Evince Magazine May 2020

Second Thoughts Paper Trials Page 5

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service Page 10

Every Danger Cradles an Opportunity Page 13

Coping with the Pandemic & Remaining Positive Information You Need

Page  2 May 2020 #evincematters

Photo by Michelle Dalton Photography

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 3

Editor’s Note

How did I find a picture for this month’s cover while following quarantine restrictions? I asked the photographer to take a selfie! That’s Michelle Dalton on the cover modeling the latest in PPE and it’s the perfect image to accompany pages of advice and inspiration for this historic time.

Writer Kim Clifton returns to give readers the humor that always helps us laugh at ourselves.

See “Paper Trials” on page 5.

Dr. Joey Faucette offers a more philosophical view of the same subject in “Every Danger Cradles an Opportunity” on page 11. Now pour yourself a cup of ambition and follow the instructions on page 9 to “Grow Victory Garden Vegetables.” Or read about a 2008 movie that inspired Dave Slayton to toast ambition in “The Wine Spot” on page 14. Choose your ambitious goals carefully, however, or you’ll end up like Linda Lemery in “Ambition, COVID-19, and Chairs With Arms” on page 12. Then relax for a “Meditation Moment” and read Casey Molloy Davis’ wise words about ambition on page 7.

Don’t stop there. We have a recipe to cook on page 13, a suggested book to read on page 14 and a short story on page 6. See who won the exceptional customer service award on page 10 and what a twenty-year house renovation looks like on page 8.

Enjoy a paper copy of Evince or online www.evincemagazine. com. As always, our goal is to make your day a little brighter.

Sincerely

May Contents

3 Editor’s Note

5 Second Thoughts / Paper Trials

by Kim Clifton 6 Old Man and Lil Bit

Fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg 7 Meditation Moment

by Casey Molloy Davis 8 Renovation Reality

by Carla Minosh 9 Grow Victory Garden Vegetables

by Isla Wiles 10 Calendar

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Liz Sater 11 What Can I Do? / How to Stay Busy and Connected

by Joyce Wilburn 12 Reflecting Forward

Ambition, COVID-19, and Chairs With Arms

by Linda Lemery 13 Every Danger Cradles an Opportunity

by Dr. Joey Faucette

Around the Table / Creamy Tuna Pasta

by Annelle Williams

14 Book Clubbing / The Shrouded Sword

by Owen R. Minter / review by Diane Adkins

The Wine Spot

by Dave Slayton

On the Cover:

Picture of Michelle Dalton by Michelle Dalton Photography.

THE

OICE OF AMBITION

CEO / Publisher Andrew Scott Brooks Editor Joyce Wilburn (434.799.3160) joycewilburn@gmail.com Copy Editors Jeanette Taylor Larry Wilburn Contributing Writers

Diane Adkins, Kim Clifton, Casey Molloy Davis, Joey Faucette, Telisha Moore Leigg, Linda Lemery, Carla Minosh, Rebecca Page, Liz Sater, Dave Slayton, Joyce Wilburn, Isla Wiles, 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.

Lee Vogler Director of Sales and Marketing (434.548.5335) lee@evince magazine.com Sam Jackson Marketing Consultant (434.709.3528 sam@showcase magazine.com

Kim Demont (434.792.0612) demontdesign @verizon.net evince\i-’vin(t)s\ 1: to constitute outward evidence of 2: to display clearly: reveal syn see SHOW Deadline for submission of June stories, articles, and ads is Sunday, May 17, 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.

joycewilburn@gmail.com 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. Clothing: Rippe’s 100 Years of Fashion, 559 Main St.

© 2020 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use in whole or in part in any medium without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Page  4 May 2020 #evincematters

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 5

I

hope there is intelligent life on other planets because we sure don’t have much of that on ours. At least that’s how it seems when a crisis hits.

Please know I would never downplay the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s hard to connect the dots between a respiratory illness and a toilet paper shortage. It’s not as if we’re locked in a cage with no means to replenish supplies. As important as survival is, I doubt that even the International Space Station has a room overstocked with bathroom tissue.

Life can be strange enough and it’s even stranger now. This virus grabbed a virtual remote control and pressed the pause button on the universe. It’s not just scary, it’s downright spooky. Streets are empty.

