BY ALDONA BIRD I grew up mostly in West Virginia — my family settled down in Preston County when I was a child — and have spent much of my adult life here as well. Despite living in this beautiful state for decades, I’ve only recently begun to explore and see what West Virginia ...
BY ALDONA BIRD This spring I almost bought guinea fowl. I discussed it with my family, and we were on the verge of adding this new (for us) type of bird to our homestead. I looked closer at the listing on the hatchery website: minimum order of 30 keets. A keet is a baby guinea fowl. ...
BY ALDONA BIRD Recently I picked up a wheelbarrow full of glass bottles from an old dump on my family’s property, which pre-dated our history with the land. I wanted to clean the old dump up a little and upcycle the bottles. It also felt a little like a treasure hunt, as I found some ...
BY ALDONA BIRD Growing herbs and selling tea blends came naturally to Caroline, of Hill and Holler Herbs. In childhood, she had learned a lot about caring for growing things. “When I was a kid, I was outside all the time,” Caroline said, explaining that she was her grandpa’s ...
BY ALDONA BIRD Marke Walawander worked in a Waynesburg, Pa., coal mine for decades before retiring seven years ago. Always interested in woodworking and furniture refurbishing, after retirement Marke decided to delve more deeply into this hobby. He started making cutting and charcuterie ...
Root beer with vanilla ice cream — this classic combination brings back fond childhood memories for me. It actually brings back fond adult memories as well. Whenever I want this delicious dessert, I opt for the “natural” sodas. There are several brands that claim not to use ...