Starting a business from scratch requires more than just a great idea and determination. Having the right organizational tools in place from day one can make the difference between chaos and clarity …

Time to share another travel adventure — one nearly as unique as my trips to Africa. Traveling with my sister and, again, with our favorite travel company, Wilderness Travel, we signed up for a …

Think about the most moral person that you have met. What characteristics do they have? When you compare them to other good people, what characteristics do they all have in common? If you are like …

This is a photo of the monks who are on the Walk for Peace as they were walking through Alexandria, Virginia, on Feb. 9. It was sent to me by a friend who was there. She also sent more photos, …

Whenever I go to Gainesville, every few months, I always try to stop at either Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park or Sweetwater Wetlands . These two natural areas are full of visible wildlife and …

Whether you’re running a small business, coordinating volunteers for a community event, or collaborating on the next edition of your neighborhood newsletter, chances are you need a reliable way to …

In the middle of the doldrums of February pops up a holiday full of fun and surprises — Valentine’s Day. The holiday has an interesting history. It has both Christian and Roman links. It turns …

A few weeks ago, I decided that I would look back over the previous week and try to write down seven kindnesses that people had shown to me, and seven kindnesses that I had shown. Here is what I came …

“What’s love got to do with it?” The iconic Tina Turner belted this question in her raw style. She followed that with, “What’s love but a second-hand emotion?” The singer-songwriter …

Now is the time to get out in our natural areas and take a walk. In days past, I used to lead five-mile hikes for newcomers and friends, but those days are gone. Five miles is a bit too much for me, …

We all have projects — personal renovations, professional commitments, client work. Yet most of us try to manage these projects inside our task managers, resulting in crowded lists that grow faster …

Most of us have snow memories. Some are magical and special, and others are nightmares. We, locals, have experienced quite a rollercoaster in recent days. No snow, but temperatures are bouncing up …

Most of you have received Christmas and holiday cards with the proverbial annual letter. These letters often relay special events and other happenings that recap, for the sender, the highlights of …

By the time you read this, we will have turned the page on a very long month. It feels like it should be April or May. But it’s not. It’s the beginning of the most misspelled and mispronounced …

I’ve lived in Fernandina about 25 years, so of course I’ve been to Cumberland Island. I can see it from my walks on the Fort Clinch beach, where sometimes the famous horses are even visible from …

If you’ve ever been startled by a sudden pop-up in the corner of your computer screen, you’re not alone. Windows 11 loves to keep you informed — sometimes a little too informed. From emails and …

Walking is good for us — we know that. Over the years, I have enjoyed many amazing walking trips. I am inspired by my sister, Betsy, an intrepid walker who, at close to age 80, still puts in a …

Just before Christmas, a vigil was held in front of the city courthouse to remember and honor our unsheltered neighbors who lost their lives this past year. Four members of our community were honored …

I hope by now that most readers of the Fernandina Observer will have found the treasure in the Showcase section on Mondays, the “Kindness Matters” columns, put together by my treasured friend, …

Lately, our remaining patches of maritime forests are on my mind. It started when my friends Susan and Flip showed me a bike trail in the Egans Creek Greenway that I had never traversed. It’s a …