Abode & Abloom

The Ocean View Town Council held its reorganizational meeting on Tuesday night, and swore in Geoff Christ and Bill Olsen as councilmen.

Christ will resume his council duties representing District 2 after running unopposed. He was also sworn in as the mayor pro tem of the town.

It’s hard for Kim McCullough to believe that this year will mark the eighth annual KENTucky Derby fundraising event, dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Kent, and set to be held at North Beach in Dewey on Saturday, May 4, from 4 to 8 p.m.

I was struck by a wave of nostalgia last week. Actually, I was gobbled up by the wave, tossed on to the beach where I was subsequently picked up by a gust of wind and thrown back into the ocean so the wave would jerk me about like a lottery ball.

After years of planning and construction, the public will get an exclusive and close-up look at their new Indian River Inlet Bridge at the official dedication ceremony on Sunday, May 6.

Freeman Foundations Executive Director Patti Grimes spoke with Sussex County Council this week about the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation’s progress over the last five years, and the council put a request for $5,000 for transportation funds for the Freeman Stage at Bayside’s outreach mission on their agenda for next week.

Well, I got off the peninsula for a day this month. It was the first time in two and a half years. I even made it across the Bay Bridge and back without a panic attack (thank you, Kindle!). The reason for this rare occurrence? The Mid-Atlantic Nurserymen’s Trade Show (MANTS), of course.

Earlier this week, Indian River’s varsity golf team closed out their regular season with the best record the program has seen yet. Two matches in the season’s midpoint, at Milford’s Shawnee Country Club and hosting Caesar Rodney – which was working on an undefeated season this year – gave the Indians the slip. But they turned it around, winning the rest of their matches, including road victories at Polytech and Smyrna this week, to finish the year 11-2.

As a recovering economy slowly, yet surely, claws its way back, those who have all but lost patience in the rollercoaster ride of the real estate market may finally be able to catch their breath these days. Prudential Gallo real estate agent Barbara Morales has reason to believe that an upturn is right around the corner. Will you be ready when it arrives?

Thirteen young members of Saint Ann’s Youth Organization (SAYO) gathered recently under the direction of their coordinator Dawn Zimmerman and used part of a school holiday to listen to a teaching by Andy Zampini of the Wilmington Dicocese Office of Justice. Zampini talked about the Catholic Church’s seven principles of Social Justice, the seventh having to do with protecting “green justice.”

Every year at about this time, hibernating gardeners and yard lovers begin to emerge from winter’s period of rest and recuperation, tasked with again battling against the banes of too-tall grass, uncooperative garden conditions and even more uncooperative varmints. But all of their toil and trouble could be made at least a little easier with the judicious application of a little technology.

With so many advances in recent flat panel technology, alot of questions have arisen as to what kind of HDTV one should buy. Do you get a plasma, LCD or the new laser TV? Well each has its pluses and minuses, and I’m here to help you out.

Some people might not know Sussex County has its own mini-Longwood Gardens off of Irons Lane in Clarksville. Then again, some people know it all too well.

In the past few years, outdoor kitchens have become the fastest growing trend in home improvement. Many are finding out that a kitchen on the exterior of a home can create an entirely new atmosphere, greatly appreciate the value of a home and provide endless possibilities in the realm of cooking and entertainment.

We’ve all had unwelcome visitors in our home. Those relatives who don’t know when to leave, door-to-door salesmen we’re too polite to boot out the front door or friends who just don’t seem to understand boundaries.

And there’s a pretty good chance you have some mold lying around, too.

I struggle a bit from time to time with my perceived masculinity.

A recent trend in gardening that’s gaining momentum is the concept of naturescaping — basically sticking to plants that are native to your state or region, and allowing said plants to grow as they would naturally.

The massive four-story house is impressive both without and within. From the top floor, one can gaze across the bay, and all the way out to the Atlantic Ocean. Even more astounding than the view is the story behind the numerous artifacts around which the many rooms of the house were designed.