INSIDE FOXTAIL COTTAGE page 4 BANK JOB page 7 NEW OFFICERS page 9 EMMANUEL RECTOR page 10 REAL ESTATE REPORT page 11
FEBRUARY 2014 VOL. 8, NO. 9
Catholic Mass to Begin in Crozet in March
BLACK BEAN CHILI page 12
HOW TO GROW HOPS page 13 BOTANICAL KIN page 14 POOP TRANSPLANTS page 16 JUST DO IT page 17 ROBOTS GO TO STATES page 18 COPROPHAGIA page 20 KILLER KITTIES page 22 I-64 ROMANCE page 23 STOP STATIC page 24 PEACHTREE SIGNUP page 25 DRINK TO ME page 26 FLOWER FACTS page 27 DERBY WINNERS page 28 BEREAVEMENTS page 29 THE COLDEST IN 20 YEARS page 31 HOW WE HEAR page 33 MILLER BASKETBALL page 34
Proposed detour route for Tabor Street closure.
Crozet Avenue Streetscape Project to Begin This Month—Really The removal of the utility poles and wires from Crozet Avenue’s downtown stretch during January satisfied the Virginia Department of Transportation’s last condition for authorizing work on the long-awaited $2.1 million street improvement project. Albemarle County
gave its official Notice to Proceed to the contractor, Linco, Inc. of Waynesboro, on Jan. 31. The contract allows Linco 240 days from the date of the notice to complete the job; so it is expected to be done in October. continued on page 3
Diocese of Richmond Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo has authorized Father Joseph Mary Lukyamzi, pastor of Holy Comforter Catholic Church in Charlottesville, to say the Roman Catholic Mass in Crozet on a once-amonth basis. Mass will be held on the second Sunday of the month at the Field School auditorium, 1408 Crozet Avenue, at 10 a.m. The first Mass will be on March 9. When he was approached over whether he would take on the Mass in Crozet, Father Lukyamuzi promptly said yes, if the idea had the official blessing of Bishop DiLorenzo, and a letter was duly written that proposed the possibility. After the diocese made an investigation into Crozet’s recent growth and its population forecast, DiLorenzo authorized the once-a-month plan. The Diocese of Richmond is all of Virginia below the Rappahannock River and the Northern Neck. Northern Virginia is the Diocese of Arlington. As a rule of thumb, the Richmond diocese estimates six percent of its area’s population to be Catholic. The Crozet Growth continued on page 5
Booth Named Western Albemarle Rescue Squad’s Member of the Year The Western Albemarle Rescue Squad held its annual awards dinner Jan. 25 at King Family Vineyard in Crozet and squad member David Booth took two honors, the Member of the Year Award and the President’s Award. Squad president Bill Wood presented the awards after a dinner catered by Green House Coffee. Afterward the 70-plus volunteers who provide around-the-clock emergency medical services in western Albemarle watched a slide show review of the year in the Squad’s life and then had a dance party. “All volunteer, all the time,” said Wood proudly as be began the presen-
continued on page 15
Bill Wood and Kostas Alibertis, who received the Lifesaver Award
B e Pa rt o f t h e Sto ry We need more books! Our library is busier than ever, and there’s more work to be done. - Patron visits have more than doubled - Circulation averages more than 80% over last year Every item in the building has been paid for in full, thanks to the support of you and your neighbors. Yet, the shelves still need to be filled. We’ve increased our collection from 33,000 to 50,000 and we still need 25,000 more books. Any donation made goes directly toward purchasing books.
BOOK CLUB Crozet Library's Monday Evening Book Group Meets the first Monday of each month, 7-8:30 pm Join them: the library’s website lists which book will be discussed.
