I think of Shenandoah Living as the little magazine that could. You know, like the children’s book, The Little Engine that Could. In that beloved tale, written in 1930 by Watty Piper, the Little Blue Engine begins his journey over the mountain pulling the train full of toys chanting “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.”

When you want a place to scribble notable quotes and perfect lines of poetry or to sketch ideas and capture spring blooms with watercolor, you want a paper where the pen doesn’t scratch, the ink doesn’t bleed, and the brush glides effortlessly across the page.

The Durham’s didn’t plan to buy a house most folks would have torn down. They just wanted a fixer-upper, something affordable for their family. But after seeing the abandoned 1920s American Foursquare on Cornwallis Avenue, Jessica Durham’s mojo kicked into high gear.

David Dittemore, 12, exhibited 33 entries at the Calhoun County Fair in Michigan last year. He took home 32 blue ribbons, one red, four rosettes for best in the division, and two plaques for the overall category. What is his secret?

Have you ever come home from a long day at work and not feel the peace you expected? The first thing to meet you as you came up the drive was a bicycle laying in the grass—which needed cut—and overflowing trash cans. Inside, dishes filled the sink, shoes lay strewn about the entryway, and toys decorated the living room floor.

With warm weather come the creepy crawlies, in droves. I’ve already set ant traps around my kitchen and, even though we’re having snow in April, I saw a spider skitter across the floor the other night. The flies are starting to appear, too. And, before you know it, my wee pup will start to scratch, signaling the worst creepy crawly of them all, fleas.

Sponsored content for local business: The Roanoke Chamber of Commerce recently added Roanoke Custom Products to their Hall of Fame to celebrate 100 years in business. Founded in 1917 as the Roanoke Stamp & Seal Company, the time also seemed right to change the name to better reflect their current range of products.

On an ordinary day of shopping, Reggie Wood, 71, pushed his cart out into a thunderstorm to load his car with his purchases. Not ordinary, was that when a clap of lightning singed the air, Reggie jumped.

Just three months prior, while sitting in his easy chair watching the game, lightning struck Reggie and Ann Marie’s home on Bosworth Avenue.

My favorite Christmas memory involves a dollhouse my mother refurbished. I cherished that dollhouse. But as I got older, the dollhouse became less relevant to my life and was eventually moved to the shed out back. “I’ll save it for my daughter, someday,” I thought.

However, my daughter never saw my childhood dollhouse because it didn’t survive the shed.

Cleaning ranks up there as my least favorite chore. Add to my dislike for cleaning a disdain for chemicals and you have a recipe for mold, mildew, and thick layers of grime. And no one likes to live that way.

Over the years, I’ve learned that cleaning before you see the dirt is part of the answer. So is establishing routines. Forming both of these habits is how I conquered the shower. Let me explain.