Not a creature is stirring, not even that famous Mouse in Orlando. We’re hunkered down waiting for this bug to leave town. ‘Til then, we only go out for essentials, which brings me back to the madness.

by Kim Clifton ©2020 can paint our the response walls, we should to a breathing also be able to problem. As paint our nails. crazy as that Pedicures are is, it’s not essential. I’m the first time too fat to tie the song and my own shoes dance didn’t go without cutting together. Look off my oxygen at what always supply and disappears from conjuring up a the shelves bout with acid when snow reflux. By the is forecast. time this virus Apparently, is no longer a there’s nothing Photo by Von Wellington. threat, I’ll be better than sporting talons long enough to curling up in front of a fireplace scratch the wax off my kitchen with a cup of cocoa and a milk floor. Women know that essential sandwich. needs are head-to-toe. My roots should only be discovered on Who knows why we do what we ancestry.com, not my scalp. do. Maybe panic causes our Since I barely trust my husband to brains to malfunction. It does trim the hedges evenly, he’s not mine. When I’m preoccupied, coming anywhere near my hair.

I’ve been known to store My ends would be as balanced as leftovers in the cupboard, not the a hippo and a fly on a seesaw. refrigerator, or find my missing car keys in the trash. They say But, enough of that. Let’s go there’s a fine line between back to toilet-paper hoarding as genius and insanity. Probably

Living in lockdown is hard and so are the decisions we inmates are forced to make. Packing everything needed for an extended vacation to nowhere is complicated. I’m going bananas staying in, but I’m also going bananas at the thought of going out to buy some.

If there is life on other planets, I hope that when this plague is a distant memory the aliens will consider that life on ours is more inspiring than insane. In spite of the absence of materials to wipe our countertops or our bottoms, we managed to prevail. When we were weakest, we found strength. Houses may have been refurbished, but homes were truly repaired.

Empty churches were filled with online believers. Pushing us down only made us look up. The irony of this terrible time goes beyond the absence of bathroom tissue. The devastation the disease brings also has a silver lining. It came to make us sick, but it brought us inside to make us well.

Farmhouse Junk Vintage Market | 434-250-3337 | farmhousejunkvintageshop.com Frank’s Italian Family Restaurant | 434-702-6157 | franksdanville.com Hardee’s (West Main) | 434-797-4930 | hardees.com Haymore and Holland, Attorneys at Law | 434-793-8378 | haymoreholland.com Heartline Restaurant | 434-799-2070 | facebook.com/heartlinerestaurant Keepsake 4D/HD Prenatal Imaging | 434-429-1069 | keepsake3d.com La Nostra Cucina | 434-799-2000 | lncucina.com Links Coffee House | 434-792-1286 | linkscoffeehouse.com Lynn Street Market | 434-483-2511 | lynnstmarket.com Main Street Art Collective | 434-602-2017 | mainstreetartcollective.com Office Plus Business Centre | 434-797-9090 | opbizz.com River District Auto Spa | 434-728-3459 | riverdistrictautospa.com Von Wellington Photography | 434-770-3553 | wellingtonphotographyandfilmgroup.com

WE’RE OPEN

WE’RE OPEN

No disrespect to the governor, but only a woman knows what’s really essential. A woman would have never left a home improvement store open and a beauty salon closed. If we

Second Thoughts

the best example is the original inspiration to redesign our telephones to take pictures, play games, and order groceries.

While I use my cell for lots of things, talking to people is rarely one of them.

Page 6 May 2020 #evincematters

Old Man and Lil Bit fiction by Telisha Moore Leigg I noticed folks around Roland Street Grace Worship Center started calling Dr. Corinth “Old Man” about a month ago. Eightysomething, world-traveled, former classics professor, now a little frail, a little body-broken-down, he didn’t seem to mind and didn’t tell them any different. For some at this shelter around here who are homeless, transient and/ or lost, death is an ambitious suitor, so the four or five months Dr. Corinth has been here has been an eternity, and so Old Man belongs. Only I, Kwon, know the truth about him; he’s Mama Mandy Blue’s daddy who left her as a child and still won’t go near her. He wants me, Kwon, her quasi-adopted son to get forgiveness from her for him. Con man, coward--what’s the truth of Dr. Bartholomew Corinth anyway?

I sure don’t know.

Most Sundays, Old Man now stays through the worship services

sitting by Lil Bit, our piano player who’s always wearing a black-andgold Saint’s cap backward on his head. The piano has to be in the corner because too much light and Lil Bit won’t play; Lil Bit says he was in a war long ago but won’t say which. Lil Bit says he had a family and lost them but won’t say how.

