|
|
 |
Valle Crucis News
By Ethel Foss
August 18, 2008
I hope you are having a good week. Callie and I had a nice quiet weekend. We spent a fair amount of time watering the flowers and the garden. It is getting really dry here in the valley; our front yard stream is barely a trickle. We are so hopeful the storm named Fay will bring us some much needed rain. My wish would be a few days of steady rainfall to really soak the earth. Guess we will just wait and see what Mother Nature brings our way!
I do hope you will be able to come to the Valle Crucis Park Auction this Saturday August 23 at the Valle Crucis Elementary School. John Buchanan, the park director, told me this is their largest fundraiser of the year and he hopes the cafeteria will overflow with folks. The live auction is always fun with friendly bidding back and forth. Callie and I have to be sure to sit beside one another so we don’t bid against each other! There are always so many nice items to bid on plus the silent auction usually has great treasures too.
Viewing of the auction items starts at 8am and the bidding begins at 9am. Park volunteers will be selling coffee, breakfast items and goodies for lunch as well. I wonder if Francis and Sibyl Pressly will bring vegetables and flowers from their garden for the auction this year? I believe the Pressly’s have the prettiest gardens in all of Valle Crucis.
Callie and I are looking forward to purchasing some of the restaurant gift certificates as we like to give them as gifts to our neighbors. I was so sneaky last year buying a gift for Callie. She had her eye on a piece of jewelry but thought it was too expensive. I got a friend to bid on it and then I tucked it away for Callie. You should have seen her face Christmas morning when she opened her gift! We do hope to see you at the elementary school this Saturday.
I want to share a few destinations for our college bound students! Appalachian State begins move in day this Friday August 22 with Wil McGuire, Meagan Ford, and Aleena Boone as a part of the ASU class of 2008. Anna Lisa Hart moves into her dorm at Furman University this Friday as well. Jamie Lawrence, Heidi Tester and David Barnhill will attend Caldwell Community College. Derek Smith is driving across the country this week to join the students at the University of Arizona. Lucy Binning has started classes at Tusculum College in Tennessee. Jesse Russ and Jessica White are attending Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Anders Sjostrand moved into his dorm at North Carolina State last week. Eric Breitenstein is already at Wofford getting ready for football season. David Vines will begin classes at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia in a few weeks. Victoria Freeman left last week for her university near the coast of South Carolina, I think. Drop us a note since I know there are several Valle Crucis college bound students we have not mentioned.
I am so proud of Steve Ahn, John Moore and Dave Shack. These men are tackling an incredible feat by competing in the 2008 Ironman Wisconsin in early September. Not only are they going to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles all in one day but they are going to maintain their blood sugar during the event. These guys are part of Triabetes, a project dedicated to “… integrating an expertly managed training and competition curriculum, an inspirational documentary, a scientifically sound data collection and clinical research program, and the development of an interactive online educational resource for the diabetes community.” I encourage you to visit the www.triabetes.org website to learn more about this organization.
Wishing you three the best of luck with the final stages of your training and with the event!
Callie and I have really enjoyed watching the summer Olympics. It seems like all we do in the evenings these days! There have been countless nights we have fallen asleep in our chairs waiting for a particular event. I am so impressed with the years of training and dedication all of the athletes have shown to the world. I am not sure what we will do with our evenings once the Olympics are over.
Congratulations to Dave Donovan and Janice Page as the celebrated their wedding at the North Carolina coast recently. Callie and I wish you many years of love and happiness!
Happy early birthday to Roy and Joy Flint! Roy (October 22) and Joy (August 29) celebrated their birthdays last weekend with all of their children and grandchildren, friends and family. The grandchildren welcomed guests along the driveway waving American flags and directing the cars to the parking areas. Sounds like a wonderful party and early happy birthday to you both.
Happy birthday also to Wanda Hinshaw August 18, , Nelia Cunningham August 20, Ingrid Forsyth August 22, Debbie Blake August 23, Thomas Rowell August 24, and Bill Welch August 24.
We would love to hear your news. Send us an email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. Have a great week!