It’s what’s inside that counts. Donate today at: buildcrozetlibrary.org/give 1990’s
2012
Library use more than doubled
Construction begun for new Crozet Library at corner of Crozet Avenue and Library Avenue
2013
Funds successfully raised for all furnishings
2013 New Crozet/Western Albemarle Library opened in September
2014
2014
Library use more than doubled
Fundraising continues to fill library’s shelves with books
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Streetscape —continued from page 1
An earlier plan to detour traffic away from Tabor Street and into The Square, a route that promised parking problems for businesses there, has been abandoned and now the detour will be through Library Avenue. “VDOT first thought it didn’t have the right of way over Oak Street, but they discovered they did,” explained Albemarle County Director of Facilities Planning Trevor Henry. VDOT has determined that this is the only viable detour route. The new detour plan had a public hearing from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors at their meeting Feb. 5—they must
approve the detour—and it will be on the consent agenda for their Feb. 12 meeting to avoid causing a work delay. Tabor Street’s intersection with Crozet Avenue is expected close for 15 days beginning on Feb. 24. Weather permitting, Tabor Street is expected to reopen March 14. Improvements to the intersection involve storm water drains, gutters and sidewalks. Tabor will be regraded to create a more level “landing area” for cars as they stop at Crozet Avenue. The changes were expected to take five weeks to complete if Tabor were to remain partially open and managed with flagmen. Tabor will be closed during work hours—8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.—on weekdays and open in the evening and on weekends.
Traffic from the neighborhoods around Claudius Crozet Park will use High Street to reach the old lumberyard and from there proceed to Library Avenue. Two old, platted but undeveloped roads exist there: Oak Street, which connects Library Avenue to The Square, and Ellison Street, which connects High Street to Oak Street. The oak trees that still stand in downtown are the remnants of what was once called Ellison’s Grove. The county will grade and gravel the detour section connecting High Street and Library Avenue to a ‘drivable surface’ and improve its drainage. Signs will mark the route. Residences on Tabor as well as Tabor Presbyterian Church will be accessible from High Street during the detour period. Once work begins, county proj-
3
ect manager Frank Pohl, who is responsible for daily oversight of the performance of the work, will hold “office hours” at Crozet Library on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. and on Thursdays from 12 to 1 p.m. to answer questions from citizens and hear complaints. County public school bus drivers have been briefed on the detour. County officials say they still intend to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the project, but they have not announced a date for it. The work will proceed in six sections, first on the east side of Crozet Avenue, where most the widening will happen, and later on the west side. Each section will be brought to near completion, finished except for the final coat of pavement, before the next section is begun.
continued on page 25
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CROZET gazette the
Published on the first Thursday of the month by The Crozet Gazette LLC, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932.
www.crozetgazette.com © The Crozet Gazette
434-296-0188 MICHAEL J. MARSHALL, Publisher and Editor news@crozetgazette.com | 434-466-8939 ALLIE M. PESCH, Art Director and Ad Manager ads@crozetgazette.com | 434-249-4211 LOUISE DUDLEY, Editorial Assistant louise@crozetgazette.com
cvillebraces.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: John Andersen, Clover Carroll, Marlene Condon, Elena Day, Phil James, Kathy Johnson, Charles Kidder, Dirk Nies, Robert Reiser, Ben Scheiner, Roscoe Shaw, Christina Shoup, Heidi Sonen, David Wagner, Denise Zito.
Don’t miss any of the hometown news everybody else is up on. Pick up a free copy of the Crozet Gazette at one of many area locations or have the Crozet Gazette delivered to your home or dorm room. Mail subscriptions are available for $25 for 12 issues. Send a check to Crozet Gazette, P.O. Box 863, Crozet, VA 22932.
Photo by Peggy harrison
since 1960!
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FEBRUARY 2014
CROZET gazette
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Libbey Kelso and Karen Thorsey
Foxtail Cottage Florist Opens Karen Thorsey, joined by a financial partner, Jeff Haas, has opened a new florist shop in Crozet in a 1920sera cottage on Rt. 250 near Western Albemarle High School. Foxtail Cottage Floral will focus on flowers for weddings, parties and other events as well as home installations. The shop offers a full, online flower boutique and delivery service. Thorsey installed a mid-sized cooler at the cottage to store flowers and a modernized work area. The cottage was extensively renovated with an office and consultation room, and a deck was added on the back. Thorsey said the cottage is available for rent for small events. Thorsey was a cofounder of Touterelle, a florist shop opened not long ago in Charlottesville, and said she wanted to go out on her own. Raised in Ivy, she had started with flowers when she worked at Ivy Corner Store, where she also met her current coworker at Foxtail, Libbey Kelso. Staci Young, a freelance designer who is known in Middleburg and Gordonsville, is also affiliated with the shop. Thorsey went on to design school in Boston; she describes herself as a “visual stylist” and creative director. She spent five years at Hedge Fine Blooms, a Charlottesville florist, where she specialized in floral arrangements for weddings. In all, she has 20 years in the floral business
and 12 concentrated on weddings. “I’ve learned some things not to do about getting into business,” she said. “I had wanted to be in Crozet.” She said she chose the name because of an affection for foxes and because it plays on types of lilies, ferns and grasses. “We consider this a design studio. Now we’re focused on weddings and that’s where we are on Saturdays. Our long-range plan is to get deeper into weddings,” said Thorsey, meaning beyond just the flowers. She described her former style as “Marie Antoinette meets industrialism” and said that at Foxtail the look will be “Post World War II meets the south of France.” She described the style as “lush but not pretentious” and one that goes well with wine country. She will be using locally grown flowers as much as possible, she said. Thorsey said she recently provided flowers for an event at Monticello’s Montalto in which a requirement for the arrangements was that the flowers could have come from Jefferson’s garden. “Each basket had 33 elements in it,” she said with pleasure. “Ninety percent of what we do is flower arrangements,” said Kelso. “We don’t have a gift shop. As much as we can, we are trying to trade with other local businesses.” For more information, call the shop at 823-7272.