Songs of pain or songs of Jesus is all he says he knows. We take the songs of Jesus. He plays so well it will make you cry.

Today is Sunday and Old Man’s bony-knuckled hands are clasped together in a respectful steeple, but he never prays. After service, after the soup-kitchen dinner where he helps serve, Old Man comes back and closes and puts back the worn bibles on the mismatched folding wood and metal seats. Then he sweeps the hardwood floors, wipes down the commodes in the back bathrooms of this grocery store turned sanctuary. He sets out the hand sanitizer to kill all the germs.

And he hums the tunes Lil Bit plays, slightly singing to whatever Lil Bit is playing on that piano in the background in the corner.

A week ago, we had a visiting preacher who peppered his sermon with some words in Greek, telling our congregation we needed to go back to the old-time ways.

One woman swooned. Some men hollered. Most sat still in the shelter, just grateful for the warmth. There was a child hushed from crying. Old Man winced at the pronunciation of some Greek word but didn’t quirk a sardonic smile. His eyes were quiet and raptured if not on the speaker then on the words he missed like someone speaking his language badly was better than no sound of it at all. But when the benediction came, he still did not bow his head.

Today, Lil Bit plays “Master, the Tempest Is Raging” on the small, black upright piano in the corner where produce used to be before we ripped out the freezer and put in new sheetrock and electrical. Well, electricians did. I couldn’t. I didn’t know how.

Most days after his tasks, if you want to find Old Man, look for Lil Bit too and the piano. You can see them all three. Picture Old Man leaning back in the moment of the music as Lil Bit moved his dark fingers like rain over dry land. Now, it’s night, and this Sunday, Old Man’s there again, beside him on the bench over in the corner turning the pages for Lil Bit Russ, who is also old--way over 60, maybe over 70. Perhaps he and Dr. Corinth are the same age, I don’t know--the point is...I mean... everyday Old Man--I mean Dr. Corinth-- comes and sits with Lil Bit,

and they whisper and sniggle their old folks’ speak. So on Sundays, like today, Old Man sits there and turns the pages for Lil Bit who can’t see anyway because of his cataracts, who plays the music by ear and touch and memory. And I think Dr. Corinth knows this, but he smiles with Lil Bit just the same. And I don’t know why this frustrates me. Lil Bit just keeps playing as I come toward him and Dr. Corinth, and I motion for the professor to come with me. When we are away from Lil Bit, but can still hear the music, I say, “You know, you could call her if you didn’t want to go see her?” But Dr. Corinth ignores me and hums to Lil Bit playing in the background, long low lines about something like waves and a tempest. “I have her number…” I remember just in time to lower my voice, but Old Man says nothing, looks at me like that preacher saying Greek.

He goes back to the bench and he and Lil Bit again take up the song with Lil BIt’s fingers moving and dancing in and out of the white and black keys, music and peace worried with time and sorrow. It’s time for me to go, and they are back in the corner. I turn away but not before I see Old Man with his head bent deep. I turn away, hearing the last strains, the sharp and bitter notes.

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 7 Ambitious is a term I use to describe my parents. They have been hard workers, constantly tackling home improvement projects, landscaping, and rebuilding vehicles. Every weekend, my parents would drive my sister and me an hour and a half to the Northeast Kingdom located at the Vermont, Canada, and New Hampshire border to work on building a log cabin lake house. As teenagers, we often bellyached at having to leave our friends and festivities behind.

Little did we realize the example that our parents were setting for us. They worked long days building a rock wall, pressure washing logs, and constantly cutting the grass. My sister and I periodically helped with the easier tasks of spreading mulch or painting. What I later realized is that hard work truly pays off.

Our folks were building our little sanctuary. They worked hard at their jobs, saved their earnings, and were able to create what my sister and I now refer to as our happy place.

Currently, many of our daily routines have come to a screeching halt. Perhaps your occupation has changed form, or you are temporarily unemployed

(as I am). If your hours at home with your family have increased, I’m sure it has been a bit of an adjustment. What I was too young to understand during the cabin days was just how precious it was to be with my family.

The poses and breathing practiced in yoga are intended to prepare the body to sit comfortably for extended periods of time in meditation. Photo by Clark Davis.

