Supporting Asheville and Western North Carolina’s Recovery from Hurricane Helene through Music
Community, Relationships, Music, Money, Arts, Travel Melissa Rooney Community, Relationships, Music, Money, Arts, Travel Melissa Rooney

Supporting Asheville and Western North Carolina’s Recovery from Hurricane Helene through Music

Hurricane Helene may have passed, but its impact on Asheville and the surrounding regions of Western North Carolina is still felt deeply. Attending upcoming concerts and music events not only provides entertainment but also contributes to the local economy and fosters community spirit. Here’s how you can get involved and help Asheville and Western North Carolina bounce back from the storm.

Read More
Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin: A Review
Children's Books, Published, Travel, Community Melissa Rooney Children's Books, Published, Travel, Community Melissa Rooney

Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin: A Review

Mouse on the River is—in a word—delightful. This is not just a book that you’ll read once or twice. It is a book that children will want to read over and over again, with pictures they will scrutinize repeatedly on their own, and that will, no doubt, remain on many of their bookshelves until they are adults and have children of their own.

Read More
Will the East Coast Learn Anything from Hurricane Florence?

Will the East Coast Learn Anything from Hurricane Florence?

In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we finally adopt the common-sense, economically sustainable long-term solution: Don't Build/Rebuild Along the East Coast?

Read More
Four-Wheeled Litmus Test

Four-Wheeled Litmus Test

… Pedestrians in Northern Virginia and DC stopped to tell us they liked the van. In New Jersey, drivers in one suburb would smile and wave, while those in an immediately adjacent suburb would grimace with condescension. Massachusetts residents were generally unimpressed; my brother-in-law thought the van looked stupid, and his teenage son preferred it wasn’t parked in front of their house…

Read More
Hurricanes, (Re)Construction, Rip Tides, and Drowning- When Will We Learn?

Hurricanes, (Re)Construction, Rip Tides, and Drowning- When Will We Learn?

In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we…

Read More
Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium

Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium

As promised via post-it note on the Florida Oceanographic Society's "Pledge" board, I am sharing my article about their Coastal Center in Stuart, Florida, where my family (12-50 years) spent an entire day and still didn't venture along the ~50-acres of Nature Trails in this barrier island ecosystem. If you’re visiting the east coast of Florida, you must put this stop on your list. And those who work for nonprofit organizations could learn a lot from the level of very visible volunteerism created by the leaders of the Florida Oceanographic Society. Building community for a common cause is the epitome of public outreach.

Read More
When it Snows in Dixie
Travel, Relationships, Community, Music Melissa Rooney Travel, Relationships, Community, Music Melissa Rooney

When it Snows in Dixie

We hesitantly scheduled a ski-trip to Wolf Ridge Lodge near UNC-Asheville, where my son is in school, and anxiously watched the weather as the date approached, knowing full well that snow in NC is always a toss up. Snow storm Izzy hit the night we arrived in Asheville; and, despite the driving calamities we encountered, the “country skiing” couldn’t have been better…

Read More
Covid Camping and Bear Hounding

Covid Camping and Bear Hounding

During our 14-day quarantine after contracting Covid, my 5th-grade son, husband and I went camping in West Virginia and got educated in ways no classroom can provide. Despite our generally positive assessments of the Mountain Mama, our introduction to “bear hounding” was the lesson that stuck most…

Read More
Berkeley Springs and the Paw Paw Tunnel:  A Worthwhile and Affordable Weekend Getaway
Medicine and Health, Travel, Education, Inspiration Melissa Rooney Medicine and Health, Travel, Education, Inspiration Melissa Rooney

Berkeley Springs and the Paw Paw Tunnel: A Worthwhile and Affordable Weekend Getaway

June 20 was my husband’s and my 23rd wedding anniversary; so last Friday my mother came to stay with the kids, and we went to The Country Inn of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, for the weekend. It was the first time we’d been alone for more than just a walk around the block since before the Covid quarantine started over a year ago, and the first time we’d gone away alone together for more than a night in years; so it would have to be horrible to be a disappointment. But our trip was filled with unexpected history and culture.

Read More
The Hackensaw Boys and Asheville’s Momentum Gallery: You Will Regret Not Visiting

The Hackensaw Boys and Asheville’s Momentum Gallery: You Will Regret Not Visiting

While visiting UNC-Asheville before my 17YO son begins college there this Fall 🤗, we hesitantly walked into Momentum art gallery with his 19YO sister and 10YO brother and immediately took note of the exquisite (and exquisitely expensive) art surrounding us. “We won’t touch anything,” I said, looking between my youngest and the couple sitting at the card-like table along the wall. As we looked around, awestruck at times, we felt more like we were in a museum than an expensive art store…

Read More
Cultural Appropriation and NPR's 2021 Tiny Desk Contest

Cultural Appropriation and NPR's 2021 Tiny Desk Contest

While at a beach in Costa Rica where many local residents were soliciting business, I suggested to my teenage daughter that she get her hair beaded. She'd done it once when she was little, and we both loved it. We'd support local business, and it'd be fun. My daughter promptly told me that I was being racist and educated me about cultural appropriation…

Read More
13 Jan 2021 - Weaning off Facebook, Day 2 (Coldplay and Excessively High Blood Pressure)

13 Jan 2021 - Weaning off Facebook, Day 2 (Coldplay and Excessively High Blood Pressure)

Cold Play’s album, Everyday Life, was released live at the Amman Citadel, Jordan, on 22 November 2019 and broadcast live around the world. The first half was performed at sunrise, and the second half was performed at sunset. It's the first and only time the album has been performed in full…

Read More
Visit Pilot Mountain. Stay at Jomeokee Campground (even if it's just for the day).

Visit Pilot Mountain. Stay at Jomeokee Campground (even if it's just for the day).

Jomeokee Campground in Pinnacle, NC, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever spent the night (and I have camped throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand). I encourage you to visit and camp (if you are up for it), particularly during the week when you may have the entire grounds to yourselves.

Read More
Middle- and High-School Strings Students Amaze at Animazement in Raleigh, NC, this Weekend
Education, Children, Community, Relationships, Travel Melissa Rooney Education, Children, Community, Relationships, Travel Melissa Rooney

Middle- and High-School Strings Students Amaze at Animazement in Raleigh, NC, this Weekend

Yesterday, the Duke University String School's Youth Symphony Orchestra yesterday performed an Anime Symphony (entitled Space Brothers) at the 2016 Animazement Convention in Raleigh, NC. The symphony was written, designed and conducted by renowned Japanese movie composer and record producer Toshiyuki Watanabe, who flew in from Japan just for the event…

Read More
Welcome to my blog ...

Welcome to my blog ...

... where you'll find articles pertaining to education and written for parents, caretakers, & teachers (traditional & home-school) regarding practical hands-on books, curricula, events, & opportunities. Other articles concern parenting, marriage, writing, & life in general, as well as local (Durham/Raleigh/Chapel-Hill), regional (Southeastern United States), and national issues and concerns.

Read More