Evince Magazine October 2016

Evince Magazine Page  1

Colleen Richardson Changing In-Store Shopping Page 6

Gingy Caguioa-Blakely

Transforming & Reforming Mind and Body Page 3

Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography

Page 2 October 2016

Editor’s Note

Do you need more stability in your life? You’ve come to the right place. Look at the picture of Gingy Caguioa-Blakely on the cover and read page 3 if you want to learn about muscle stability and eating a well-balanced diet. On page 23, Casey Molloy gives advice on calming the mind so you can achieve mental stability in Meditation Moment.

On the other hand, Kim Clifton admits she might be a little unstable, but that usually leads to great stories for our readers. See Grin and Bear It on page 9. Colleen Richardson has a wonderful way of balancing home and work. Read Changing InStore Shopping on page 6.

Dave Slayton writes about the stability of Virginia wine and a problem that threatens it. Wine lovers will like his solution on page 24. Mary Franklin believes commitment and dedication have made the Danville Symphony Orchestra a stable entity in the community for the last 25 years. See her article on page 22.

Of course, this is the month of Halloween celebrations and tailgating at sporting events.

Evince has that covered, too.

Check out DIY Halloween Décor on a Dollar Budget (page 13); Ghostly Webworms Haunt Neighborhoods (page 28); and Recipe for Successful Tailgating on page 29.

October Contents

2 Editor’s Note 3 Gingy Caguioa-Blakely

Transforming & Reforming Mind and Body

by Joyce Wilburn 4 She Said He Said

by Dena Hill & Larry Oldham 5 The Voice of Readers 6 Colleen Richardson / Changing In-Store Shopping

by Celeste Lynn 7 Renovation Reality / Part 7 by Carla Minosh 8 Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Judy Hodnett 9 Second Thoughts / Grin & Bear It by Kim Clifton 10 Bones / Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg 12 Food for Thought / ChathaMooCa

by Stephanie Ferrugia 13 DIY: Do or Don’t / Halloween Décor on a Dollar Budget

by Kristi Hall 15 Creating Rain Gardens by April Dailey

A Single Rose; Love / Poetry by Stephen Staats 16 Calendar Clips 18 Calendar 20 Where Can I Find an Evince?

Book Clubbing / A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

a review by Diane Adkins 22 Take Note: It’s DSO’s 25th Anniversary

by Mary Franklin 23 Zula Patrol / Down to Earth

a review by Deb Henderson

Meditation Moment by Casey Molloy 24 Wine Spot / Let’s Toast Stability

by Dave Slayton 25 What’s Happening in the Public Libraries 26 Reflecting Forward

Hershey: A Stabilizing Force in Our Lives

by Linda Lemery 28 Ghostly Webworms Haunt Neighborhoods

by Mack Williams 29 Around the Table

Recipe for Successful Tailgating

by Annelle Williams 30 Photo Finish Don’t Forget to

On the Cover:

Photos of Gingy Caguioa-Blakely and Colleen Richardson by Michelle Dalton Photography.

Pick Up the October Edition of Showcase Magazine

Dental Care Awareness Issue

Sponsored by

Spurrier Orthodontics

Meet Some of Our Contributors

If your life is a rollercoaster, find a stabilizing force to anchor it and gradually you will gain stability.

The

oice of Stability

CEO / Publisher Andrew Scott Brooks President Director of Sales & Marketing Larry Oldham (434.728.3713) larry@evincemagazine.com Editor Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com Associate Editors Larry G. Aaron (434.792.8695) larry.aaron@gmail.com Jeanette Taylor Contributing Writers

Larry Aaron, Diane Adkins, Ellen Beville, Kim Clifton, April Dailey, Stephanie Ferrugia, Mary Franklin, Adam Goebel, Kristi Hall, Kathleen Harris, Deb Henderson, Dena Hill, Judy Hodnett, Cassie Jones, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Celeste Lynn, Carla Minosh, Casey Molloy, Fred Motley, Larry Oldham, Tanya Oliver, Dave Slayton, Stephen Staats, Jay Stephens, Sally Stephens, Ann Sylves, Lisa Tuite, Melanie Vaughan, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams, Mack Williams

Business Manager Paul Seiple(1.877.638.8685) paul@evincemagazine.com Marketing Consultants Kim Demont (434.792.0612) demontdesign@verizon.net Lee Vogler (434.548.5335) lee@showcasemagazine.com Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont) evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW Deadline for submission of November stories, articles, calendar items and ads is Saturday, October 22, at 5:00 p.m.

Submit stories, articles, and calendar items to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

For ad information contact a marketing consultant or the Director of Sales & Marketing listed above.

Editorial Policies:

eVince is a monthly news magazine covering the arts, entertainment, education, economic development, and lifestyle in Danville and the surrounding areas. We print and distribute eVince free of charge due entirely to the generosity of our advertisers. In our pages appear views from across the social spectrum.

They do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. We reserve the right to accept, reject, and edit all submissions and advertisements.

EVINCE MAGAZINE 753 Main St. Suite 3, Danville, VA 24541 www.evincemagazine.com © 2016 All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Enjoy!

Credits: Amber Wilson: hair; Catherine Saunders: skin care and makeup; Genesis Day Spa & Salon, 695 Park Avenue, Danville. Janelle Gammon: nails; Salon One 11, 111 Sandy Court, Danville.

Judy Hodnett is a faithful walker, enjoys water aerobics, gardening, traveling and reading. See page 8.

Cassie Williams Jones is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Averett University.

See page 16.

April Dailey April Dailey is the Horticulturist for the City of Danville. See page 15.

Tanya Oliver is a substitute teacher with Halifax County Public Schools and has been a member of Delta Sigma Theta for 10 years. See page 17.

We now accept Visa, MC, and Discover for ad payments

For subscriptions to Evince, email cindy@showcasemagazine.com

Evince Magazine Page 3

A

fter spending her earlier

years in the Philippines,

Hawaii, California, and most recently in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Gingy Caquioa-Blakely discovered a lot to love about Danville, Virginia, and what she didn’t find in her new hometown she created! For the mind-body wellness expert and holistic nutrition coach, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

On a recent Wednesday in August after introducing herself to a studio visitor, Gingy explains the origin of her unique name, “Gingy (pronounced Gin-G) is a nickname for Geraldine. My mother thought she was going to have a boy and planned to name him Girard.”

When a baby girl arrived instead, Gingy’s parents hastily chose the name Geraldine for her, but later realized they didn’t like it and wanted to use a nickname.

Inspiration for a different name came from the beautiful bossa nova music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and his song Dindy.

“Being Brazilian and speaking Portuguese, Jobim couldn’t pronounce D and it sounded like Gingy. That became my name. As a child, I thought I was special because Dindy/Gingy always played on the radio and we had the album that included the song,” she says, chuckling at the childish misunderstanding.

She continues her story, “When I went to Marymount College in Palos Verdes, California, I became a U.S. citizen.” After graduation, she worked in the family-owned design and merchandizing business in California and married at the age of 23. Years later, when the marriage ended in divorce, Gingy looked for a new home for herself and three young sons.

Because they were all golfers, Pinehurst, North Carolina, the home of American golf, was a good fit. In 1999, they moved east.

“I studied nursing at Sandhills Community College and worked out at the fitness center owned by the hospital where I was offered a job teaching Pilates.

During my training to be an instructor, I saw the Pilates Reformer exercise machine and was very curious,” she remembers, describing the first time using it as “love at first movement.” That experience was followed by an

Gingy Caguioa-Blakely

Transforming and Reforming Mind and Body

by Joyce Wilburn extensive training period to be a Reformer instructor, a financial investment in a Pilates Reformer exercise machine, and a search for clients willing to work with her to fulfill the required hours of apprenticeship. Her friends gladly stepped in. “I trained all my friends on the equipment.

When I was going for my final testing, they asked me to continue working with them in private sessions,” she says. That led to the opening of a studio in Southern Pines in 2005. Thinking back to the plans of being a nurse, she adds, “It was better to be on the prevention side of health than the sick side. Pilates not only helps the body, it helps the mind. When the two are connected, the spirit is lifted.

You feel good, there is a surge of energy and the body becomes stronger and leaner. That in turn influences your lifestyle.”

Gingy was passionate about her new career and saw no need for change. She comments, “I loved what I did and thought I’d retire in Southern Pines and live there for the rest of my life.”

Then, Danvillian Terry Blakely entered the picture. “We had a

lot in common—we’re both ecofriendly, like eating healthy food, being outdoors, rock climbing, and working out,” she says, adding, “When we were dating, I told him never to bring me a flower bouquet. Flowers are for the birds and bees to enjoy. If he really wanted to impress me, he should give me a bouquet of curly kale that I could eat.” Not only did he bring the unusual vegetable bouquet, Terry planted a kale garden for her. “How could you not love the guy?” she asks rhetorically with a twinkle in her eyes. After three years of dating, they married in Florida in 2013 with his family present and again in Hawaii in 2014 so Gingy’s family could attend.

After the duel weddings, Gingy’s move to Virginia came at the right moment in the city’s life. “Danville is ripe for a transformation in lifestyle and health,” she states with conviction. That includes more mindful movement resulting in increased fitness levels and muscle stability, a transition to a balanced, sensible whole-food, plant-based diet, and the creation of a support group for like-minded people.

Fortunately for the area’s residents, Gingy is facilitating this healthier community movement in a studio 28 steps above Main Street in her new hometown of Danville, Virginia.

• For more information, visit www.mindbodywellness pilates.com or phone 910.528.5538. Call to schedule an appointment for a studio visit on the upper level of the Meredith Gravely School of Dance Building, 415 Main Street.

• As a certified nutrition coach, Gingy offers workshops at Nature’s Essentials, 413 Mt. Cross Road, and free sessions through the Cancer Research & Resource Center’s Step

by Step program at Brewed Awakening, 610 Craghead Street. (See Calendar October 25, page 18.)

• Gingy will present Conscious Eating and Living, Along with Mindful Movements at The Wednesday Club, 1002 Main Street, on November 9 at 10:00 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Page 4 October 2016

SHE SAID

by Dena Hill I’ve been trying to figure out how to add a few feet on to our house, specifically, in the bathroom. I’ve stretched it about as much as I can by adding the curved shower rod but I still can’t manage to fit a dumpster in there.

