SG winter 2013-14

Winter 2013-14 Tyrrell County’s Country Magazine Published Quarterly

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Photo: Ingrid Lemme

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Maggie Duke

Antiques, Books & Art in Columbia, NC

Substantial

REWARD for Rose Bay & Chief Engelhard Oyster Cans!

Specializing in items of unusual quality and desirability Always buying Antiques and Collectibles -- Single Items or Entire Estates Come find us off U.S. Hwy 64 at 210 HISTORIC MAIN STREET. Now open daily from 10 to 5 and weekend nights (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), also by chance or appointment!

Contact us at (252)706-0534

2

0

1

3

-

1

4

W

I

N

T

E

R

I

S

S

U

E

PUBLISHERS: INGRID & NELI LEMME ~ EDITOR: TIM NIELSEN

z

Quote of the Quarter

z

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~ Andy Rooney

DEAR READER

Ally Short will be joining Pocosin Arts in January, 2014. She has a Bachelor of Fine Art in Applied Design from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a concentration in metals. Ally is looking forward to teaching in the Pocosin Arts jewelry studio and said, 'That feeling you get when you create something is empowering and I want to share it with others'.

www.pocosinarts.org

Christmas is right around the corner and since some of the finest oysters of the world are harvested in our area we included a couple of favorite holiday oyster recipes in this edition. My favorite is the bacon wrapped oysters!

Columbia's quaint charm and Tyrrell County's wild beauty has

captured the heart of more than a few. Cora Barksdale was one of them. She moved to Columbia in the early part of the 20th century to become the editor of The Tyrrell Times newspaper and her unabashed adoration of the place was obvious in her writing.

Wishing ya'll a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! Love, Ingrid

www.hydewaterfowl.com. The event will celebrate the heritage For Hyde County’s 5th Annual of waterfowling in the midst of Mattamuskeet Decoy & one of North Carolina’s greatest Waterfowl Festival January 17 & and still untouched refuges for 19, 2014 at Mattamuskeet High waterfowl and wildlife. The School’s gym in Hyde County. event pays homage to a heritage

Save the Date!

nnn

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

that remains strong. The festival grounds are next to Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina’s largest natural lake.

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

“ANYTHING-THAT– FLOATS-BUT-A-BOAT RACE” On a sunny afternoon last August, the Boy Scouts of America Troop 86, based in Columbia, participated in the “Anything-That–Floats-But-aBoat Race” which was hosted by the American Legion Post 182. The race, held at Legion Beach on Albemarle Sound in Tyrrell County, was attended by about 100 cheering onlookers.

Instead of using a boat, participants were required to make something that would carry their weight, but not qualify as a vessel!

Davon Spencer, and Coleman Davis. Under the guidance of Scoutmaster J.J. Roughton and his assistants Allen Lee and Hunter Brickhouse, the scouts built a raft out of plastic drums, wooden poles and rope. Their grand competitors were a team from Virginia Beach who made their “boat” to resemble a small wooden school bus.

school bus started gaining. One of the drums on the underside of the scouts’ raft came halfway untied and hung loosely in the water. Despite their difficulties, the scouts won, but only by a hair’s breadth. After finishing the race, the two teams acknowledged and thanked each other, and promised to race again next year.

Starting off, the scouts seemed to have the upper hand in the 100 yard race, but when they rounded the checkpoint, the

BY

COLEMAN DAVIS

Racing for Troop 86 were scouts Wesley Brickhouse, Dakota Cahoon, Joshua Britt, Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

ECHOES OF THE PAST BY

BARBARA KREBS Recently I had a Twilight Zone moment. You know, the kind of thing that happens that makes you go, “Whoa! That’s a little weird.” But kinda cool, too. What I’m referring to is a recent Raleigh News & Observer photo that accompanied an article about the Hollerin’ Contest at Spivey’s Corner.

My father, Collon Snell, Jr., visited me a few weeks ago, and soon after he arrived, he pulled out a newspaper. “Recognize anyone?” he asked, as he handed me the paper. The page was folded back and centered on a man with his hands to his ears, mouth wide open, midyell. But it wasn’t that man who caught my attention. It was the overall-clad gentleman standing in the background, eyes shaded from the sun by his straw hat.

