Evince Magazine October 2022

Jared Terrell

is

Editor’s Note

ctober fills me with nostalgia, and I’m not alone. Halloween has become massive, because costume-wearing, party-going, spooky-decorating, HocusPocus-watching adults have latched onto the season.

I feel a pang for children who celebrate Halloween, because nothing they do as an adult will capture the full magic of Halloween as a child.

But I feel ok about that. Susan Cain helped me reframe how I think about pangs and nostalgia in her recent

book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole Experiencing the bittersweet is our door to compassion, meaning, and transcendence, Cain says.

Although this might sound uncomfortable in the optimism-obsessed U.S., world faiths and cultures recognize the need for longing. The foods on the Jewish seder plate are a mixture of the bitter and the sweet. The ancient Greek myth of Tantalus, always stretching for fruit that evaded his reach, gives us

the word “tantalize.” Advent is a season of anticipation and “not yet” as Christians approach Christmas. Cherry blossoms are celebrated in Japan because of their beauty combined with their impermanence.

Take a look at your top songs and see if the sad or minor keys outnumber the peppy. While your individual listens may vary, most people’s stats show they listen to happy songs 175 times and sad songs 800 times.

So the next time you are tantalized or feel a pang or nostalgia or longing, don’t rush for resolution. While there is satisfaction in completeness, there is humanity in longing.

Kendall Ratliffe is the editor of Evince Magazine and a results coach at www.tryonething.co.

Editor / Kendall Ratliffe

kendall@evincemagazine.com

Contributing Writers

Linda Lemery, Marc Muneal, Josh Lucia, Mack Williams

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Demont Design (Kim Demont)

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Cindy Yeatts (1.434.709.7349)

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Photo of Jared Terrell by Jameel Austin Photography.

Jared Terrell teaches art at Bartlett Yancey High School (BYHS) in Yanceyville, North Carolina. He doesn’t just teach art; he teaches beginning Introduction to Art, Art 2, Honors Art, Advanced Art, and graphic design. And he isn’t just teaching art; he’s building an entire arts program. “I constantly want to expand the program,” Terrell says.

Terrell graduated from BYHS in 1990, built a professional career, and then became a teacher. He returned to Caswell in 2016, and he wants to spend the rest of his career teaching art in the community that raised him.

“My heart’s in teaching,” Terrell says. “I feel like it’s my calling. I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade this for anything. Caswell is the second most rural and poor county in North Carolina. We need to have things that are great. And I’m working on making the visual arts something great.”

Terrell has lived in Rome, Miami, Las Vegas, and the Rocky Mountains. When not teaching, he is a professional artist, selling

work and taking commissioned projects. Terrell first taught history and social studies while taking a break from the art world. “The dive back into art has been so rewarding,” he says.

Terrell enjoys the stability of teaching and the reward of sharing his expertise. “I know from my graphic design background that there are many career opportunities with the arts,” he says. “I was told there’s nothing you can do with art. That is a myth. Everything you use around you, from your phone to the building that you’re in, there are artists creating it. I want to teach that. I want students to build their skills for those careers.”

The student response to the arts program has been resounding. Last spring was one of his best semesters, Terrell says, with full classes and no discipline problems. “The students figured out what the classes were really about. They started showing off their art and trying to impress me. That just made me glow inside, and I want to keep that momentum up,” he says. Next on Terrell’s list is growing the dance

Jared Terrell

Art is for Everyone

by Kendall Ratliffe photo by Jameel Austin Photography

and band programs.

Art serves as an anchor for students of all interests, Terrell says. “For a lot of students here, art is their thing; they know they love it. For them, I make the class challenging, rigorous, and relevant to their lives.”

When students don’t have a background in visual arts, Terrell teaches skill-building courses. Students learn techniques for line, shading, and perspective, which they use to draw portraits at the beginning and end of the semester. “I show them how they’re grown by the end, and they go, ‘Hey I didn’t know I could do that!’,” Terrell says.