It amazes me how much stuff you can put in a small trash can. If I need to throw away something big, I take it to the kitchen where I empty the garbage every day. I don’t fill up the can in my bathroom to the point of overflowing.

Do you stand on top of the stuff to mash it down or what?

I’m surprised you haven’t cut your foot on the glass drink bottles.

At least the huge cups from Sam’s Club squish down easily.

And what about cramming newspapers in that pitiful can? It’s a good thing we don’t take the Wall Street Journal because I’d have to come home at lunch just to empty it so you could repeat your habit the next day. I put a supersized can next to your kitchen chair and you don’t even have to get up to throw something away.

garbage can Nazi, who guards and protects all of the garbage cans in every room. Not one trash can needs to have waste in it and there is a certain line in the garbage can that should never be breached, if I should accidentally drop some rubbish in it.

To be honest with you, unless you tell me where to put the newspapers, how high to stuff the cans, and what to put and not put in these cans, I just use my own discretion. That doesn’t seem to satisfy the kitchen Nazi or the bathroom Nazi either.

Here is the problem as I see it. We have been married for almost seven years. I have been doing all these bad things the whole time and just found out today that I’ve been doing it all wrong. It just seems to me, and I could be wrong, that the first time I disobeyed the garbage-can rules in the kitchen and in the bathroom, you would have politely told me, “Stop it! Were you raised in a barn?

Everyone knows you don’t put newspapers or drink bottles in the garbage can. You should know that people don’t have trash hanging out of the garbage can so that other people can see it.”

She said He Said

ATV Loans Now Available

So what can I complain about, you say? If the plastic liner in the can falls down, you keep piling trash on top so food and drinks spill all over the inside of the can. You don’t care because you don’t wash it. I finally wised up and bought bags with ties around the top so they can’t fall down. So there! My pet peeve is out in the open….for today.

HE SAID

by Larry Oldham

Serving the Community Starting With You! www.piedmontcu.org 434-797-1954

NMLS #402961

There are starving children in China, major storms all over the world, and earthquakes killing people and devastating cities and towns. In our world though, we don’t talk about those things.

We have major problems in our house. We have the wrath of the

My parents taught me honesty, share with others, be kind, be a friend. They just didn’t teach me garbage-can etiquette and if they taught that in school, I either missed it or failed it.

I do appreciate your bringing it to my attention. I am sure that men all over the world will be apologizing to their wives tonight if they are as guilty as I appear to be.

If you could just maybe lay out a plan on the refrigerator door of where to put each disposable item that I have and which garbage can it goes in and how high, I would love you forever.

He Said / She Said can be found in Showcase Magazine.

Evince Magazine Page 5 Evince Mag

The Voice of Readers To the Editor: While I need to thank Evince for always supporting the many causes and events I so passionately believe in – always publishing the submitted information for “Calendar Clips” which enhances attendance at our events, I also must mention that Evince has become one of my favorite monthly reads. The publication continues to expand and improve and every article and story is worthwhile and engaging. “Bloom Where You Are Planted” by Carollyn Peerman (August 2016 page 23) was especially meaningful. We all need to “Make a choice to be happy and bloom where you are planted.” At times, no matter what our intentions, this can be difficult to accomplish and easily forgotten. Thank you, Carollyn, for reminding me to realize that I can choose to be happy and bloom wherever I am in life.

Sincerely, Melanie Vaughan Thank you for your very flattering comments. Carollyn writes: Everyone likes to be appreciated. I am thrilled to receive a complimentary letter. My spirit is lifted up. This expression of regard for my writing encourages me to write even more.

Thanks for sending it to me.

Hello, Kim: I just wanted you to know that you ROCK!! That article about sitters was spot on! Well done! (August, 2016 page 9 “Good as Gold” by Kim Clifton) Christie B. Dawson Blush. Thanks so much. Kim. Kim: Your article in Evince magazine was excellent. (August, 2016 page 9 “Good as Gold” by Kim Clifton) I enjoyed the read.

Bobby Shields Thank you so much for the support. Kim. To the Editor: I picked up a copy of the August Evince and was delighted to read Kim Clifton’s article “Good as Gold” (page 9). I always enjoy her articles, but this month it really hit a nerve. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting with four wonderful people in my life and with each it was a “getter” and giving relationship. I was truly blessed to have known

azine Pag e 1

Kristen Bar

ker Encourag ing Othe rs to Move Forward

Page 3

Bloom Where

You Are Plante

Page 23

d

each of these unique people. Sadly, the Lord took each of these earthly saints and each time it was like losing a part of my own life through them. I learned so much from each one; they gave me more than they realized. Each day was a challenge but God is good. It does take a lot of patience and understanding. You need to know that you too might become old and need someone to help you, so treat others as you want to be treated.

Each of these special folks taught me something and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think of them--maybe some wise or funny saying. I loved each of them and they walk with me daily. God blessed me through them more than I can ever explain.

It’s good to know that some people like Kim Clifton can appreciate sitters and realize that there is more to taking care of elderly than sitting.

Thank you, Sue Bowling, Danville, VA Your letter was shared with Kim and it was so heart-warming, it left her speechless! Thank you for taking the time to handwrite and mail this very thoughtful letter.

To the Editor: After reading “DIY Do or Don’t” (September, page 13) I got out the cork hot plate that I made several years ago. I used an adjustable pipe clamp to hold them together. (See photo below.)

Kathleen Hansen Thanks for sharing another great DIY idea with our readers.

If you missed any of the stories mentioned, they are still available at www.evincemagazine.com.

Page 6 October 2016

Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography

Colleen Richardson

Changing In-Store Shopping

by Celeste Lynn “It was always my plan to come back home one day,” says Colleen Richardson, while sharing hot coffee and carrot cake with a visitor at the entrance to A La Carte, Danville’s newest home décor store/ dessertery and coffee lounge.

Following a worldwide trend of making in-store shopping more like being at home, Colleen has created a unique experience for customers at her Craghead Street business. The combination home furnishing store and coffee shop feels like an ordinary dining/living room only nicer.

The Danville native explains how this new concept in shopping evolved. “At a very early age I learned the importance and value of spending time with family and at home. During the summer, my siblings and I would often visit my grandmother, Violet Connor, in High Point, North Carolina.

She worked at a furniture store and would take us with her. I can remember walking around and admiring all the beautiful

furniture and accessories. I would dream of having my own home one day and sitting on the patio with my family,” she says and then quips, “There is no place like home.”

After 30 years of working and traveling in the Southeast, Colleen knew it was time for a change. In 2009, she moved back to Danville with her sister and best friend, Maureen. “We bought our family-owned farm house and shared many cups of coffee chatting about my dream of owning a furniture boutique,” she remembers. The dream moved closer to reality when Colleen married Keith Richardson in July 2013 and he helped the sisters put the final touches on the business plan. More advice came from Fortuna Enterprises, a company that is nationally known for planning and supplying coffee shops. Colleen continues her story, “I can remember vividly the owner of Fortuna saying to me, ‘Colleen, do you want to have the best coffee shop in town? Or just have a cup of coffee?’ Those words have stuck with me.”

The answer was obvious and after years of planning to make everything the best, A La Carte opened in August 2015 at 418 Main Street. Business grew quickly and soon it was time to expand. In January 2016, A La Carte Home Décor moved to 318 Craighead Street. Colleen elaborates, “With one look I fell in love with the building and it became our new home.

With a lot of love, passion and assistance from Keith, the renovation began and my vision of a home furnishing boutique and coffee shop became a reality.” As she looks around the store, a sense of contentment radiates from Colleen. For the woman who always planned to come back home, Colleen has created a new home not only for herself and her family but also for her family of customers.

• A La Carte Home Decor, 318 Craghead Street, is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

• For more information, call 434.792.1286 or visit www.facebook.com.

• On Friday, October 28, A La Carte Home Décor will be one stop on the River District Association’s Creepy Candy Crawl from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Evince Magazine Page 7

Renovation Reality Part 7

by Carla Minosh Unlike shows on HGTV where home renovations are completed within 30-60 minutes, the Victorian house at the corner of Chestnut and Main Streets in Danville has been under a transformation for 15 years. This series that began in April explores the truth of home renewal from someone who has been there and done that. If you missed any of the installments, visit www. evincemagazine.com.

W

ith the travertine floor and

wainscoting installed and

the tin panels on the walls and the ceiling, the large space resembled a ballroom more than a kitchen. As the parts and pieces of the kitchen cabinets arrived, we gathered them in the adjacent sunroom which was used as a staging area. Now the sunroom resembled a salvage operation more than a living space with the growing pile of large chunky pieces of furniture looking like parts pulled off an old house rather than new pieces ready for installation.

As we assembled the cabinets, it became clear that the kitchen island would be too big as it was designed and the elevated bar that was supposed to span the rear of it would obscure the clear view of the grand kitchen space. Off came the bar, and the island was re-engineered as a smaller piece of furniture. At the same time, the stove went in--a great find at an auction where it was sold for less than half the wholesale price. The enormous commercial Wolf range had filled the back of a U-Haul truck for the trip to Danville. I shamed the six guys I had hired to move it into the house by telling them that only one guy and I had put it

into the truck. Surely, they could get it out! I neglected to mention that I had a loading dock and was moving the piece on a dolly going downhill. However, I had lifted one end to get it onto the dolly. In the end, they all agreed that it looked heavier than it actually was and the stove was moved without incident.

A conversion kit to change it from propane to natural gas was installed and it was put into service.

The kitchen lighting was assembled from some old pool-hall gaslights we found on EBay. While scanning EBay for additional pieces of lighting and random house parts, I came across a piece of furniture that made my heart stop. It was a little sideboard with two doors below and two drawers above. It was painted “interior designer” white with gold highlights, but the form was unmistakable. From the stylized clawed lion paw feet to the snarling demons at the corners, even the little lion heads with hoops through their mouths were familiar.

It was a Daniel Pabst cabinet, but the buy-it-now price was listed as though this were a common piece of secondhand oak furniture. (See August, page 7 for more on Daniel Pabst.) We bought it and drove the trailer to Philadelphia to pick it up.

