There was an odd scraping sound coming from the creek that was twenty feet from where I was standing. The noise was unmistakable, but impossible to describe. It sounded like a cross between chewing and the harsh grate of a rusty metal file. That description made no sense to most people, but ...

There are plenty of reasons to despair these days — mass shootings at public events and schools (from elementary schools to universities), plastics polluting oceans and killing whales and seabirds, communities that lack safe drinking water, and increasingly common catastrophic weather ...

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in Christianity. It honors the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. Palm branches were waved in triumph at his presence and then placed along with cloaks in his path. In ancient times, palm branches were a symbol of goodness, well-being and victory. ...

I don’t think I really appreciated how still and quiet winter was until spring has arrived. Suddenly, without fail, the world explodes with life — children run around their yards screaming or bouncing their basketballs while birds buzz and chirp in the trees nearby. Overnight the world ...

At 6:30 p.m. on April 10 Linda and I sat on our patio enjoying a chorus of mockingbirds and song sparrows. Suddenly a familiar buzz caught our attention. The first ruby-throated hummingbird of the season stopped at the nectar feeder. One of the perks of living in North Carolina is that we ...

It’s the beginning of April, and most fish species in Chautauqua Lake are preparing for the spawning season. Black and white crappie, yellow perch, walleye and bass are all beginning to stage at the mouths of Chautauqua Lake’s tributaries. Many fish species will “run” into the ...