Evince Magazine February 2019

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service Page 7

Second Thoughts Coat Tales Page 7

Bill Guerrant

Finding a Cure for Homesickness Page 5

Page  2 February 2019

Hello, Healthy Heart Maintaining a strong heart means getting to know your heart and staying on top of factors that play into its health, like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, family history and exercise. And when you act early to check your heart health, we’re in a better position to catch any potential issues and work with you to keep you healthy for the long run.

Say hello to a healthy heart. Say hello to Sovah Health.

How healthy is your heart?

Visit SovahHeart.com to take our free heart health assessment and learn about any risk you may have for heart-related conditions.

To find a doctor to take care of your heart, call 844.GO.SOVAH

February Contents

3 Editor’s Note

Photo by Lona Kolinda

5 Bill Guerrant Finding a Cure for Homesickness

by Joyce Wilburn

Editor’s Note

This month’s “Voice of Unity” includes the story of local author Bill Guerrant (on the cover and page 5) and his latest novel that successfully combines fact and fiction. His story is based on a January 4, 1918 Danville newspaper clipping. On page 9, a reader relates that when she and her husband joined forces to “Throw Out the Mess & Organize the Rest,” it worked!

Use her story as a model for your home. If you ever feel overwhelmed by household calamities, read “Unified” on page 12 for a new perspective.

Take a “Meditation Moment” (page 11) to unite your mind, body, and spirit for a more meaningful life. If you’re sipping wine while reading this, read the label on the bottle. Is it a blended wine? Do you agree that “Grape Things Happen When Varieties Are United?” (page 12) When putting this magazine together each month, we always keep one thing in mind—producing a valuable, free publication to unite our community in thought and action. We are filled with gratitude at the verbal and written affirmation that comes from you, our readers, the financial support of our advertisers, and the hard work of our staff and volunteer writers. It is the unity of all involved that has created this voice for the community since 1996. Thank you for the role you play.

Namaste,

6 Renovation Reality / Part 30

by Carla Minosh

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Satisfied Customer

8 Calendar 9 Throw Out the Mess & Organize the Rest

The 360 De-cluttering Project

by anonymous

oice of Unity

CEO / Publisher Andrew Scott Brooks Editor Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com Associate Editors Jeanette Taylor • Larry Wilburn Diane Adkins, Kim Clifton, Nicole Eanes, Butch James, Karan Johnson, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, CB Maddox, Kathy Milam, Carla Minosh, Casey Molloy, Dave Slayton, Danielle Staub, Jay Stephens, Melanie Vaughan, Liz Whittaker, Joyce Wilburn, Annelle Williams

Art & Production Director Demont Design (Kim Demont) Finance Manager Cindy Yeatts (1.434.709.7349) Marketing Consultants For ad information contact a marketing consultant listed below.

10 Cuts from Paper Hearts

Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg 11 Meditation Moment

by Casey Molloy 12 The Wine Spot

Grape Things Happen When Varieties Are United

by Dave Slayton

Reflecting Forward Unified

by Linda Lemery

Kim Demont (434.792.0612) demontdesign @verizon.net

Lee Vogler (434.548.5335) lee@evince magazine.com evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW

13 Book Clubbing

The Library Book

by Susan Orlean

a review by Diane Adkins

14 Around the Table

Mushroom Cheese Spinach Strata

by Annelle Williams

Deadline for submission of March stories, articles, and ads is Tuesday, February 19, at 5:00 p.m.

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

Editorial Policies:

Evince is a free monthly magazine with news about entertainment and lifestyle in Danville and the surrounding area. 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 For subscriptions to Evince, email info@evincemagazine.com.

Cost is $24 a year.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service Page 7

© 2019 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Second Thoughts Coat Tales Page 7

Bill Guerrant

Finding a Cure for Homesickness Page 5

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.

The

Contributing Writers

7 Second Thoughts

Coat Tales

by Kim Clifton

Evince Magazine Page 3

On the Cover:

Photo of Bill Guerrant by Michelle Dalton Photography

Don’t Forget to Pick Up the February RAVE Edition of

Showcase Magazine

Page  4 February 2019

Evince Magazine Page 5

I

Living that is available on loan to help the cook. A complimentary farm tour and star gazing are two other low-key activities that are part of the guest experience.

n 2003, while living and working in Tampa, Florida, Bill Guerrant became very sick—homesick, that is, for White Flint Farm in Keeling, Virginia, where he grew up.

“I wanted our teenage kids to think of this place as home,” he explains, while gazing at the green fields owned by his family at least since 1884 and probably longer. He continues, “We moved back to Virginia on an experimental basis to see if everyone liked it and they did!”

Everyone included the two children and wife Cherie.