It was as though Pabst himself had a hand in pushing it in our direction; his name had been so often on our tongues and in our thoughts. While we were honoring him and the style he had brought to life, this piece had practically dropped into our laps at a price far below its actual value. With the paint removed and an historically-appropriate finish applied, our Pabst cabinet was brought back to its former glory, just as work was being completed in the kitchen. Sort of.

(to be continued)

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olleCtion

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Page  8 October 2016

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Judy Hodnett

Nancy Thompson, Danville Public Library Circulation Department Supervisor at 511 Patton Street, exhibited excellent customer service during my visit.

Recently, I learned that residents outside the city no longer had to pay a fee to borrow from the DPL. Nancy was most helpful in re-enrolling me and showing me changes at the Library since my membership had ended. I highly recommend her for this award. She is definitely in the right position. Thank you, Nancy.

Evince and the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce want to encourage and recognize exception customer service. When someone gives you exceptional service, please let us know. In 300 words or less, tell us what happened. Email your story to joycewilburn@gmail.com or chamber@dpchamber.org. It’s a nice way to show appreciation for a job well done. We look forward to hearing from you.

Evince Magazine Page 9 to nap. In my opinion, the job of a mattress is mainly to keep you off the floor. Whether it is too hard, too soft or just right isn’t what matters the most.

What matters are the pillows.

They must be perfect if you want some serious shut-eye. I’m not talking about the fancy ones that are piled on the bed. The ones you can’t use. The ones covered in shams, aptly named because they’re fake. All they do is bring color to your room during the day and clutter to your floor during the night. It’s the pillows under the cover, not on top, that make the difference.

They determine whether you’re going to spend the evening counting sheep or counting hours. Finding the perfect ones, however, does take some doing.

To be fair, I’m not sure who is really more unstable in this story--the fictional little girl who broke into a family’s house, tasted their food, and crawled in their beds exhausted from her criminal activity or this grown woman who not only wrote a column debating the logic of this familiar children’s story, but who also wasted too much of your time with all of this silly pillow talk.

Sleeping pillows must be fluffy, with fibers not foam. Foam rubber works best to cushion rears, not ears, so it should only be used for seats. When I lay me down to sleep, I want my head to stay down. I don’t want to bounce back like I’ve landed on a trampoline.

Second Thoughts

by Kim Clifton ©2016

Grin and Bear It Goldilocks went about it all wrong. Solid rest isn’t determined by a mattress; it’s all about the pillows. I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me explain. Evince has declared October as the Voice of Stability, but I don’t know enough on that subject to write about it. Just thumb through the last 20 years of my columns if you want proof.

I am, however, quite the expert on instability, especially when I don’t get a good night’s sleep, which brings me back to this familiar fairytale. It’s a story about a family of domesticated bears who live in a house, not in a cave, although that’s not the unusual part. What’s odd is that no one’s alarmed by a child strolling through the woods alone and going into a stranger’s house. You’d

think there would have been some lessons learned from the predicaments of Hansel and Gretel when they, in similar fashion, happened upon the witch’s place.

Goldilocks wasn’t simply curious; she was peculiar. The temperature of the meals didn’t suit her, but she had no right to complain since the porridge was never intended for her in the first place. She didn’t find their chairs comfortable, nor should she have. They were made for grizzlies not girls. Most of all, she had no right to lay in those beds since she wasn’t the one who made them.

Generally, I roll with these kinds of discrepancies, owing it all to fantasy and fun, but this time I can’t. Goldilocks was totally off base when deciding where

Sleeping pillows must be plentiful. My side of the bed looks like someone spilled a bag of gigantic marshmallows.

Since I often eat dinner entirely too late, most evenings I have to prop myself up like I’m sitting in a recliner. Otherwise, demonic acid reflux will later surface with the same hot fury as Old Faithful.

Sleeping pillows must be soft.

Extravagance is a necessity when buying linens, although it’s easier said than done. To close your eyes when the sun goes down means you must close your eyes when the register total pops up. Just consider it a bargain if your pillows are covered in finer Egyptian cotton than King Tut. Sleeping pillows must be cool and stay cool. It’s time for YETI to diversify. If they can make a cup that keeps ice for days, surely they can develop a covering that stays cold for hours. Mine’s flipped more at night than gymnast Mary Lou Retton on the uneven parallel bars.

Evince is the Voice of Stability even if one of its writers isn’t.

We’re

on Danville!

Janet Donna Holley • Gibson Owner Owner

HOLLEY & GIBSON REALTY COMPANY

339 Piney Forest Rd., Danville, VA 24540

Office: (434) 791-2400 Fax: (434) 791-2122 Visit our website at

www.eraholleyandgibson.com WE’RE SELLING HOUSESSM

Page 10 October 2016

A

while back, out the blue,

on Mandy Blue Eye’s

front porch, weeks after we buried my mama, after I stopped listening for mama’s voice which can’t come, after I could say the word gone and not cry, Mean Keisha told me when she was three, her right arm got broken but that it healed all right. She told me it cured whole again just fine, that because she was so little she don’t remember it. But for some reason I think she does. It was raining when she said it, and I’ve heard about people who have pain when it rains. Mean Keisha knocking her arm hard on the bannister, said, “Do it look like it done been broken?”

But long-ago-bad-wrecked ain’t something you can see when it heals, is it? What does broken look like once the healing done?

“How much you getting paid, Dummy?” Mean Keisha says after the fourth or fifth time I went to work at Miss Marva’s. Mean Keisha asked this on a Sunday night in the almost dark of the room me and Mean Keisha now share since Mama died.

Bones

fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg

“Nothing,” I mumbled. I don’t really want to talk about that or about whatever else I didn’t really understand, and I don’t want to know why I am at Marva’s Boutique on Lawson Avenue when said Marva doesn’t really want me there. Whispering, Mean Keisha asked me, “What you do there?” like I did something other than sweeping floors and folding clothes, and then refolding them after the tight-lipped Marva told me that wasn’t right. And Miss Marva told me I was wrong over and over.

Outside the bedroom window, there are the crickets and night blooms awakening. There is an annoying slice of light across my face from a street light and finally there is silence.

“No one messin’ wit’ you, is they?” Mean Keisha suddenly asks, and at my blank and open face, she says, “but what you got to do, Stupid?” “Nothing much…” I say. “Nothing much?”

Mean Keisha repeats to herself a little sad and bitter. She rolls over in her bed. “Lucky you,” her final word, and I guess broken bones ain’t all that gets broken. ***

Two weeks ago, Mean Keisha whispered to me on the way

back to Sustain, Virginia, from Miss Marva’s Consignment Boutique in the backseat with us wedged around her baby Kwon’s car seat that it got broken again— her right arm— when she was five, or just fractured and Social Services took her away. Mean Keisha says she can’t remember if it were broken or fractured, but I think she can. I think she knows it all. We are quiet as we both see the highway trees going by until they are gone, replaced by the asphalt and rough-peeling weatherboard of our neighborhood houses with fences wilting between neighbors that ain’t got the time to care. I grab Mean Keisha’s arm by accident, but I don’t let go. “What you do?” I say to Mean Keisha in another whisper and she said, “Duck.”

“What?” Mandy Blue Eyes reaches for Kwon. The ride is over. We are home. “Duck your head, boy,” Mean Keisha says to Baby Kwon as he tries to jump from the back seat once released from his car seat. She shrugs her arm, and I let go. ***

“You think they let me come there… work there?” Mean Keisha had also said on another night after I started my job.

Again in the night, this time later, sky outside darker, no moon. I tense. I don’t need to ask where. I know Mean Keisha means Marva’s Boutique on Lawson. I know she knows that I feel Miss Marva barely wants me, light, small-boned, a mouse in a ball of catgut yarn. Mean Keisha, dark, brash, baby on hip, lips of full swag, who can’t talk right, who cusses viscous to get the anger out. I can’t say it, less Mean Keisha won’t be my friend, but Miss Marva would want her even less. At my silence, “It’s all good, Stupid. You ain’t gotta choose…. ” But I did, didn’t I? Then right out the blue that night, Mean Keisha told me it was bull, a straight-up lie that broke bone heal stronger, that anything you put back together, can’t be torn again. She tell me to check at the clinic if I don’t believe. “I’ll ask…,” comes out too soft and late, and it’s unclear if I mean asking about Miss Marva or what gets broken in this world. Silence and melancholy are lost on the tip of my tongue. Next Sunday, when Mandy Blue Eyes drops me off, Mean Keisha don’t come.

Evince Magazine Page  11

Page 12 October 2016

Suzanne Brown stands in front of the Chatham restaurant.

Food for Thought ChathaMooca

by Stephanie Ferrugia, Southern Dinner Belle Evince wants you to think about whether or not what you eat when you dine out is healthy or not.

Each month, Stephanie is going to report on local menu selections that are delicious and good for you.

There are so many reasons to love ChathaMooCa that fitting them into a traditional column format is nearly impossible. Bear with me as we shake it up and go off script this month.

How Do I Love Thee, ChathaMooCa? Let Me Count 13 Lucky Ways.

• Your locally sourced hydroponic salad greens are carefully procured with nutrition and freshness in mind.

• You (dear Suzanne) whip up my favorite salad dressing whenever I call--a fresh lemon juice/ olive oil concoction that for the life of me I cannot replicate. Individualized customer service is priority one.

• I can stroll down the most charming street in the South and have my food within five minutes.

• For someone who sits all day for work, that five-minute walk is a gift to stiff bones and computerglazed eyes.

• I can count on running into familiar faces. Your welcoming and charming space is ideal for those serendipitous sightings.

• Your ice cream sundaes are legendary (Can you say, “Chathamungus?”) to locals, visitors and Chatham Hall students.

• I can create my own sandwich.

Choices and freedom are a great thing!

• Wheat bread is a given and healthy sandwich toppings abound.

• Your tangy mac-and-cheese is a gift from heaven.

• You keep us guessing by switching up your menu each week with creative specials.

• Your owners (Suzanne and Ron Brown) chose to retire and re-locate to the world’s most quintessentially Southern town that drips with beauty and hospitality. Your restaurant fits right in.

• You are worth the drive from Danville or surrounding areas for a business lunch or a coffee date with friends. Try the special, Ron’s chicken salad, the Not-SoBoring salad, or the infamous tangy mac-and-cheese.