Here is a quote from Mira Kirshenbaum about emotional energy: "First you plug the leaks: learn to recognize what drains your energy- life situations, toxic people, or habits such as worry, indecision or guilt. Second, you identify what fills your tank- pleasure, prayer, anticipation, or fun- and give yourself more."
|
 |
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
July 23, 2008
Goodness, gracious, it sure has been warm of late. It’s funny how our weather is. Back just a few weeks earlier, we had more rain than we knew what to do with. I thought it was going to drown our tomatoes. Now, it’s hot and dry again. We’re noticing that there are some places on the rivers and creeks that you could walk across to the other side without getting your shoe tops wet.
Speaking of tomatoes, ours aren’t setting fruit like they have in years past. And they aren’t near as tall. It makes me wonder if Cousin LC hasn’t been fertilizing enough, or if it’s just an off year. It seems that ours aren’t the only ones. Other folks are saying the same thing.
I spoke to a couple of other folks who told me that their squash vines are bearing either. They’ll have big blooms, but then no squash. Gosh, I hate that. I’m looking forward to some fried squash, stirfry vegetables, and maybe some zucchini bread.
I found out last year that you can have all of the flavor of fried squash without the oil and smoke. All you have to do is to warm up your oven to around 400 degrees. Slice your squash, roll them in egg then cornmeal and season them with salt and pepper. Place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake them until they are done. It helps if you watch them and turn them around midway through. They come out just as good, and better for you, as the ones you fry. Just put a little dollop of mayonnaise on top. Yum! I wish I had some squash now!
The annual Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture farm tour is coming up over the first weekend in August. Tickets are available at the Mast Store and at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. Buttons to participate in the tours are $20 each and you’ll be visiting apple and grape orchards, as well as organic vegetable and animal farms. Maybe they could give me an idea on why my garden’s not doing well this year.
The third annual Valle Crucis Punkin Festival is seeking crafters to display at its event on October 25th. Eron and Tracey at the Mast Store told me that it would be great if crafters are “kid friendly” offering an opportunity for young festival goers to either have a hands on experience making something to take home or having ready-made items that they will have fun playing with later. There is no booth fee for the event, but vendors are asked to donate 10% of their proceeds to the Western Youth Network at the end of the day. For more information, contact Tracey or Eron at the Mast General Store – 828-963-6511.
This week’s Music in the Valle is The Rust Kings. They play bluegrass and “funk-a-billy.” That sure sounds like a fun combination. Music starts at 7 p.m. Pack up a picnic and enjoy some fine pickin’. I just love alliteration.
Did you see the news earlier in the summer? Ethel and I try to watch the Today Show in the morning. Anyway, they were talking about concerns with water bottles. It seems like every time you turn around there’s some kind of concern about something. When we were down at the Mast Store last week, we saw a box where they are collecting #7 water bottles for recycling. So, if you are concerned about your water bottle having BPA in it but you don’t want it to add to the piles in the landfill, you might take it by there and drop it in the box.
Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Denise Ringler on July 24, Bob Darst on July 26, and Sam Yates on July 27. Happy Anniversary to Bob and Polly Caps on July 26, Jan and Harriat Smith on July 27. We hope you get to have lots of fun on your big days!
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Here’s a quote I hope you’ll enjoy this week: The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook. William James.
Have a wonderful week
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
July 16, 2008
I’m a little tardy in getting the news in this week. Why do we always assume that we are going to have enough time to do all the things we set our minds to but somehow vastly underestimate the actual time that it takes to accomplish each task? Both of us are guilty of putting way more on our “to do list” than what we can do in any reasonable amount of time. So with that rationalization out of the way, it’s on to the news.
On of the best things about being a little late is you can write about things that happen after my “deadline.” Did you watch the Home Run Derby on Monday night? It was my turn to have control of the clicker, so I popped Ethel some “real” popcorn to encourage her to enjoy the All-Star festivities with me. She’s not as big a fan of baseball as I am. We sat down and thought it was going to be a typical derby, but what we saw was far from typical. I can’t believe that Josh Hamilton belted out 28 homeruns in the first round. Sure, it’s batting practice, but still, it takes a little power to blast those balls out of the park. Although Josh didn’t win the overall competition, he set a record for total number of homeruns hit, and total number of homeruns hit in the first round.
Even though that was exciting, it’s not near as exciting as watching and waiting for Hank Aaron to hit his 715th homerun. He hit it in 1974 and went on to hit 755 total homers. I think we tuned in the game on WRET Channel 36 out of Charlotte. It was a bit fuzzy – remember, we didn’t have cable back then – but it was still awesome!