After growing up on a tobacco farm in the 60s, Bill was a UVA law school graduate in 1985, a Florida attorney starting in the late 80s, and a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary in 2010. And now? He’s a farmer and the author of Jim Wrenn, a 300-page historical novel set in the Danville/Pittsylvania County area. “I didn’t plan to be a writer any more than I planned to be a vegetable farmer. I just wanted to come back home and figure out what to do with my life,” he laughs. The quiet winter months of 2017-18 gave him the answer. It was time to start a second writing project. His first book, Organic Wesley, A Christian Perspective on Food, Farming, and Faith, based on his master’s thesis at Asbury, had been published in 2015.

He continues his story, “My first love is history so I decided to write about life in our community 100 years ago.” After researching the community’s history, he continued exploring records at the Danville library. “I checked out the microfiche of the 1918 Danville Register because I planned for the book to be published in 2018,” he says.

Reading the daily papers of 1918, Bill was captivated by a heartbreaking, front-page article dated January 4 entitled “Boy and Girl to Adopt. Mother Weary of Hopeless Struggle of Providing for Them. Wishes to Find Them Homes.” (He also remembers reading that January 4, 1918, was the coldest day on record and it had snowed sixteen times that season.) Soon after reading that article, the outline of a fictitious story came to him. “That’s how I ended up writing a novel. It’s

As Bill completes an inside tour of the house for a visitor, he waves good-by with a big smile on his face—evidence that his homesickness has been cured.

Cheryl Sutherland, owner of Main Street Art Collective, introduces Bill Guerrant at a recent book signing. Photos by Michelle Dalton Photography.

Bill Guerrant Finding a Cure for Homesickness

by Joyce Wilburn not what I had planned to do,” he remarks while shaking his head almost in disbelief.

The first part of the book is about mill life in 1918 Danville. After extensive research through files, books, and internet sites, Bill took to the streets of historic Mechanicsville, a working-class neighborhood near downtown Danville. He elaborates, “I walked Floyd Street and imagined where one of the book’s main characters lived, worked, and worshiped.”

The remainder of the book takes place on a farm, something Bill knows about from personal experience. Jim Wrenn, A Novel was released on January 4, 2018, the 100th anniversary of the publication of the newspaper article that inspired his writing.

Bill talks about reactions from readers, “It’s authentic. It resonates with them and the response has been good.”

Another unexpected venture Bill and Cherie are experiencing on the farm is operating an airbnb in the folk-Victorian farmhouse that once belonged to his great-great grandparents. He expounds with tongue in cheek, “It’s a bed and breakfast without the breakfast-more like a farm stay for folks who want to get away. Guests make their own breakfast, but we might be able to supply some of the fresh ingredients.” Also,

Cherie has written a cookbook, Seasonal Eating with White Flint Farm: Recipes for Sustainable

• Jim Wrenn A Novel is available at the Visitors Center in Halifax County; the Welcome Center in Danville; Reid Street Gallery in Chatham; by emailing whiteflintbill@gmail.com and local libraries.

• To schedule a book reading and signing for a group, email Bill at whiteflintbill@gmail.com.

• Starting in May products from White Flint Farm will be at the Farmers’ Market in Danville and at the Competition Alley Farmers’ Market in Chatham.

• Read more about The Old House at White Flint Farm at airbnb.com.

Page 6 February 2019 Unlike HGTV shows where home renovations are completed within thirty to sixty minutes, the Victorian house at the corner of Chestnut Place and Main Street in Danville has been under a transformation for eighteen years. This series explores the truth of home renewal from someone who has been there and done that. If you missed any of the articles, visit www.evincemagazine.com.

T

he plan for the double

parlors was simple at first.

Remove the wall that had been constructed by Dr. E. Howe Miller to separate the front and rear parlors when he decided to use his residence as his office.

He also built an addition off the back of the rear parlor. A simple small exterior entrance on Chestnut Place led his patients into an antechamber/waiting room. Perhaps the Doctor did not anticipate his popularity nor how much space he would truly need, because a short time later the small Chestnut Place entrance was bricked-in and a grander entrance was created from a window. This necessitated a more substantial separation of rear and front parlors than the ball-and-stick

Renovation Reality Part 30

by Carla Minosh fretwork above the velvet curtain that divided the two chambers at the time. This new configuration allowed for the rear parlor to function as a waiting room, while the addition’s antechamber housed Dr. Miller’s receptionist, and the rear parlor was expanded to accommodate an even larger office, a bathroom and storage closets.

The evidence of the rear parlor’s long use as a waiting room was written into the hardwood floor: years of waiting-room chairs lining the perimeter scraped their signatures into grooves as they were repeatedly occupied and vacated. Dr. Miller was an orthopedic surgeon, therefore, it is

expected that most of his patients had some degree of mobility issues, pain, or injuries, and they did not alight or depart their seating gently. The hardwood flooring was scarred from this hard use and stained black from the urine of some long-ago pet. The lone steam radiator was walledup inside a closet reaching the full height of the 12 1/2 foot ceiling. The original mantel and mantel mirror were coated with multiple layers of paint to the point that their details appeared soft and obscured. A roughlybuilt bookcase to the right of the fireplace was built at least in the early 1950s, as evidenced by a coupon of that date that had

fallen behind it at some point in its life.