• The Creamery on the “North Main Street” side of the restaurant can cure even the sweetest tooth. Come to think of it, with ChathaMooCa’s warm ambiance, delicious fare and fresh, balanced meals, dessert is not even necessary. But a fabulous spread is there just in case!

ChathaMooCa, 33 North Main Street, in Chatham is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Call 434.432.2332 or visit www.chathamooca.com.

Evince Magazine Page 13

DIY: Do or Don’t?

Halloween Décor on a Dollar Budget

by Kristi Hall Decorating on a budget can seem impossible sometimes but with a little creativity it’s very practicable. Fall weather and Halloween are approaching and decorating calls for adding seasonal pieces. Here are a two inexpensive DIY projects to try.

Candy Corn Candles

Supplies: • a glass jar (I used a Mason jar.)

• 1 pack of candy corn • ribbon or twine (optional) • 1 battery-operated candle for each jar Directions: • Fill the jar halfway with candy corn. Place one candle in each jar and surround it with the remaining candy corn.

• Decorate the rim of the jar with ribbon or twine.

Garland

Supplies: • 16 decorative leaves of different sizes • twine or ribbon

• hot glue gun and glue sticks • tape or tacks Directions: • Arrange the leaves on the twine or ribbon to form a garland. Glue them in place using the glue gun.

• Use tape or tacks to hang.

I hung the garlands under each other on the wall behind an end table. I placed extra leaves on the table and then positioned the candles and a fun skull on the leaves to finish the look. This is definitely a quick, inexpensive DIY project that isn’t scary at all.

Both projects receive 5 stars for being quick and easy.

Page  14 October 2016

Evince Magazine Page 15

A Single Rose by Stephen Staats

This rain garden is at the intersection of North Main/Main Street and Riverside Drive.

Creating Rain Gardens

by April Dailey Landscape Designer and City of Danville Horticulturist Fresh, clean air after a downpour provides an opportunity for walking or puddle jumping.

You might notice storm water flowing from down spouts and along curbs or sheeting across pavement and emptying into storm drains. Where does the water go? What does it carry with it?

Storm water runoff collects debris such as grass clippings and litter.

It also washes away fertilizer chemicals, oil, gasoline, salts, and anything that was spilled or left on paved surfaces. The bulk of this waste is eventually deposited into storm drains, which lead straight to our rivers and streams. What can we do to protect our water supply?

Almost anyone can reduce the overwhelming amount of storm water, while beautifying a property, by incorporating a rain garden into the landscape.

A rain garden is a functional, landscaped depression near downspouts or paved areas that will collect, clean, and slowly filter rain water into the soil. As water enters the basin, it gradually soaks into the soil and plant root systems purify the water.

A rain garden begins with the creation of a wide, level depression in soil where water can be directed. After an addition

of a berm at the lower edge and amending the soil with sand and compost, the fun part, planting, can start. Many favorite plants such as black-eyed Susan, beebalm and aster and small trees, such as dogwood and redbud, make a rain garden a lovely addition to the landscape.

Ornamental grasses and iris bring texture and color to the garden.

Finally, application of two to four inches of mulch is the key to water retention.

Rain garden maintenance is simple – mulching and/or composting as needed, and trimming or cutting back plants.

These gardens beautify, create habitat for birds and pollinators, and bring larger benefits to the environment, both locally and beyond. What are you waiting for?

• Learn more about how to plan and plant a rain garden at Spring to Green, a day of horticultural presentations and practical learning opportunities on February 4, 2017, at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research and presented by Virginia Cooperative Extension and Danville Master Gardeners.

• For registration forms and more information, visit www. danvillemastergardeners.org or call 434.799-6558.

You’ve met the girl who’s so much fun But you want to make sure that she’s the one.

So a friendship is first till a relationship grows You must present her with a single yellow rose.

You start to believe that this could be it And feel your carefree life you could forfeit.

As happiness is apparent and everyone knows You must present her with a single pink rose.

Love is getting nearer as your heart is on fire For whenever you see her you are filled with desire.

So you want to take the next step to see how it goes You must present her with a single orange rose.

Now you’re definitely getting closer to an important decision But it must be the right time and done with precision.

New beginnings are wonderful, but as your nervousness shows You must present her with a single white rose.

And now you want to be with her forever Because you know you are better together.

So you say I will love you through the highs and the lows You must present her with a single red rose.

Each color rose has a special connotation To win her heart and build a foundation.

So don’t skip a step or color and in all certainty Your love will last through all eternity.

Love

by Stephen Staats

Quiet times, sad and lonely Till filled with thoughts of you.

Memories past, such happy times.

Present day, hopes for happiness.

Future dreams, together fulfilling desires.

Past, present, future; in a word: LOVE!

Page 16 October 2016

Calendar Clips Clip it. Post it. Do it.

For more activities, see the calendar on page 18.

Monday, October 3 through Sunday, October 16 People, Pets & Pilot Exhibit

View the exhibit at the Danville YMCA. 215 Riverside Drive, and vote with cash or a check for a favorite photograph by Dana Yeatts Photography. This fundraising event of the Luncheon Pilot Club of Danville raises money for children and adults, who have brain-related disabilities and disorders.

The Y is open Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Billy Hardy and Luci Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday -2015 winner from noon until 5:00 p.m. All donations are tax-deductible and the money raised stays in the community to benefit those in need. For more information, call 434.709.0695 or email karma50@gamewood.net. (submitted by Melanie Vaughan)

Friday, October 15 – Sunday, October 22 And Then There Were None

The Clarksville Community Players will present this Agatha Christie play directed by Fred Motley. A group of strangers is invited to a mansion on an island under the pretext of employment or to meet old friends. Each of the guests has been implicated in the death of others, but escaped justice. Once all have arrived, they are informed they have been brought to the mansion to die for their respective crimes. The tension rises as they realize that their killer is among them. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on the 15th, 21st, and 22nd; 3:00 Margaret McMann p.m. on the 16th at the Clarksville Fine is a member of the cast of Arts Center, 914 Virginia Avenue. For And Then There Were None. more information, call 434. 374.0058 or search Clarksville Community Players at www.facebook.com. (submitted

by Fred Motley)

Monday, October 17

Restoring the Ornamental Landscapes at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest

The Director of Archeology and Landscape at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest plantation, Dr. Jack Gary, will speak at the Pittsylvania Historical Society meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. in the restored train station, 340 Whitehead Street, in Chatham. Jefferson believed that landscape design should be considered one of the fine arts along with painting, music, architecture, and poetry. At his octagonal home with its five acres of ornamental grounds, Jefferson utilized a variety of styles and plantings to create a unique blend of neoclassical and picturesque elements. Gary will discuss efforts to locate Jefferson’s plantings, determine the age of certain trees and shrubs, and uncover the original carriage circle in front of the house. The meeting is open to the public. For more info call 434.770.3258. (submitted by Larry Aaron)

Tuesday, October 18

Omega 6 vs. Omega 3: What’s the Big Deal?

Registered Dietitian, Michelle James, Clinical Nutrition Manager with Danville Regional Medical Center, will present this free program from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Ballou Recreation Center, lower level. Scientists are still debating the optimal amount of fat in a healthy diet and the best proportion of omega 6s and omega 3s. Michelle will give the facts, dispel myths and answer questions.

This event is part of Keeping Well in Mind, Body & Spirit Series for those concerned with cancer prevention and survivorship and is brought here by the Cancer Research and Resource Center of Southern Virginia/Danville in partnership with Danville Parks & Recreation. Bring a lunch. Drinks and dessert are provided. Boxed lunches can be ordered in advance for $6.50. Call the Resource Center 434.421.3060, or email cllitzenberg@vcu.edu. (submitted by Melanie Vaughan)

Wednesday, October 19

History & Code of Ethics of Shag

The public is invited to the Wednesday Club, 1002 Main Street, to hear Mike Marr talk about the history of Shag, a Southern dance, what influenced the dance, its North Myrtle Beach home, and other aspects of the dance. He and his wife, Diane, are shag instructors. The meeting starts at 3:45 p.m. Come early and meet the guest speaker. For more information, call 434.792.7921. (submitted by Kathleen Harris)

Thursday, October 20 Science After Dark

Enjoy the Danville Science Center, 677 Craghead Street, with extended hours of operation from 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. every third Thursday. Discover the mysteries of the universe and tour the night sky while enjoying an astronomy feature in the digital dome theater followed by an educator-led journey in the Cosmic Expeditions planetarium show. Learn how to use and create a star chart to take home. At nightfall, peer through telescopes and witness firsthand some of the wonders of the nighttime sky (weather permitting).

This event is in partnership with the Institute for Advance Learning and Research. Cost is $5 discounted general admission, free for DSC members and students with a college ID. (submitted by Adam Goebel)

Sunday, October 23

Acrobats of CirqueTacular Spooktacular

Spooks, specters and scaredycats cavort and conspire through a hair-raising circus of scare beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the Pritchett Auditorium in the Averett University Violet T. Frith Fine Arts Center, 150 Mountain View Avenue. Banshees soar and acrobatic zombies contort from the beyond in this humorously haunted bazaar of the bizarre! Enjoy a jaw-dropping fun Halloween adventure with the whole family. Tickets are $5. For more information, call 434.791.5684. (submitted by Cassie Jones)

Evince Magazine Page 17 Monday, October 24

Project Literacy Open House

To celebrate its 30th year in operation, Project Literacy is hosting this event at their work space, 450 West Main Street, upstairs at West Main Baptist Church. The public is invited for refreshments from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to learn about Project Literacy’s programs, to meet the director and members of the board and other volunteers. Think about improving your reading skills or helping someone improve theirs. Parking is available in the lot behind the church. Enter through the back door. For more information, call 434.483.7994. (submitted by Ann Sylves)

Wednesday, October 26 Transforming Your House Into a Home

This free, open-to-the-public program is presented by The Wednesday Club, 1002 Main Street, starting at 3:45 p.m. KariAnne Wood writes an award-winning decorating and lifestyle blog, Thistlewood Farms, from the back porch of her vintage farmhouse in the rolling hills of Kentucky. Thistlewood Farms was awarded Country Living Decorating Blog of the Year and was named one of the top 10 decorating blogs by Better Homes and Gardens. She has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens’ Christmas Ideas; Country Living; Flea Market Decor; Country Woman; HGTV Magazine; Cottage Journal; Chicago Tribune; Reloved Magazine; and This Old House and on popular websites including The Today Show; Better Homes and Gardens; Country Living; Apartment Therapy; Good Housekeeping; Mediakix; Bob Vila; and BuzzFeed. KariAnne has made appearances on television including Tiny House Nation and Nashville’s Talk of the Town. (submitted by Ellen Beville)

Friday, October 28 Fear Busters

SPARK Student Ministries presents this free event from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. in the Abundant Life Gymnasium, 955 Mt. Cross Road, Danville. Candy bags will be given to the first 100 children ages 12 and under. There will be hay rides, concessions, a costume contest, games and giveaways. A concert by B-SHOC will take place in the sanctuary.

