12, 2023

Preserving Wine During the Dog Days of Summer

When someone uses the term “dog days of summer,” it usually refers to the most oppressively hot time of the season. According to almanac.com, this period of sweltering weather coincides with the year’s heliacal (meaning “at sunrise”) rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the “Greater Dog”—where Sirius gets... Read More

The Wine Spot

August 10, 2023

Plant X: Broom Therapy

(Scene: Plant and Linda converse while Linda sweeps her sun-dappled kitchen floor.) Plant (curiously): What are you doing? Linda (tolerantly): Cleaning a living space helps people stay healthy. P: And organized. Why are you sweeping around those towers of manufactured goods rising up from the floor like staggering geometric islands? L: The stacks of books,... Read More

Fiction

August 8, 2023

Another Writer’s Response: Noel Eichman-Dorr

Because she and I taught together at the Community College in rooms almost across from each other, we shared many thoughts about writers we appreciated as well as issues regarding what she and I wrote. Although Ms. Eichman-Dorr and I discussed writing a book together, we never had a chance to bring that idea to... Read More

Writers' Page

August 4, 2023

Inside the Method of Acting with Ava Miller

Ava Miller’s life was changed forever when she was in the fifth grade. After going to see a touring production of The Phantom of the Opera with her parents at DPAC, she was in awe. Seeing this production made her think to herself, That’s what I’m going to do one day! And the rest was... Read More