That was my grandfather!

But it couldn’t be.

Collon Snell, Sr. has been gone a decade now. So whoever this man was, he was the spittin’ Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

image of Granddaddy Collon.

But as I looked closer, I noticed the caption beneath the picture, which read “1970 News & Observer file photo.” That’s when the Twilight Zone music played in my head. It really was my grandfather.

Looking at the date of the paper, I noticed it was from Friday the 13th of September of 2013. Then my head started doing the math. In 1970, Granddad would have been 55– mm, my age now. My next calculation pegged my age in 1970 as–did you guess it?– 13! OK, so I’m not really into numerology, but the coincidences did seem a bit eerie. And I couldn’t help but think of the famous William Faulkner quote: “The past is never dead. It's not even past.”

I think most folks who grew up in the South carry that feeling with them--that they’re simultaneously living in both the present and the past. The two time frames seem to intertwine around you in a way that defies easy definition. Maybe some of it comes from living in a rural area. Of course, changes do occur–we connect with our friends on facebook or tweet them, but we also walk outside

and hear frogs croaking and crickets chirping–eternal sounds that connect us to every ancestor who ever walked these fields. And though the equipment that plows those same fields has changed from mules to small tractors to huge combines with A/C and stereo and GPS, this is still farming.

This is still the land of our forefathers. It will still pay us for our respect, or punish us for our neglect.

Fishing, the other occupational legacy of Tyrrell County, also links both past and present. Despite gas motors and the Weather Channel, it’s still about the hard work of going out in all sorts of weather–nasty, mild and in between--that etches the lines on the fishermen’s faces. These lined faces have learned the same lessons as those who came before. Respect the weather, know the waves and the tides and the seasonal patterns of your fish.

Or maybe it’s how the past surrounds us in our houses. I don’t live in Columbia anymore, and haven’t for many years, but I can walk around my house and echoes of the past surround me. That glass pitcher–over www.ScuppernongGazette.com

100 years old–belonged to my great-great grandmother, who passed it to her daughter, then to my grandmother, then to me.

In the upstairs guest bedroom, which we jokingly refer to as the “ancestor” room because of its portraits of grandparents and parents (not to mention all the inherited family items), quilts from Great-Aunt Hazel decorate the bed handed down from my husband’s grandparents, while my laptop sits companion-ably on the desk while I write this story. In each room, items unmistakably from the past (Depression glass, a treadle-style sewing machine, a 1903 steel safe) stare out, check by jowl, with present-day objects (microwaves, Bose radios, Pier 1 Imports dishes).

And if I’m curious about an object, I can google it on my iPhone or my laptop, to find out what company made it, what

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

era it dates from and what it’s worth.

Or maybe it’s the people. As a kid, I used to pester my grandmother for stories of the past. What it was

like to live in the 1920s, how people got by during the Great Depression, and how they coped with WWII. As I grew up, I felt connected to these people who were dead long before I was born. They were real to me because they had existed and because I could tangibly touch items they had once owned. I could walk through houses or churches that they had constructed--buildings still standing, still serving the living.

Indeed, how could the past be dead–it’s never over as long as someone remembers a name or treasures an item held by hands long gone. So looking at Granddad’s picture, resurrected from some dusty file cabinet, I think about how it’s all connected– whether we acknowledge it or not. But I’m Southern–my DNA can never deny that the past and the present are always together.

Miss you Granddaddy, but it was nice “hearing” from you recently!

PHOTO Past and present mingle as a 1970-era photograph resurfaces in 2013, showing Collon Snell, Sr., (far right) enjoying the Spivey’s Corner Hollerin’ Contest.