The demolition of the wall between the two parlors was a satisfying project. A stud wall clad on both sides with metal lath and plaster was no match for sledgehammers and power tools. The gritty particles that fell away from it, on the other hand, were cruel and insidious, hiding themselves in unsuspecting places such as a granular residue inside sandwiches and as an itchy powdery residue between bed sheets. I’m convinced that I am still cleaning dust from that demolition project. There is no other explanation for some of the coarse grey dust that I find in odd places.

As we stood back and took stock of the double parlors, unencumbered by a barrier for the first time in over fifty years, it was clear that we had some repair work to do to the flanking decorative plaster corbels. The workers who had installed the wall were clearly not expecting their efforts to be reversed and were careless with these delicate decorative elements.

(to be continued)

Evince Magazine Page 7

Second Thoughts

by Kim Clifton ©2019

Coat Tales The most clever article title I’ve ever seen was “The Little Red Sweater That Paid the Rent.” It was an account of a thrift shop’s proceeds being used to assist the less fortunate in the community.

In short, the sale of a little red sweater helped an elderly woman keep her home. While I have paid my share of cover charges to enter a building, I never thought of using my outerwear to pay the costs of living in one.

younger daughter, I grew up on hand-medowns; used stuff has always been “new” to me.

Sometimes, though, pre-owned is often untouched.

For example, I recently clipped a tag from a jacket that still had the original ticket. Someone had paid $35.00 to bring it into her house but I only had to pay $3.50 to bring it into mine.

What a difference a decimal makes.

I am a huge fan of consignment and thrift shops. My sister and I map out Goodwill locations in every city we visit with a strategy that never fails. It’s best to find a location in an affluent neighborhood during the first part of a new year. Not only do these folks generously donate for tax deductions, they also fill the boxes when they realize their holiday indulgences have taken a toll. It’s not that shoppers won’t have luck later on...it’s just that sometimes pickings are slim if your donors still are.

Blazers are my signature so I never leave one on the rack when I find it. I’ve given up on regular stores. It seems the jackets have gotten shorter while the blouses have gotten longer. My choices, then, are to either buy a coat at Goodwill that fits me like a glove or I can buy one from the mall that is about the size of one.

This kind of bargain hunting is better than any yard sale because not only do we get great deals we can also sleep late. The only problem, according to my brother-in-law, is that no sooner does he haul a load to donate than my sister is right behind him hauling another load to take home.

My mother is mortified when I proudly announce that I am sporting a blazer from a consignment store. That doesn’t bother me one bit. I’m happy for another woman to pay the full price first. As the

Whether I already have duplicates at home is not a factor when I shop. I consider each purchase as stockpiling spares although my husband calls it hoarding.

Either way, I suspect that I have more Kelly green jackets than the members’ locker room at Augusta.

Even though revenues from these places aren’t necessarily used to pay rent like in the story, they do provide more jobs for the community. I think it’s great that they help others, but none as much as they help me. Without them, I’d have nothing in my closet to suit me. So, thank goodness for all the Goodwills, thrift stores and consignment shops in the world. As long as they are still around, I know they’ve got me covered.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Satisfied Customer

I would like to nominate Renee and Mark Echols, co-owners of Mark Echols Masonry, for an outstanding job. For years, we’ve had a problem of rain seeping under a patio door and flooding part of the house. Weeks before tropical storm Michael drenched the Danville area, Mark and Renee worked together to decide what needed to be done, when to do it, and how much it would cost.

Mark arrived on the day and time he promised. After digging up the existing patio, he discovered that a broken drain under the patio was the culprit. He immediately fixed that problem and installed the bricks slanting them away from the door and toward the new drain.

The excellent work he did passed the test: not a drop of rain entered the house. We’d probably still be bailing water if he had not corrected the problem and, of course, Renee coordinated the whole job. Hats off for a job well done just in the nick of time.

Evince and the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce want to encourage and recognize exceptional 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.

Page 8 February 2019

February Calendar Abbreviation Key

• AU=Averett University, 434.791.5600 www.averett.edu • DMFAH=Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History, 975 Main St. 434.793.5644 www.danvillemuseum.org • DSC=Danville Science Center, 677 Craghead St. 434.791.5160 www.dsc.smv.org • HNT=Historic North Theatre, 629 North Main St. Danville 434.793.7469 www.TheNorthTheatre.com • PA=Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Ave, Martinsville 276.632.3221 www.PiedmontArts.org • The Prizery=700 Bruce St., South Boston, 434.572.8339, www.prizery.com

Ongoing

Guided Walking Tours – Millionaires Row, Holbrook Street and Tobacco Warehouse District. Danville Historical Society. www.danvillehistory.org.