Meditation Moment

by Casey Molloy Davis, RYT

We can get caught up in our professional ambitions, feeling like we constantly need to be doing, earning and excelling.

What has become apparent to me is that tackling projects together with your loved ones can offer opportunities to learn, compromise and achieve together. When you are working towards something together, whether it is a home improvement project or a puzzle, everyone is working toward the same goal. Although professions are important, they are not the most important aspect of our lives. Once I return to work, I hope to balance the ambition between work life and home life better than I may have in the past. It is easy to get sucked into the rat race, especially if you typically strive to be ambitious.

When we reflect back on our lives, it is important to be proud of our accomplishments, but it is essential to be proud of our character and our relationships.

Page 8 May 2020 #evincematters the Victorians were creative and blew paper-thin pieces of red glass on top of clear glass, fusing (or “flashing”) the two together. When etched, the red was thin enough that the etching would completely erode it, showing the clear glass and making it look like lace. Unfortunately, one of the clear etched panels had been replaced with wood. This probably explains why the entire door had been painted. We had no idea that there were glass panels under the paint.

Carlos from Designs in Glass meticulously and perfectly matched the pattern and the glass so that now the pair stand together in their elegance.

This makes sense, as these previously were exterior entry doors not bathroom doors.

We have left them intact with curtains for privacy, unusual for their current use in a bathroom, but we simply didn’t have the heart to alter them.

(to be continued)

Renovation Reality

by Carla Minosh 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 nineteen 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. This month Carla continues the story of a small bathroom renovation.

T

o complement the colorful

marble pattern in the

bathroom floor, we continued the same hues on the walls creating a marble wainscot. Triangles came together to form squares with a rectangular border surrounding them. This pattern was repeated until it reached the chair rail. Above the Carrara chair rail, the same marble in fewer colors was used in a simpler subway tile design. Essentially, we sheathed the entire room in beautiful color and design, creating a little Turkish jewel inside the house.

Next we removed the acoustictile drop ceiling which revealed a second drop ceiling! When that ceiling was removed, a breathtaking 12 1/2 foot soaring ceiling made the space a grand one. To cover it, we ordered a tin ceiling from W.F. Norman, a company that has been producing designs in stamped tin since the 1870s using the same dies as it did 150 years ago. We selected a gothic pattern and chose metallic paints to coordinate with the room colors.

Our focus then turned to the bathroom doors. They were removed and sent to be stripped of many layers of paint. When talking with the paint stripper, he often referred to “the doors with the stained glass.” We were completely confused until he returned the six-paneled door.

One set had beautifully etched glass in the middle panels and red etched flashed glass in the panels above. Red glass was extremely rare, because the “chemical” needed to make glass turn red was gold. Thus,

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 9 plants such as radishes. Some plants grow better in close proximity to each other; for example, planting corn and beans together is mutually beneficial for both.

Finally, think about visual effects. How do you want your raised bed to look? As with landscaping, generally place taller plants in the center or back of the bed with shorter plants in front of them, but be aware of the shade cast by larger, taller plants. Many vegetable gardeners plant flowers, such as marigolds and nasturtium, which also offer some pest resistance in addition to being cheerful and colorful.

If you have questions about raised beds or gardening in general, contact the Master Gardener Help Desk at 434.799.6558 or email danvillemastergardeners@ gmail.com.

Grow Victory Garden Vegetables

by Isla Wiles

W

ith more people at home fighting the pandemic, this may be the ideal opportunity to grow vegetables in raised beds. The beds can be purchased ready for use or constructed. Raised beds, while requiring a high initial labor input, last for many seasons with the use of additional soil/ amendments on a regular basis.

Experts suggest creating a bed that is an arm’s length to the center from each side. A height of ten to twelve inches is common and results in less bending and less back stress. Corners will need to be reinforced, and, if the bed is long, the sides can benefit from support as well. According to Virginia Tech Publication 426020, consumers should look for the label of ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) on treated wood. Creosote treated railroad ties should not be used.

Once the bed is constructed or bought, consider the soil.

Most soil in our area benefits

from amendments such as compost. Use existing soil or purchase soil mixtures. If one is using/amending existing soil, a soil test is advisable. Soil that drains well is important; most vegetables do not thrive in soggy soil. Because the soil in the bed is above ground level, be aware of increased watering needs in the absence of consistent rainfall.

