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One Woman's Opinion
Welcome to “One Woman’s Opinion,” a long term feature of the Southside Sentinel, written by Urbanna resident Mary Wakefield Buxton. Traditionally a humorist, Mary has written a column on all subjects and sometimes in very serious vein. Along with writing a column for the Sentinel since 1984, she is also author of 15 books about life and love in Tidewater, Virginia. Click here for available books.
Urbanna’s ‘big brass’ boundary brouhaha: Part 5
Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4
Part 5
The prayers of writers are sometimes answered even though they don’t necessarily attend church services. And so the very next day a terrible storm hit Nimcock County tearing across the land, uprooting trees and taking off roofs of many houses. And most conveniently helping Merrypen find a way out of the “big brass” boundary...
Urbanna’s ‘big brass’ boundary brouhaha: Part 4
Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3
Part 4
By now everyone in the charming town of Nimcock had taken sides. Who could not take a side? Everyone was talking...
Urbanna’s ‘big brass’ boundary brouhaha: Part 3
Part 1 • Part 2
Part 3
The lawyers had been selected, the distinguished Ronald E. Widget (who some in the county felt was totally unscrupulous) and the candy Enos F....
The ‘big brass’ boundary brouhaha continues
Part 1
Part 2
A week or two passed by with not much more interchange between the Army and the Navy much to Nimcock’s relief. No one liked blow-ups between neighbors...
The ‘big brass’ boundary brouhaha
(Editor’s note: Before passing away this month, “One Woman’s Opinion” columnist Mary Wakefield Buxton completed a special five-part series, “The Nimcock Chronicles.” The following column is the first in...
One Woman's Opinion
Use compromise to settle controversial issue
by Mary Wakefiled Buxton -
URBANNA — Sometimes I wish I hadn’t gotten into opinion writing. There are some subjects I don’t care to opine on and I wish I could just return to writing comedy, travel logs, places I visit and people I...
It’s sad to lose landmark dining destinations
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — We knew the last day Something Different would be open was Friday, April 22, and for old time’s sake we decided to go there for dinner one last time. What we didn’t know was just how sad...
“Aging is absolutely not something for the weak of heart”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — The greatest inheritance parents can pass on to their children is a sense of humor. Life is full of troubles and if we pass on ability to laugh a little at the bizarre and hideous snags we...
“Desire a steak for dinner? Perhaps sell the family jewels?”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — Am I happy with the way things are going in this country? No. Before the last election I had been concerned as to whether Joe Biden had mental and physical energy needed to lead the country. Many...
Message to UVA “cub journalists” from “GrandMama Bear”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — It was hard to believe the news this month when Fox News reported some students at the University of Virginia (that was founded by Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence) would call to shut down...
“COVID-19 pandemic triggered amazement”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — Amazing is the word that comes to mind as our county sees evidence that COVID-19 is finally waning after several years of pandemic plus “pandemic panic.” I don’t know what was worse — COVID-19 or the COVID-19...
“Calming the wild beast” — return to Urbanna lowers anxiety
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA — Everyone deals with worry and constant barrage of troubles in life, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine has added even a new layer of stress. Being away from home during this tragic event has probably exacerbated my...
Fla. bound, Part 7: Cold day lessons learned
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
URBANNA, Va. — It’s warm now in Florida but January and February in the Sunshine State are often cold and windy, even as far south as Naples. We were prepared with a supply of winter clothes as when the...
Fla. bound, Part 6 – “Out of building and at the beach”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
NAPLES, Fla. — One day a large, colorful postcard arrived for me in the mail similar to those politicians looking for votes sent us these days. (By the way, while I am writing about the mail, I want to...
Florida bound, Part 5 – “Hooking alligators and dancing with pythons”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
NAPLES, Fla. — Spending time in Florida broadens one’s perspective on life. It introduces a wide variety of new contacts — an Italian-American who knows who can fix what, where to get any kind of food and who to...
Florida bound, Part 4 – “Poolside complaints from the ‘snowbirds’”
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
NAPLES, Fla. — One can’t help but wonder while spending a winter in Florida what would tourist revenues be like without Canadians. They come by droves each winter, either as dual state citizens that own property here or as...
Florida bound, Part 3 — Nature’s beauty offers balm to sad news
by Mary Wakefield Buxton -
NAPLES, Fla. — Bad things happen all the time and even when you are out of town. People you love pass away, are diagnosed with serious diseases, injured in serious accidents and … are invaded by neighboring countries.
When a...
More News
Golf carts may roll in Deltaville
Deltaville representative Randy Crittenden informed supervisors that residents on Lovers Lane and adjoining streets...
Fireball consumes truck on Route 17
A truck pulling a large camper was destroyed by fire this week near Church...
Marine industrial park eyed for Deltaville
The Middlesex County Economic Development Authority (EDA) will apply for a “GO Virginia” planning...
Cadillac strikes man on Route 17
A pedestrian struck by a vehicle on U.S. Route 17 on Monday was airlifted...
