Curious about your garden’s soil and how it might influence your plant choices? Well, whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a novice, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty. Let’s conduct a simple DIY test to determine the acidity or alkalinity of your soil.

Commercial soil test kits are out there, and they’re wonderfully accurate. But let’s say you’re impatient and just can’t wait for one to arrive in the mail. There’s a quick and straightforward test you can do with basic household items.

All you’ll need are two tablespoons of soil, half a cup of vinegar, distilled water, and half a cup of baking soda. Let’s dive into the how-to, courtesy of Almanac.com.

First up, place those two tablespoons of soil in a bowl and add that half cup of vinegar. Do you see fizzing? Congratulations! You’ve got yourself alkaline soil. If you didn’t see any fizz, it’s not a big deal. Move on to the next test.

Take another two tablespoons of soil and moisten it with some distilled water. Add half a cup of baking soda. If you see fizzing this time, it means your soil is acidic.

In the event that you don’t see any fizzing with either of the tests, you’ve got yourself neutral pH soil – the Goldilocks of soils, if you will.

Knowing your soil’s pH can help you create the optimal growing environment for your plants. Acidic soil? No problem! You can counter it with ground limestone. Alkaline soil? You can treat it with ground sulfur.

So, there you have it, folks. You’re just a bit of fizzing away from knowing your soil better and making your garden the most enviable on the block. And remember, the journey of a thousand gardens begins with a single soil test!

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Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? If gardening exacerbates your symptoms to the point that you’re considering giving up your hobby, just know that there are solutions. Following these tips may allow you to enjoy growing flowers and plants again this summer.

1. Choose the right time to do your work. Avoid gardening on hot, dry days, as these conditions are conducive to high pollen levels. Plan your gardening sessions by checking the current pollen index in your area. When it’s low, get outside!

2. Choose hypoallergenic plants. Some plants are much less allergenic than others, especially those pollinated by insects rather than wind. Ferns, hostas, azaleas, and rhododendrons are a few varieties you may want to try out in your garden.

3. Wear protective clothing and accessories. Even if the pollen index is low, make sure you still wear a mask, gloves, goggles with side shields, and a long-sleeved shirt to protect yourself.

Looking for trees or flowering plants to brighten up your yard? Inquire about allergy-friendly species. Happy gardening!

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Barry Arnold Trent, 58, of Cross Junction, Virginia, passed away on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in the comfort of his home.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at Maddox Funeral Home, 105 W Main St., Front Royal, Virginia 22630, with Pastor Chad Hrbeck officiating. A visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Following all services, the burial will take place at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Upperville, Virginia.

Barry was born on January 8, 1965, in Farmville, Virginia, to Kenneth Trent and his late mother, Loraine Stickley.

Surviving Barry is his loving wife of 35 years, Kay Trent; his father, Kenneth Trent; his son, Kirk Trent (Kayla); his siblings, Margie Trent and Crystal Stickley; and his grandchildren, Elijah Trent and Maverick Trent.

Barry was a successful business owner for most of his married life. His hobbies included going fishing and camping with his son.

Pallbearers will be Kirk Trent, Greg Bowman, Derek Geary, Blaire Bowman, Raven Roff and Rick Couchman.

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Dear Board of Supervisors,

I write to ask that you fully fund Samuels Library for a variety of reasons:

1. Respect the internal library process that is already ongoing to determine appropriateness of books.
2. Respect the mission statement of the library to bring people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
3. Respect the 99% of 473 library users who gave the library high marks during the Community Survey of 2021 www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPruRSANPlg
4. Respect the 13 pages of laudatory comments submitted by these 473 library users in the Community Survey www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPruRSANPlg
5. Respect the 53 persons who submitted forms to the library objecting to several books … BUT
6. Respect the fact that those 53 persons represent about 1/10 of one percent (0.1325) of the 40,000 people who live in Warren County.

I truly believe that Samuels Library is a jewel nestled in the heart of this community.  Everybody, far and wide, talks about it. To hurt it in any way may undermine your pledge to serve the common good.

Respectfully yours,

Jeanne Trabulsi
Front Royal, Virginia

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I am frequently reminded of my God and my Saviour’s demand that I “Love my neighbour as myself.” (Leviticus 19:18 / Matthew 22: 37-39).

Neither God, Moses nor Jesus ever said it would be easy, nor convenient. They never said it would be fun. They never said we would get a trophy. They, also, never put the challenge up cafeteria style, for those of us who claim Jesus as our Saviour, to decide when and where this was to be practiced. This was further accentuated in the Gospel of Luke, when my Saviour stated that we should: “Do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves” (Luke 6:31).

I am deeply saddened and disappointed to continue to witness those in my beloved community who seem comfortable using the same religion I love and deeply espouse, as a means to manipulate others. The late much revered and loved Reverend Billy Graham reminded us of this when he opined: “The far right have but one interest in religion, and that is to manipulate it.”

We all have an entitlement to our opinions. We all have the right to express them.  I’m a huge first (and second, for what that’s worth) amendment advocate. What I am not an advocate of is the gas-lighting of manipulated scripture and ideology by, seemingly, false prophets in my community, that use a house of God for self-serving political purposes. While this is strictly forbidden by law for entities enjoying tax free accommodation, it is widely ignored in communities where it is well known that there will be zero accountability. How ironic for a small group which screams for accountability from others.

It is sad to see our elected officials ignore their oaths of office, to possibly win  “indulgences” from their political coffer fillers. Despite the beautiful lives lived by my spiritual heroes Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict, Mother Teresa, Rev. Graham, Pope Francis and others, It is even more disappointing to see (what appears) to be the reincarnation of Pope Urban arising within our own midst (Matthew 7:15).

Please allow me to be clear: I have no problem with any church or religious organization in our area. I am dear friends with many who attend a variety of houses of worship, to include my own. My problem is with the increasingly small, yet vociferously loud and lying lips of the small handful who seem comfortable leading God’s children astray, for their own hate filled, anti-child, anti-American, self-serving political ideology.

My wife and I have been part of this beautiful community for over 25 years. I was, personally, born and raised in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Our 21 year old son was born and raised here. I would, kindly, encourage my fellow citizens (especially those who attend houses of God) to search the scriptures themselves. Read for yourselves. Take the time to get to know those whom your false prophets are slandering and defaming. Be wary of those, who because they may share your religious affiliation, assert they are best suited to lead our beautiful community politically and policy-wise.

To those who blindly do as they are directed by others, I encourage you to personally do your own homework — ask tough question of others, not just those whom you are told to beware of. Listen critically to their responses.  You may be surprised.

Beware of those “Sample Ballots” and other pamphlets that get bullied into your hands, hoping to make it into your hearts. Make sure that the decisions you make are ones which you can justify, based upon your own homework, not that of others, who claim to have your “best interest” at heart.

We can civilly, and with calm discourse, agree to disagree and still love one another.  We will not, however, survive as a community if we continue to act with laziness and apathy, and simply do as we are told by those who have but one self-serving interest, to become political power brokers cloaked in a charade of faith while setting a standard of “us versus them” hatred based on negative political and social stereotyping.

Self-Disclosure: I have had to, personally, apologize for how I have at times failed as a Christian over the course of 57 plus years on this planet, by not loving my neighbor as I wish to be loved. I admit that I, myself, need to be better. I am more than willing to sit with anyone over a hot or cold beverage of choice, in a public location, and engage in civil discourse.

Michael S. Williams
Front Royal, Virginia

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Saturday, June 10, 2023 – Front Royal Cardinals vs. Strasburg Express. All home games are live-streamed on the Royal Examiner, starting at 6:45 pm on game night.

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