I have three maples -- two silver, one red -- and want to find a perennial ground cover for their beds. I would like to use epimediums. Are there any varieties that would thrive under the trees?

Dear Dr. Fox: My son has a 6-year-old male Great Dane. A couple of years ago, the dog began to get an open sore on his leg. We took him to our vet, who treated him, but it continues to grow. When asked to have it removed and the wound closed, the vet said that because of the location, that would be...

Fifty years ago this month, Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens became the first goaltender in NHL history to wear a full-face protective mask in a game.

Dear Dr. Gridlock : Your article about the District reviving streetcars [ Commuter page, Nov. 1 ] made me recall my experiences in the Boston area in the late 1960s. Streetcars were in use on several lines then, but the suburb of Watertown, Mass., used electric buses, powered by overhead lines.

When an army of life-size clay figures was buried to provide an afterlife entourage for Qin Shihuangdi, China's first emperor, it's unlikely the plan was for the army to take a swing through the nation's capital. But life's funny that way for the Terra Cotta Warriors. The traveling exhibition "Terra...

Nov. 19 "CELEBRATING WOMEN" Pastels by Roger Frey and silver and bronze jewelry by Sherry Chaples. Through Nov. 30. Artists' Undertaking, 309 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-494-0584 or http://www.theartistsundertaking.com . Free.

The Prince William Little Theatre performs this play by Tom Stoppard, the British scribe behind "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" and the co-screenwriter of "Shakespeare in Love." "Arcadia" is set in two time periods at the same English country house, with one part of the narrative following...

It may be getting colder outside, but in the kitchen things are starting to heat up. I think of November and December as the Grand Slam season for the cook and entertainer: a blur of Thanksgiving feasts, holiday buffets, open houses, brunches and New Year's parties.

A rundown of this year's gift wrapping trends, and tips on creating beautiful environmentally-friendly packages.

It's thrilling to get a package in the mail, but not so great if the box looks as though it has been through the mulcher. Here are ways to make sure your holiday gifts get to their destinations in one piece:

These were among sales recorded in Prince William County and supplied to The Washington Post by the Prince William County Real Estate Assessments Office. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Prince William and elsewhere in the Washington area, visit...

After sharing her hairstyling skills with the Prince William area for more than seven years, Rappahannock County resident Cyndi Welch took her talent to a new audience last month: residents of Kenya.

James Marchio, a volunteer financial counselor with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, was recently named Prince William County's Volunteer of the Quarter for July through September. Since 2007, Marchio has taught 27 personal-finance life skills workshops at the homeless shelter run by Securing...

Prince William County supervisors set their legislative agenda Tuesday, and as in years past, funding for transportation and education are the top issues they want addressed when the General Assembly convenes in January.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church , 12975 Purcell Rd., Manassas, will have a holiday craft and gift show featuring more than 30 vendors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. 703-794-1634.

OLD TOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION MEETING , 8 a.m., Manassas Museum, 9101 Prince William St., Manassas. Free. 703-257-7895.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.

The following incidents were reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245.

The following organizations need volunteers and donations during the holiday season.

The second Sunday of every December, you'll find Eileen Milner of Alexandria pulling a filet (medium rare, hopefully) out of her oven as 20 friends crunch on homemade coleslaw and trim her tree.

Scared of having a holiday party with everything else you have to do? Take this advice from those who throw festive gatherings every December.

Gift wrapping advice from Paper Source in Georgetown.

For delivery by Dec. 25, send cards and packages by these dates:

Learn how to create homemade napkins featuring photos of beloved people and places.

Do you know of any place that could repair my several pieces of antique white wicker furniture? One piece, a chaise, has attached upholstery.

"Help! We have a walkout basement that is one large room. We currently have multiple uses for the space, including a home theater and kids' play area."

Growing a vegetable garden is an exercise in humility, disappointment and pride. And sometimes, anger. Hungry deer or rabbits undo the gardener's hard work, but you can accept that there is no mischief involved.

Sow corn or Shirley poppy seeds in garden beds for a display in the spring. The seed should be sown on the surface of sunny beds that are free of heavy mulch and fallen leaves. Winter weeds are beginning to germinate, so weed the beds before sowing the poppy seeds.

Despite your best efforts, certain apple varieties will still be more prone to scab than others.

Along with the joy of holiday gatherings comes an intense fear of your child doing something egregious at the table: chewing with his mouth open, burping the first half of the alphabet, constructing a volcano with her mashed potatoes.

-- Put your napkin in your lap. -- Have a clean face and hands when you sit down at the table.

Doris Burton taught U.S. history in Prince George's County for 27 years. She had her students write 3,000-word term papers. She guided them step by step: first an outline, then note cards, a bibliography, a draft and then the final paper. They were graded at each stage.

Rich Williamson and his girlfriend were talking about kids. Not necessarily whether they'd have them, but what sport their hypothetical offspring might play. "I don't want my children to play football. It's too violent," the 38-year-old Alexandria resident decided. Baseball was deemed boring. And as...

Loudoun County religious leaders privately wrestled with how to address the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex., in the days before a long-planned interfaith celebration drew together more than 175 people from six faiths in Leesburg last Sunday.

George Mason and Georgetown universities have signed a letter of intent to open a joint biomedical program at GMU's Prince William campus next year.

Prince William County Supervisor Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge) will host a town hall meeting Wednesday to discuss the H1N1 virus and precautions to take to remain healthy.

News that appeared Nov. 8-14 in The Washington Post

Wilbur Blaine Sharpe was Prisoner 1,573 during his two years as a captive of Nazi Germany. Today, he's one of more than 120 military veterans living in Ashburn's Ashby Ponds Retirement Community.

10 AND YOUNGER: Old Dominion Outlaws travel team is having tryouts. http://www.odoutlaws.com ; Coach Pete Lysohir, pete@odoutlaws.com , 571-259-9357.

Here's how some major bills fared recently in Congress and how local congressional members voted, as provided by Thomas Voting Reports. The District's congressional delegate is not permitted to vote on final passage of legislation. "NV" means "not voting."

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 2-3 p.m., Conference Room 2/3. Potomac Hospital, 2300 Opitz Blvd., Woodbridge. 703-494-5763.