www.crozetgazette.com
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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Area, comprising what most would consider the town of Crozet, has a current population of about 6,500. The western Albemarle and northern Nelson population is reckoned at 29,000. In a Jan. 16 video call with a delegation of area Catholics, Vicar General of the diocese—the secondranking official—Msgr. Mark Lane said the decision to start a Crozet Mass is not a declaration of the diocese’s intention to create a parish here. That possibility will not be entertained for at least four years, added Msgr. Raymond Muensch, the diocese’s canon lawyer. If a Catholic church were to be formed in Crozet it would first be established as a mission, most likely of Holy Comforter, which is also the mother church of St. Thomas Aquinas, first formed by Holy Comforter as the Newman House at U.Va., and also of the Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville, near Fashion Square Mall in Branchlands, and of St. George’s Church in Scottsville. The Crozet Mass will have official standing as a “chapel of ease,” Muensch said. A chapel of ease is a building used as a church that is within the boundaries of a parish but is not the church of that parish. According to the diocese’s boundaries for local parishes, Crozet-area residents fall under Holy Comforter, in downtown Charlottesville, unless they are affiliated with the University of Virginia, in which case they belong to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic church, which is designated as a university parish. Crozet–area Catholics are also attending St. John the Evangelist parish in Waynesboro and Church of the Incarnation. Chapels of ease are typically created for the convenience of parishioners and can be in a house. They are sometimes created in advance of a church existing and sometimes when churches are consolidated. Bishop DiLorenzo conveyed his approval in writing to Fr. Lukyamuzi and wrote about it to the pastors of other local churches as well. Fr. Lukyamuzi is to make an initial report on the Crozet Mass to the bishop in June. Bishop DiLorenzo said Catholics who attend Mass in Crozet are obliged to continue their customary financial support for their current
parishes. The Crozet Mass is under the administration of Holy Comforter. A 22-person committee of Crozetarea Catholics has formed to support the Mass and is organizing its practical needs, such as assembling a Mass kit, seating, etc. Robin Prudencio, formerly a music minister at St. Thomas Aquinas, will handle music for the Crozet Mass. The committee met Jan. 29 and will meet again at the Field School Feb. 12 at 7:30. They urge any one interested to join them. The Crozet Mass committee will host an open house at the school Sunday Feb. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m., where the public can meet Fr. Lukyamuzi and learn more about plans for the Mass. Light refreshments will be served. Fr. Lukyamuzi, 58, is from Uganda and received his university education there. His seminary training included three years of philosophy study and four years in theology. After ordination in 1981, he served as pastor of two parishes in southern Uganda and then was asked to handle youth ministry and schools for the Archdiocese of Mbarara. In 1999, after serving in that post for sometime, he resolved to join the Benedictine Order as a monk and live a contemplative life. But instead the Benedictines sent him to Richmond to serve as the chaplain of Benedictine High School, where he arrived in 2001. In 2011 he began saying occasional Latin Masses at Our Lady of Peace Church in Appomattox that drew Catholics from parishes all over Southside and the Roanoke Valley. In 2012 he was asked by Bishop DiLorenzo to be the parochial vicar at St. Bridget Church, near the University of Richmond in Richmond’s West End, but he was there only briefly. He came to Holy Comforter as pastor later in 2012. He has been given permission by Mary Mother of the Church Benedictine Abbey to become a priest of the Diocese of Richmond. He became an American citizen in September. Fr. Lukyamzi said he was raised in a very devout family and knew at age 10 that he wanted to be a priest. He has a cousin who is also a priest, Fr. Gerard Musuubire, who is now the pastor at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Palmyra, and a nephew in Uganda who is about to be ordained.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
7
by Phil James phil@crozetgazette.com
Breaking
the
Bank,