I heard some news from over around Punkin Center. Katia, a pit bull mix and one of the sweetest dogs you’ll ever meet, is missing. She is mostly black with some white markings, and is graying around her muzzle. She was last seen in the Dutch Creek Road/Matney area and isn’t wearing her collar. Please give Margie a call if you see her – 773-7108 – she’s missed by lots of people.
We still haven’t seen the pigs up close and in person, but after watching Charlotte’s Web this weekend, we’ll have to stop and see if there’s a web bearing the message of “some pig” hanging in the doorway. What a great movie. I’m going to have to get a copy of the book and re-read it. We read it so many years ago, that it’ll be like reading it for the first time.
Have you ever just sat around the house and wondered about things? Ethel accuses me of doing that too much sometimes. But I got to thinking about water towers – you know the ones you see when you’re traveling from time to time. There’s one near Gaffney, SC that looks like a giant peach – we saw that one time and had to laugh because the angle we first saw it at, it looked like something totally different (wink, wink). Anyway, my wonderment was just how do those things work? As it turns out, you can go to howstuffworks.com and find out. Isn’t the internet a marvelous resource? In olden times, you know about 12-15 years ago, you might spend weeks hunting for something that’s readily available in just a few mouse clicks.
In my reading, I found out that typically the water towers you see have about one day’s worth of water stored in them. If the power goes out, then the town’s water system can be fed by this water tower using gravity to provide the pressure.
Welcome back to the Binning family. They were out of town on vacation and enjoying the island of Bermuda. I asked Brenda if they experienced any ill effects from Bertha, the hurricane that was threatening the island during their stay. She said that it really arrived after they left, but they were expecting a lot of rain and winds up to around 50 mph.
She did tell me a little about the waters there. She said the island is surrounded by reefs. So if you are swept out in the surf too far, instead of landing on sand, you might end up on some hard coral. Youch! That sounds painful. Her comment was “Who needs a spa treatment, when you can get exfoliated by coral?” I think I might take the spa.
Don’t forget this week’s Music in the Valle at the Park. The performers are Steve and Ruth Smith. They play guitar and hammered dulcimer and their selections of music include Celtic and Appalachian tunes. It all starts at 7 p.m.
If you’re around this weekend, the Mast Store is hosting a Vendor Food Fair at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. It’s a great opportunity to taste and sample some of the wonderful selection of country gourmet items that are on the shelves at the store.
Also, you’ve probably read about the puppies from the puppy mill over in Todd. The Watauga Humane Society is trying to take care of all of these pups and to find them new homes. Part of their expenses include spaying and neutering and other medical care for these pooches. Folks from the Humane Society will be at the Original Mast Store on Saturday with an animal fare and information on how you can help them.
Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Margaret Pritchard on July 16, Gabrielle Harmeyer on July 17, Carolyn Travis on July 18, Patsy Townsend on July 21, and John Cooper on July 22. We hope you get to have lots of fun on your birthday!
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Here’s a quote I hope you’ll enjoy this week: When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. Greg Anderson.
Have a wonderful week
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
July 9, 2008
It’s a change over week for me and Ethel, so I’m hoping that I got all the news that’s fit to report. Whenever we switch writers it seems that we always forget something – sometimes it’s birthdays; sometimes it’s something else.
I was visiting with Sheri from the Mast Store just the other day and she told me that you might be seeing some familiar territory on WJHL Channel 11 out of Johnson City. Tim Cable, who does a regular feature called Cable Country, visited the area back in early June on a media tour that was put together by the businesses in Valle Crucis. While he was here, along with six other journalists, he visited the Moses Cone Estate for the Sunday evening grave walk, went horseback riding with Dutch Creek Trails, enjoyed a quick tour of the Valle Crucis Conference Center, hiked on Grandfather Mountain, and did modified birdwalk with Curtis Smalling at the Valle Crucis Park before enjoying a meal at the Valle Café. Can you believe how busy this group must have been!!??
Anyway, if you watch Channel 11 and are familiar with Cable Country, you should be seeing some local information for the next three weeks. If you miss it, you can also watch it on his blog at http://cablecountry.tricitiesblogs.com/cablecountry/.
