Thursday, October 31
Column: Excuse Me, Pardon Me, Excuse Me…
If it wasn’t a coincidence, it was the next thing to being one. What it was, was the hiccups; occurring after chemotherapy infusion number one and again after chemotherapy number two. The first episode lasted only a few days and annoyed my wife, Dina, way more than it annoyed me. The first hiccuping episode was fairly constant; however it was not exhausting – and I wasn’t having any trouble sleeping because of them. Nor was I making any disturbing sounds or having any difficulty breathing – when caught in mid-hiccup, and/or eating because of the herky-jerky movements/spasms of my diaphragm. In general, it was a fairly benign effect. In the big picture, it didn’t seem particularly important that it was the hiccups I was having, so I never called my oncologist. It was the hiccups after all. It might as well have been a skinned knee. Jeez. And sure enough, within a couple of days, I was “hiccuped out.”
Wednesday, October 30
Potomac Youth of the Year, 2013
Marissa Michaels of Holton Arms and Matthew Schick of Landon named Potomac’s Youth of the Year.
Marissa Michaels of Holton Arms and Matthew Schick of Landon named Potomac’s Youth of the Year.
Thursday, October 24
Classified Advertising October 23, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Editorial: Halloween Party Safety Net
Make plans for a safe celebration; SoberRide safety net for those over 21.
Halloween is now a major holiday for adults, especially young adults, and also one of the major holidays each year that involve partying with alcohol and the risks of drinking and driving.
Wednesday, October 23
Bob Hanson, 89, Potomac’s Citizen of the Year
“Did you run out of candidates?”
Bouncing around in a John Deere “Gator,” Bob Hanson in the driver’s seat, we were overlooking fields of Timothy hay and pasture land. Black Angus cattle were munching and chewing their cuds. Water glistened on an acre farm pond designed in the 1940s by the U.S. Soil Conservation Board. All this, plus circumventing 70 acres of woodland on a 200 acre farm is what one would call really “Getting Around.” Robert M. Hanson, 89, has been named 2013 Potomac Citizen of the Year. “When they called me my first response was, ‘Did you run out of candidates?,’” he jokingly asked. In retrospect, learning about his many accomplishments and interests, one wonders what in the heck took them so long? First and foremost it is very apparent his love of the land and the animals are his true dedication. What he accomplished since his boarding school days at The Landon School, Bethesda, where he kept his horse and rode home every weekend; a BS degree in agriculture from the University of Maryland; a stint in the U.S. Air Force (2nd Lt.) during the Korean War; dozens of civic activities; plus his professional life, would take most people two life times.
‘Who’s Your Hubby?’
Local author and Potomac resident Monica Schaeffer knows the answer.
Their mothers told them: “You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them.” Their mothers were referring to husbands — and while most women don’t want to live without them, many a wife may need some strategies for making her marriage better. For this answer, Potomac resident Monica Schaeffer and her long time friend, Beth Rabinowitz, turned to one-another for the solution. Together, they figured out how to create successful marriages and gain fulfillment and happiness with their husbands. This prompted them to coauthor “Who’s Your Hubby? Tips for Living Happily with 10 Hubby Types.”
Reflecting on Success
During Women’s Small Business Month, local entrepreneurs offer advice.
After a career in television and radio, Potomac mother and entrepreneur Cari Shane carved out a freelance writing career for herself, penning articles for publications ranging from the Washington Post and its Sunday Magazine to Cooking Light Magazine. Fellow Potomac mother and marketing executive Julie Schumacher pitched Shane a story idea. Shane was intrigued, wrote the article, and the two women stayed in touch. Schumacher later came to Shane with another idea: The two women should create a company that would transform traditional public relations strategies for small and mid-sized businesses, also incorporating social media. Shane put her freelance writing career on hold and the two women formed a small business called sasse (pronounced “sassy”) agency. “Building a business with a platform for differentiation appealed to me,” said Shane. “Julie and I built sasse to help small- and medium-sized business get what they deserve, the chance to shout out about themselves the way big businesses do.”
Library To Host Author
Miller to discuss “The Year of the Gadfly.”
On Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., the Potomac Public Library will host a talk with "The Year of the Gadfly" and "Inheriting the Holy Land" author Jennifer Miller. As with many authors, Miller has utilized the world of social media to give her writing more exposure and to interact with her audience. "Social media is really helpful in publicizing and expanding my reach. Anytime I write an article or blog post, I'm able to tweet it out and network with people I may have never met," she said. During a recent book tour, she met many people who knew her through her Twitter account. Miller also uses social media to "build an audience" with other writers and others in the literary world. She also started a Tumblr page called "People Wearing My Book" where she posted pictures of people at bookstores across New York posing behind the book cover of "The Year of the Gadfly" which has a young woman's silhouette with a plaid background.
Tuesday, October 22
Creating a Spooky Halloween Dinner
Local culinary experts offer ideas for turning an ordinary meal into a ghoulish adventure.