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

2013 River Town Christmas in Columbia, North Carolina Tentative Schedule  Â

7KXUVGD\ 'HFHPEHU   +RVSLFH 0HPRULDO 7UHH /LJKWLQJ DW WKH 9LVLWRUV &HQWHU SP  5LQJLQJ LQ 5LYHU 7RZQ &KULVWPDV ± &KXUFK %HOOV    ± SP   7\UUHOOLQHDQ 7UHH /LJKWLQJ DW WKH &RXUWKRXVH     ± SP  7\UUHOOLQHDQ &OXE KRVWV +RW &KRFRODWH DQG 'RXJKQXWV  +ROLGD\ 'HFRUDWLQJ &RQWHVW $ZDUGV Â

/D 3RVDGD ± +LVSDQLF &HOHEUDWLRQ RI +RO\ )DPLO\ /RRNLQJ IRU /RGJLQJ ± SP    0HHW DW WKH :DWHUIURQW *D]HER ± &ROXPELD 7RZQ &RPPRQV  Â

)ULGD\ 'HFHPEHU   (&$ &XOLQDU\ $UWV &RQWHVW ± *LQJHUEUHDG +RXVHV GXH DW WKH &ROXPELD 7KHDWHU    2WKHU (QWULHV GXH DW WKH &RRSHUDWLYH ([WHQVLRQ RIILFH RQ 0DUWKD 6WUHHW  6$17$ &20(6 72 72:1 GXULQJ /LJKWHG %RDW 3DUDGH    DW WKH &ROXPELD :DWHUIURQW   Â

Â

Â

Â

Â

QRRQ Â Â

SP Â

Â

&ROXPELD +HULWDJH &ROOHFWLRQ DUW GLVSOD\ DW 7RZQ +DOO ± SP  &KULVWPDV %D]DDU DW WKH &ROXPELD 7KHDWHU 3RFRVLQ $UWV ± SP  'RZQ 7RZQ 6KRSSLQJ 5HVWDXUDQWV 2SHQ    Â

6DWXUGD\ 'HFHPEHU  %UHDNIDVW ZLWK 6DQWD DW WKH 6FXSSHUQRQJ 0LOO +RXVH VSRQVRUHG E\ WKH 7\UUHOO &RXQW\ /LEUDU\  DP  &KULVWPDV %D]DDU DW WKH &ROXPELD 7KHDWHU 3RFRVLQ $UWV DP ± SP   (&$ &XOLQDU\ $UWV &RQWHVW ± 5LEERQ &HUHPRQ\    DP    &XOLQDU\ $UWV &RQWHVW (QWULHV RQ GLVSOD\ DW &ROXPELD 7KHDWHU  )DPLO\ )ULHQGO\ &RPHG\ 6KRZ IRU $// $JHV -­ E\ WKH 7\UUHOO &RXQW\ /LEUDU\ DP  *LQJHUEUHDG :RUNVKRS DW WKH ([WHQVLRQ RIILFH VSRQVRUHG E\ <(&$     DP  +ROLGD\ 6LQJVSLUDWLRQ DW WKH :HVOH\ 0HPRULDO 0HWKRGLVW &KXUFK ± SP  &KULVWPDV 3DUDGH  SP OLQH-­XS DW &ROXPELD +LJK 6FKRRO SP  9LVLWV ZLWK 6DQWD DW WKH &ROXPELD 7KHDWHU²%ULQJ <RXU 2ZQ &DPHUD  ± SP  /LJKWHG %RDWV DW WKH &ROXPELD :DWHUIURQW 'RFN      SP  /LYH 1DWLYLW\ DW &ROXPELD 0LVVLRQDU\ %DSWLVW &KXUFK ± SP  Â

6XQGD\ 'HFHPEHU Â Â +ROLGD\ &RQFHUW E\ &ROXPELD +LJK 6FKRRO %DQG DW 9DQ+RUQH $XGLWRULXP Â +ROLGD\ 5DIIOH 'UDZLQJ GXULQJ WKH FRQFHUW Â Â Â

SP Â

5LYHU 7RZQ &KULVWPDV LV RUJDQL]HG E\ WKH *UHDWHU 7\UUHOO &RXQW\ &KDPEHU RI &RPPHUFH Â

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, WALKS LIKE A DUCK… THESE AREN’T DUCKS! During waterfowl season, it might be helpful to look at some birds that can be thought of as waterfowl wannabes. Two of these species are protected as nongame bird,s and shooting one will cost you plenty of money. One species is a game bird, but is not a duck. All three species are found on Lake Mattamuskeet, Pamlico Sound, and the rivers throughout eastern North Carolina.

