Yearly Archives: 2026

Watch Your Step!

Virginia’s venomous snakes are waking up as the weather warms. Watch out!  Venomous snakes are waking from their winter slumber as the weather warms and will remain a potential encounter throughout the Spring season. Virginia is home to 30 species of snakes. Of those, only three are venomous: the copperhead, the timber rattlesnake and the water moccasin, also known as the cottonmouth. The copperhead far outnumbers the others in the Old Dominion.If you see a copperhead, give it some space. Copperheads are not aggressive but will strike in self-defense if they feel threatened. Bites are rarely life-threatening, but if bitten you should always seek medical attention.Snakes usually prefer to retreat when encountered but can become defensive if threatened. Most snake bites are received by people who try to capture or…

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International Dark Sky Week

Did you know? April 13-20 is International Dark Sky Week. April 13-20 is International Dark Sky Week and Greene County will be celebrating with an evening under the stars on April 18 from 8:00-10:00 pm at the Greene County Community Park to watch the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower and learn to identify Spring constellations. This guided dark-sky event will include meteor viewing, constellation identification, and a brief discussion on how light pollution affects night-sky visibility and why dark skies matter. Most of us are familiar with air pollution and water pollution, but did you know that light can also be a pollutant? Light pollution is similar to trash pollution.  When people throw trash on the ground instead of putting the trash in a trash can, they are creating trash pollution.  When…

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Kicking the Can Down the Road

The easiest thing to do when faced with a difficult decision is to kick the can down the road.  You know, put off that big decision until later.  Postpone it.  Avoid it, and hope it will somehow go away—until the day comes when the cans in the road are piled so high that you can’t get around them. The large horse barn is in need of repairs “to make them safer for animals and people,” according to Farmcolony Vice President Becky Lorenzo.  VP Lorenzo along with her husband, Gene, has built or remodeled three commercial equine facilities and is familiar with the needs of horses and the requirements for safe boarding.  The Farmcolony Board of Directors kicked the can down the road when it chose to “potentially make changes to…

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RIP Zeke, You Old Goat

RIP Zeke, You Old Goat  Farmcolony lost a cherished member of the community with the recent passing of Zeke, the old farm goat.  Those of us who knew Zeke will remember his energy and the pep in his step, how he sought out pats and rubs to his neck from passersby, and how much he appreciated any kind offer of a special treat. Yeah.  OK.  Some will say Zeke was a pushy old goat, bless his heart.  If you stepped into his yard, he rushed over to block your path forward.  If you tried to go around him, he would step in your way.  There was no getting around him, until someone discovered that he would back off if you twisted his ear.  Zeke hated it when you twisted his…

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My Tall Stately Oak Tree is in Decline

A tall, stately oak tree grows outside of my kitchen window that I enjoy watching through the seasons.  I watch as buds burst open in the spring, grow into a lush, green canopy under the summer sun and change from green to brilliant red in the fall. I see from my window squirrels racing along its trunk, birds perching on its limbs with a song, woodpeckers pecking, and acorns ripening and falling to the ground with a thud, a world unto itself.  But this year I noticed a change in my stately oak tree.  This year my oak tree is missing leaves along its fringe and the tips of her branches are bare.  This is a sign of stress.  This is a sign of Oak Decline Syndrome, a condition…

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