Mulching helps to cool summer soil and conserve moisture.

Next is plant consideration.

Generally what can be grown in a conventional garden can be grown in a raised bed keeping in mind the space and needed growing conditions of sun and moisture. Most vegetables require six to eight hours of sunlight.

Large, taller plants such as tomatoes need more space; string beans and lettuces need less.

Sprawling plants like cucumbers can be trained on trellises to effectively use space and make harvest easier.

Also, consider maturation times.

Spring crops like lettuces should

be planted together so the same space can be used later in the season for other fast maturing

We’re

on Danville!

Donna Gibson 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

Get out there. Create a raised bed and grow some Victory Garden Vegetables. It should produce good food to eat and raise your morale.

Page 10 May 2020 #evincematters

May Calendar

All of the community events that are usually promoted in the Calendar section might not be happening.

Therefore, it’s best to contact the groups that usually sponsor these activities. This list might help.

The Danville Farmers’ Market, 629 Craghead Street, is open on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. until noon.

The first hour is reserved for seniors and immuno-compromised shoppers.

434.797.8961.

The Caswell Farmers Market in Yanceyville, North Carolina, at 2246 Hwy 86, by Goodwill, will be open on Thursdays, 4:00-6:30pm with safety protocols in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Averett University: 434.791.5600 www.averett.edu Danville Historical Society Guided Walking Tours: 434.770.1974 www.danvillehistory.org Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History: 975 Main St. closed until May 2. 434.793.5644 www.danvillemuseum.org Danville Parks & Recreation: 434.799.5200 www.playdanvilleva.com Danville Science Center: 677 Craghead St. 434.791.5160 www.dsc.smv.org 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

Libraries:

Brosville/Cascade: 434.685.1285 Danville: 434.799.5195 www.readdanvilleva.org DPL Westover Branch: 434.799.5152 Gretna: 434.656.2579

Gunn: 118 Main St. Yanceyville, NC www.caswellcounty.gov/library 336.694.6241 Halifax: 434.476.3357 History Research Center & Library: Chatham 434.432.8931 Mt. Hermon: 434.835.0326 Pittsylvania County Main Library: Chatham 434.432.3271 www.pcplib.org South Boston: 434.5575.4228

Distribution:

The distribution point where you usually pick up Evince might not be open to the public. There is a rack in the lobby of our office at 753 Main Street, Danville.

During business hours pick up several copies and take them to your homebound friends and family. Also, visit www.showcasemagazine.com/findus for more locations.

The deadline for submitting information for the June calendar is Sunday, May 17, at 5:00 p.m.

Please send just the basic information following the format on this page to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

Spotting Exceptional Customer Service

by Liz Sater

I tried Sam’s Club concierge service this morning. I arrived promptly at 7:00 a.m. and a very sweet lady named Sylvia Cusumano, a Member Assist, took my list and went to work, finding almost all of the items on my list and bringing them to my car.

There is good signage showing customers where to go for this service. A tent is set up near the tire department. My understanding is that this service will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. for seniors or anyone with health problems who doesn’t want to go inside the building.

Thank you Sam’s Club, 215 Piedmont Drive Danville, for offering this service and thanks to Sylvia for being so sweet and accommodating.

Please let us know your experience with exceptional customer service. Email your story to joycewilburn@gmail.com.

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 11

H

ere are fifteen things to do during the month of May that will keep you busy and/or connected with others at a safe distance. I cannot give credit to the person or people who thought of these great ideas, but I’ll include where I heard about them first.

What Can I Do?

How to stay busy and connected

by Joyce Wilburn • Host a driveway party for the family or neighbors. Everyone brings their own chairs and refreshments and sits at least six feet apart. The only thing shared is the conversation.

• Make one list of all your passwords.

• Create a Facebook group of your neighbors. This helps communication about lost pets, neighborhood security, and socializing at a distance.

• Nominate someone for the Spotting Exceptional Customer Service Award. See page 10.

• Start writing a daily entry into a journal. Keep a record of what you did during this history-making times.

• Start a Teddy Bear Brigade.

Put a Teddy Bear in the front window of your house and ask neighbors to do the same.

When neighborhood children are walking with their parents, they can count the number of bears they see. (Donna Parris)

• Take out all your old CDs, LPs, or tapes. Listen to one in its entirety each day. (Debra Dodson)

• Try on everything in your closet. Decide if you still like it and it fits. If you can’t answer yes to both questions, give it away. Rehang only what you will wear. If you have friends or family who would be able to wear your good rejects, ask if they would like them. Put the clothes in a box or bag and leave on their porches.