First, take a look at the doublecrested cormorant.

On land, this species looks like a loon, but when it is floating in the water or flying in a flock, it is often confused for a duck. A good field mark for the cormorant is its hooked bill, and its long stretched-out look in flight.

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

The next look-alike is the pied-billed grebe, another nongame bird; shooting one might just clean out your pockets. This petite water bird is brown with white feathers under its tail. A close look shows its bill is shaped more like a chicken’s than a duck’s.

The third non-duck is the American coot, a small black bird with a white beak.

Although the coot is not a duck, it is a legal game bird, so bagging one in season will not

ruin your day if a wildlife officer checks your bag.

When you hunt, you need to know the difference between a duck and a wannabe.

BY

COLEMAN DAVIS

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

IT'S ALWAYS

THIS KIND OF “VIRUS SEASON” Even though Facebook users have been victims of phishing scams for quite some time, it seems to be happening more often lately. When Facebook users are invited to go to a specific page, or play a game, or check out a specific link, often they will be directed to login again. And this is where the scammer collects information and infects computers.

Then what happens is a special kind of virus, commonly referred to as a "worm," sends out attacks under its victim's Facebook account.

The fake login portion of this worm is very simple. The attacker setups a page that looks exactly like the real Facebook login page. Then the attacker sends some of the links to potential victims. They click the link, which takes them to the fake login. The victim might think that they had been logged out so they have to enter their login information again to view Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

the sent page. Of course that’s all it takes to hijack a Facebook profile.

Another way your information can be accessed is through a method called cross site scripting, or XSS. It basically steals the cookie information from a user by having them execute a link

When a user opens the webpage that the code resides on, the code executes and your data is stolen. Once the attacker has your Facebook cookie it is very simple to open their own Facebook cookie and replace theirs with the victim's. There is no need for a password with this method. With the cookie information you will be automatically logged in to the target, which in this case is Facebook .

To remove this you could try to clear your cookies, run a full virus scan, and then change your password. There is a feature built into Facebook that can alert you by text message if someone else logs into your profile.

embedded with a JavaScript attack. The link looks something like this: http://example.org/ xss.js> The portion of the cross site scripting that runs the attack is a small code written in the PHP coding language. The script says to read the data, record the data, and close the file. Now the attacker goes to the log file which is specified in the PHP script. For example it might be http://******.net/ user5/log.txt .

I hope this enlightened someone to be careful what you click and view on Facebook.

BY ADAM NIELSEN COLUMBIA, NC Bachelor of Applied Science in Network Security and Forensics.

Associate of Occupational Science in Information Technology. www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

WINTER IS TEA TIME

BY SHARI CRAIL, MASTER HERBALIST It’s mid-December, and relaxing by the crackling fire you hear the wind blowing through the pines outside your picture window. You feel the warmth penetrating your hands as you hold a warm cup of Chamomile tea. Your soul is comforted.

Herbal teas are rising in popularity as more people realize just how wonderful they taste, as well as just how good they make your body feel. Have you ever considered the health benefits of tea, or herbal tea, and the benefits of the time spent enjoying it? Chamomile tea is a soothing tonic used for relaxing, and as an aid in digestion, for colic or upset stomach. It's even useful for preventing nightmares, helping to promote a good night’s sleep. And it is beneficial for nerves. This tranquil experience, where you savor the aroma and flavors, helps relieve stress and calms the nerves as well.

Green tea and black tea both come from the same tea bush, and achieving either color depends on how it is processed.

Green tea is beneficial at lowering the risk of neurological Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. It reduces the risk of stroke and improves cholesterol levels. Black tea has been shown to protect the lungs from damage caused by cigarette smoke. The health properties of teas are due in large part to their polyphenols (antioxidants) and phytochemicals, which have the potential to affect disease. Tea is also rich in antioxidants called flavonoids that fight free radicals.

Herbal teas may contain dried flowers, roots, leaves and stems along with dried fruits.