While Terrell teaches techniques, he lets the students drive the content. They draw portraits of themselves, their friends, and their favorite celebrities. “When you make it about what they’re interested in, you have a lot more success. I teach them the basics but then let them go in their own direction,” he says.

Terrell helps students develop skills along the spectrum of visual creativity. One student was not

connecting with drawing. But once the class moved on to watercolors, they discovered a strength with color theory— what colors look good together, or are analogous or complementary. “I planted the idea for them to maybe try fashion. They took the graphic art course, and their posters and ads use those strengths with color theory,” Terrell says.

Regardless of what draws a student to his classes, Terrell wants to be “a rock, a sure foundation for students.” “For me, in high school, the arts program was my anchor. It’s what kept me in school,” Terrell says.

Although this is Terrell’s twenty-first year teaching, he’s not looking to retire anytime soon. “This is going to keep me young,” he says.

And what would Terrell say to adults? “Always explore and try things. There’s never a time to say, ‘I can’t do that.’ Art is therapeutic! And it’s your own thing. Art is expressing something that’s inside you.”

While reflecting on the passing of Betty White, I thought about how many teachers, like myself, loved The Golden Girls Teaching is central not only to many a Golden Girls plot but to the relationship dynamics among the show’s four major characters as well. From on-screen teacher Dorothy to beloved naïve Rose—portrayed by the even more beloved late Betty White—the Girls offer a surprisingly comprehensive representation of the trials and triumphs of the profession. As we kick off the school year, join me in recalling what made these characters great in this four-part series.

Sophia Petrillo (portrayed by Estelle Getty)

Dorothy’s Sicilian mother was an elderly woman in her eighties, recently recovered from a stroke that compromised her ability to self-edit. Sophia freely shared what was on her mind, often insulting others with her unfiltered and bracing observations. Not pausing to reflect on the probable effect of what came out of her mouth, Sophia sometimes had to make a hasty apology but, as often as not, accepted that she said what she said, and to heck with it.

Sophia spent most of her life as a homemaker, looking after husband Sal and their three children. Living through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and a humble existence in mid-century New York, however, meant that she occasionally took in additional work to contribute to the household coffers (3.2: “One for the Money”). While never formally a teacher, Sophia’s age and worldly experience make her a font of wisdom, with a gift for storytelling and knack for helping the listener glean an important lesson.

Created almost as a cartoon character not intended to be a series regular, Sophia arguably ended up being the most wellrounded of the four Girls and another apt portrait of a teacher. She represents the virtues of hard work and grit, the value of lived experience, the ideal of engaging and nurturing listeners and learners, and the negotiations teachers frequently make in their professional lives when faced with the need to speak loudly and plainly.

Marc Muneal is a professor of English at Averett University in Danville, Virginia.

Why Teachers See

Themselves in Betty White’s Rose (and the Other Golden Girls)

by Marc Muneal illustration by Noah Bridges

October Calendar of Evince

Abbreviation Key

• CP = Carrington Pavilion, 629 Craghead Street

• DMFAH = Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644

www.danvillemuseum.org

• GML = Gunn Memorial Library, 161 Main St, Yanceyville, NC, 336.694.6241

• MSAC = Main Street Art Collective, 326 Main Street, 434.602.2017

MainStreetArtCollective.com

• RBA = Ruby B. Archie Public Library, 511 Patton Street, www.readdanvilleva.org

• SS = Smokestack Theatre Company, 319 Lynn Street, Danville, VA 24541

Ongoing

Wednesdays

Farmers’ Market: Open each Wednesday through August 31.Fruits and Vegetables, Crafts, Baked Goods and more. 1:00pm6:00pm. 434-797-8961. 629 Craghead Street, Community Market Parking Lot

Thursdays

Caswell Farmers’ Market: Presented by the Caswell Local Foods Council. 4:00-6:30pm. Bright Leaf Square (by Goodwill) 2246 NC Hwy 86 N, Yanceyville. More info at CaswellLocalFoods@ gmail.com or Facebook.