For more information, call 434.799.8213. (submitted by Sally Stephens)

Sunday, October 30

Virginia State University Gospel Chorale Concert

The Danville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is sponsoring this event at John M. Langston Focus School, 228 Cleveland Street, in Danville starting at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased in advance by emailing dacdstfundraising@gmail.com.

Proceeds will benefit the chapter’s Margaret Edmunds Scholarship Fund. The Chorale was founded in 1971 and has won several competitions including the Steve Harvey Neighborhood Award for Best Church Choir in 2015. They’ve toured both nationally and internationally and performed at the 2013 Vatican Christmas Concert, at the interfaith food drive, a part President Obama’s National Day of Service, and official inaugural activities. In 2013, the Chorale was a quarterfinalist on America’s Got Talent. Canned goods will also be collected for local food pantries. (submitted by Tanya Oliver)

Page 18 October 2016

October Calendar Ongoing

Guided Walking Tour – Millionaires Row or Holbrook Street. $8; free for children 12 & younger. www.danvillehistory.org.

434.770.1974.

Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History (DMFAH) self-guided audio-visual tours. 434.793.5644.

Public Library Events.

See page 25.

Reid Street Gallery Events.

See ad page 29.

Tai-Chi Day Classes – Increase strength, balance, flexibility. M 11:15am-12:15pm or 5:45-6:45pm; W 3:30-4:30pm. Ballou Rec. Center.

434.799.5216.

Let’s Dance – Learn new dances, make new friends. Donna Robbins teaches a variety of dances in a fun atmosphere. A partner is not necessary. Adults 18+. Tues 7-8:30pm. Ballou Rec. Center.

434.799.5216.

Art with Judie – Learn how to paint with acrylic, oil, or water color. M/ TU – Times vary. Ballou Annex.

434.799.5216.

Kuumba African Dance – a great workout with live drumming and energetic dancing. Kids M/W 5:30pm; Adults M 6-7:30pm. 434.799.5150.

Prime Time Fitness – Lowimpact aerobics workout with a mix of various dance steps. Tu/Th 9:30-11am. Coates Rec. Center.

434.799.5150.

Zumba Classes – Hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves create a one-of-a-kind interval training fitness program with fun routines that tone and sculpt the body while burning fat.

434.797.8848.

Art with Flo – Wet-on-wet technique of oil painting. Ages 18+. W 9:3011:30am. Glenwood Community Center; 6-8pm, Ballou Annex.

434.799.5216.

African Rhythms by Nguzo Saba – Learn West African dance to live drumming. W 6-7pm. Pepsi Building.

434.797.8848.

Ballou Jammers – Acoustic musical jamboree. Bring a stringed instrument or listen. TH 3-5pm.

Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216.

Friday Night Fun and Dance – Live music provided by the City Limits Band on the first, third, and fifth Friday. The Country Pride Band plays on the second and fourth Friday of the month. Ages 50+. F 7:30-10:30pm. Ballou Rec. Center.

434.799.5216.

October 1

Opening of the Emma Edmonds’ Exhibit – 1963 Danville Civil Rights Movement: the Protests, the People, the Stories. Open noon until 6pm Tuesdays thru Saturdays. Danvillian Gallery, 210 North Union St.

October 1 (thru 8)

Living Hive Exhibit. Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History (DMFAH), 975 Main Street.

434.793.5644.

October 2

Panel Discussion and Lecture in connection with the Living Hive exhibit. 2pm. DMFAH, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644

October 6, 13, 20 & 27

Throw Paint at Cancer. A peerto-peer support group for cancer patients and survivors. Paint, draw and sketch; no experience necessary.

4-6pm. DMFAH, 975 Main St. 434.421.3060.

October 8

Danville Children’s Festival Moody Crew Pirates, Pirate School, Backyard Bass, Face Painting, Lowe’s Build and Grow Kids Clinics, $1 Admission to the Danville Science Center, Colgate Bright Smiles Bus and more. 10am-3pm. Carrington Pavilion. 434.793.4636.

Fall Art with Sweet Southern Design/Heather Reynolds. Paint a simple pumpkin on reclaimed barn wood. $40 includes all supplies, instruction and refreshments. 10am 24 Reid Street Gallery, Chatham.

434.203.8062.

Bourbon Tasting and Cigar Salon - 8 premier bourbons; complementary refreshments; cigars.

Limited seating. $40. 6pm-9pm.

24 Reid Street Gallery Chatham.

434.203.8062.

Bugs, Beer & BBQ - a variety of beer choices, barbecue, live music, and live animal displays from Infinity Acres. Attendees must be 18+. $20 in advance /$25 at the door. 5-9pm.

Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville 276.634.4141.

October 11

Sound Healing Concert with Robert Austin – 6pm. Danville Yoga and Meditation Center, 2000 Westover Dr. $20. Register.

434.429.4672.

History United Meeting – This is a networking and collaboration among historical and cultural organizations; learn about upcoming events and opportunities for regional partnership through history. 5-6pm. Danvillian Gallery, 210 N. Union Street. www.historyunited.org .

October 12 & 19

Lettering with Brandon Lewis. Get a head start on beautiful lettering to address your Christmas cards.

6pm $20 includes all supplies and instruction. 24 Reid Street Gallery, Chatham. 434.203.8062

October 13, 14 & 15

River District Festival. See the John Tate Exhibit at the Elks Lodge on Main Street. www.riverdistrictfestival.org.

October 13

Danville Civil Rights: the Protest, the People, the Stories Exhibit Reception. Danvillian Gallery, 210 N. Union Street, 5:30-6:30pm reception.

Free and open to the public

October 14 & 15

Danville Art League Annual Juried Art Show – Receiving entries. noon – 2pm Entry forms are available at the

DMFAH, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644.

October 14, 15 & 16

The Diary of Anne Frank - A drama based on the diary of a young Jewish girl whose family was forced into hiding during WWII. Times vary. The Prizery. 434.572.8339

October 14

Glow With the Flow 5K - night-time 5k highlights Danville’s River District 8pm. Main Street Plaza. Registration $20. 434.799.5150.

Averett University’s Hometown Homecoming Party. 6:30-10:30 www.averett.edu/homecoming.

Danville Comedy Club – Monthly professional Comedy Club Show with good clean award-winning fun.

Dionne Alexander will be the headliner. Dionne brings his life, aging, fatherhood, and military background to the stage with laughs all around. 7:30pm. Historic North Theatre – 434.793.7469.

October 15

2016 Kid’s Triathlon - 9am-1pm.

Danville Family YMCA. 434.792.0621.

Octoberfest - Konnection Band will perform. 6-11pm. Halifax Farmers’ Market.

October 16 & 18

Frank Sinatra & the Big Bank Sound - John Wilt will perform classic Frank Sinatra songs. Reservations encouraged. 7-9pm. Gretna Theatre, 107 N. Main Street. 434.656.3377.

October 20 & 27

Beginning Acrylics with Todd Giles.

Take “sip & spatter” type classes to the next level. $40 includes all supplies and instruction. 6:30pm.

24 Reid Street Gallery, Chatham.

434.203.8062.

October 22

Dirty Dan Dash - Scale obstacles, crawl through creepy crevices, and brave monster mud pits. 1-4pm.

Crossing at the Dan. Registration $65.

434.799.5150.

Fall Art with Sweet Southern Design/ Heather Reynolds. 24 Reid Street Gallery, Chatham 10am Create a step-by-step fall scene with apples. $40 includes all supplies, instruction and refreshments. 434.203.8062.

October 2016 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 $25 appropriate for all levels.

434.429.4672.

October 24 (thru November 23)

Student Art Show – A selection of Averett student art work from both art majors and minors will be on display.

Jut’s Café and Mary B. Blount Library, Averett. Free.

October 25

Step by Step – meet at 8:45 a.m. at the community market and walk before the 10am presentation about healthy eating and movement at Brewed Awakening, 610 Craghead St. 434.421.3060

October 27, 28 & 29

Historical Halloween. A walking tour of the old Grove Street Cemetery.

6:30-9pm. 434.793.5644 DMFAH for tickets.

October 28

Coffee House Comedy with Her Majesty’s Rejects- “Penny Awful” production of local comedy troupe with good, clean fun. Free. 7:30pm.

24 Reid Street Gallery, Chatham.

434.203.8062 Creepy Candy Crawl – Main, Craghead, North Union Streets in Danville. 3-5pm River District Assoc.

434.791.0210.

October 29

Danville Symphony Orchestra concert. See page 22.

River City Halloween Costume Ball. Must be 18+.$15 tickets at the Welcome Center. 7-10pm.

Community Market. www.facebook. com.

Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Death by Dessert. Individual dinner & show $45. The Prizery. 434.572.8339.

October 30

Kirkin’ O’ The Tartans or Blessing of the Tartans by the The VirginiaCarolina Scottish Society. The service will include members bringing their clan tartans to the altar for blessing, some items from traditional Scottish services, Scottish music, and drums and bagpipes. 11am. First Presbyterian Church, 937 Main St.

Upcoming

October 22 & 29

November 1

October 23

November 3

Halloween Spooktacular Magic and Illusion Show – Historic North Theatre, 629 North Main St. 434.793.7469.

Opening Reception for the Danville Art League annual juried art show, Hues and Views. 2:30pm. Show will continue until December 24 at the DMFAH, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644.

Backbends-A Progressive Approach taught by Richard Bakker.

