Staff Danielle Rice Publisher Editor Editor’s Note Aimée O’Grady Kara Beebe Thorpe Graphic Design Gretchen Franti Sales Representative Parenting Editor Carol Osborn Pam Kamphuis Graphic Design (Advertising) S Piedmont Family Magazine is published six times a year and is distributed free through libraries, community centers, advertisers, and family-oriented businesses in Culpeper, Fauquier, Prince William, Loudon, and surrounding counties. Visit us on the web at www.piedmontfamilymagazine.com for a calendar of events, local resource lists and more. For advertising rates and details, look in the advertising section of our website or send an email to adsales@piedmontfamilymagazine.com. © 2013 Piedmont Family Magazine. Warrenton, Va. Any reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without expressed written permission from the publisher. Questions, comments or feedback? Send an email to editor@piedmontfamilymagazine.com Find Piedmont Family Magazine Online at www.piedmontfamilymagazine.com @piedmontfamily facebook.com/ piedmontfamilymagazine pring is upon us and although the old adage says we should be cleaning, when cool, short, winter days become long, glorious, spring ones, I have no desire to clean. Instead, I long to be outside, soaking up the sun, exploring the new life of spring with my children, and dreaming about warm tomatoes fresh from the vine and sun-tea baked on my back deck. This spring is especially exciting for my family as we have relocated within Warrenton from a home on 0.5 acres to one on 9 acres. With this new property, we look forward to trying our hand at hobby farming and having our own flock of hens as well as a couple of goats for good measure. The Piedmont Region is breathtakingly beautiful. Rolling fields dotted with cows, horses, goats, lambs, and alpacas. Farms with produce stretching as far as the eye can see. The Blue Ridge Mountains beckoning us from afar. It is too beautiful and too tempting to stay inside. This issue was organized during those last late winter storms. Watching 5+ inches of snow fall outside and wrestling my children into their snow gear made time I spent on the magazine that much more rewarding. Reading contributions from local farmers and the Piedmont Environmental Council, I could almost taste those sun-warmed tomatoes. We have two themes for for this issue: encouraging families to enjoy the beauty and bounties of our local region and encouraging families to recognize the importance of multigenerational interactions in building strong families and strong communities. To this end, we’ve included articles on gardening with children, fostering the grandparenting bond, recognizing the value in multigenerational homes, and appreciating and preserving family memories. I hope you enjoy this issue and get outside and try something new. Share with us what you’re doing; we’d love to hear from you! Sincerely, Spring Has Bloomed About Us Aimée O’Grady, Editor editor@piedmontfamilymagazine.com www.piedmontfamilymagazine.com 2013 • Issue 3 Piedmont Family Magazine 3