The 2021 Orange County Artist’s Guild Studio Tour is Back
Now in its 27th year, the 2021 Orange County Artist’s Guild Studio Tour is back and will take place the first two weekends in November – the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th.
Read MoreGuest Columns
Remembering the Garden
The Dread Goblins of October: The FAFSA and the Profile
Film Festivals are a Vital Link in the Chain of Global Film Culture
Hear, Hear
Déjà Vu All Over Again
It’s Hard to Say Goodbye
Inexpensive Fixes to Sweeten the Ride
Poetry in Carrboro, North Carolina
Aging in Place in the Garden
When I was younger, my enthusiasm for my garden knew no limits. I happily filled in empty spaces, experimented with many different plants…
Pit Stop: 16 Delicious Options for Barbecue in Orange County, NC
North Carolina barbecue benefits from a wide variety of influences, from Native Americans, to European settlers…
Good Fences Make Good Gardens
On a daily basis I bless my fence. When I first moved to Chapel Hill over one-quarter of a century ago, deer were not a problem in my neighborhood, one that borders downtown. I happily nourished…
Exercising Your Demons
It can be difficult to get started on an exercise regimen, particularly if you prefer sitting on the couch and reading obituaries and noticing with alarm how many obituary subjects…
Triangle Vegan Restaurant Week Celebrates Plant-Based Foods
More and more Triangle-area restaurants have added vegan options to their menus as demand continues to grow for plant-based foods. There’s more to eating vegan than just salads and to prove it…
NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail Prepares for 14 Miles of More Trails in Orange County
For most Hillsborough residents, it’s hard to…
One for the Ages
Yes, it’s real. With the safe return Saturday night of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and flight crew of four civilians, I feel good about releasing this extraordinary image,….
Manners Matter
We were taught to say “please” and “thank you.” For years, we rode the #77 yellow school bus for a half-hour from the end of the lane to elementary school in Calvert…
Local Churches Step Forward to Meet the Needs of Afghani Refugees
The scenes of the exit from Afghanistan were horrific. More than anything, the scenes of Afghanis trying to escape dominated the coverage, and the picture of the bay of the C-17 military cargo plane…
Favorite Things – Part 2
After I compiled my list of “favorite things,” I realized that I had omitted several plants that I could not live without. All this is occurring during my annual garden appraisal. These plants demand little from me, an aspect I increasingly appreciate as I age. Long ago, in the midst…
Ripples in the Supply Chain of Money
Like many, I’ve been biking more during the pandemic, and early this year I decided to treat myself to a new mountain bike, since my current one is about 35 years old…
A Local Tourism Industry That Might Surprise You
August marked a reopening of the Orange County Visitors Center, located at 501 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, and clearly, it has been missed. This is…
The Problem with Shade
As gardens age, shady conditions take over. Where once you were gardening in full sun, you find now you are coping with shade….
A Surprise at the Pond
A combination of abundant vegetation and some kind of water — a creek, river, wetland, pond or lake — is one of my favorite types of natural area to visit for wildlife watching…
Out of Line
After many years of faithful service, I recently got rid of my landline, which — as you may remember — we used to just call a line because it was the only line we had and so didn’t require a first name….
Carolina Football 2021
Mack Brown enters his 33rd season as a head coach in 2021, the third year of a second stop with the Tar Heels. North Carolina brings a top-ranking, a first-round quarterback and the expectation to challenge…
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog…
Now that we are safely and happily back at home in Chapel Hill and “Greater Carrboro,” we’ve been reflecting on the travel events of August, coined “Mr. Bogey’s and George’s Most Excellent Wild West Road Trip,”…
Favorite Things
Periodic reassessment of the garden is a necessary gardening task. Gardens change over time – and so do gardeners. Our tastes become more varied, plants fizzle out….
You’ve Seen the Play. Now Watch the Movie and Buy the Book.
The premise is simple but profound: a group of artists decide…
The Wonders of Crapemyrtle
July is the month when my attention turns to crapemyrtles. These sun-loving trees manage to put forth a stream of long-lasting blooms, no matter how hot and humid the weather is. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the crapemyrtle…
Everybody Say Eye
I have worn glasses for most of my life. That is, ever since they found out in elementary school that I had been cheating on the eye test. It was a victimless crime…
A New Celebrity Bird
When an unusual avian visitor turns up locally, birders tend to get excited. Many birders keep “life lists,” records of all the different bird species that they have seen worldwide…
John Rosenthal is a Chapel Hill Legend and Artist You Want to Know
Chapel Hill and, in fact, all of Orange County, is well-known for the superfluity…
The Music Man and the Town that Let Him Down
In October 2018, the Carrboro Arts Center screened a classic 1926 silent film, The General, starring comic actor Buster Keaton. Local musician Tim Carless accompanied it with his own live score…
Mission Accomplished; Toot and Puddle Take Over
Having survived a close encounter with the Sturgis, S.D., biker throng, stuffed animals Bogey and George made it safely this week…
Miles of Greenways and Trails in Our Backyards
We’re lucky to have almost 20 miles of hiking trails and greenways in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. As…
The Mother Road
I had read the explanation in enough different places by enough different writers to believe that it must be true. Bobby Troup, whom we last saw in the movie “M.A.S.H.,” was driving west — in a ’41 Buick…
The Index Card and Its Commentary
Back in 2013, Harold Pollack, a University of Chicago professor of Social Work, told an audience that the best personal finance advice could fit on an index card.
Schley Grange is Celebrating Their National Historic Register Designation
There’s a story behind every historic marker too…
Dear Mr. Tech Expert
I’m frustrated. My children don’t answer the phone when I call them. They don’t respond to emails. Now they have unfriended me on Facebook, blocked me on Instagram and don’t even reply when I text them. How can you communicate with younger…
The Further Adventures of Mr. Bogey and George
Readers familiar with A. A. Milne’s classic “Winnie the Pooh” will remember the tale of the “expotition,” in which Pooh leads his woodland…