Different parts of the plants are used for different medicines. For example, the root of the ginger plant is used, the flower of the chamomile plant, the root of the sassafras tree, etc. Herbal teas have been used for centuries to treat everything from an upset stomach to cancer.

For those cold winter months, a great tea to have on

hand would be Echinacea tea. It helps to boost the immune system, reducing the risk of colds and flu as well as shortening their duration. It also helps to soothe swollen glands and sore throats.

Peppermint tea is very beneficial as well. Hibiscus tea has been shown to reduce high blood pressure. Ginger tea is used to treat upset stomach. Drinking tea also hydrates the body in the winter when less water is consumed.

Another added benefit from tea drinking occurs when raw honey is used as a sweetener.

Raw honey is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is also considered to be anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Raw honey also contains a flavonoid that promotes healthy enzyme activity. And it slows aging and promotes a strong immune system.

We are looking to expand our selection of teas in our coffee shop, Elements, located inside Vineyards on the Scuppernong, in Columbia. We currently carry the brand Two Leaves and a Bud, which includes some organic varieties. We are also looking to expand our varieties of loose leaf tea. Please come join us for a cup of tea! www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

BACON-WRAPPED SHRIMP? TRY OYSTERS! INGREDIENTS 5 Dozen Raw oysters 30 Strips raw bacon, halved 1 Stick butter 1/4 Cup Italian salad dressing 1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce Tsp Tony Chachiere's or SeasonAll 3 Cloves garlic, chopped 1 Tsp onion powder 1 Tbs chopped parsley 1/2 Cup chopped green onions Juice of 1

lemon

PREPARATION Preheat oven to 400 degrees Wrap each oyster with 1/2 strip of bacon and secure with toothpick Place in 9 x 13 baking dish In saucepan, over medium heat, mix remaining ingredients until butter is melted Pour mixture over oysters Bake 10-15 minutes Turn oysters and broil for 5 minutes, or until bacon is browned Recipe published on GroupRecipes by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Swampwalkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC; from Houma, LA

SOUTHERN OYSTER FRITTERS INGREDIENTS 48 Shucked oysters with liquid 6 Eggs, beaten 4 Tbs baking powder 1/2 Tsp of oregano 1 Tsp of crushed black pepper 2 Tsp of hot sauce or Tabasco 2 Cups of all purpose flour 1 Cup of milk 1/4 Tsp of salt 1/4 Tsp of Old Bay seasoning 4 Tbs of unsalted butter 1/2 Cup of vegetable oil

PREPARATION Melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat.

Saute the oysters about two to three minutes, then remove them from the pan and cut them into quarters.

In another large pan, preheat a skillet to high heat and add the 1/2 cup of oil.

While the oil is heating up, mix the other ingredients into a bowl, including the liquid from the oysters. You can control the thickness of the fritter batter by adding additional oyster liquid.

Place the quartered oysters into the batter.

Drop about a tablespoon of batter for each fritter into the preheated oil and fry the fritters until they are golden brown in color.

Serve immediately.

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

POPPIE & NANA A WWII LOVE STORY

BY BAYLEE ARMSTRONG

It was late summer in 2003 when my great-grandfather, Poppie, passed away. My Nana was heartbroken, and I wanted t o understand her love for my Poppie. so I asked her to tell me the story of how they met. It was the most beautiful story of a tragic love and fate, one that was only likely in the movies, yet the purity of the truth is most lovely of all. I was seven years old at the time, and I was able to comprehend what was going on.

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

When we asked to tell the story, she was taken off guard; Nana stared at me for a moment, and then she said, “Well of course I’ll tell you.”

“Poppie was radio man 3rd class in the U.S. Navy doing World War II. He was positioned off Guadalcanal in the South Pacific on a cruiser, the USS Vincennes was hit by six torpedoes from the Japanese Imperial NACY AT 1:51 am.

Ten minutes later the ship sank.