Saturdays

Danville Farmers’ Market: Fruits and Vegetables, Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Jams and Jellies, Eggs, Honey, Baked Goods, Crafts, and more. 7:30am-12:00pm. 434797-8961. 629 Craghead Street, Community Market Parking Lot Free Ti-Chi: on the DMFAH lawn each at 11:00am.

Multiple October Dates

Pottery classes: For more information contact Jonathan Scollo.com. DMFAH.

September 1

Coloring and Conversation

October 3

The Recc’ing Crew Book Lovers Group. Register at (434) 7995195. 5:30-6:30 p.m. RBA.

October 4

The Write Stuff – Writers’ Group Register (434) 799-5195. 5-6:30 p.m. RBA. Barktoberfest: Bring your pup! With pet product vendors, basic training classes, a themed photo booth, and activities. 6-8 p.m. Coates Bark Park

October 6

Introduction to FamilySearch: Learn about using the family tree, indexes, the research wiki, and more. Register (434) 799-5195. 5:30-6:30 p.m. RBA.

October 8

Fall Painting: 11am. $35. MSAC.

smore’s, dancing, a mov-ie, and more. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Coates Recreation Center

October 21

Game Night & Our 4th Anniversary Celebration: Come play games & eat cupcakes! 6-8 pm. MSAC.

October 22

Fall River Clean-Up: Supplies are first come, first served. Registration is required (434) 799-5150. 9-12 p.m. Pepsi Building.

October 9

Chatham Concert Series: Bach 2 the Baroque: Kevin Matheson and Rick Dolan, baroque violins and bows. 3:30pm. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 66 N. Main St. Chatham, VA

October 14

Coates Fall Festival: Costume contests, pumpkin painting,

October 15

Thomas Day Art Walk: Thomas Day reenactment by Fred Motley, kids activities, live music, live art demonstrations, makers market and more 10:00am-3:00pm. Broad St Milton, NC 27305

October 19

Puzzle Swap: Bring puzzles to swap with others. Free. 11 am. MSAC.

October 20, 21 & 22

Ghosts and Gravestones. Information and tickets danvillemuseum .org. Rain Date October 23. DMFAH.

October 29

Parent and Me: Weekend

Explorations: Beginner friendly naturalist hike. Parents are required to stay. Ages 0-17. Call (434) 799-5150. 9:30-10:30am. Angler’s Park.

Family Tree Paper Art: 11 am $45. MSAC

Bridge Street Food Truck Rodeo: 12 PM 6 PM, Bridge St, Danville, VA 24541, United States

Barktoberfest

October 31

Market

5

UPCOMING:

November 7

Forever Motown: A Tribute to the Music of Motown. 7:30 p.m. Ticket info www.eventbrite. com; www.danvilleconcert.org; 434.770.8400

Aplant appeared recently on my front porch. It came out of nowhere, like a reverse religious rapture. The plant was sitting in a rocking chair, waiting for me to have a drink and a chat.

I sat down in the other rocker. “Are you lost?” I inquired.

“No,” it said. “My foster parents dropped me off.”

“When will they pick you up?”

“Never. I am an orphan. You must adopt me.”

“You look like an indoor plant,” I said.

“Well, I was. Actually, I’m a plant family. You appear not to be a plant person. There are multiple species in this pot.”

“Straight-talking, plant. I like talking with others who don’t beat around the bush. You look dry. Would you like a drink?”

“I prefer water that has stood overnight so that sunlight has killed off chemicals that support humanity. It’s not always all about humanity, is it? But yes, I’m parched.”

I brought back filtered water and poured the plant a drink. “How’s that,” I said.

“Smackooyeh,” said the plant.

The soil had sucked down the water. I poured the plant another drink. This water was slower to vanish. “Random thoughts?” I asked.

“I live to serve humanity and the planet. For example, I photosynthesize,” said the plant.

“Many humans have service to others as part of their cultures.”

“Like medical people,” I said.

“Yes. I like average heat, cold, sun. Water when I look wilty. Occasional plant food.”

“You seem easy to get along with,” I said. “Our rescue dog died. I’d like another rescue.”

“And here I am, ready for adoption,” said the plant.

