Ananda is an ancient sanskrit word meaning joyful or bliss. That is exactly the word Brenda Tobin was searching for when choosing a name for her goat yoga business. Goats are ananda. They make you laugh, smile, and forget about your troubles for a while. The goats: Zen, Buddha, Ganesh, Dharma, Rumi, and Picasso are bottled– raised and are part […]
Dog owners can survive their canine teenagers
One day your fluffy little puppy is sleeping or looking at you with adoring eyes and following you everywhere you go. The next thing you know your little puppy angel has become a chewing, jumping, mouthing, distracted whirl ing dervish… a doggy teenager! What happened? Adolescence happened, a perfectly normal phase of dog development. Adolescence begins about the time your […]
Shandon Presbyterian Church receives preservation award
The restoration of Shandon Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary was among several Midlands projects that received 2018 Preservation Awards from Historic Columbia. The church was recognized in the category of New Construction in an Historic Context, awarded for new buildings in a historic district adjacent to or within existing historic structures that complement the historic context. The award was presented at a […]
Historic Columbia announces 2018 Preservation Award winners
Historic Columbia is proud to announce the recipients of its 2018 Preservation Awards. Each May, in conjunction with National Preservation Month, Historic Columbia presents these awards to celebrate the accomplishments of local property owners; professionals in the fields of architecture, construction and design; and leaders who champion preservation as an opportunity to support the Midlands’ economy and culture. These awards, […]
Quirky Crimes in the Capital City
West Columbia Augusta Road: Police were called to a clothing stores at 11 a.m. Tuesday after employees had spotted a man shoplifting merchandise. When the officers arrived, the security guard said he had seen the man shoving clothing into his own clothes, and the man was still in the store. The officers approached the man and asked him about the […]
The inherent risk of sport specialization
One of the responsibilities parents take most seriously is protecting their children from injury, whether it is buckling seat belts in a car or wearing a helmet while riding a bike. And when their kids become teenagers and want to participate in sports or other activities, parents do everything they can to keep their sons and daughters from getting hurt. […]
Kindness Movement
ASK US AT THE STARWith the onslaught of bad news these days, where can you go to find something uplifting? Yes, there is a lot of bad news out there, but the good news is apparently a lot of folks in the weary world are working to reverse that trend. The British daily newspaper, The Guardian, recently reported on what appears to be an […]
Free Range Parenting
It’s not a criticism; It’s an observationThe state of Utah, having solved all other existing problems, recently passed a bill approving Free Range Parenting. If you are unfamiliar with the term, you’re probably older than 50. Think of regular, old fashioned parenting; that’s what this is. As you may be aware, there has been a stunning reversal in how children are raised in the last four […]
Memories of Mama
I’m just saying...When I was little there was a Mother’s Day tradition in our church that if your mother was alive, you wore a red rose, and if your mother had passed you wore white. I always thought it was a sweet idea, and I loved how every year my father would get my mom and me both a red rose corsage. […]
From Father to Funny Man
40–SomethingI have stumbled upon another profound realization in this great parenting journey I’ve been on for the last 20- plus years. It seems—for the most part—I am no longer needed as the all-mighty, all-seeing, disciplinarian of the family, AKA The Father. Admittedly, I was only ever really seen as those things when my kids didn’t know any better. But as […]