Based on true events, The Little Creek that Could tells a remarkable and inspiring story of how a severely damaged stream was brought back to life. A young teacher, whose love for rivers goes back to his childhood, sadly finds that a stream close to his new school is polluted and lifeless. But after meeting an older gentleman who had lived nearby for many years, he hears about how beautiful the creek once was. Teachers and students then embark on an amazing journey to make the creek healthy again. Young and old alike will enjoy this hopeful tale about how nature can heal itself, if only we give it a chance!
"Little Walkers Creek: A History of the Land and Its People" is the most complete history of this area in Southwestern Virginia ever written. This work encompasses all events in the area from the late 1700's into the early 1900's, with an emphasis on family genealogies. The author has researched in depth the First Land Grants located at the Library of Virginia and traced them forward at the local county courthouses in Montgomery, Wythe, Pulaski and Bland counties. With this newly rediscovered information at hand, the reader may now be able to trace how his ancestor acquired his land and, possibly, if it was later donated to a church, county school or even for use as a cemetery. Ms. Sowers has also studied the census records from that period to obtain even more detailed information. Is it possible that your ancestor had children that you did not know about? Yes! Many children disappeared from one census to another indicating that the child had perhaps died from an epidemic or illness such as diphtheria or yellow fever. This history may help you uncover the long lost relative - which you didn't even know was lost! Was your ancestor a Confederate soldier or the widow of a Confederate soldier? The author has laboriously transcribed the available military records such as the Confederate Pensions, which provide precise information such as age and place of birth, occupation, service during the war and injuries or sickness. The Confederate Widows Pensions will provide information such as marriage place and date, place of birth and date, and cause, place and date of death of husband. Structured and detailed genealogies will also assist the reader in discovering the relationships between individuals, and in some cases, photographs depict the people who made up the fascinating human landscape of the region. This history is a "must have" if you have ancestors from the Little Walkers Creek area, or have an interest in the history of the region, and it will surely prove to be an invaluable asset as you conduct your research.
She needs a total life reboot…even if it means marrying a stranger Taya Maverick has just volunteered to marry a random Navy SEAL as part of the military’s new spouse-matching program. What other choice does she have? Her former best friend killed her father and torched her house. Taya’s determined to start over, but to be safe she has to disappear. The program is the perfect opportunity, complete with refuge and a built-in bodyguard. Her Navy SEAL husband can keep her safe, right? After one spectacularly disastrous marriage, Jim Stephens nixes round two. But his commanding officer never accepts no for an order. While an injury may have sidelined him temporarily, Jim still needs to salvage his career after a mistake in combat puts him in leadership’s cross-hairs. Being the first in the pilot program guarantees him his rank and eventual active duty clearance…as long as he can last the trial year. The I dos are barely uttered before Jim and Taya realize they’ve each miscalculated. Their sizzling chemistry might lead to bed, but neither is prepared to open their heart. And then Taya’s past comes knocking...
A powerful exploration of grief and resilience following the death of the author's son that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Helen Macdonald found solace in training a wild goshawk. Cheryl Strayed found strength in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. For Carol Smith, a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist struggling with the sudden death of her seven-year-old son, Christopher, the way to cross the river of sorrow was through work. In Crossing the River, Smith recounts how she faced down her crippling loss through reporting a series of profiles of people coping with their own intense challenges, whether a life-altering accident, injury, or diagnosis. These were stories of survival and transformation, of people facing devastating situations that changed them in unexpected ways. Smith deftly mixes the stories of these individuals and their families with her own account of how they helped her heal. General John Shalikashvili, once the most powerful member of the American military, taught Carol how to face fear with discipline and endurance. Seth, a young boy with a rare and incurable illness, shed light on the totality of her son's experiences, and in turn helps readers see that the value of a life is not measured in days. Crossing the River is a beautiful and profoundly moving book, an unforgettable journey through grief toward hope, and a valuable, illuminating read for anyone coping with loss.
Jason thought the shiny new bicycle that his mom and dad gave him for his seventh birthday was the greatest present he ever received. Then when Jason took an unexpected tumble from his bike, it brought kindly neighbor Gerald Taylor to his aid and began a friendship that turned out to be an even greater gift. One day, as the two were reading together, Gerald showed Jason a book that could bring happiness to those who were sad. Gerald had a name for those sad people: upside-down clowns. He explained that this very special book had the power to turn upside-down clowns right side up again. The book tells the story of Jesus, who brings joy to even the most joyless of people. Those who accept Jesus into their hearts will find comfort in the words expressed in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
A hilarious, heartfelt, and refreshingly honest memoir and New York Times bestseller by the beloved comedic actress known for her roles on Freaks and Geeks, Dawson’s Creek, and Cougar Town who has become “the breakout star of Instagram stories...Imagine I Love Lucy mixed with a modern lifestyle guru” (The New Yorker). There’s no stopping Busy Philipps. From the time she was two and “aced out in her nudes” to explore the neighborhood (as her mom famously described her toddler jailbreak), Busy has always been headstrong, defiant, and determined not to miss out on all the fun. These qualities led her to leave Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of nineteen to pursue her passion for acting in Hollywood. But much like her painful and painfully funny teenage years, chasing her dreams wasn’t always easy and sometimes hurt more than a little. In a memoir “that often reads like a Real World confessional or an open diary” (Kirkus Reviews), Busy opens up about chafing against a sexist system rife with on-set bullying and body shaming, being there when friends face shattering loss, enduring devastating personal and professional betrayals from those she loved best, and struggling with postpartum anxiety and the challenges of motherhood. But Busy also brings to the page her sly sense of humor and the unshakeable sense that disappointment shouldn’t stand in her way—even when she’s knocked down both figuratively and literally (from a knee injury at her seventh-grade dance to a violent encounter on the set of Freaks and Geeks). The rough patches in her life are tempered by times of hilarity and joy: leveraging a flawless impression of Cher from Clueless into her first paid acting gig, helping reinvent a genre with cult classic Freaks and Geeks, becoming fast friends with Dawson’s Creek castmate Michelle Williams, staging her own surprise wedding, conquering natural childbirth with the help of a Mad Men–themed hallucination, and of course, how her Instagram stories became “the most addictive thing on the internet right now” (Cosmopolitan). Busy is the rare entertainer whose impressive arsenal of talents as an actress is equally matched by her storytelling ability, sense of humor, and sharp observations about life, love, and motherhood—“if you think you know Busy from her Instagram stories, you don’t know the half of it” (Jenni Konner). Her conversational writing reminds us what we love about her on screens large and small. From “candid tales of celebrity life, mom life, and general Busy-ness” (W Magazine), This Will Only Hurt a Little “is everything we’ve been dying to hear about” (Bustle).
'Set in 1864 Colorado Territory, based on the actual occurrences leading up to the Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapahoe "friendly Indians," led by John Chivington. The main character in this novel is fictional, but much of the novel is based on actual historical people and events. John Buzzard deals with the historical people, issues, and events with a clear eye, the wisdom of hindsight, the informed perspective of a researcher. He brings history to life and reminds us not to allow fear, distrust, and anger to escalate to the place where we would ever again experience such a day as That Day by the Creek!" --