“So, you don’t know your parents? I need to know who dropped you off.”

“Dunno. They were good at taking care of us.”

“Are you from around here?”

“I guess. We didn’t drive long. I was there, then I was here. Spinoff on ‘Cogito, ergo sum,’ though I don’t know if I’m pronouncing that correctly since it’s a dead language.”

“Latin?” I asked.

“Yes,” said the plant. “I learned

from the foster parents.”

“Have another round,” I said, pouring more water. “Was there a reason they dropped you off here?”

“Dunno. I was there and now I’m here. And don’t flood me out of the pot. When the water’s coming out of the bottom, stop watering. Most plants don’t live in swamps.”

“Uh-HUH,” I said, putting the watering can down on the floor. “How can I find your owner?”

“Easy-peasy. You’re my owner. I live in the moment. Sunlight, water, warmth, the occasional spoonful of plant food, the kiss of carbon dioxide in an exhaled breath, that’s all I need.”

“So you have no guidance as to who I should contact?”

“Wait for divine guidance. The divine hand often comes wielding a trowel and slinging dirt around.”

“Ah. You’re telling me to wait for illumination.”

“I have what I need in this pot if you’ll just keep the other stuff coming.”

“I don’t have any plants that talk to me.”

“I’ve had time on my hands, figuratively speaking.”

Budding HortiCULTURE

Bloom Where You Are Planted

by Linda Lemery

“Ah,” I said. “We have some indoor plants summering on the back porch. What do you think about living with them?”

“Seasonal migration seems fine. Will you still visit me to converse?”

“I’m not even sure we’re having this conversation.”

“There are many philosophical questions in life. I look forward to more dialogue,” said the plant.

“Me, too,” I said hesitantly. After all, I was conversing with a plant. “Is there anything else you need?”

“All I need is love,” said the plant.

“...Beatles…?” I said.

“No,” said the plant, shuddering. “Don’t put me near something that preys on plants.”

“But I didn’t mean beetles. I meant …”

“The phrase I uttered is a fundamental statement of plant philosophy,” said the plant with dignity. “But I’m feeling tired now. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll rest.”

I’ve been dismissed by a plant, I thought as I turned away.

About the author: Linda Lemery llemery@gmail.com particularly enjoys speaking to her plants, but until now, one has never talked back. She welcomes reader comments.

Movies You Missed from 20 years ago

by Josh Lucia @jlucia85

artwork: “The Ring” by Tamara Lovelace Lucia

The Ring (7/10 Rating)

Released October 18, 2002 Streaming on Paramount Plus. For rent/purchase on all major platforms. Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi Rated PG-13: Thematic elements, disturbing images, language and some drug references 1h 55m

There’s a good chance Gore Verbinski’s The Ring is not a “Movie You Missed,” but it’s October so we HAVE to do a scary movie. This American remake of Ringu (1998) would pave the way for multiple remakes of Japanese horror during the early 2000s. At a time when DVD was beginning to take over, VHS was already beginning to feel like a relic of the past. Videotapes were collecting dust in the bottoms of our television cabinets and

showing up at local thrift stores. So, when a movie came along touting that someone would “die in seven days” after watching a certain tape, the public ate it up. Some cinemas even put copies of the “cursed tape” on random seats before showings. This was when we didn’t have Google at our fingertips, and a little more research had to be done to find the validity of stories. To this day, you can find posts on forums asking, “Is the tape from The Ring real?” Similar to The Blair Witch Project, there was a bit of buyin from audiences that added to the thrill. Most people did not know this was a remake, and the video on the tape had a realness to it. It was just weird enough that your logical brain would question whether it was based on a real tape. Now we are in a time where

VHS is even more of a mystery to younger generations. Perhaps that mystery adds some excitement for new viewers. Either way, this film has a lot to enjoy for those looking for a good scare: Jump scares, creepy old footage, an unsettling soundtrack (Hans Zimmer), mental patients, a cabin in the woods, a creepy little boy, creepy drawings done by said boy…the list goes on and on. Find someone that hasn’t seen this and give it a rewatch this Halloween season. For added effect, find a copy on VHS. Just make sure you don’t have plans in seven days.