434.770.1974.

DMFAH self-guided audio-visual tours. 434.793.5644.

The Children of Langhorne House: 117 Broad St. Danville; a retrospective exhibit; free admission every Saturday 2-5pm Brosville Library: 11948 Martinsville Highway www.pcplib.org 434.685.1285 Danville Public Library: 511 Patton St. www.readdanvilleva.org 434.799.5195 DPL Westover Branch: 94 Clifton St. www.readdanvilleva.org 434.799.5152 Gretna Library: 207 A Coffey Street, www.pcplib.org 434.656.2579 Gunn Memorial, Caswell County Public Library: 118 Main St, Yanceyville, NC www.caswellcounty.gov/ library 336.694.6241 Halifax County Public Library: 177 South Main St. www.halifaxcountylibrary. org 434.476.3357 History Research Center and Library: 340 Whitehead Street, Chatham www.pcplib.org 434.432.8931 Mt. Hermon Library: 4058 Franklin Turnpike www.pcplib.org 434.835.0326 Pittsylvania County Public Main Library: 24 Military Drive, Chatham www.pcplib.org 434.432.3271 South Boston Public Library: 509 Broad St. 434.5575.4228 www.halifaxcountylibrary.org

February 1 (thru March 3)

Here, There & Everywhere, Inara Dodson, Journey in Art: DMFAH 59 pieces in watercolor, acrylic, oil or collage reflecting her global travels. A native of Latvia, Dodson is a founding member and first president of the Danville Art League.

1963 Danville Civil Rights Movement: The People, The Protests, The Stories: exhibit by Emma Edmunds and Tom Coghill DMFAH

February 2 (thru 23)

Winter Farmers’ Market: baked goods, wine, seasonal produce, meat, eggs, crafts 629 Craghead St. Saturdays 9am-1pm

February 2

Spring to Green Gardening for all ages: Institute for Advanced Learning & Research 434.799.6558 18th Annual Danville Storytelling Festival: DMFAH 10am-1:30pm free

February 4 (thru March 11)

Forms in Clay: Mondays 6:30-9:00 pm $95 DMFAH members/$105 others.

434.792.5355 to register. Payment & registration required

February 6

DMFAH Then & Now: Kathy Milam, DMFAH Director, will share news about programs, development efforts, community impact, and her vision for the future.

1002 Main St. 3:45pm all welcome www.TheWedClubDanvilleVa.org

February 7

When Colors Dance Opening Reception: an exhibit by artist Chrystal Hardt; Lee Fowlkes Gallery, 43 West Main St, Yanceyville NC; 6-8pm

February 9 & 10

DMFAH Free Admission

February 9

Recharge Adult Dance Workshop: registration required ages 18+ City Auditorium multipurpose room 11am1pm 434.799.5150 Sweetheart Zip: zip-line Dan Daniel Park 2-3:30pm Register by Feb 4.

434.799.5150 Riverview Rotary Valentine Dance: Pizazz Band $25 Stratford Conference Center, 149 Old Piney Forest Rd. Danville 7pm-midnight 434.250.8296

The deadline for submitting information for the March calendar is Tuesday, February 19, at 5:00 p.m. Please send just the basic information following the format on these pages to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

February 2019

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

February 21, 22 & 23

Heart Gala: black-tie fundraiser to buy CPR and AED equipment for area schools; food, drinks, music, dancing; IALR $75person 6pm-midnight 434.799.4260 Harvest Jubilee Cabin Fever: music

by Matt Boswell Community Market, 629 Craghead St. 7pm $8 434.793.4636

Our Town: AU Frith Fine Arts Center, 150 Mountain View Ave. 7pm $10 adults/$8 students/senior citizens (60+) The play tells the story of a fictional American small town between 1901 and 1913 through the lives of its citizens.

February 10

February 21

Galentine’s Day Brunch: Celebrate lady friends and meet new ones. Crema & Vine 1009 Main St. Danville. Attendees pay for meals.1-3pm 434.799.5150 Paint Class & Your Wine Glass: $30 includes materials. 4pm Lee Fowlkes Gallery 43 West Main St. Yanceyville, NC 336.694.4474 Auditions for Contempt of Court: The Little Theatre of Danville 2:30-5pm DMFAH

Gardening 101: interactive discussion led by master gardener Stuart Sutphin Ballou Nature Center free noon-1:30pm 434.799.5216 Creating a Flip Cup Masterpiece: $35 includes materials. Lee Fowlkes Gallery 43 West Main St Yanceyville, NC www.caswellarts.org 336.694.4474

February 22

Affair of the Heart Valentine’s Day Celebration: entertainment by John Wilt. Lunch provided. Come single or with someone. $12 Ballou Recreation Center, 760 West Main St. noon-2pm 434.799.5216

Empty Bowls: fundraiser for God’s Storehouse offers a simple meal of soup and bread or crackers as a reminder that many people in our region face hunger.

