It’s that time of year. High School and College Graduations abound, taxing our schedules. This spring, we have several of our own “PVB” graduates whom we want to celebrate.

Most folks are aware of The Great Gatsby, a 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, known in some circles as the “Great American Novel.” But it didn’t start out that way.

One of my favorite days of the “banking” year is Virginia Reads Day. Each year PVB selects a primary or elementary school in our region to be our sponsored school. Everyone (student, faculty, staff) in the school gets the same book and enjoys a community reading event. I like to read. It’s a yearning my… Read more »

Are you ready for Spring? So am I!   This winter seems to have gone on and on, with this latest bout of cold weather just piling on. Times like this make me, you, and every one long for spring. We are blessed to have four seasons in Appalachia, and when we get too worn… Read more »

Over time, have you ever bought something (a car, TV, microwave, outfit, or purse) only to learn later that you paid too much for it? Remember that sinking feeling in your stomach and the regret that maybe you should have shopped a bit more before making the purchase? Well, every day your friends and neighbors… Read more »

You may or may not have heard of Sister Bernadette Kenny known to many in our region as Sister Bernie. If not, you should read up on her. Sister Bernie moved here (via Boston, thru Africa, and then Ireland) as a part of the Medical Missionaries of Mary. Their primary focus was St. Mary’s Hospital… Read more »

For some, the ultimate objective this time of year is getting a plastic pumpkin full of candy. Yet for me, my cousins, and my friends, we looked forward to one thing—my mom’s homemade popcorn balls. Not having much in the way of funds to buy candy, my mom invested her time and love in creating… Read more »

Over the past few years Tammie and I have traveled to the Isle Of Palms to relax, enjoy the beach, read books, and eat good seafood. Traveling there annually has allowed us to become familiar with the lay of the land and the changes brought by the waves.   This year, instead of my morning… Read more »

As a kid, we tossed rocks (often big ones) in my Dad’s or my uncle’s ponds. We wanted to see how big a splash we could make and try to spray water on a cousin standing next to the water. After the big splash, sometimes your attention turned to the ripples spreading across the water.… Read more »

One afternoon I ran down to Tractor Supply to pick up some bird seed for my father-in-law and some paint brushes for me. As I waited in line, a young man went by pushing a cart with his young son in the cart nibbling candy. I spoke with the young man whose clothes, hands, and… Read more »