Your great grandfather was one of the last men off the ship because he has to call May Day on the radio. Poppie jumped in the water and stared in awe, at the destruction that was behind him. With the ship wrecking the ship wreckage sinking, Poppie felt as if he was swimming to his death. Poppie saw men floating past him in the water with charred flesh and blown off limbs, the limp bodies floating past the dark storm clouds in the sky, but he knew he needed to keep moving. Even though he was swimming without a life jacket, he keep pushing.” Nana paused for a movement and stared out the window; I pondered what she was thinking about. Was it about her younger days, when she could be with Poppie, when she felt free?

“Soon he became exhausted, and was losing hope.

Poppie heard a muffled noise in the distance. Unable to depict what it was, he felt as if he was being pulled to it, so he started to swim toward it in the hopes that a miracle had happened.

He soon saw men through the coldness of the water, some in rafts and some holding onto life jackets tied to the rafts. Once Poppie reached them, they started to do a rotation of every thirty minutes where the men in the rafts would get into the shark infested water and the men in the water would get in the rafts. This would go on until six hours later when they were rescued.

Many were killed while in the water from shark attacks and burning oil fuel.

Others died while on the ship when it was first hit. In those long six hours Poppie witnessed so many horrible and gruesome deaths that he became numb to the sight of it all.

“And in those six excruciating hours Poppie changed. He changed into something only I found out about later. Your Poppie survived without injuries. This frightening, gloomy day became known as www.ScuppernongGazette.com

The Battle of Sava Island, where there were seventy ships involved. When Poppie and the men were rescued, it seemed that the sun began to shine out of the appalling events of that night. The survivors were taken to Auckland, New Zealand to be reassigned to another ship.

They were there from eighteen long months.

During those eighteen months, Poppie and I met and we fell in love. He was a North Carolina mountain boy who fell in love with “me”, a girl schooled in England, a sophisticated Kiwi, a New Zealand native. We spent most of those months with each other, going to the beach near where I lived and doing what kids our age would do in the early forties. A year later on May 8, 1943 we got married.

That is one of my best memories; that day seemed to be magical like the fairytales had chosen me Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

for their story instead of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, maybe even Romeo and Juliet without the suicide. It didn’t feel real at first until I moved to the United States and went to many stations with Poppie. After WWII ended, your Poppie became a retired Chief Warrant Officer and we settled in Elizabeth City in the house we have now. We were married for 58 years.”

Nana looked at me with tears in her eyes and somewhere else for a moment.

Her tears were not that of grief but of joy and happiness. Their bond was so strong that it seems

that fate had bought them together. In an inevitable story of love in a time of great despair, my Nana and Poppie found comfort in each other.

Nana told me that their journey still continues, which to me proves that there is a person of soul mate out there for each and every one of us. Nana found hers, and they never separated even after death.

Baylee Armstrong lives with her parents Lisa and Mike Armstrong in Tyrrell County. She is a cheerleader for the Wild Cats at Columbia High.

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

FEELS LIKE...

BY DEAN RAUGHTON

Some people really like Christmas. Now don’t misunderstand me here. I realize that most people who celebrate the Christmas holiday like it, but some people really, really like it, so much so that they had their Christmas trees up the day after Halloween as if Thanksgiving were just a stopover for refueling on the flight from Pumpkinville to Santa Land. Oh, if only there were a direct flight!

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy seeing the Facebook warnings that there were only 54 shopping days left before Christmas. It’s not like I wasn’t absolutely thrilled to have a shopping opportunity in which I could walk down five aisles and pick up home décor for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Christmas all at the same time.

Ok, I’m lying. That stuff grates my nerves. One holiday at a time, people!

However, the early Christmas onslaught did give me time to reflect on a family tradition that I have participated in no matter where I have lived in this country.

Whether I paid rent/mortgage in Chapel Hill, Raleigh,

Fayetteville, or even Detroit, I have always returned to Columbia, NC to be a part of a Christmas Eve gathering that includes five generations and anywhere from 40 to 80 people, depending on the year and the number of new significant others in the family. December 24 is the night that descendants of Morris “Mutt” Roughton and his lovely bride, Dimple (known to most of the world as

“Granny Dimple” or simply “Granny”), gather for our annual family feast.