Danville Yoga & Meditation Center, 2000 Westover Drive. 2-4:30pm

Virginia/North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society Meeting 5:30-7:00pm. Upper Floor at Danville Public Library, 511 Patton St Poker Extravaganza Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament - Caswell Friends of the Library Caswell Pines Golf Club, 2380 County Home Road, Yanceyville, NC. All-you-care-to- eat buffet 6pm; deal at 7pm. Profits benefit Gunn Memorial Public Library. $100 in advance; $120 at the door.

336.514.5063.

The deadline for submitting information for the October calendar is Saturday, October 22, at 5:00 p.m.

Please send just the basic information following the format on these pages to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

Evince Magazine Page  19

Page 20 October 2016 Evince Mag Evince

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Magazin

azine Page 1

1

Book Clubbing A Review by Diane Adkins

A Man Called Ove

by Fredrik Backman

Colleen Rich

ardson

Changing In-Sto re Shopping

Page 6

Bloom Whe

Gingy Caguioa-Blakel

Transforming

Page

& Reforming Page 3

Planted re You Are

y

Mind and Bo dy

23

r Barke Kristen ing Others ourag Enc ward ve For to Mo Page

3

Where Can I Find an Evince?

Ten thousand copies of Evince are distributed each month at over 100 locations. Find your copy at:

Riverside Drive/Piedmont Drive/Marketplace Area: Buffalo Wild Wings Checkered Pig Danview Restaurant El Vallarta Goodwill on Westover Drive IHOP on Piedmont Drive Joe & Mimma’s Karen’s Hallmark Los Tres Magueyes Ruben’s 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co. URW Community Credit Union Western Sizzlin YMCA

Main & West Main Street River District Area A La Carte Home Decor American National Bank Brewed Awakening Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History Danville Public Library on Patton Street Danville Regional Medical Center Danville Science Center Dell’ Anno’s Pizza Kitchen on Main Street Food Lion @ Ballou Park Main Street Coffee Emporium Midtown Market Rippe’s

Piney Forest Road Area

ERA Holley & Gibson Realty Co. Mary’s Diner Piedmont Credit Union

Franklin Turnpike Area Food Lion Medo’s PCP Library @ Mt. Hermon Ruben’s Too Village Pizza

Memorial Drive

Frank’s Pizza Ginger Bread House

Other

Danville Welcome Center

In Chatham Area

Community Center Chatham Health Center ChathaMooCa Frank’s Pizza PCP Library on Military Drive In Tightsqueeze Food Lion Frank’s American National Bank URW Community Credit Union

In Gretna

American National Bank Carter Bank & Trust Food Lion Hickerbilly’s Kitchen

In South Boston

Bistro 1888 Halifax County Public Library O’ Sole Mio South Boston Halifax County Museum of Fine Arts & History Southern Virginia Higher Education The Prizery Toots Creek Antiques Mall

In Martinsville

China Buffett El Ranchito Elizabeth’s Pizza Martinsville Visitor Center The Pacifica Bay Restaurant

In Yanceyville, NC

Gunn Memorial Public Library The Drug Store

Do you know Ove? I’m talking, of course, about the runaway hit A Man Called Ove. (pronounced OOveh). The fact that it is a bestseller and that it’s been made into a movie is surprising. It is, after all, translated from Swedish.

The main character is a grump who is trying his best to commit suicide.

Not the usual formula for success. And yet, Ove is a strangely endearing character. He has overcome obstacles that would have broken a different person. His mother dies when he is young.

He falls in love, marries, and then his wife, Sonja, is in a terrible accident, loses their unborn baby, and is relegated to a wheelchair.

Those who know the couple cannot understand what Sonja sees in Ove. As Backman puts it, “He was a man of black and white. And she was color. All the color he had.” Sonja sees, as others do not, how he takes care of people, even as he is aggravated by their general incompetence. Ove knows how to do the everyday tasks in life, whether it is bleeding radiators or backing up a U-Haul.

Men are who they are because of what they do. Not what they say. That sums up Ove’s philosophy. If we are fortunate, we know people like that. We want to be people like that.

Ove suffers great losses and watches the world change into a place that he hardly recognizes. Instead of adapting, he fights. He fights what he calls “the white shirts,” the bureaucracy that puts rules ahead of people. These are fights he is willing to extend to nearly ridiculous lengths, and when he doesn’t win, he finds a way around the bureaucrats instead. When he decides he cannot go on fighting, he starts planning in meticulous detail to take his own life. But he is thwarted at every turn because other people keep needing him.

The comedy in the book is driven by this one great irony, that this man who knows how to get things done cannot find a way to finish himself off.

Then new neighbors arrive. Parveneh, her inept husband, and their wonderfully loving children move in next door. She accepts Ove as he is, pulls him back into his life, and connects him to all the other characters who people this book---the cheerful, overweight computer geek, the gay young man who had been kicked out of the house by his father, the father, the old former friend with dementia and his wife who needs help, and even the stray cat.

We all have something to battle. When Ove decides to stop fighting, to wave the white flag of surrender, other people pick him up and carry him over the rough spots and back, grudgingly, into his life.

In the end, what matters is the relationships we have. When we see that, then we realize that, yes, we do know Ove. Diane S. Adkins is a retired library director and, as such, actually has time to read.

Evince Magazine Page  21

Page 22 October 2016

Take Note

It’s DSO’s 25th Anniversary Season

by Mary Franklin Twenty-five years ago, a small group of volunteers was drawn together because of their mutual love of playing instrumental music. That group has grown and evolved since 1991, increasing from about a dozen at their first gatherings to more than a 50-piece orchestra that exists today as the Danville Symphony Orchestra.

DSO members must audition to gain playing positions and no pay is given. On the contrary, the members give their time to rehearse and perform, preparing for area crowds of 700 to 1,000 fans at four or five concerts a year. Although conductors have changed over the years and student members have left (usually to go to college), there is a core group of musicians who have continued to keep the flame alive and strive to make free, live, orchestral concerts available in our area. There are also 25 or more behind-the-scenes volunteers who help in support positions.

Along with dedicated musicians

and support volunteers, another huge factor for the DSO’s stability and success is a great group of financial supporters. Donors help provide the money for music, equipment, rental of the performance venue and other expenses. The foundations and private citizens who donate to the DSO make the enjoyment of those musical notes free to the community.

Stability for 25 years for such a large volunteer group must be attributed to the commitment and dedication of its members. The greatest honor that these hardworking musicians can receive during this 25th anniversary year is your attendance at their concerts and enjoying the music they provide. It is their gift to the community.

• The first DSO concert of the season is Saturday, October 29, at George Washington High School Auditorium, 701 Broad Street. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

First note is at 8:00 p.m. Visit www.danvillesymphony.net for more information.

Evince Magazine Page 23

Zula Patrol Down to Earth

Now showing at the Danville Science Center Digital Dome Theater a review by Deb Henderson Time travel, anyone?

Perhaps a trip in a space ship where you watch the life of our planet over time?

This short movie has all that and more.

Geared for younger children and their families, this film stars cute little alien-type creatures who share all kinds of information with their audience about how earth developed over the millennia. That seems like high-level content for youngsters, however, it was a hit with the school-aged children at the Danville Science Center Digital Dome.

The villains in this film are Deliria, the owner of a factory, and Cloid, her robot servant, who speaks with a British accent and has a good head on his titanium shoulders. Deliria has poor ole Cloid disposing of toxic factory debris onto asteroids and elsewhere, risking the health and welfare of future generations. Enter the Zula Patrol that travels throughout the solar system in a Jetsonlike vehicle, giving tickets to those who break the rules.

Their mission becomes one of enthusiastically searching for Deliria and making her stop. They go back to the beginning of Earth, and through impressive computer-generated graphics, we see the formation and development of Earth and later the formation of life here.

Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the Zula Patrol? I wasn’t but learned they are in an awardwinning PBS TV series that teaches viewers about Earth,

the solar system and space.

These good guys are manyeyed aliens who look a little weird to me so I wondered if a younger child might be frightened by them, but apparently not. The youngsters in the audience with me seemed to really enjoy the show--no tears and totally engaged. Maybe they see the members of Zula Patrol as similar to the creatures on Sesame Street.

Following the 25-minute movie, a very knowledgeable DSC educator taught about the night sky, giving the basics about star gazing and pointing out what we’d see on a typical night in Danville and Pittsylvania County this time of year--lots of stars and no mosquitoes! If this sounds like fun to you, I bet you’d really enjoy Science After Dark, held outside every third Thursday. This gives participants a chance to look through a telescope at the night sky. We’re very fortunate to have such a fine science center in Danville. I think the Zula Patrol would have to search mighty hard to find such a nice facility in another city of our size.

• For more information, visit www.dsc.smv.org or 677 Craghead Street or call 434.791.5160.

• Admission to the movie is $6 for ages13-59; $5 for ages 4-12 and seniors 60+.

You do not have to be a DSC member to attend the movies.

The poses and breath work practiced in yoga were created as preparation for the body and mind to sit for extended periods of time in meditation. Photo by Clark Davis.

Meditation Moment

by Casey Molloy, RYT Stability is a prominent aspect of yoga practice with varying degrees and definitions. Initially, we are drawn to assess our physical stability as we depend upon our bodies to carry us through the world.

Secondly, we assess our mental stability as we allow our minds to guide us through the world. The true balance we each seek lies in the bond between the stability of our body and the stability of our mind.

Depending on your age, body type, or current conditions, you may find physical stability immensely challenging. In yoga, we realize that many factors, including core strength, sleep quality, and even diet can contribute to our physical balance. Often, we forget that the way we treat our bodies is directly reflected in the way they function. The physiology of the human body is truly amazing, as our internal systems continuously work together to maintain a state of dynamic equilibrium. Through heightening your awareness and connecting to how your body functions and understanding why it reacts to certain stimulus, an increase in physical stability can be cultivated. It is truly essential that we incorporate a practice of physical balance daily, so that we may maintain our independence and mobility for the duration of our lives.

Similarly, depending on your age, family, job, and other various

influences, the art of achieving mental stability may be your current challenge. As with the body, the fluctuations of our minds are continuous and the mind can be a difficult beast to tame. In meditation and yoga, we refer to our constant mental chatter as monkey mind.

Through conscious breathing, we are able to slow down the rapid stream of thoughts and find our grounded center. By turning inward, we become more in tune with the sensations of our bodies, we feel the flow of our breath, and ultimately we experience a sense of stillness.

In yoga, we establish an intention or dedication, which is where our attention or energy is focused.