Ethel and I were flipping through the pages on the Cable Country blog a couple of days ago and landed on one for the Zorb, which is located over in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. If we were just a little bit younger, we might ask Cousin LC to carry us over there for a ride. It sure does sound like fun – especially the one where they put a little water in the Zorb with you. I think Tim described it as “like a washing machine.”
I know Ethel mentioned that the little piggies are back at the sustainable farm. From what I understand, this time they are brothers. Right now, they are living with the chickens because they are so small. I guess they need a little bit of company. We’ve been told that they are a little shy and like to hide in the tall grass. I’ll have to stop by for a visit soon. I just love to listen to them snort and grunt. I don’t know why I find it so funny, but it makes the both of us giggle.
The Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain start this week on Thursday evening. It’s almost like we’ve had a bit of Scotland right here in the valley for the last couple of weeks. The pipers have been piping away over at the Conference Center. They have one last practice on Wednesday night before the games. The mass band will gather to practice piping and marching at 6:30 p.m. in the lower church parking lot. Then after that, around 7:30 or 8 p.m., they will have a Ceilidh in the dining hall. The public is invited to come over and enjoy. And for those of you that are wondering, it’s pronounced kay-lee, and it’s like a Scottish variety show.
The pipers will still be at the Conference Center until July 25th. On July 28th, the Jink and Diddle Fiddlers will be coming in for a little different sound.
Hurray for the new Foscoe Fire Substation that’s located on Dewitt Barnett Road. It opened just this week and will make it easier for our brave volunteers that serve this community in the event of a fire. Speaking of that, did you know that Valle Crucis is divided between three different fire districts? The upper valley is served by Shawneehaw, and the lower valley is divided between Foscoe and Cove Creek. Many thanks to all of the brave men and women who answer the call to service as firefighters. We all certainly appreciate you sharing with our community.
Did you get a chance to get out over the 4th of July? Ethel and I ventured out to Boone to catch the 4th of July Parade. We’ve never seen such a site in town. King Street was lined several deep from where the parade started all the way to where it begins to fall out. The Community Band played and we saw a whole slew of old cars that made us yearn for our younger days.
Since we had our outing earlier in the day, we didn’t get a chance to make it out to the Park for the music on the 4th. Jeff and Benares played to a sizeable crowd from what we understand. Cousin LC told us all about it…along with all the tasty details about the feast Weezie whipped up. He claims that he really tried to save us a bite or two. We don’t think that he tried hard enough!!
This week’s entertainment on Friday night is Brian McGee and the Hollowspeed. The music starts at 7 p.m., so bring a picnic supper and enjoy the pleasant evening with a few of your friends. Many thanks to Tracey Thompson for organizing the event that runs throughout the summer.
I can’t remember if Ethel mentioned this or not, but London Ollis, who works at the Mast Store Annex, has made a beautiful quilt out of bandanas. It measures 72 inches by 54 inches, and it is on display at the Annex. London made it to be used as a raffle to raise funds for Erin Isaacs. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. The drawing is slated for July 26.
Late congratulations to Sandra and Gaetano Siano and welcome to the world Alexander Henri Siano! Sandra and Gaetano work and manage the Mast Farm Inn. Alexander is their second child, and he was born on June 2nd.
I guess it’s time for the birthday list now. Let me see if Ethel left it for me….Yes! And in a place where I could find it. Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Jill Storelli on July 13 and to Dona Parkinson on July 15. We hope you get to have lots of fun on your birthday!
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Here is a quote that I think might be appropriate for one of our regular readers, but I hope that everyone can take it to heart: No longer forward nor behind I look in hope and fear; But grateful take the good I find, the best of now and hear. John G. Whittier.
Have a wonderful week
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
May 28, 2008
Did you go anywhere over the Memorial Day weekend? Ethel and I stayed home and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It seems that warmer weather may be here to stay for a while. Thank goodness. We’ve taken a look at our garden, and it looks like we may have to replant a few things. The cold snap back a few weeks ago must have convinced the seeds that there’s no chance for them to germinate.
And the gas prices. My goodness. We’re all going to wish that Tweetsie still made a stop over near Hound Ears and continued on to Boone. We are thinking this year that we may have more of a “stay-cation” than a traveling vacation. Of course, we’ll probably take one or two trips this summer, provided LC or someone will drive for us. Those long trips are a bit more than we can take on our own.