It’s also a night that I have drawn on for over 10 years now in my writing courses as I try to help students understand one of the purposes of writing description. As I explain to my students, sometimes when you want your reader to share an experience with you, it’s very difficult to put it on paper because the words for powerful feelings we have are merely abstractions. For example, my friend can tell me he is in love, but does hearing or reading the word “love” truly allow me to understand the significance of what he feels?

Probably not.

Every time I start this lecture on being descriptive, I have a clear picture in mind of what it feels like to go to a gathering at Granny’s house, and I ask my students to picture in their minds similar visits they have experienced. Then I explain the tactic of using specific, sensory details to www.ScuppernongGazette.com

convey the essence of something, to give the reader a dominant impression of an experience. We go around the room and list details recalled from using our five senses.

Invariably, there are always one or two students with responses such as these:

“What does it feel like at your grandmother’s house?”

“Mr. Roughton, it’s like 110 degrees up in there ‘cause my grandma ain’t got good circulation in her blood, so she just keeps cranking the heat up all the time.”

“Ok, what does it smell like in your grandmother’s house?”

“Mr. Roughton, it be smelling like moth balls and Ben Gay cream up in there!”

But after a thorough discussion, we usually compile a usable list that looks something like this: Sight: family photographs on the walls, knick knacks on the shelves, candy in a crystal container Sound: grease popping in the kitchen, pot and pans clanging, church music, humming, laughter Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Smell: fresh cut flowers, chicken frying, bread baking Taste: sweet tea, chicken and dumplings, apple pie, collard greens, stewed corn Touch: warm temperature, comfy couch, Grandma’s hugs

Then after we have this list of sensory details, I ask my class to tell me what all these things add up to. If you experienced each of these things, what would you feel? A variety of responses are typically given, but in the end, they boil it down to something like “a sense of belonging” or “a sense of family.” That’s the essence, the dominant impression, of the experience.

That’s the feeling we want to share with others.

have adopted the area because you feel a kinship of the heart, I’m certain that you when you cross over the Scuppernong River and see all the sparkling lights flickering off the water and the Christmas decorations up and down Main Street, then all your five senses will be on full alert as you remember old and anticipate new times with the good people of Tyrrell.

And when that happens, you will very likely understand this idea of conveying the essence of something. That’s when you will once again be reminded of what Tyrrell County feels like.

It feels like home.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER DEAN ROUGHTON’S NEW BOOK!

And that’s exactly the wonderful experience I have every Christmas Eve at Granny’s house. I’m willing to bet that you have it too wherever you are gathered with your loved ones.

In fact, no matter whether you live there, or if you visit Tyrrell County for the holidays because you have blood relatives there, or if you www.ScuppernongGazette.com

ǀĂŝůĂďůĞ EŽǁ͊ :ƵƐƚ Ă ƐŚŽƌƚ ĚƌŝǀĞ ĚŽǁŶ ƚŚĞ ! ͚ƌŽĂĚ ůĞƐƐ ƚƌĂǀĞůĞĚ͕͛ ƚŚŝƐ Ϯ͕ϯϲϰ ƐƋƵĂƌĞ ĨŽŽƚ ƚǁŽ"ƐƚŽƌLJ ǁŽŽĚ ĨƌĂŵĞ ŚŽŵĞ ŽŶ Ă ϭ ĂĐƌĞ ůŽƚ ŝƐ ůŽĐĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚĞĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǀŝůůĂŐĞ ŽĨ ^ǁĂŶ YƵĂƌƚĞƌ͕ E ͘ Ϯ"ϰ ďĞĚƌŽŽŵƐ͕ Ϯ ďĂƚŚƐ͘ DĂŶLJ ƵƉĚĂƚĞĚ ĨĞĂƚƵƌĞƐ͘ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŚĞĂƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ďƵŝůƚ"ŝŶ ŽǀĞŶ͘ EĂƚƵƌĂů ŐĂƐ ŚĞĂƚ ĂŶĚ ĐŽƵŶƚĞƌƚŽƉ ƌĂŶŐĞ͘ ŽƵŶƚLJ ǁĂƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ůŽĐĂů ƐĂŶŝƚĂƌLJ ĚŝƐƚƌŝĐƚ ǁĂƐƚĞǁĂƚĞƌ ƚƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ͘ >ĂƌŐĞ ĚĞƚĂĐŚĞĚ ŐĂƌĂŐĞ͘ ΨϭϯϬ͕ϬϬϬ͘ϬϬ͘ ^ĞƌŝŽƵƐ ŝŶƋƵŝƌŝĞƐ ŽŶůLJ͘ sŝĞǁŝŶŐ ďLJ ĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚ͘ >ĞĂǀĞ ŵĞƐƐĂŐĞ Ăƚ ϮϱϮ"ϵϮϱ"ϬϬϴϳ͘!