When the good townspeople of Crozet crawled into bed on that Monday evening in September 1908, there were high hopes for a sweet night’s rest. The day’s increasing clouds had culminated with showers, hiding the moon’s fading crescent. The cool, damp air on that autumn’s eve had caused many to pull up the covers just a little higher. The sounds and rhythms of a railroad town have a certain comfort to them, and little notice was given to the usual 3:02 a.m. passage of fast train No. 2, or to the low “boom” that followed soon afterward. Sleep returned. Ka-BOOM! Directly across the road from the train depot at John O’Neill’s house, beds shook, windows and dishes rattled, and everyone was suddenly awake. O’Neill, a highly respected Crozet merchant, sat bolt upright in the bedroom of his house that adjoined his store. Have mercy! What in the world... was there a crash over at the depot? Was someone breaking into the store? The town canines immediately broadcast the news over the bark circuit, but all they knew was something big had just let go in the center of town (though one of them might have chortled that he had heard the sound of cats simultaneously hitting the ceilings throughout the area.) J.T. O’Neill’s keen involvement in the business affairs of the village had led to a seat on the Executive Committee of the recently organized Crozet Board of Trade. The 50-year-old storekeeper shouted to his son John to join him, and
but not the
Spirit,
of
Crozet
The original Bank of Crozet, pictured on the right, was chartered in April 1906. The modest structure faced the C&O Depot and was adjacent to the offices and warehouse of Crozet Cooperage. For many years the region’s fruit growing industry fueled the local economy. [Photo courtesy of the Ray P. “Pete” McCauley Collection]
they quickly dressed and dashed from the house, pausing momentarily with their lanterns to squint into the night darkness. They were met with the pungent aroma of sulfur and smoke wafting up the hill from the direction of the bank. Sprinting the short yardage to the bank building, they noticed a window blown out and door ajar. Not a sound was to be heard. Cautiously stepping inside, they were confronted by a scene of devastation. When the first, undetected explosive charge did not dislodge the door of the bank’s
burglar-proof Diebold safe, the crooks quickly had followed up with a second, more potent application. The O’Neills, along with others who rushed to the site, found the building filled with smoke. Contents of the front room were utterly splintered and wrecked. Scattered on the floor, in addition to the safe’s door that had been blown from its hinges, were crowbars, sledgehammers and other tools later found to have been pilfered from the nearby blacksmith shop and the C&O Railway section house. Word immediately was sent to R.E. Wayland, the bank’s cashier, who arrived within 45 minutes to discover that all of the bank’s critical papers and securities remained intact inside the safe. The thieves had scooped out only the previous day’s continued on page 8
The new Bank of Crozet opened for business in 1908 on Crozet’s increasingly busy Main Street. This period postcard view was published by Crozet Pharmacy. [Photo courtesy of the Phil James Historical Images Collection]
Vintage check imprints allow a visual history of the first 50 years of hometown banking in the village of Crozet, VA. [Images courtesy of Crozet Print Shop, Crozet, VA]
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Bank of Crozet —continued from page 7
cash receipts of $800 before exiting the scene. A posse of sorts was dispatched to search for the crooks, but all they turned up was evidence that the train depot also had been forcibly entered, though nothing was missing from there. Apart from the devastation they left behind, no sign of the bank breakers was found. Evidence clearly showed that these bad boys had burgled before. Beneath the cloak of darkness they had exited the town at a fast trot, no doubt, with ears ringing, eyes burning, and reeking of brimstone like the hellions they again had proven themselves to be. In spite of the affront this act was to the hardworking people of the town, no lasting damage was done. The institution’s steadfast officers, including bank president Russell Bargamin, vicepresident E.L. Wayland, and cashier R.E. Wayland, had taken the prudent step of properly insuring the building, its contents and deposits. It later was reported that “the bank had on the previous day sent by express $3,000 to one of its correspondents, which would have been taken by the robbers had it been in the safe.” Adjusted for inflation, today that near-haul would been close to $77,000. Poor timing—for the thieves. Additionally, within ten days the operations of the bank would be moving into new quarters across the tracks on Main Street. The progressiveness of the village of Crozet during the early decades of the 20th century led to regular coverage of its affairs by the newspapers of the state. The Bank of Crozet’s move into its new, expanded facilities brought even more media coverage for the town. In April 1908, months prior to the daring bank robbery of September 21, the Richmond
Even with its once stately Corinthian columns lying in ruin, the former Bank of Crozet stubbornly resisted efforts in June 1981 to remove it from its appointed place on Main Street. [Photo courtesy of the Ray P. “Pete” McCauley Collection]