• Clean the bugs out of your ceiling light fixtures.

• Turn the music up at 5:30 p.m. each day and ask your neighbors to come outside and dance for a song or two— rain or shine. (David Muir ABC News)

• Write a positive message on a sidewalk or driveway in chalk. (news story from New Orleans)

• Take a picture of your student doing school work and email it to his/her teacher.

• Look at each book you own.

Donate ones you don’t want to a free library or check with neighbors or friends to see if they would like a book or two.

If so, leave the books on their porches.

• Say a prayer every time you wash your hands. The Lord’s Prayer takes about twenty seconds. (Scott Hollifield) • Mail a card, letter or drawing to a hospital patient or caregiver.

Mail to: Sovah Health – Danville Attn: Handmade Happiness Project 142 S Main St. Danville, VA 24541

• If you are celebrating an event that includes extinguishing candles on a cake, wave your hands furiously above the flames instead of blowing germs on the cake. (April Hawkins)

• If you have antiques in your home write a few sentences about each on a 3x5 card telling its origin. Tape the card to the item for future generations to read.

In Martinsville the address is: Sovah Health – Martinsville Attn: Incident Command Center 320 Hospital Dr. Martinsville, VA 24112

Page 12 May 2020 #evincematters

W

hether I’m working at my workplace or at home because of COVID-19, during my work hours, I expect to be working. But after that, during my personal time, I try to move forward with personal projects. I used to be like the energizer bunny. Now I’m an aging rabbit whose biggest goal seems to be taking a nap.

My evenings have been consumed with cleaning up a rental house. I’d already power-washed the deck several days prior with no problems.

Applying water sealant to the horizontal deck boards with that water proofer applicator my husband Steve and I got at some Ohio thrift store a few years ago (when we could still travel) went well but bending in half underneath the deck to scuttle about and twisting to hand-brush water sealant onto the backs of support pillars was another matter. I knew I’d hurt

Reflecting Forward Ambition, COVID-19, and Chairs With Arms

by Linda Lemery

Photo by Steve Lemery

my back when I was moving so slowly a garden snail won the race to the car.

“I’ll rest it,” I said. Finding my back brace helped. “I need bubble bath,” I said. I had to settle for Epsom salts that Steve dug out of the top shelf of the linen closet. The salts had solidified into concrete. Steve then brought my mortar and pestle so I could pulverize two cups of salts. I didn’t want to risk the whole mass falling into and cracking the cast-iron tub.

“I need to lie down in something with arms, or I won’t be able to get up,” I said after the immersive Epsom salts experience. Steve dragged a 1950’s outdoor chaise lounge with lots of rust on the innards into the middle of the living room. I inched my way onto it.

“Put the back down,” said Steve.

I lifted the arms to ease myself back. One of the arms broke.

Steve came back with tools. I somehow leveraged myself upright again. Two hours later, he was telling me how he’d

fixed it while I inched my way back into the lounge chair and immediately fell asleep. I’m sure the repair was genius incarnate, but, being unconscious, I missed most of the explanation.

Because they had arms, the lounge chair and its upright oak cousin were the only two chairs I could safely get in and out of for the next few weeks. Going to bed at night had me mentally designing a virtual pulley system in my dreams. It was hooked to the ceiling and the opposite wall so that I could haul myself upright using my arms. Though during my personal time I was off duty from the rental house, I looked around our house … and saw all that needed to be done.

And I couldn’t stand it.

Eventually I felt a little better.

Strapped into my back support belt over Easter weekend, I weeded in spurts: The downhill strip on the side of the house, the iris garden, the lily garden, and the overgrown tomato garden strip. This involved using one of those plastic benches that the user can turn upside down and kneel inside and then use the legs as arms to shove oneself upright again.

Those prolific and stubborn weeds had me grinding up Epsom salts every night. The lounger was still parked in the living room, still placed perpendicularly to its upright oak cousin. Every day I used both in between forays to the garden. And every day I healed a little bit more.

I like sitting on our back deck (in a chair with arms) in the evenings and looking at the gardens. But I cannot look down: our deck needs to be power-washed and water-sealed.