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Columbia Weather December January February High Low Mean High Low Mean High Low Mean

Avg. Temperatures 56 36 46 52 33 43 54 33 46 Records 83 5 80 -­‐4 83 5 Rainfall 3.3" 3.9" 3.2" Snowfall 0.4" 0.3" 0.2"

HeaNng Degree Days 263 415 386 Cooling Degree Days 19 2 7 RelaNve Humidity 82.8 % 73.5 % 83.8 % Average Wind Speed 22 mph 19.9 mph 24.8 mph

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Photo: Ingrid Lemme

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Veteran’s Never Forgotten in Tyrrell!

The American Legion Scuppernong Post 182 celebrated the 2013 Tyrrell County Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11th, 2013 at the Madge L. VanHorne Auditorium.

Commander Bill Voliva, a Vietnam Era Veteran (U.S. Coast Guard), welcomed the large group of people that had taken the time to recognize all U.S. service personnel from all wars on this day.

The Posting of Colors by U.S. Army Veterans Walter Davenport and Howard Liverman and our National Anthem sung by Jenna Hopkins of Columbia High School was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by William Farrell, Post Historian (U.S. Air Force). Then a Moment of Silence and Invocation was observed in memory of Walter Davenport, Post Chaplin, MIA/POW, Joseph Franklin Beck, Thurman Reynolds, Jackson Crawford Harris, Jr., Edgar James Shute, Sr., Clyde Fentress Litchfield, Lathan Allen Spruill and Wade Hampton Owens. Richard Edwards, Director Columbia High School Band, observed Taps and the Laying of Wreath. Vietnam War Veteran (USMC), Leroy Spivey called the Salute to Service followed by the guest speaker Clair E. Morris, Jr., Professor Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy, who gave an inspiring and heartfelt talk.

“God Bless America” was beautifully performed by Jonathan Waters and Justin Bakeman, both U.S Army, Iraqi Freedom Veterans, and the audience joined in. The Closing Remarks and Benediction came from the Rev. Joe Wynns, MSGT. (Ret.) Vietnam War Veteran (USMC), from the Frying Pan FWB Church.

The following restaurants offered a lunch, drink or dessert special to honor our veterans: Andy’s, Columbia Crossing Restaurant, Flemz, and Mike’s Kitchen. The Program Distribution was by local Cub Scout Pack 86 and Boy Scout Troop 86. “Flower Power Florist & Boutique” of Columbia provided lovely flower & plant arrangements.

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Photo: Ingrid Lemme

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Pocosin Arts Projects Wonder what all the traffic has been at the end of Main Street in the last couple of months?

Check out these recent successful classes and workshops at Pocosin Arts:

ELLEN WIESKE an artist and educator, led this November workshop in the Metal Studio entitled "Tinkering With Wire."

The two-day event included a stay at the new Riverside Lodge, with an oyster roast on Saturday night.

ANDREW DUTCHER Resident artist Andrew Dutcher, who will be here through December, is conducting a series of clay classes, with the aid of much new equipment including 10 pottery wheels.

FALL METALS CLASS In the Fall Metals Class last month, students were introduced to the basics of saw filing and soldering.

www.PocosinArts.org Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Cabin Fever Reliever XIV February 14to 16th, 2014 www.pocosinarts.org/retreat.html

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

www.ScuppernongGazette.com

Winter 2013-14 Tyrrell Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Magazine Published Quarterly

Scuppernong Gazette Winter Issue 2013-14

Photo: Ingrid Lemme

www.ScuppernongGazette.com