Times-Dispatch reported that the bank’s new 48’ by 38’ two-story cement block building with Corinthian columns “will be an ornament to the town.” “The post-office and offices of the Bank of Crozet, with every modern convenience of banking room, fire and burglar-proof vaults and safety deposit boxes, will be on the first floor. The Crozet Cider Company, Crozet Cooperage Company, the Albemarle Manufacturing Company, and the offices of several other concerns will also be located on the first floor. The second floor will, perhaps, be used as lodge rooms by several fraternal organizations.” Following the bank’s move, the TimesDispatch wrote in December: “Crozet is now one
The earlier (1906–1908) and later (1908–1932) locations of the Bank of Crozet can be seen in this 1950s aerial view by Crozet photographer Mac Sandridge. Crozet’s first depository survived an explosive heist during the final weeks at its initial location.
of the most important towns in Piedmont Virginia and one of the largest shipping points on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The population now reaches 750 prosperous and enterprising people. Crozet has a bank, seven stores, two grist mills, two wheelwright shops, one undertaking establishment, one plumbing and gas-fitting establishment and one blacksmith shop.” Present day studies have not yet turned up evidence that those miscreants of a century ago were ever found, or that their plunder was ever discovered or returned. By virtue of the region’s thriving fruit industry, Crozet continued to prosper and grow. Nevertheless, as often has been the case, in spite of mankind’s best laid plans and insurance policies, natural elements hold great sway over economies, globally as well as locally. Widespread, devastating droughts during the 1920s and ’30s brought the economies of many communities to their knees. The venerable Bank of Crozet, Inc. fell victim when local farmers and orchardists were unable to bring in successive crops, leading to default on too many of their loans. The Bank of Crozet, in 1932, finally was forced to shutter its operations. What the bank robbers had failed to quash during the scattered overnight showers in September 1908, the prolonged lack of those showers ultimately accomplished.
Hmmm... if picks and shovels — or hammers and drills — won’t get the job done, then J. Edwin Wood’s Hardware on East Main Street in Charlottesville just might have had in stock the little helper needed by a desperate yegg.
Follow Secrets of the Blue Ridge on Facebook! Phil James invites contact from those who would share recollections and old photographs of life along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Albemarle County. You may respond to him through his website: www.SecretsoftheBlueRidge.com or at P.O. Box 88, White Hall, VA 22987. Secrets of the Blue Ridge © 2003–2014 Phil James
YOUR LOCAL SOURCE FOR LOCAL, ORGANIC CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
9
Crozet Safety Corps Leaders
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The Crozet Safety Corps held their annual meeting Jan. 27 and elected (from left to right) Jim Crosby, vice chair; Mike Gallagher, training officer; Tom Loach, chair; Matt Robertson; communications officer and Jennie More, west sector leader. Missing from the photo was Rick Larson, east sector leader. The meeting included a review of last year’s crime statistics by ACPD Crime Prevention Officer, Andy Gluba, who is the Corps liaison with the county police.
Park Board Elects New Officers The Claudius Crozet Park Board of Directors elected its new officers in January. Kim Guenther will serve as president, Melissa Miller is vice president, Nancy Black is the new secretary and long-time treasurer Jo Ann Perkins will continue in that role. Several new members have also joined the park board. “This addition of new ideas and energetic enthusiasm to our solid base of knowledgeable, veteran members will provide thoughtful and creative improvements to our community park,” said Guenther. Claudius Crozet Park is home to the ever-expanding Peachtree Baseball program, the Gators Swim Team (Jefferson Swim League champs), soccer and baseball fields, Quick Start tennis courts, and Boot Camp. The community pool is now open year-round and fabulous facili-
ties and programs are being offered by the YMCA. Walking trails are being developed and soon a dog park will be built, too. “This jewel of Crozet is a community park,” said Guenther, “and its success requires solid community participation. There are several park service projects throughout the year, from cleaning up trails to painting fences to planting trees. Check out the park’s new information kiosk or visit the park’s website, crozetpark. org, to find events, programs and projects that interest you.” Financial donations are needed to maintain the condition of the park and take on new projects, Guenther said. The park recently hired Jody Giles to be the director of the twice-a-year Crozet Arts and Crafts Fair, which is the park’s major fundraiser.
