In “Hedges: Protective Walls Insuring Good Marriages,” or as Dr. Jerry Jenkins simply calls his best-selling book, “Hedges,” it tells how you should love your marriage enough to protect it.

I attended the first public hearing on the county budget a few weeks ago and read all the letters on the subject in The Eagle. Almost all were critical of the Madison County Board of Supervisors and the possibility of even a very small tax increase.

Upon arriving in Madison County, I was just a woman from New Jersey with very little knowledge of anything south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Of course I had sampled biscuits and gravy and was definitely a fan, although my waistline wasn’t. The local produce was very tasty but I was still partial to a Jersey tomato. (And) nothing, in New Jersey could have prepared me for the numbers of “Earl’s.”

Dear President Obama, The air is crisp and fogged with each breath of the four million people watching, waiting for a new chapter in history to begin. The date is Jan. 20, 2009, Inauguration Day. However, this Inauguration Day won’t be the same as any other. Today history unfolds as you, the first black American president, are sworn in.

The Hoffman Round Barn in Wolftown has been accepted for listing in the Virginia Landmarks Register. The application to list the historic barn built by Haywood Montebello “Tiny” Dawson on the historic Hoffman Farm (now owned by Joyce Gentry and farmed by her son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Amy Gentry) was prepared and submitted by Beth Pastore of Piedmont Environmental Council in October 2008. The Board of the Virgina Department of Historic Resources voted its approval on Dec. 18, 2008.

Reader interest in the annual calendar published by the Central Virginia Weekly Group – which includes The Madison County Eagle and its two sister newspapers – the Greene County Record and the Orange County Review – remains high. When we asked readers this past fall for their scenic photos of Madison County for us to consider using in the calendar, they flooded us with them.

For years, I’ve actively supported the Piedmont Environmental Council — giving it spare money, attending annual meetings, and, most recently, staffing the PEC hospitality tent this past Election Day. I loved sharing home-baked cookies, local apples and cider with fellow Madisonians after they voted. I especially loved hearing about hopes and fears for our future, and that inspired my main message here: PEC is here to help address our concerns, but as a 501C3, nonprofit, membership-based organization, PEC very much needs our tax-deductible support.  Even a small contribution will help. 

The turnout for the Madison County Veterans Day observance on Nov. 11 at the Madison County High School was disappointing and disturbing. Most all who attended were veterans and family members of veterans and most of the seats in the auditorium remained empty. What was most disturbing was the absence of our community leaders in Madison and the public officials who had the day off to celebrate Veterans Day.