So when I get the itch to pull out the power-washer, I go for the smaller goal. I just take a nap instead.

About the Author: When she’s not hunting for her back brace, Linda Lemery llemery@averett.edu works as Circulation Manager at Averett University’s Mary B. Blount Library in Danville. She welcomes reader comments.

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 13

Creamy Tuna Pasta

by Annelle Williams

Our world has changed and so have we. The pandemic has affected us in ways we won’t even realize until it has passed. At our house, dinnertime is about the most exciting thing that happens. We’ve been ordering groceries online and our refrigerator, freezer and pantry are well stocked, maybe too well. There are a few things I’ve found to be great additions to my pantry: canned tuna, real bacon pieces, and a big bag of potatoes. Don’t laugh at the bacon pieces! They add flavor to lots of things from soups, omelets, and salads, to main courses. Here’s a pantry friendly recipe I’ve added to our biweekly rotation.

Dr. Joey holds his newborn granddaughter.

Every Danger Cradles an Opportunity

by Dr. Joey Faucette

I

t was 1989 and I watched live TV news in horror as a lone Chinese man with a bandana covering his face like a mask stood down a tank in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. What followed—the devastation and death—was beyond reprehensible. I’ve reflected on this experience a great deal over the last month or so. Some of the reasons are obvious: death, a mask, China. One cause is less obvious. I watched and heard TV anchor Bernard Shaw say something like: “The Chinese have two characters which they use to represent the word, crisis. One means danger. The other, opportunity.”

Every danger cradles an opportunity. You and I choose which receives primary attention--danger or opportunity. Most news media monetize the danger ad nauseum. Their mantra is “If it bleeds, it leads.” The bloodier the newscast the more we watch and the danger deepens into anxiety, anger, depression and despair. How’s that working out for you? Every danger cradles an opportunity.

Which do you see more right now-- danger or opportunity?

Act wisely and follow CDC directions. Wash. Cover. Stay home until it’s safe. And yet what are the opportunities?

Over the last month or so, my travel stopped. Danger? Sure, the loss of income is real. And yet it’s an opportunity. I’m home and can spend hours holding, feeding, and changing our first grandchild. (Yes, I follow all the protocols.) The income will return. These hours with this wonderfully created little girl come around once in a lifetime.

It’s an opportunity I choose to see. What is your opportunity in this crisis? Mine is dramatic and stark. Yours may be more subtle and yet equally vital. Call a high school friend and catch up. List what you love about your spouse and pass it on. Tell your child what you admire most about her or him. Leave some toilet paper on the front porch of an elderly friend, knock and run. Every danger cradles an opportunity.

Find yours and Live Positive so you make a life worth living even during a crisis.

• For more ideas, visit https://getpositive.today.

Creamy Tuna Pasta (Substitutions can be made nearly everywhere.

Some are listed in parenthesis.)

8 slices of bacon (1/2 cup real bacon pieces) 3/4 lb. small shell pasta (any pasta) 1 T oil 1 T butter salt and pepper 1 bunch of asparagus cut into one-inch pieces. Break off stem ends and discard. (canned or frozen peas or asparagus) 2 T heavy cream (sour cream or broth)

2 T chopped fresh parsley (dried parsley or other dried herb) juice of one lemon (bottled lemon juice) 1 (5oz.) can tuna, drained and broken up (canned salmon or chicken) 1/2 tsp. salt 2 T butter, melted 2-3 cups torn day-old bread from baguette (panko or other bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process bread into crumbs. Add butter and salt and pulse a time or two to combine them. Put on sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and toasted.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, saving one cup of pasta water.

Cook bacon in oil until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Pour out all but one tablespoon of oil. Add butter to oil in pan. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender. Add heavy cream, parsley and lemon juice. Cook until thickened. Crumble bacon. Add bacon and tuna to pan. Finally, stir in pasta. If not enough sauce, add a little pasta water to thin it. Top with toasted bread crumbs and serve.

Questions or comments?

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

Page 14 May 2020 #evincematters

The Wine Spot

Book Clubbing

Let’s Toast Ambition

a review by Diane Adkins

The Shrouded Sword

by Owen R. Minter

Some of you may be at home with the young and the restless---tweens and teens. You may be struggling to find ways to grab their attention other than the ubiquitous screens. I know those challenges, and that’s why I want to recommend a book that will engage the younger members of your self-quarantined unit.