Halloween dinner in Christine Wisnewski’s Vienna home is often a balancing act between healthy and sugary. On the sweetest holiday of the year, for example, the mother and culinary instructor at Culinaria Cooking School, also in Vienna, prepares a wholesome dinner for her eager trick-or-treaters, managing candy-induced sugar highs and inevitable post-confection lows.
Friday, October 18
Potomac Home Sales: September, 2013
In September 2013, 35 Potomac homes sold between $3,100,000-$610,000.
Potomac Home Sales: September, 2013
Thursday, October 17
Classified Advertising October 16, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Wednesday, October 16
Local Producer’s ‘No Evidence Of Disease’ To Screen in Bethesda
Doctors in rock band honor their patients.
N.E.D. or “No Evidence of Disease” — the words every patient hopes to hear — is the name of a rock band created by six GYN cancer surgeons who deliver a message and hope with each song they play. Bethesda’s Karen Simon has joined with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, director Andrea Kalin of Washington D.C.’s Spark Media to produce a documentary that chronicles the lives of the doctors as well as the courage and experiences of their patients. The movie descriptor explains: “As music and medicine join forces in the fight for life, surgeons are transformed into rising rock stars, and their patients and loved ones jump on the bandwagon, infusing the struggle for survival with heart, hope and Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The doctors, irate because gynecological cancers do not receive the publicity that other cancers receive — or the funding — choose to take on the “Below the Belt” cancers. Their songs are original and they play not only for their own satisfaction, but to honor the courage of their female patients and their devoted families and friends, who join in the fight to make others aware of this “silent killer.”
Join Donna E. Driscoll Walk for Dystonia
Event to raise funds for research.
Donna Driscoll is the voice of courage as she discusses dystonia, the disease she has lived with for nine years. “It’s frustrating and debilitating — but I never give up pushing. I feel better when I am trying.” Driscoll’s life was totally altered by this neurological movement disorder that she now battles on a daily basis. She had always been an active person who played competitive USTA team tennis, taught first grade at Garrett Park Elementary and traveled often to visit grandchildren. Because of dystonia, the Potomac resident has been forced to give up tennis, retire from her teaching position and quit walking her dog. She could not accompany her children and grandchildren to Disney World without a wheelchair and she had difficulty with daily tasks such as grocery shopping and walking up and down stairs. Yearly she vows to beat dystonia by raising funds for research and by increasing the public’s awareness. “Researchers have made strides in the treatment of dystonia, and I am determined to raise enough money to solve the mysteries of this disease and find a cure. Researchers have found new procedures and medicines that improve the lives of those with Parkinson’s — a disorder closely related to dystonia. I always say, ‘Parkinson’s has Michael J. Fox, dystonia has me.” Driscoll continues to increase the knowledge about her debilitating disease by trying to mobilize government officials to grant more funds to dystonia research.
Friday, October 11
Understanding Disabilities
Wayside’s ‘SNAP’ Week teaches challenges of special needs.
Potomac’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal School Gym was over-flowing with students, parents and friends cheering the Wayside staff team on as they held their own against the acclaimed wheelchair basketball team The Maryland Ravens.
Before the Lights Went Out
Event celebrates 75th anniversary of first installment on C&O Canal National Historical Park.
About 50 hours before the entire 185-mile length of the C&O Canal National Historical closed because of the shutdown of the federal government, more than 300 people gathered at Great Falls Tavern to celebrate its beginnings 75 years earlier.
Thursday, October 10
The Flu Vaccine; Its Time To give It a Shot
On the Job with Potomac's Rite Aid Pharmacy Staff
More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year for complications stemming from influenza (“the flu”).
Brickyard Coalition Gives Awards
Brickyard Coalition to Honor those helping to save brickyard property.
People of the Year
Honorees or People of the Year
Classified Advertising October 9, 2013
Read the lastest ads here!
Wednesday, October 9
Decorating for Fall
Local designers offer suggestions for bringing the harvest into your home.
The colors of autumn are all around as pumpkins and squash fill produce stands and leaves change from green to orange, red and yellow before falling from their branches. Local designers and tastemakers are unveiling home accents that bring the warm hues of the season into the home. Whether using pillows, throws or flowers, adding the colors and textures of fall requires less effort than one might expect. “Emerald green, orange and turquoise are three of the biggest color trends we’re seeing,” said Marcus Browning of European Country Living in Old Town Alexandria. “Throws and pillows are a given, but you can also tie in traditional and modern accessories with rugs, stained glass lamps with modern or intricate designs.” Small trays provide a canvas for highlighting color and adding functionality to a room, says Marika Meyer of Marika Meyer Interiors in Bethesda, Md. “Color and pattern are in right now,” she said. “I just purchased the C. Wonder (http://www.cwonder.com) navy and white chevron tray for my home. It adds a punch of color and freshness to a room. Preppy is back in a big way, too, offering lots of patterns.”
