Publications by Elaine Jean

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

In Shakespeare’s "Macbeth," the three witches incant these infamous words and curse the man that they had predicted would one day become the King of Scotland. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most powerful plays. It was first performed as early as 1611 at the Globe Theatre and published in folio form a decade later in 1623.

 The Valor Foundation is raising good old family fun to support Loudoun County’s hometown heroes—our first responders. Sunday, Nov. 1 is X-Treme Family Fun Day, a four hour extravaganza of unlimited play at the Dulles Golf Center and Sports Park, to benefit those who knowingly put themselves in harm’s way, and sometimes become injured in their mission to keep us safe.

Every Friday night from 7-10 p.m., the Cascades Library opens its doors to our teens and gives them a place to be—a place to be together, a place to be happy, a place to be themselves. This may sound like a small thing, but those of us with teens know that it is a very big thing.

A favorite fall ritual of Potomac Falls High School juniors and seniors is:

a.) Picking apples with kith and kin;

b.) Watching Panthers football games and tailgating in the parking lot;

c.) Attending the Homecoming Dance;

d.) Tackling a 4 ½ hour exam armed with two #2 pencils, three Red Bulls, and a Pop Tart; or

e.) All of the above

 Today I visited Dominion Dental for my annual appointment. At the advanced age of 52, I never know what problem could be lurking inside my mouth. Mine is the generation of penny candy, shrinking and expanding fillings, and non-fluoridated water. My anxiety is only compounded by an intense dislike (ok, it’s a phobia) of gauze. I must say that the appointment was the highlight of my day, thanks to the empathy, wit, and wisdom of my dentist and hygienists.

Congratulations, Mr. Spage. When I learned that the principal of PFHS had accepted the position of Director of High School Education with LCPS, I was both proud and sad. David Spage joined the PFHS family in 2004, the same year as our daughter Nikki, and he is the only high school principal this family has known. Now our son, David, begins his senior year, and we suddenly have two reasons to feel that this is the end of an era.

Parents’ Choice award-winning musician Roger Day will be at the Cascades Library on Sunday, August 16 at 2 p.m. In his latest CD, Roger tells us “You get one life, you gotta make it count, so dream big!”