750 Memorial Dr. Danville 11am-2pm Attendees choose a ceramic bowl made by local potters to take home. $15 tickets for sale in Danville at God’s Storehouse, Karen’s Hallmark in Danville Mall; Commonwealth Home Health 479 Piney Forest Rd; Woodforest Bank in Walmart.

February 15

February 23

February 11

The YMCA and Race Relations in the South: Dr. Andrew Canady of Averett U. will speak. Halifax Public Library 6pm free

February 14

COAY Valentine’s Day Dance: Ballou Recreation Center, 760 West Main St. $5; 7-9:30pm 434.799.5216

February 16

Zip-Line Saturday Soar: Ride solo or in tandem. Ages 8+ Dan Daniel Park 1-2:30pm Register by Feb. 11.

434.799.5150 The Stallions Show/ Valentine Dance with special guest Megan Doss and Matt Crowder: the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 5731 S. Boston Hwy. open to the public ages 21+ 7pm $10 in advance/$15 at the door thestallionsshow@gmail.com 434.489.9938 Barks & Kisses Valentine Dance: Community Center at Chatham, 115 S. Main St. benefits the SPCA of Pittsylvania County; music by Jerry Wilson & the Rocking Soul Band 6-10pm $15 single/$25 couple 434.483.7458

February 20

Introduction of Original Prints & Intaglio Etching Process: presented

by Linda Gourley 3:15pm refreshments; 3:45pm free program open to the public Gourley is the sole creator of two printmaking techniques: chine colle etchings on copper and zinc plates; collographs--plates made from a combination of various textures. The Wednesday Club, 1002 Main St. Danville www.TheWedClubDanvilleVa.org

Family Fishing Day: Learn baiting, casting, and fish identification. Ages 16+ with a valid Virginia fishing license.

Register by Feb. 18. Abreu-Grogan Park free 10am-1pm 434.799.5150

February 24

Salamander Search: Search for salamanders, frogs, and other wetland animals. Register by Feb. 19. free 4-6pm 434.799.5150

February 28

Winston-Salem State University Singing Rams: AU Frith Fine Arts Center, 150 Mountain View Ave. free 6pm

Plan Ahead March 2

Danville Symphony Orchestra Winter Classical Concert: Musical Gems featuring Kevin Newton, horn soloist, in Concerto for Horn by Gordon Jacob. Other pieces include the Symphony in D Minor by Cesar Franck and the 1st movement of Palladio by Karl Jenkens. GWHS Auditorium 701 Broad St. Doors open 7:30pm. free concert 8pm

March 8

Virtuoso Solos for Strings & Piano: Emmanuel Episcopal Church 66 North Main St. Chatham 7pm

March 10

Russian National Ballet: www.danvilleconcert.org

Evince Magazine Page 9

Sale, 629 Craghead Street, on Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more details call 434.797.8961 or email whitteh@danvilleva.gov.

• Write about your experience with Project 360 and email to joycewilburn@gmail.com. To read the introductory article, visit www.evincemagazine.com and search for the January 2019 issue.

Throw Out the Mess & Organize the Rest

The 360 De-Cluttering Project

by Anonymous

The Goal: Every day for 360 days, spend fifteen minutes organizing one small space.

I

nspired by the challenge in the January Evince (page 9) to “Throw Out the Mess and Organize the Rest,” I decided to tackle our attic.

My husband is required to keep business records for ten years but ten years had turned into fifteen. We had accumulated an average of eight boxes per year for an approximate total of 120 boxes in the attic. They were totally disorganized and the cardboard boxes were breaking apart. It was a huge mess.

This project had been calling my name for years but my husband needed to be part of it and he is always too busy. On New Year’s Eve, I asked him to give me one hour so we could get started. Eight hours later, we had cleaned out the entire attic, removing forty boxes!

For the remaining records that we needed to keep, I bought plastic boxes to replace the

falling-apart cardboard ones and organized them by year.

Ok, I’ll admit my husband didn’t stick with me the whole time. He would leave and then return; I persevered and kept calling him back for clarification about which ones I could throw away.

The next day we asked a strong friend to help us carry the forty boxes of paper to the basement.

The following day we hired a shredding truck to come to the house and take it all away.

Now I love to go into the attic and look around with satisfaction. My computer-guru sister tells me most people would have all those records scanned and on a storage drive, but we aren’t there yet.

Hmmm… maybe that’s our next project.

• After you have de-cluttered, you might want to sell your gently used items. Register for the Danville Farmers’ Market Yard

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.holleyandgibsonrealty.com

Page 10 February 2019

Cuts from Paper Hearts fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg One day you gone ask me how you got here, Kwon. By then you gone know the mechanics of how a man and a woman make folk, how life, if not love, come to be. But that won’t tell you what I want you to know, how you the sun, the moon, the flick-bright stars, all carry like water-smooth black light inside your eyes. Only I gone tell you that. You something good, something right in this rotten world.