Whenever we observe the mind running away from us, distracted by irrational thoughts or unrealistic expectations, we are able to revert back to our intention. This intention may be as simple as one word (patience or compassion), it may be a mantra or a prayer, or it could even be sending healing thoughts to someone in need. Ultimately, when we slow down the mind, we are able to slow down the body, and vice versa. Every day, and even in every moment, we can attempt to calm the mind and cultivate consciousness for the body. The result will be an improvement of our entire being, functioning at a sophisticated and healthy level. As we balance body and mind, we find stability in life.

Page 24 October 2016 The Virginia Wine Industry has been growing quickly until recently. Due to the demand for Virginia wine, the industry now has a growing pain--a shortage of grapes! Virginia wine production grew nearly 7% earlier in the decade but that has slowed to about 2% last year, due in large part to a lack of Virginia grapes.

If you are a Virginia winery and you must have a problem, this is a better problem than a lack of sales or a disease or pest that attacks grape vines or a series of bad weather during the growing seasons. As much as we need to see economic expansion and diversification take place in our region, there is no quick fix.

It costs $3,000 to $4,000 to plant an acre of grapes, not including the cost of equipment and labor.

Aside from the financial investment there is a time investment, too.

Making wine is not a fast process.

Under good conditions, growers expect to spend three years from planting a new grapevine to harvesting the first grapes, and then it is not instantly wine.

According to Melanie Winter at Rosemont of Virginia winery in LaCrosse, it might be four to six years before the wine is ready

With all that in mind, should we stop buying Virginia wine until the supply of Virginia grapes is in balance with the demand for Virginia grapes?

No, I believe we must continue to support our wine industry because this will attract additional growers and entice existing growers to grow more. It is my hope that our winemakers will maintain and continue to improve the quality of Virginia wines. I encourage you to enjoy at least one bottle of Virginia wine during October, Virginia Wine Month, and join me in a toast, “Here’s to stability and continued growth for Virginia wines.”

The Wine Spot

• Virginia is the birthplace of American wine. In 1619, early settlers were required by law to plant grapes in hopes that Virginia would become a major wine source for the British empire.

Today there are more than 250 wineries across the state.

Photo by Dave Slayton

Let’s Toast Stability

by Dave Slayton

a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers

for consumption. The time it takes for vines to reach full production makes the initial expense even more burdensome because the return is

in the future and not certain. Some Virginia winemakers must buy grapes from other states and the cost of those grapes has been steadily rising.

• 2 Witches Winery & Brewery, 209 Trade Street in Danville, was the first winery/brewery in Virginia.

(See Evince, March 2014, page 3, at www.evincemagazine.com.)

• For more information, visit www.virginiawine.org/october wine-month.

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Evince Magazine Page 25

Pittsylvania County

What’s Happening in the Public Libraries

Submitted by Lisa Tuite

• Teen Read Week: October 9-15. Snap a picture of yourself with a book and post it to social media with the hashtag #CheckOutPCPL! Enter Chatham’s Teen Read Week art exhibit – drawings, photos, paintings, and sculpture.

• Pumpkin Pageant: October 15-29, Mt. Hermon. Decorate (no carving!) a pumpkin as a favorite book character or one inspired by a favorite book or series. Library patrons vote on their favorites in each of 4 age categories on October 31.

October 3 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+.

• Mother Goose on the Loose: 11-11:30am, Chatham. Ages 0-3.

• Mario Monday: 4pm, Brosville/ Cascade. Mario Kart race on the Wii. • Knitting: 6:30-8pm, Mt. Hermon.

October 4 • National Golf Day Brosville/ Cascade. Take a swing and get some chocolate.

• Needlework: 10am, Brosville/ Cascade. Bring your projects.

• Computer One-on-One: 11amnoon Chatham. .

• Fall Nature Crafts: 4pm, Chatham.

• DIY Candle Craft: 5pm, Gretna. $2.00 Registration required.

October 5 • Dancercise: 9am, Brosville/ Cascade.

• Wednesdays for Wees: 10am, Brosville/Cascade, Chatham, and Gretna. Stories, songs, rhymes and crafts for parents and children 0-5.

• Mother Goose on the Loose: 10-10:30 am, Mt. Hermon. ages 0-3.

• Wii Bowling: 1pm, Brosville/ Cascade. Adults only.

• Computer One on One: 6-7pm, Chatham.

October 6 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+ .

• Mad Hatter’s Day: 5:30pm, Brosville/Cascade. Watch a movie about Alice and her friends!

October 7 • Preschool Pals: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 3-5.

October 8 • Indie Author Day: Chatham.

• Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1011am, Mt. Hermon.

• Star Wars Reads Day: 10am, Gretna.

October 11 • Needlework: 10am, Brosville/ Cascade.

• Computer One-on-One: 11-noon Chatham.

• Homeschool Connection: 2pm, Gretna. Take a virtual trip around the world with stories and crafts • Make-and-Take Craft: 3-4:45 pm, Chatham.

• Teen Movie Time: 4pm, Chatham.

• 2nd Tuesday Recipe Club: 5:30pm, Gretna. “Halloween Party.”

Use a recipe book from the library to make and bring a Halloween party dish to share.

• Crafty Tuesday: 6pm, Mt. Hermon.

Make wine cork owls! Ages 12+ October 12 • Dancercise: 9am Brosville/ Cascade.

• Wednesdays for Wees: 10am, Brosville/Cascade, Chatham, Gretna.

Stories, songs, rhymes and crafts for parents and children from 0-5.

• Mother Goose on the Loose: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 0-3.

• Computer One on One: 6-7pm, Chatham.

October 13 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+.

• 2nd Thursday Book Discussion: 4-5:45pm, Chatham. adults.

Halifax County Public Library

• Friends of the Library meeting: 6pm, Brosville/Cascade. Get involved.

October 14 • Friends of the Library Book Sale!

9-5pm, Chatham. 340 Whitehead Street, Chatham (old train depot).

• Preschool Pals: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 3-5.

October 15 • Friends of the Library Book Sale! 10am-2pm, Chatham. 340 Whitehead Street, Chatham (old train depot).

• Star Wars Reads Day: 10-2pm, Chatham.

October 17 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

18+.

• Mother Goose on the Loose: 1111:30 am, Chatham. Ages 0-3.

• Knitting Group: 6-8pm, Mt. Hermon. Bring your own supplies and project.

October 18 • Crochet: 10am, Brosville/Cascade.

Learn to crochet a pumpkin bowl.

Bring yarn of your favorite color, stitch markers, G and H hooks.

• Computer One-on-One: 11-noon Chatham.

October 19 • Wednesdays for Wees: 10am, Brosville/Cascade, Chatham, and Gretna. children 0-5 • Mother Goose on the Loose: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 0-3.

• Computer One on One: 6-7pm, Chatham.

October 20 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+.

• Halloween Crafts: 5:30pm, Chatham.

• Book Bingo: 6-7:30pm, Brosville/ Cascade. Win books and other prizes. All ages.

October 21 • Preschool Pals: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 3-5.

October 22 • Fall Family Fun Day: 10am2pm, Chatham. Play all kinds of games.

• Retro Halloween: 10:30am, Mt. Hermon. Get into the Halloween spirit with the Addams Family.

October 24 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+.

• Mother Goose on the Loose: 1111:30 am, Chatham. ages 0-3.

October 25 • Needlework: 10am, Brosville/ Cascade. Bring your projects.• Computer One-on-One: 11noon Chatham.

• Book Bingo: 2pm, Brosville/ Cascade.

• Homeschool Connection: 2pm, Gretna. Take a virtual trip around the world with stories and crafts.

• Bingo for Books: 5pm, Gretna.

October 26 • Dancercise: 9am, Brosville/ Cascade.

• Wednesdays for Wees: 10am Brosville/Cascade, Chatham, and Gretna. Children 0-5 • Mother Goose on the Loose: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 0-3.

• Computer One on One: 6-7pm, Chatham.

October 27 • Group Fitness: 10am, Gretna.

Ages 18+.

• LEGO Play: 3-4:45pm, Chatham.

• Try It Thursday: 6pm, Brosville/ Cascade. Always wanted to try knitting? Ms. Kim will teach you.

• Hooks & Books: 6-7:30pm, Mt. Hermon. Learn to make amigurumi, tiny Japanese crocheted figures. Participants should know how to chain, slip stitch, and double crochet.

October 28 • Preschool Pals: 10am, Mt. Hermon. ages 3-5.

October 31 • Mother Goose on the Loose: 11-11:30am, ages 0-3.

Unless otherwise noted, all programs are free. For more information, contact Gretna Library, 207 A Coffey Street, 434.656.2579; Mt. Hermon Library, 2725 Franklin Turnpike, 434.835.0326; History Research Center and Library, 340 Whitehead Street, Chatham; 434.432.8931; PCP Main Library, 24 Military Drive, Chatham, 434.432.3271; Brosville Library, 11948 Martinsville Highway 434.685.1285 or www.pcplib.org.

Submitted by Jay Stephens

• Ongoing • Itsy Bitsy PALS, up to age 2, Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30 • PALS, ages 2-7, Wednesdays, 2:30-4:30 • Tweens, ages 8-12, Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 • Art @ the Library, second and fourth Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 • Art for Adults, third Thursday, 10:00-12:00, Bring a magazine with you this month • Computer Basics, October 5 at 10:30

• Author talk with Charles Edmonds, October 6 at 4 pm • Tea & Book Discussion, third Tuesday, 2:30-3:30, The Greater Journey • Adult Crafts, second Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 For more information, visit Halifax Public Library, 177 South Main Street in Halifax or www.halifaxlibrary.org or call 434.476.3357.

South Boston Public Library Submitted by Jay Stephens

Ongoing • Itsy Bitsy PALS, up to age 2, Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30 • PALS, ages 2-7, Tuesdays, 2:304:30 • Tweens, ages 8-12, Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 • Adult Crafts, second Tuesday, 1:00-2:00

• Computer Basics, October 6 at 6 pm • South Boston Fall Fest, October 15 4 pm-5:30 pm For more information, visit South Boston Public Library, 509 Broad Street, or www.halifaxlibrary.org, or call 434.575.4228.

Page 26 October 2016

W

e live in an evolving world.