Anyway, in looking at the at all of the variety of things to do around here, we should be pretty busy! We can take a trip to Grandfather Mountain or maybe go over to the Moses Cone Park and do the grave walk one Sunday night or maybe we could take a ride to the top of the ridge with the folks over at Dutch Creek Trails. I wonder if Keith has a surrey he could carry the both of us in.
Or maybe we could renew our fishing license and throw a line in the river like we did when we were kids. We always had such fun doing that. I caught a water dog one time. That was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen in my life. I threw my pole in the water and vowed not to fish again. Ethel, of course, was laughing so much that fishing, at least for the remainder of that day, was out of the question any how.
Have you ever seen a waterdog? One was enough for me, but I did some reading on them and found out that they date back to the time of the dinosaurs. They like to eat crayfish, worms, and small fish. I thought the one that I caught had designs on my fingers!
Tracey Thompson has put together a great line up of music for Music in the Park this year. The first concert is set for Friday, June 13th. I’ll hunt up the information and share it with Ethel, so she can tell you more about who is performing during the first couple of weeks. We hope we might see you out at the Park. It’s always a good time listening to music and visiting with a few good friends.
Cousin LC sent us an e-mail to let us know that he found out that we’ll be getting some new little piggies at the Sustainable Farm in the next few weeks. Ethel and I look forward to being able to drive by and watch the antics of our mud-loving friends.
Congratulations to Tom Eshelman and Jeanne Finan. They are proud grandparents…again! Their granddaughter – Truth Kamala Eamonn – was born on May 15th.
Don’t forget that the last day of school is Wednesday, May 28th. We are bound to see more children out playing and riding their bicycles, so keep your eyes open.
I don’t think that I have any birthdays to share this week.
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Ethel will be returning as your “roving reporter” next week for the whole month of June. She’s been enjoying her month off, but she’s ready to give you the scoop on what’s happening here in the valley.
Ethel and I are both big recyclers. We think it’s a shame to waste something that can be used over again. But in looking for a quote for this week, I found this, which really made me think: One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time. Anonymous.
Have a wonderful week
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
May 21, 2008
Can you believe the end of the school year is coming up the end of this month? The last day for students is Wednesday, May 28th. That’s an early release day, so be watching for school buses and students around lunch time.
Lot’s of end of year activities are planned at Valle Crucis, including trips to see the Crawdads in Hickory, picnics, and even a trip to go bowling. That sure does sound like fun. Ethel and I went bowling once. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of it, I forgot to let loose of the ball and ended up about half way down the lane. Let me tell you, that polish on the lanes is a whole lot more slippery than the Pledge we use on our furniture. It did make for a good laugh!
If you’ve been cleaning out your closets, garages, and attics and have come across a few items that you just don’t know what to do with, I may have the answer for you. May 26th through 31st is Community Pride Week. During that time, Watauga County residents can dispose of your residential debris (appliances, tires, furniture, etc.) at the landfill off of Highway 421 for free. And if you’ve come across an old fax machine or TV that you no longer use or that doesn’t work, please don’t throw it in the dumpster. Take them to the Electronics Recycling Day at the landfill from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. They can take VCRs, phones, computers, printers, monitors, etc. By recycling them, we keep the heavy metals like lead, mercury, and even cadmium from leaching into our water supply.
You’ll probably run across some old paint or stain or maybe an old battery or two, those can be accepted on Saturday, May 31st at the landfill, along with pesticides, oils, cleaners, etc. If you have any questions, you can call the Watauga County Sanitation office at 264-5305.
Happy retirement to a few of the fine folks at Valle Crucis Elementary – Mary Henson from the cafeteria, Candace Hall in reading, Jo Bunton one of the custodians, and Sue Buel, a middle school math teacher. We all appreciate your service to the students and to the community!
Last week, I forgot to share some sad news with you. Ethel and I were driving by the ASU Sustainable Farm one morning and noticed a bit of a commotion. As we got closer, we saw what was causing all of the commotion. Our friends the pigs have ended up on someone’s dinner table. But, they had a good life. Lots of sleeping in the warm afternoon sun and lots of rootin’ up dirt. I’ll miss them because I really enjoyed all of their interesting expressions. They can have some of the goofiest looks on their faces sometimes. We can look forward to some piglets again this fall.