“Keisha,” Manhattan, yo daddy, say on this Sunday looking at the construction paper around you, “What you gone do with this boy?”

You going to hear from the neighborhood how I was young and fast and no good. So. There be badder and worse. I carry my own stones and don’t put my weight on no one else.

And it be true, Kwon, you won’t made in no love. But you won’t made in no hate neither.

“Boy need a man,” Manhattan say.

I worry ‘bout us, Kwon. Your Mandy is getting sicker, not better. She

still smiles when she holds you, but sometimes she stares out the kitchen window at the moon. She sees the danger too. These past weeks, she don’t work, for weeks now, coughing, bruises beneath those blue eyes. And Manhattan, yo daddy, since he “got out”--he come ‘round every Sunday, sitting on our front porch, a-wearin’ us down, pulling patience, grinding his own reasons out, making his shadow spread.

We let him ‘cause we fear him. We know he wants his boy, ‘cause he says it, sitting on the porch, with the wire of our summer screen door between us in winter. So, the compromise is he watches you...for now. It’s all I can do. I cain’t do no more. You mine, and I cain’t give you to him. Besides Manhattan teach the hard lessons.

“Don’t close that door on my face, girl,” Manhattan pauses, eyes blank, looking at his clipped nails. “You remember me, don’t you?”

Yeah, one day you gone ask me how you got here, Kwon. In my defense, I’ma tell you the bad to turn you from him, how that Manhattan, yo daddy, dropped me off at the door of the Sister Clara Mercy Hospital half-crazy with pain. He didn’t come in; he just drove away saying, “I’m too old for this mess.” Only he didn’t say mess. I ain’t ashamed. I begged him to come in with me. I was almost sixteen, and I labored for you, Kwon, butcheredhog hollered having you. In the room there was just the doctor and that one pinched-lip nurse who said, “Look,

another black girl by herself.” Yes, I birthed you alone, scared and hurting, until another nurse, this one kinder, showed me your face first, then tucked you to me, smiling as she said to hold your head in the crook of my arm.

blunt-end scissors so you can’t get hurt, Mandy Blue Eyes’ pale hands guiding.

The world is not safe like that, Kwon...a shelter while you making your love with colored paper and crayon. You don’t ask about the man on the porch watching you, but one day you will.

“I got what’s needed to give him, Keisha. What you got?”

...for now

One day, Kwon, you going to ask me in your eyes if not with words, with those dark, moonstone eyes, if I regret having you. You gone be a man then, maybe with a woman of your own, maybe with a baby that beats all your love out of your heart. One day you gone look at me like the mule-don’t-matter, like the nothing I am, but somehow you going to know me as something then, even despite my fighting, my cussing, and the bad I did--scratching just to live, that be my ugly and sad. You going to know me as yo mama. I’m going to stand empty then waiting for your arms to hold me, because you gone see how my roughness didn’t protect me much more than a spider’s web in the sand, but it kept you safe for as long as I could.

“We’ll do it your way, for now, girl.”

Manhattan says.

But, today, you almost five, cuttin’ out Valentine’s paper hearts with your Mandy Blue Eyes; you love both Valentines and Mandy Blue Eyes. You howl with laughter, the kind that only what’s loved can laugh like. You hold in brown and pudgy fingers the rubber-handled,

You don’t see Manhattan’s eyes hard on your softness, lip quirking not in a smile. He think with me you gone be a weak man, and that the world ain’t no place, ain’t kind for weak black men.

Oh, he know that he can’t take you now, but he’s gone try. I look up and see Manhattan looking at me, our past and you separated by wire and screendoor wood. It’s just a time until he tries.

But today, Manhattan sits on the porch just watching. Then the softness on his face comes like a pond ice forming, and I freeze because I done seen it before. …for now.

Because it do be true, Kwon; you won’t made in no love. But you won’t made in no hate neither. You just as much a Valentine story as any, and I’ll tell you that whenever you ready, whenever you want, if I get the chance. ‘Cause one day I’m afraid, one day, Manhattan, yo daddy, he gone ask you to come to him with his street-smart, his armor that ain’t bulletproof, and you will look at me, see my gifts like these paper hearts that couldn’t even survive a summer rain… and you’ll go.

Evince Magazine Page 11

Meditation Moment

by Casey Molloy, RYT

U

nity is the basis of yoga.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit yuj which means yoke or union. Yoga brings unity to mind, body, and spirit. Just as James Joyce wrote of Mr. Duffy “(who) lived a short distance from his body” many of us have a disconnect between mind and body. We must improve this connection to become clued into the messages the body is sending us. With heightened body awareness, we understand how our choices impact us physically and mentally--especially those related to physical activity or lack thereof, our nutritional intake, and the amount of stress we choose to have.