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FEBRUARY 2014
CROZET gazette
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Bishop of Virginia, the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, congratulated the Rev. Christopher Garcia immediately following the installation service of the new rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood. [Photo by Jim Crosby]
by Jim Crosby The Rev. Christopher Garcia was officially installed as the new rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Greenwood at a Celebration of a New Ministry, on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, bishop of Virginia officiated. The service began with Senior Warden Delores Smith presenting the Rev. Garcia to the bishop with the statement, “Bishop Johnston, we have come together today to welcome Christopher Martin Garcia, who has been chosen to serve as rector of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood Parish. We believe that he is well qualified, and that he has been prayerfully and lawfully selected.” The bishop then asked, “Will you who witness this new beginning support and uphold Christopher in this ministry?” Those assembled for the service responded with a loud and robust, “We will.” The lessons were read by Mac Schinstock and Carolyn Haden Cunningham. The sermon was presented by the Rev. Philip DeVaul, rector of St. John the Devine Episcopal Church in Costa Mesa, California. DeVaul is a classmate of Garcia from the Virginia Theological Seminary and traveled to support his friend and fellow priest. The music was presented by the church choir under the leadership of Larry M. Smith, organist and choir director. Soloists included Elizabeth A. Garcia, soprano; Cheryl Garcia, flutist; and a saxophone quartet of Thomas Garcia, John Kiene, Jeffrey Musk, and Jongmin Park. The Rev.
Deacon Don Cady read the Gospel. In August of last year, the wardens and vestry called the Rev. Christopher Garcia, then serving as assistant to the rector of Christ Church, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., as their next rector. Garcia arrived at Emmanuel in October to begin his ministry here. He attended Virginia Theological Seminary to become an ordained priest after a career in the U.S. Army. For 25 years, Garcia served in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer and later as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His military career took him to Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iraq for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as several U.S. posts. Assignments at the Pentagon brought the Garcia family to Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Burke, who sponsored him for ordination. He earned his undergraduate, MBA and law degrees from Cornell University. His seminary education was obtained at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. During seminary, he served at Washington Hospital Center, Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Purcellville, and Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington. Rev. Garcia met his wife, Cheryl, while they were both in law school, and they have been married 23 years. They have two children. Elizabeth, 20, is a sophomore at James Madison University. Thomas, 18, is a senior at West Springfield High School and has been accepted at the College of William and Mary.
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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Western Albemarle Fourth Quarter Real Estate Report
Crozet Home Sales Up in 2013 by David Ferrall ferrall@crozetgazette.com 2012 was a great year for real estate in Crozet. It marked a return to a more balanced market missing since the start of the Great Recession in 2009, and the year experienced the highest number of sales since 2006. That was a tough act to top for 2013, but the 256 sales in Crozet last year was a 5 percent increase over 2012 (see chart provided courtesy of Nest Realty). Increases were across the board in 2013, with higher average and median prices across all categories, as well as higher finished squarefoot cost. Demand remained strong through the year, and while fourth quarter sales numbers lagged slightly over the prior year, 2014 is poised to be another strong year in Crozet. There will be good choices for buyers, and sellers who price their homes in line with market comparables should be able to sell. There are overall market head and tail winds, and if neither gains an upper hand, Crozet should experience a healthy real estate market this year. The good news was shared in the rest of the area as well. According to the Nest Realty annual report there was an 8.5 percent increase in sales in 2013 in the Charlottesville metropolitan statistical area. The median and average sales prices were both up over 6 percent, to the highest levels since 2008. Houses sold faster than in 2012, spending an average of 95 days on the market. Inventory ended the year 8 per-
cent lower than in 2012. And all this at the highest sales price vs. list price ratio level since 2007. There were 49 total sales last quarter, compared with 53 in 2012. Of the 49 sales, only three were for attached properties, down from 14 in 2012. This reflects the end of new unit sales in Wickham Pond and Liberty Hall, Haden Place and Old Trail now being the locations for new townhomes in Crozet. Of the 46 total detached properties sold in the quarter, 23 were new construction, with the bulk (13) in Old Trail. Wickham Pond (5) and Foothill Crossing (5) account for the balance. There were 11 sales on properties over an acre, which were all in surrounding Crozet areas. There were three sales over $1 million (these will be excluded for numerical cost statistics). So though sales were down, every other measure was up. The average price for a house in Crozet in the quarter was $411,000, up 13.5 percent from 2012. The price per finished square foot of interior space was up 11 percent to $157. The average price for a detached house rose 3.5 percent to $425,000, while attached homes jumped to $399,000, up 38 percent from the $290,000 average in the fourth quarter of 2012. Price per finished square foot was up 12 percent to $151 for detached properties, and up 28 percent to $185 for attached properties. Advancing commodity prices on building materials continue to be a factor in rising prices, but so too is consumer demand for more costly finishes in new houses.