Ethel and I visited with Heather Stewart at the Valle Crucis Elementary School. She told us that she is on a team with six other participants that will be Breast Cancer 3 Day event in Washington, D.C. starting on October 3rd. Her team is walking in honor of a teacher at Valle Crucis Elementary who is celebrating her one-year anniversary of being cancer free. And they are also keeping in mind all of the other women in Valle Crucis who have experienced the effects of cancer. Each participant has to raise $2,200. Call Heather at the school if you have questions or if you’d like to donate (or even join their team). The number is 963-4712.
There are a few birthdays to share this week. Happy Birthday to Elizabeth Tester (May 25), Stephen Townsend (May 28), and Sven Sjostrand and Jakob Sjostrand, who both celebrate on May 30. Also Happy Anniversary to George and Jo Bunton on May 21st.
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
I really enjoy the game of baseball. With that in mind, I found this quote that sums up the game: You see the ball, you hit the ball. They hit the ball, you catch the ball. You catch the ball, you throw the bal. That’s it. From Kirby Puckett’s Zen of Baseball.
Have a wonderful week.
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
May 7, 2008
Wasn’t Sunday beautiful? It was nice to be able to enjoy the warmer weather while sitting on the porch. Ethel and I were enjoying all of the flowers that are beginning to peek out – the apple blossoms are almost over, and luckily the cold weather didn’t nip them this year. Our irises are just now beginning to bloom and we are just overrun with pansies that came up from last fall’s seeds. I’m so glad that the forecasters for Saturday’s weather missed the rain. It seems like each of the last six weekends we’ve had rain or snow. However, we can use a shower or two because the effects of the drought are still being felt. Rain would be nice…as long as it’s between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Don’t you agree?
I hope everyone went to the polls on Tuesday. It is not only our right, but our obligation to take part in the democratic process by voicing our opinion and seeking out candidates to do what’s best for the country. Ethel and I vote every time we have the opportunity. We believe that if you don’t voice your opinion at the polls, then you can’t talk about the decisions that are made by our elected officials. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we disagree with the decisions those in our government make. As always, there is a way to make your views known. Our politicians are just a phone call, letter, or e-mail away and they want to hear from their constituency. The upcoming election in November will be a hard fought race, and we hope that our country can find elected officials that want to do what is right for the country without consideration of party lines.
Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday. We hope that you will remember your mother and visit with her a bit. Did you know that 25% of the floral purchases for the year are made for gifts on Mother’s Day? It is also a peak day for long-distance phone calls and one of the busiest days of the year for many restaurants. We remember our mother each year by planting one of her favorite flowers in the garden. She had so many. This year’ we’re planting some four o’clock seeds in her memory. I can’t put in writing what she used to say about them, but all in all, we believe that she did enjoy their light perfume in the night air.
Speaking of Mother’s Day, the Shawneehaw Volunteer Fire Department Ladies’ Auxilary is having a plant sale on May 9th at 1 p.m. and on May 10th starting at 8 a.m. at the Fire Department. You’ll be able to find hanging baskets, impatiens, geraniums, fuchsias, and other assorted flowers along with fruit and vegetable plants, too.
Holy Cross Church will be having a Treasure Sale, also known as a Rummage Sale, on May 8th, 9th, and 10th starting at 8 a.m. each day. They have all kinds of items that would be useful around the house. The sale will continue until noon, except on Saturday when it will end at 11 a.m. Stop by to see what treasure you can find.
Mark your calendars for the Farmers’ Market at the Mast General Store. The first market will be on Wednesday, May 21st from 2 p.m .until 6 p.m. Last year, we found all kinds of produce there, and it was much more convenient than having to go to Boone. My favorite was the pitty-pat squash. I cut it into “slabs,” breaded it, and baked it. It’s just as good as fried squash and a lot better for you because you don’t have as much grease on it. Of course, I had to put a little mayonnaise on top. Yum!!
I’ll have to get the birthday news to you next week. As always, it seems that when Ethel and I switch off, we lose the folder that has all of that valuable information in it. One of these days I’m going to have to get better organized.
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Many thanks for all of the news you shared with Ethel. She does such a good job of pulling it all together and snooping around a little bit herself. Here’s the quote of the week: Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities. Aristotle.
Have a wonderful week.