Another aspect of individual unity is incorporating awareness of the breath. This helps the mind to become calmer and more relaxed.

There may be times throughout the day when you notice that you are holding your breath or that your breath remains shallow. Perhaps you have a headache and then realize that you are not nourishing your brain with an adequate oxygen supply. When focusing on breathing,

we are able to increase the depth of our inhales by expanding fully, and on the exhales we are able to empty completely and release any physical or mental tension. With this mindful breathing, the body and brain are nourished and refreshed.

The mind gradually becomes less distracted from the events of the past and predictions of the future.

When we focus on the breath, we are extending our appreciation to the present moment--the only moment in which we are truly alive.

Unity is the essence of yoga. The word namaste is spoken at the end of each class to emphasize this message of unity, representing the concept that all are one. There are various translations of its meaning, but the one I favor is: the light within me honors and hugs the ever-present vibrant light that resides within you. By saying namaste we acknowledge that we are all created equal, of the same substances, and are infinitely connected. This is something we must not forget, and so I say namaste to you, my friend.

Page 12 February 2019

The Wine Spot

Grape Things Happen When Varieties Are United

by Dave Slayton

a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers

L

et’s stir things up with a blend, shall we? I enjoy blended wines. I also enjoy 100% single varietal wines. They are both good, just different. Sometimes I hear someone say, “I only enjoy 100% single varietal wines.” When I ask why, the response is that some producers use blending to get rid of inferior crops or surpluses, thus he believes all blended wines are inferior to single varietal wines. In the competitive wine industry, such a practice would likely signal doom for a winemaker.

Wines are blended because the flavors and characteristics of blended grapes balance and enhance the flavors of the other grapes in the blend. Consider this: a Chateau Margaux red blend from Bordeaux, France, sells for around $1,200 and has a 100 point rating from Wine Spectator. It is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Cabernet Franc and other grape varietals and is prized by collectors worldwide.

Many wines that carry a single varietal label have other grape varietals in

F

acing disaster tends to unify people. There are all kinds of disasters, but I’m talking about the small ones that tend to happen to husband Steve and me. Early last month, our kitchen sink drain was running slowly. Steve tried using drain cleaners and snaking the drain but it didn’t clear. By the time he finished that, we were burning into Christmas. Plumbers were holed up all snug in their beds while visions of invoices danced in their heads. Steve and I transitioned from dumping the dishwater outside, to dumping it down the commode, to dumping it down the laundry drain.

All the time we spent struggling together over a clogged sink and taking turns ferrying dirty water to the laundry drain that we’d fondly named the River Styx unified us.

(In mythology River Styx divided the world of the living from the underworld.) While doing the dishes, we talked, we sang, we danced. Then we dumped the dishwater into the Styx. When the plumber finally arrived, we learned that what we thought was a minor problem was actually a large clog in a cast iron pipe in the crawlspace that also had a small crack where drain water was slowly leaking under the house. Our checkbook reared up in panic.

the bottle. For example, in California, seventy-five percent of a wine must be of the grape varietal named on the label which means the other twentyfive percent can be something else.

So investigate the makeup of the wine grapes in the bottle you’re going to buy.

Consider blended wines because many grape varieties, when combined by a skilled and knowledgeable wine maker, can produce extremely favorable wines.

As Doug Badenoc of Wine Gallery Grapevine says, “A violin sounds very good by itself and the violin section often carries the melody in a symphony orchestra. However, the addition of the other strings, the woodwinds, brass and percussion make the overall orchestral experience much richer than a solo violin or the violin section just playing the melody. Wines can be mixed into a harmonious and balanced blend that is greater than the sum of its parts.” Great things can happen when different grape varieties are united, therefore let us sip united. Cheers!

new fan Steve can’t figure out how to install. He is currently nerving himself up to call a handyman.

Reflecting Forward Unified

by Linda Lemery And how about the rental house furnace? It and some ducting needed to be replaced and moved from a damp crawlspace. It could be installed in an outdoor closet off the deck, but then we found rotten deck boards. We hired somebody to replace the rotten boards and when he looked at the project, it turned into much more. After the entire deck floor was fixed, the sewage

pump broke. Not only was our checkbook in a panic, it was howling for mercy.

Meanwhile, the bathroom fan stopped working. Steve and our son, Jason, tried working on it, but there was something funny about the wiring, plus they discovered that the fan did not vent properly. Now there’s a hole in the ceiling and a

On our evening crawls with our thirteen-year-old rescue dog, we’d talk over the day’s disasters. We’re all survivors. Steve and I would shake our heads, join hands to draw strength from each other, and regroup for whatever new trial was coming the next day. And there were trials. Time doesn’t stop just because a furnace isn’t working, a sewage pump lets fly, rot infests decking boards, or a badly clogged, cracked pipe leaks under the house. We don’t stop, either. Oddly enough, with each of these everyday disasters, we grow closer. It’s us against the disasters, and when they pass, they look much better in the rearview mirror.