The Shrouded Sword is Owen Minter’s first book. He grew up in Martinsville and lives with his family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Set in the fictional southwestern Virginia town of Deadmoor, this is the story of the adventures experienced by two young people, Ethan Mosely and his sister, Jynx, when they spend Christmas break with their eccentric uncle, Socrates Maupin. Their pompous, selfish parents usually park them with relatives for the holidays but never have they been left at Maupin’s rundown mansion, Gramarye. Facing weeks with no Internet or TV, the children believe this will be the worst Christmas break ever. They soon learn that eliminating access to media has the unexpected effect of opening new experiences.

For one thing, Gramarye presents a veritable world in itself. Only one place is off-limits, and that is Socrates’s hangout, called the Solar. Of course, as forbidden fruit, it has allure, especially for Ethan. But there are plenty of other intrigues within the walls of Gramarye to engage any young, curious explorer. The place is home to Mrs. Gooch, the housekeeper and maker of delicious cookies; Fergus Bugg, the butler; and the malevolent Scafell Crag, the groundskeeper. Then there are the mansion’s grounds which include a vast maze that figures prominently in the plot.

Ethan, along with his new friend from Deadmoor, Amos Sprunt, and Jynx have dangerous adventures in this story, and yet the peril is mitigated by the forces for good that seem to align to help them, including a raven named Admiral Benbow and Gramarye itself. Minter’s story refers to other legends, adventure books, and mysteries to build a plot line. The story works on its own without full knowledge of all those references but gains layers of meaning when the reader takes the time to learn about the Arthurian legends, pirate adventures like Treasure Island, or Edgar Allen Poe. It is similar to other books with which young people may be familiar---Tolkein’s work being just one example. Read aloud by an adult, those references can be pointed out to younger members of the family, too.

An adventuresome tween, his sister, a sidekick, riddles, a maze, pirates, time-travel----all of these add up to a book that will captivate the younger members of your quarantined family, and perhaps help the adults revive the tradition of the read-aloud.

This is the first installment of a planned three-book series, and I’m looking forward to the next adventure already.

Diane S. Adkins is a retired Director of the Pittsylvania County Library System

by Dave Slayton

a member of the Master Court of Sommeliers

R

emember the film Bottle Shock? It is a 2008 American comedydrama that tells the story of a chardonnay crafted by a Napa Valley winery. In 1976, the wine won a blind taste test in France --something unthinkable at the time.

The winery was Chateau Montelena owned by Jim Barrett and assisted by his son, Bo Barrett. Contrary to the film, there was no father and son confrontation. In reality, however, the son was an unruly California surfer dude who frustrated his father due to his low ambition at the time. That has changed and Bo is currently the chief winemaker at Chateau Montelena. By the way, I loved British actor Alan Rickman as the Paris-based sommelier Steven Spurrier in Bottle Shock. One of my favorite scenes is when he heads to California in search of a wine that can be used for a blind taste test in the French capital and discovers he likes Kentucky Fried Chicken!

Another story regarding California wine and ambition appeared in a 2018 Wine Spectator article entitled, “Mark Aubert’s Ambition.”

The text states, “Mark Aubert is such an aficionado of white Burgundy that he brought a bottle of Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet 1986 to woo a blind date. It worked like a charm; the former Teresa Sobolik and Aubert just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.”

Perhaps it was a small, ambitious step but look at the outcome!

What is your dream or shall we say ambition? Pursue it! Is it to learn another language? Tackle Organic Chemistry? Apply for a new job? Ask someone for a date? Remember the adage: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Just put your best wine, I mean foot, forward.

Cheers!

Help Evince and Showcase survive https://bit.ly/2zf6MNO Page 15

WHEN YOU’RE READY TO FEEL YOUR BEST WE’RE HERE FOR YOU. 24/7.

$ ONLY

GetFit

$

1

* See Club For Details.

*

/MONTH NO COMMITMENT!

Premium

ENROLLMENT FEE Limited Time Offer.

9

99

$

24 ONLY

99

/MONTH

PERSONAL TRAINING HYDROMASSAGE TANNING FITNESS ASSESSMENT And Much More!

211 Nor Dan Drive • Danville, VA • Nor Dan Shopping Center

CALL TODAY! (434) 233-5155 www.workoutanytime.com/danville-va

Page  Page 16 16 May May2020 2020#evincematters #evincematters