Friday, October 4
Classified Advertising Oct. 2, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Thursday, October 3
Getting Around: Turtzi the Turtle — A 13-Year Saga
It’s a Painted Turtle, notice the caps. It’s not a drawing, not something covered in latex, and certainly not a thing of beauty, except for maybe in the eyes of the beholders.
St. James Episcopal Turns 50
Potomac Church on Seven Locks Road travels the “Via Media” or Middle Way.
It’s been a busy time at St. James Episcopal Church in Potomac; the Fall Rummage Sale takes place Friday-Saturday, Oct. 4-5, 2013, the Blessing of the Animals is on Oct. 6, 2013, at 5 p.m., and the church just celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 21 and 22 with a family dinner and concert by Jason Gray.
Planting a Suburban Meadow Garden
Sustainable gardening at home.
These days, many of us are searching for alternatives to conventional lawn and garden care, a task that has become increasingly dependent on time and maintenance, as well as pesticides and other poisons. The suburban meadow offers a solution to this problem.
Choosing a Home for the Golden Years
Many options for retirement communities in the region.
Jim Harkin, 81, and his wife, Phyllis, 80, have little free time these days. Jim spends his days protecting and photographing wildlife on the 60-acre campus at The Fairfax, a Sunrise Senior Living Community, in Fort Belvoir. He helped build, refurbish and maintain more than 20 birdhouses on the grounds, including homes for tree swallows and purple martins.
Active Seniors Compete for Glory
fter 11 days of more than 50 events held Sept. 7-19, the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics finished with a golf event at Forest Greens Golf Course in Triangle, Va. Other events ranged from cycling, swimming and pickle ball to Mexican train dominos and Scrabble.
Column: Supporting Incorporated Brickyard Coalition
For the last two years, WMCCA has been deeply committed to saving the Brickyard School site from becoming a commercial sports enterprise on public land.
Diverse Needs, Desires Drive Mobility Solutions
Seniors increasingly seek innovative plans that embrace both the present and the future.
Russ Glickman was a traditional full-service remodeler until the late 1990s when he abruptly added a host of accessibility certifications to a long list of building industry credentials. The service extension was less about opportunity than a personal call to apply what he’d learned from personal experience in helping his son, Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy.
Documentary Highlights Wounded Warriors Program
Documentary Highlights Wounded Warriors Program
Wounded Warrior J.D. Hartley credits a horse for changing his life. “I was scared at first, but I haven’t had a nightmare since I met Peanut, my horse.
Saxenian Leads McLean School
New Head of School is a “builder, not a maintainer.”
“I was profoundly drawn to the mission of the school and a dedicated faculty that has extraordinary talent and a strong commitment to the institution,” said Michael Saxenian, who became the new Head of School at the McLean School in July. “I see a lot of opportunity to build on a wonderful foundation.”
Help Cure Ocular Melanoma on Sunday
This is a personal fight for Harvey Levine of Potomac, coordinator of the concert. His sister Sheila is fighting ocular melanoma – and he is doing everything in his power to raise funds for research.
Column: “Mor-Tality” or Less
Meaning, in my head anyway, the future and what there is left of it. More specifically, I mean life expectancy. When you’re given a “13-month to two-year” prognosis—at age 54 and a half, by a cancer doctor, your cancer doctor—the timeline between where you are and where you thought you’d be when becomes as clear as mud.
Residential Studios Put on Hold
Supervisors establish committee, plan additional public outreach.
At the recommendation of Chairman Sharon Bulova (D-At-Large) and Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday deferred its Nov. 20 public hearing on a proposed residential studios (RSUs) amendment to conduct additional community outreach.
Shutdown: Towpath, Glen Echo Closed
Federal shutdown closes area National Parks.
The federal government’s shutdown has closed C&O Canal National Historical Park, Glen Echo Park, as well as use of the towpath from Washington D.C. through Potomac and to Cumberland.
Now What?
Fairfax County braces for “domino effect” of federal government shutdown.
“We live in a ‘company town’ and the company is the federal government, so most of us have family and friends who are federal employees or contractors impacted by this shutdown,” Long said in a memo emailed to county employees Tuesday. Long said his biggest concern was the “domino effect” the shutdown will have on the local economy, and “the short-term uncertainty that will impact business decisions.”
Social Justice Matters
SALT forum gives candidates a chance to tell voters where they stand on social justice issues.
But one group also thinks voters should know where candidates stand on social justice issues when they go to the polls Nov. 5. “Our elected officials have a great deal of influence on the common good, so it’s reasonable that we find out where candidates stand on these issues,” said John Horejsi, founder of SALT (Social Action Linking Together), a non-partisan, faith-based advocacy group started in 1983.
Wednesday, October 2
The Taste of Fall
Local chefs and nutritionists offer healthy recipes for tasty fall dishes using seasonal ingredients.
When the temperature starts to drop and leaves begin to turn red and orange, you can often find chef Susan Limb meandering through local farmers markets, sorting through rough-textured, knotty sweet potatoes; tough, waxy butternut squash; and dusty, rose-colored apples.