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Ethel Foss
April 8, 2008
I hope you are having a great week! Thank you to sweet Callie for writing during March. What wacky weather we had in March. I hope I can report on some fine, warm spring days ahead in April. Although this week looks like April Showers will bring about May flowers.
Our double daffodils are absolutely beautiful. We even went into the woods
where some had been flooded away from the garden and picked a few big
bouquets. Not only are they beautiful but they are so fragrant. Vases full
of yellow blooms will brighten any day.
I heard Sonny Sweet on the radio talking about the trout tournament last weekend at the fishing hole behind Henson Chapel in Amantha. I hope it was a big success. I will always remember the first fish I caught on a cane pole. I was as proud as I could be at 5 years old with that tiny fish swinging from the hook. Callie and I used to fish when we were little girls. I didn’t like putting the worm on the hook so she always did it for me. Neither of us liked taking the fish off so we would holler until someone came to help!
I left Callie at home to watch basketball and went to the coast with some friends after
Easter. It was so nice to have a change of pace and see spring across the state. The red bud trees were stunning along the interstate and it was fun to watch the Bradford Pears.
They are blooming just off the mountain and are totally green with leaves in the eastern
part of the state. It was cool and windy on the beach but we had such a good time eating seafood and collecting shells. I did have to bundle up while walking on the beach but I did not mind one bit.
It was nice to come home and sleep in my own bed after being away. I am always in awe of our beautiful mountains traveling back up Hwy. 421. I am so thankful there are no billboards to obstruct the view.
And speaking of billboards, oh my goodness. I counted over 20 big billboards just from
Broadstone Road to Zippis on Hwy 105! This does not even count the signs in front of businesses. It is such a sharp contrast over the billboard free Hwy 421. I understand businesses wanting to advertise but it sure is distracting with so many billboards in such a short span of space.
I got a note from Fay Binning about the Avalanche Triple Crown. These are three running races to raise funds for the Ted Mackorell Field of Dreams Soccer Complex. The first race is the Valle Crucis 25K run which is a bit over 14 miles and will be held May 3, 2008. The runners start at Valle Crucis School and go up Hwy 194 to Matney. They take a right onto Rominger Road and follow this beautiful roadway to the Watauaga River Road and run back to the school.
The second event is the Valle Crucis 7 Miler on September 5, 2008. This run
also leaves Valle Crucis School and takes runners on Hwy 194 past the Watauga River, onto Bairds Creek Road, up to Danner Cemetery, back down the mountain and finishes at the school.
The final event of the Triple Crown is the Running of the Knob on October 5, 2008. This event starts at the Watauga County Library and the participants run or walk up to Howards Knob. Mike and Debbie Galleher walked the event last year and are hoping to participate again this year.
There is $1,500 in cash prizes to be split between the top 3 male and top 3 female finishers with their overall combined times for all three events. To register and for more information, visit www.avalanchetc.org.
Fay also told me about the Celebrity Serve event this Tuesday. This year the Field of Dreams will be the recipient of Celebrity Serve. I read about it in the paper and hope it is a good event.
I was sorry to hear that Belinda Forsyth's father passed away recently in Sweden. Belinda is such a lovely woman and our thoughts and prayers are with her during this sad time.
Safe travels to the 8th graders from Valle Crucis who leave Wednesday for their trip to Williamsburg, VA. I know they will have a great time and make fun memories. Also for VCES parents, the PTSA meeting has been changed to April 15 at 6pm in the Media Center.
Callie and I are hoping the weather is good this weekend so we can go up to Grandfather Mountain and take advantage of Dollar Days. We always try to visit the top of the mountain in April. Thanks to the kind folks at Grandfather Mountain for creating this opportunity for the local folks.
Have you ever watched the television program Deal or No Deal? I heard Shelby Cannon who works at the Mast Store Annex has made it to the second interview on the show. Now wouldn’t that be so fun to watch Shelby win one million dollars! I will keep you posted if she makes it on the show.
Congratulations to VCES students Jeanette Vines, Anna Church, Kayla Cole, Skylar Hicks and Yancey McCoury. These girls have been chosen to represent Watauga County in Florida at the AAU National Volleyball tournament in June. They will also compete in the Quest 4 Excellence Tournament in Greensboro, NC. The girls would appreciate any monetary help that you might offer to get them to the tournament. For $75 your name will be listed on the back of their sponsor shirt, $150 or more your logo or small advertisement will be included. Contributions can be sent to: Appalachian Avalanche c/o Danielle Stewart, 6599 Hwy 194 N, Boone, NC 29607. Call Danielle Stewart 828.264.4502 with any questions. Way to go, girls!