Things are constantly

changing, but we navigate through those changes more easily if we have stabilizing forces. A positive stabilizing constant in our lives has been our dog, Hershey, one of a litter of puppies born in 2000 to a purebred Labrador Retriever, who mated outside her breed. Mama dog’s owner was a student in my Biology 101 lab. At the time, our sons were 11 and 8 years old. When we arrived home from our annual holiday trip to Grandma Gladys’, we found a note from Santa by the fireplace.

It said there was one more gift that needed to be picked up.

When I returned with Hershey, the expressions on the boys’ faces were priceless. On that day, we all believed in Santa.

In our world, Hershey has been a constant force of love and support.

She grew up with the boys.

Nominally, she was the boys’ dog; realistically, she was my husband’s and mine, with the attendant responsibilities of reminding the boys about pet care.

We experienced hilarious and not-so-hilarious times: my elderly

Reflecting Forward

Hershey: A Stabilizing Force in Our Lives

by Linda Lemery

mother deciding to surprise us by walking Hershey, being dragged

at a fast pace down the street and narrowly avoiding a face-plant (and later my trying to push my mother in her wheelchair while walking Hershey on a leash and keeping everybody going in the same direction simultaneously; Hershey digging her way through the kitchen wall all the way to the studs to get past the pet gate; her tugging so hard on the gate that her bottom shoved open the basement door and she slid backwards down the stairs; Hershey shredding her bedding after three days in the vet’s inescapable kennel; her dragging a bag of flour under our bed to destroy it; nicking her enthusiastically wagging tail and it bleeding in forensic murder spray patterns all over the walls, the furniture, and our guest’s white slacks; her running with the force and focus of a bullet train along the side fence to bark at cats and leaping onto the picnic table like a super bounce ball. Eventually all that running like she’d been shot out of a gun and leaping like she was scaling a building resulted in her anterior cruciate ligaments failing, which resulted in ACL support surgeries on her back legs.

Meanwhile, the boys grew up and when they returned home for visits, Hershey knew them and loved them. We were her pack. The pack took care of its own. Sometime in the past two years, our stabilizing force began to destabilize. Hershey

aged almost overnight. Seizures began, which we eliminated by stopping the monthly flea-and-tick treatment. Fatty tumors began to show. Belly mass broadened, yet the ridges of her spine began to show. Liver enzymes spiked. Hair thinned, revealing an increasing number of dark spots. We took shorter walks, only in the cool dark. Hershey staggered, crossed her back feet while walking, and dragged her footpads and bled, so then we struggled to keep her in doggie socks. Falling, she needed help getting up. Pacing and panting, she experienced time reversal and was up all night barking. When she lost control of her excretions, we put her in doggie diapers and began containing her at night or when we were gone.

On a sunny, hot, humid Saturday in September, Hershey, that force of stability, bridging, and continuation in our lives, left us.

As is the case with experiencing stabilizing forces, we became more for having been with her than we would have without her.

Life is partly about undergoing change and finding a new balance. Kids grow, pets age, we age, our needs change. We can only hope that we don’t lose all our stabilizing forces at once.

If we have at least one of these forces in place, it’s more possible to eventually find a new balance.

Hershey, thank you for sharing your life with us. Requiescat in pace.

About the author: When she’s not giving thanks for stabilizing forces, Linda Lemery llemery@averett.edu works as Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville. She welcomes your comments.

Evince Magazine Page  27

Page 28 October 2016

I

enjoy browsing through stores before Halloween, seeing faux-frightful things for sale and I’m always fascinated by the packs of artificial spider webs. This year, things are happening very differently. Worms have become the web harbingers of All Hallows Eve, particularly, the webworm. (Webworm sounds like the ethernet version of one who can’t keep his nose out of a book.)

The job of providing spooky webs has lately become an equal-opportunity task. Those webs or tents fashioned by worms/caterpillars look ghostlier than those woven by spiders. Some that hang at the ends of tree branches make me think of the deep South’s trailing, dejectedlooking Spanish moss. Upon closer inspection, the viewer may find himself recoiling in horror at the roiling worm life moving within the gauzy shroud. A single spider can only dart out in one direction at a time, but each caterpillar/worm moves at individual worm will in whatever direction it chooses.

Ghostly Webworms Haunt Neighborhoods

by Mack Williams, Natural History Educator Danville Science Center The internet says not to burn webworms, but in my youth, a simpler time, I saw torches held high to webworms. The really irksome thing is that the webworm taunts man, because

man cannot fashion something useful from all of that sicklylooking string in the trees as he does from the unraveled spinnings of the silkworm. But really, no one would want to

boast of a 100% webworm tie, a webworm shirt, webworm seamless stockings, and definitely not webworm underwear!

Evince Magazine Page 29

24 Reid Street Chatham, VA

Recipe for Successful Tailgating

434.203.8062

by Annelle Williams

My husband and I held season tickets for years after our college days, because we couldn’t give up the surges of adrenalin we felt as our team competed and either rose in victory or fell in defeat. He was the football junkie. My addiction was to the tailgating with friends. As the years passed, we had children who eventually grew up and had boyfriends or girlfriends. They married, had children, and before we knew it, our tailgating turned into an every weekend massive party. It was lots of fun, but we have finally aged out and now enjoy the armchair home version of tailgating. Now, most Saturdays you’ll find us watching four-year olds playing something that is supposed to resemble soccer. Whether you enjoy an armchair version of tailgating or you are among the thousands of people who fill the parking lots before big games every weekend, this recipe will serve you well.

reidstreetgallery.com

FB Reid Street Gallery

OctOber calendar Of events Weekly In OctOber Mondays Gentle Yoga with Lorrie Laming- Begin

4:30 your week with a gentle yoga practice designed to relax and restore.

Tuesdays Urban Line Dancing with Bryan Price6:00 Super fun dance moves will give you a fun workout!

Wednesdays Art After School- Details are still being finalized 3:30 for this class- please call for information!

OCTOBER October 8 Fall Art with Sweet Southern Design 10:00am Heather Reynolds - Paint a simple pumpkin on

beautiful reclaimed barn wood for a festive addition to your fall decor! Just $40 includes all supplies, instruction and refreshments!

October 8 Bourbon Tasting and Cigar Salon10:00am Enjoy this exclusive event at Reid Street Gallery.

Eight premier bourbons with complementary refreshments and a fine cigar to finish. Limited seating, reservations required by September 30. $40 October 12/19 Hand Lettering with Brandon Lewis6:00pm Get a head start on beautiful lettering to address your Christmas cards this year! Just $20 includes all supplies and instruction.

Gallery will be closed October 14 and 15

October 20/27 Beginning Acrylics with Todd Giles 6:30 This class is for those ready to take “sip & spatter” type classes to the next level. Todd will take you through a simple still life and teach some techniques to help you consider your own subjects. $40 includes all supplies and instruction.

Jalapeno Corn Dip 2 cans well-drained sweet corn, one white, one yellow 1 small can diced green chilies, drained 1 small jar diced pimento, drained 1 small can diced jalapenos, drained 1 small bunch of green onions, diced (1/2 cup; save some of the green for garnish)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream 4 cups shredded cheese (I used a marbled mix, but sharp Cheddar also works well.) smoked paprika for garnish

Combine corn, chilies, pimentos, jalapenos and onions. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic salt and pepper. Add cheese and stir to mix. Combine mayo/ cheese mix with corn mix and stir to combine. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving to allow flavors to mingle. Garnish with a few green onion rings and a dash or two of smoked paprika.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Questions or comments?

Email me: AnnelleWilliams@comcast.net I look forward to hearing from you!

October 22 Fall Art with Sweet Southern Design 10:00am Heather Reynolds— A fun session creating step-by-step fall scene with apples for a colorful addition to your fall decor. $40 includes all supplies, instruction and refreshments.

October 28 7:30 pm

Coffee House Comedy with Her Majesty’s Rejects- “Penny Awful” production of

local comedy troupe with good, clean fun for everyone!

FREE ADMISSION, concessions available.

P

TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES AND EVENTS You can register through our website: reidstreetgallery.com, our Facebook page, Reid Street Gallery, or by calling 434-203-8062

Follow us on Facebook and check out our website for more events and information…..www.ReidStreetGallery.com

Page 30 October 2016

Photo Finish

Amy Chaney Amburn, Williams, Morrison, Light, and Moreau Law Firm

Evince photographer, Von Wellington, decided to stay close to his businesses at 136 South Ridge Street for this month’s “Photo Finish” pictures. The River District Auto Spa has become a popular place to leave vehicles while their owners go to work.

Isn’t it nice that your hard-working car, truck, or van can go to the spa for a day or an hour? The River District Barbershop next door also welcomes a steady stream of visitors. If a clean, polished vehicle is attracting attention, its driver has to look good too! Want more details?

Stop by or call 434.728.3459.

Averett University student, Zenis Chambers, and Rachel Covington, AU Center for Community Engagement & Career Competitiveness, like the clean van delivered by “River District Roy” Wims.

Jean & Gilbert Cook

Howard Bolton, CPA All photos by Von Wellington.

For more info visit www.vonwellington photography.com or call 434.770.3553. See more pictures on Facebook.

Pat Daniels, Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director

Bruce Riddle, Public Safety Systems Administrator, City of Danville

“River District Roy” Wims shines Ben Rippe’s car.

Steve DelGiorno, 616 Restaurant Owner

Sally Burton, West Main Baptist Church

Tyquan Graves, Youth Inc.

Evince Magazine Page 31 Dr. Stanley Jones, Danville Public Schools Superintendent

Barber Demetrius Staten cuts Keith Hash’s hair. Keith works at Venture Church.

Jeff Gignac, American National Bank, Trust Associate

Phillip Hayes, Database Administrator Noblis, Inc.

Phillip Wilson, Averett Soccer Coach

U.S. Congressman Robert Hurt stops for a quick visit while Demetrius Staten pauses in cutting Corey Noble’s hair.

Clifton Simpson gives Roy Smith a cut.

City Sheriff Mike Mondul

Barber T.J. watches as Brandon Atkins, VP at American National Bank, takes a picture of Steve Kaylor’s new look.

Steve is the former publisher of the Danville Register & Bee.

Barber Duane Foster; Ben Prescott, President of Prescott Financial Management

Page  32

October 2016