Also check out Red Dragon, Jackass: The Movie, The Rules of Attraction (follow @jlucia85 for these reviews and more)

Nearly all my fall rituals (activities) bubble up from a deep well of gratitude. While walking at the YMCA every morning, I meditate on gratitude for 5 actions of different people in my life, identify the character trait from which the actions flow, and give thanks. For example, my husband Steve: reads everything I write without complaint (kind);

provides constructive suggestions (caring); accepts my exercising at the YMCA most weekday mornings (health-oriented); helps me with creating more effective storage (reliable/determined/ resigned); and repurposes old things to accomplish new goals (innovative). My fall rituals/activities flow out of that same well, such as: cleaning out extra stuff (others can use it); participating in library

groups (learning/sharing skills); baking/freezing holiday cookies (strengthening relationships/ creating consumable gifts); welcoming friends for special meals (creating warm, shared spaces); reading to and giving books to children (contributing to youth); and being thankful (reaching out).

The Driver of My Most Important

Fall Rituals

by Linda Lemery

The Little Man

on the Side of the Mountain

by Mack Williams

Y

ears ago, my late wife Diane, daughter Rachel, son Jeremy, and I always preferred a little vacation trip to the mountains in October to see the annual “changing of the leaves.”

We took trips to Virginia’s Mabry Mill, Massanutten, Luray Caverns, King’s Dominion, and Busch Gardens. But being North Carolinians from birth, and following up on our childhood Carolina mountain trips and later graduation from Appalachian State University in Boone, we naturally gravitated mostly to U.S. Hwy 421 West.

Back then, before there was much straightening and widening of the road on the last 10-15 miles to downtown Boone, a culture of roadside apples & homemade apple cider stands flourished, along with other stands advertising “BOILED PEANUTS!!!!!”( these capital letters and exclamation points, seemingly made by me, are merely my replication of the actual signage).

Over the course of several years, we had a favorite apples-andapple-cider stand we visited every autumn. Outside was the typical “stand,” but inside were two tiny rooms with produce, the whole resembling one of those “mini-houses” so often featured

on TV and what I like to call “the computer news.”

The proprietor was a small, middleaged, thin man in a wheelchair. He had grown up in that area, and being a “mountain man,” he had that typical Appalachian accent. I don’t say this disparagingly of him, because my own relatives in the foothills of the Appalachians speak the same way!

His diminutive “house” was literally perched on the side of a mountain! Vertical, supporting beams under the “valley-ward” (inthe-air) side of the structure gave his business a reliable center of gravity. For a sort of comparison, just picture those “stilted” houses very close to the ocean (if one side of the house backed up to a mountainous dune).

Every year, at the end of our Fall mountain trip to the area, my late wife would say: “On our way down the mountain, we have to stop and see ‘The Little Man’!” We parked on a crescent-shaped, offroad, dirt curb (all that was feasible for parking) in front of his store.

On every Sunday we stopped, “The Little Man” would have an A.M. radio playing a live church service from somewhere in the mountains. Sometimes, when we picked a sack of apples, he would hand us another, saying,

“This one’s better!” One year, after we got home and everyone was inside, I went back out to get our luggage from the car and found the back seat filled with broken glass and wet with cider! That jar had evidently fermented into “something else” and exploded!

But one Sunday, he wasn’t there, and someone else was running his store. When I saw our old friend’s empty wheelchair, I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, and I thought of that scene with Tiny Tim’s discarded crutch in the ghost-of-Christmas-yet-to-come’s prediction in Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” I then slowly inquired as to “The Little Man’s” whereabouts and how he was doing.

The other gentleman said, “He’s fine! He doesn’t often get a chance to attend his church, and his brother came by and picked him up. His brother has a wheelchair for him, so he left his wheelchair here at the store!”

Some years later, that whole section of Hwy 421 West was widened to allow for more tourists; that particular store, and many other little roadside stores and stands, are long gone.

More room was made for the motoring, tourist public, but not for “The Little Man.”