Callie and I are playing hide and seek with the birthday list and neither one of us can find it. We need to get our spring cleaning going to get ourselves organized! I do know Annie Binning is 22 years old on April 8, Pat Holmes celebrates April 8, and Heather Stewart’s birthday is April 7. I will catch you up on the rest of the birthdays next week. Until then, have a great week. You can send us an email to callieandethel@hotmail.com.
I like Callie’s quotes so here is one of my favorites:
People will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how
You made them feel.
Quoted by Maya Angelou
Caption photo: Jeanette Vines, Kayla Cole, Anna Church, Skylar Hicks, Yancey McCury
|
|
Valle Crucis News
By Callie Foss
April 2, 2008
Can you believe the weather? First it was warm enough for people to think seriously about their gardens, then a cold weather “wedgie,” as Ray called it, makes itself known with fog and chilly, damp temperatures all through the weekend. Surely it's going to warm up a bit soon…and stay that way. I'm looking forward to that, along with being able to enjoy an afternoon glass of tea on the porch without having to bundle up like an Eskimo.
Did you catch any of the basketball games this weekend? Ethel and I were particularly interested in the Davidson – Kansas game. We truly enjoy seeing an underdog do well, and Davidson represented all of us in North Carolina and the Southern Conference very well in the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament. We just knew that the shot by Richards was going to fall at the last second. When it didn't, we had a bit of a let down, but we were still proud of how hard the Wildcats worked and played to leave a lasting impression. We're hoping that the Tar Heels make us proud next weekend!
I was on the way to pick up a few things on Friday afternoon when I passed by Sarah Mast's house around 6 p.m. They are getting a start on their gardening and had a triple hitch of draft horses that were so brown they were almost black, or maybe they were, my eyesight isn't what it used to be. They were beautiful as they strained against the harnesses pulling the plow. The earth is turned and almost ready for planting.
We saw Howell Cook walking his horse across the pasture this morning. He's probably getting ready to do the same thing. Spring is such a magical time of year. I've noticed that the trees are all getting their “red buds” on, which means that tender, green leaves are near.
Just a reminder for you. Ethel and I saw in the Watauga Democrat that the Sheriff's Department is looking for two men that are selling meat out of a cooler in their pick up truck. From what the article says, they approach people either in their neighborhoods and if you agree to purchase some meat, they put it in your freezer along with all kinds of other stuff you didn't want. Then they demand payment for all of it.
We were approached by these same men about a month and a half ago when we were picking up a few things at the Sally Beauty Supply (we have to keep up appearances, if you know what I mean). They asked if we would like some nice fresh steaks and made us a pretty good price. It just seems a little strange that someone would buy from “two guys selling meat out of a pickup.” After all, where did they get the meat? So, we turned them down. I hope none of you, dear readers, are caught up in this situation. If you see these two men, please call the Sheriff's Department at 828-264-3761.
Don't forget about the Erin Isaacs Ride on April 26th. It's fun, scenic, and for a good cause. If you need more information, please call Charles Gilliam at 828-964-8157 or e-mail at gilliamhouse@peoplepc.com.
This week is April Fool's day. I hope you'll let us in on some of your April Fool's jokes. If you get any good pictures, that are good natured, of course, please send us one and we'll post it on the news page at ValleCrucis.com and maybe even send it along to the Watauga Democrat.
Birthday wishes go out to Charlotte Frost on April 1, Tom McDonough on April 2, Will Blake on April 3, and Annie Binning on April 8. I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating your special day!
Please send us your news on email to callieandethel@hotmail.com. If you need to send it by the postal service, mail it to:
Valle Crucis News
c/o Sandy Shook
Watauga Democrat
474 Industrial Park Drive
Boone, NC 28607
Ethel returns as the reporter of all the news there is to know here in Valle Crucis for April. I hope you enjoy what she has to say and will send her a note or two. Here's a quote to ponder for the week: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau.
Have a wonderful week. I'll look forward to visiting again in May.
|
|
|
|