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As prices of new construction rise, the price of pre-existing housing goes with it. This is a reversal of the trend we saw in 2009-2011, when crumbling commodity costs and low-cost building lots kept new construction prices low, which in turn negatively affected pre-existing prices. In the last quarter there were two distressed sales in Crozet, down from four in the last quarter of 2012. But while foreclosures and short sales decreased in number in Crozet, they were up 30 percent last quarter in Albemarle County as a whole. Hopefully continued price recovery will lessen the number of distressed sales. Two other issues could present slight headwinds as we head into 2014. Housing inventory has
stopped going down and is actually higher at 2013’s end compared to a year earlier here in Crozet. Inventory currently sits at a bit over nine months, still above the five to six month backlog that a traditionally balanced market exhibits. Second, interest rates are a large question mark for real estate and the economy as a whole. Not only do they affect mortgage rates, but rising rates will affect the nation’s economic growth and carrying cost for the national debt. Current 30-year mortgage rates at around 4.5 percent are up a full percentage point over a year ago. The five year high is 5.3 percent, a level both the National Association of Realtors and the Mortgage Bankers Association think we could touch continued on page 21
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CROZET gazette
Seasonal Flavors
MEMORIES & RECIPES FROM AN ITALIAN KITCHEN [ by denise zito • denise@crozetgazette.com \
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Perhaps the best thing about having children in your life is all the things you learn, no matter whether they are your own DNA, or those of friends, or your kids’ friends. I have managed to acquire a vast network of children and their associates and it has made me rich in experiences and affection. I like to imagine that I taught my parents a thing or two. I remember showing them how one could make a dinner without meat. They didn’t quite buy it. (We always had pasta with clam sauce on Fridays during Lent, but somehow they didn’t think that counted.) I made pan-fried oysters for my dad the week before he
died; he had never had that. I’ve already shared a recipe from my daughter Suzanne, and this month I’m sharing one from Christine. It’s chili with a twist. What a revelation to combine sweet potatoes with black beans! With the added chipotle it’s kind of part Mexican, and with the sweet potatoes it’s part African. It’s kind of a recipe without borders! The first time I made this I was informed “yours isn’t as good as Christine’s.” Now isn’t that what we all love to hear? It was because she first roasts the sweet potatoes. But I think the recipe works either way.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
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2 medium onions, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups dried black beans Water to cover 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 2 medium sweet potatoes (if you have time, please roast them first, but if not, just throw them in as instructed below) 1 ½ tsp salt 1 tsp chipotle pepper powder 1 tsp cumin Sauté the onion and garlic until transparent, add the beans and cover with water, bring to a boil, turn to simmer, and then go start your laundry. Check the beans periodically and keep them covered with water. In about two hours they should be cooked. Add the tomatoes and the spices. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Add the potatoes, stir and add water to cover if necessary. It will be ready to serve when the potatoes are cooked—about 45 minutes.