Now that we’ve closed the door to the River Styx, we’re between disasters, in a calm period. It’s funny how, after the dishes are done, we stand together staring in awe as the dishwater circles and then runs freely down the drain.

Such luxury!

About the Author: When Linda Lemery (llemery@averett.edu) is not calling for a repairman, she works as Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville. She wishes Evince readers a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Evince Magazine Page 13

Book Clubbing a review by Diane Adkins

The Library Book

by Susan Orlean

The library is a living organism. As any librarian worth her/his degree will tell you, that’s one of the five laws of library science.

For those who have managed to live their lives without libraries and don’t quite see the use of them, it might seem an obscure, perhaps false, statement.

The Library Book is Exhibit #1 in proving its truth.

This book is not easy to classify: it is a mystery, history lesson, crime report, psychological treatise, biography and a gripping story. The central event is the 1986 fire at the Central Library in Los Angeles. It burned for over seven hours, destroying 400,000 books and badly damaging another 700,000. Priceless, irreplaceable items were lost.

To this day, it remains unknown whether or not the fire was arson.

Part of The Library Book focuses on the lone suspect, Harry Peak.

Orlean lays out the evidence against him, never enough to bring a case to trial. Readers can draw their own conclusion about Peak; Orlean’s is somewhat surprising.

The book, however, is not just the story of the fire. Included are tales of the quirky characters who have been head librarians, especially in Los Angeles. There was, for example, Charles Loomis, who paid a blacksmith to create a brand he could use to stamp books he disliked---a skull and crossbones. He even wanted to use warning labels: “This book is of the worst class that we can possibly keep in the library. We are sorry that you have not any better sense than to read it.”

There have been many librarians in American history as remarkable as their names---i.e., Mary Utopia Rothrock and Delia Foreacre Sneed. Orlean adds Tessa Kelso, who was termed “unconventional,” and who advocated in the late 1800s for the elimination of membership fees and for loaning items such as sports equipment— something done in some American libraries today. She believed the library should be the entertainment and educational center of a city, anticipating “by almost a hundred years the modern notion of what a library can be.”

Orlean writes as someone smitten with libraries, what they mean to democracy and to our society. They are one of the few places that remain open to all with no expectation that money will change hands. As she says, “The library is the gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them….The library is a place where you feel part of a conversation that has gone on for hundreds and hundreds of years….There is a voice (inside the book) that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed someone would listen.” In other words, as the fifth law states, it’s a living organism.

Diane S. Adkins is a retired library director.

Page 14 February 2019

by Annelle Williams For the past twenty years my new year’s resolutions have involved health, weight and clutter. Occasionally, I threw in patience. I’ve had little successes along the way. Expectations have been adjusted and realities and priorities have changed, but the thing that has changed the most is my cooking. We’re eating much less meat, more fruits and vegetables, and less gluten and dairy.

Our old favorite breakfast casserole included sausage, croissants, and fat. This recipe still has bread and cheese but much less. It has no meat, and I’ve added mushrooms and spinach.

It’s a healthier choice.

Mushroom Cheese Spinach Strata Bread Cubes 1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into one-inch cubes, about 7 cups 2 T butter, melted

1 T olive oil 1 tsp. garlic salt 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350°. Put cubed bread into bowl. Mix butter, olive oil, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Drizzle over bread. Toss to coat. Pour onto sheet pan. Place in oven for about 10 minutes or until beginning to brown and firm.

Strata 2 T butter, divided 1 T olive oil 2 cups sliced mushrooms 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 white or pale green leeks, thinly sliced 12 oz. bag of baby spinach salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes 8 eggs 2 T Dijon mustard 2 1/2 cups milk 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded (I substitute Swiss cheese.)

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

In 12-inch skillet (one that is ovenproof) melt half the butter and olive oil over medium heat. When hot add mushrooms in one layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until browning on bottom. Add garlic and stir, flipping mushrooms.

After another 2 minutes push mushrooms to side. Add remaining tablespoon of butter and leeks, cooking for 2-3 minutes until softened, then mix with mushrooms. Add half of the spinach, tossing until wilted. Add remaining spinach, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Continue tossing until all spinach is wilted. Pour spinach/mushroom mixture into bowl and set aside.

Wipe bottom of skillet with paper towel or switch to a casserole dish if the skillet isn’t oven-proof. Add half of the bread cubes. Top with half of the mushrooms and spinach. Top with half the Swiss cheese and half the Parmesan cheese. Add remaining bread and then remaining mushroom/spinach.

Whisk together eggs, mustard and milk until thoroughly combined. Pour over strata and top with remaining cheeses. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until firmly set. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

This can be made a couple of days ahead. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve; bring to room temperature. Bake until reheated.

Questions or comments?

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

Evince Magazine Page  15

Page Page 16 16February February 2019 2019