Alternative Bean Cooking Options: Nancy Fleischman Principal
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1. Put the beans in a crock pot with lots of water the night before you want to make this soup. When you get up in the morning, the beans will be ready and you can throw this soup together on a weeknight evening. 2. Make the dish in your pressure cooker and put everything in at the same time and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Rapido! 3. Use canned beans. Come on—this is not the best for your budget, but if you must…
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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upcoming events FEBRUARY 11
Hops-Growing Workshop at RVCC
A day-long workshop on growing hops in this area will be held Tuesday, February 11, in the Rockfish Valley Community Center (RVCC) auditorium starting at 9 a.m. Registration for the class will start at 8 a.m. and lunch will be provided. The class will end at 5 p.m. The workshop will include information on growing, management and marketing of hops and is designed for experienced growers wanting to take their production to the next level, as well as for the beer and hop enthusiast with just a few plants for personal use. Speakers include Dr. Jeanine M. Davis from North Carolina State University; Stan Driver, a commercial grower; Julie Jensen, the owner of Echoview Farm in North Carolina; Laura Siegle from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, and others. The day will include a tour of Blue Mountain Brewery hosed by Taylor Smack, owner and head brewer. Smack will also talk about local hops from the brewer’s perspective. For more information, contact event organizer Stan Driver at hootnhollerhops@gmail.com.
FEBRUARY 22
Crozet Trail Walk
The Crozet Trails Crew will host a trail walk on Saturday, February 22 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The walk will begin in Westhall, and follow the Crozet Connector Trail, now almost complete, to Western Ridge and back. For more information, visit www.crozettrailscrew.org.
MARCH 4
Virginia Dept. of Forestry Tree Steward Course
A 12-week Tree Steward Training Class is scheduled to start March 4 and continue through May 20, from 9 a.m. until noon at the Virginia Department of Forestry offices at Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville.
Those completing the class will become “certified tree stewards” after performing 25 hours of volunteer work for the organization on Charlottesville Area Tree Steward (CATS) projects. Classes will include tree identification, tree biology, roots and soil, proper planting and care of trees, pruning, tree pests and more. Three of the classes will be field trips to observe and study area trees and forests. Last year’s class took field trips to Ivy Creek Natural Area, the grounds of the University of Virginia, Kemper Park, and Montpelier. Class members also received a CD training manual from the Virginia Urban Forest Council, three tree identification guides, a book on invasive plants in southern forests, a pruning handbook and other handouts supporting class topics. Cost of the class is $85 and includes manuals and books. For more information email: 2014catstrainingclass@gmail.com. To register, send your information and a check for $85 to Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards Training Course Registration, P.O. Box 4211, Charlottesville, VA 22905.
MARCH 12
* Casino Night * Silent Auction * Restaurant Grab Bags * Raffles * Light Hors d'oeuvres *
Join us for Brownsville Elementary PTO's Fundraiser at King Family Vineyards! $20/PERSON OR $35/COUPLE To purchase tickets, please visit us at: www.crozegas.com
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Crozet Community Orchestra Concert
The Crozet Community Orchestra will perform a free concert for the public March 12 at 8 p.m. at Crozet Baptist Church, 5804 St. George Ave in Crozet. Up-to-date info can be found on the Crozet Cares website. The CCO is now in its second season. Rehearsals are held Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5804 Tabor St. There are openings now for string players. For more information, or to join the mailing list for upcoming events, please contact: Denise Murray at murrden@gmail.com or 434-9875517; or Philip Clark at pclarkmusic@gmail.com or 434979-3343. Please support your community orchestra by sending a check payable to: Crozet Community Orchestra, P. O. Box 762, Crozet, Va 22932.
The Gazette’s Upcoming Community Events listing is intended for free, not-for-profit or fundraiser events that are open to and serve the broader community. Events are included at the editor’s discretion. Priority is given to special and unique events. Space is very limited. Submit event press releases for consideration to news@crozetgazette.com.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
inthegarden@crozetgazette.com
Family Ties My niece was touring my garden and admired a variegated Osmanthus. A few feet beyond, we came upon another variegated plant, an Aucuba, and she proclaimed, “This must be related to that other one!” Well, not really. Foliar characteristics don’t usually have much to do with plant relationships. Variegated plants are no more likely to be related than plants with plain green leaves. What really counts: the structure of the flower, as well as the actual DNA of the plants. The first is generally pretty easily observed in nature; the latter requires some kind of gizmo in a lab. Plant geeks are fond of referring to plant families, a group of genera that are fairly closely related. There are six hundred-some families among all plants worldwide. While many are pretty obscure to lay people, some are quite familiar to most of us. Perhaps near the top of the
list would be the Grass Family, the Poaceae, with over ten thousand domesticated and wild species. Grasses may be best known to homeowners as lawns, but in the last few decades they are also commonly seen as ornamental plants in their own right. Miscanthus, muhly-grass, switch grass and blue fescue, to name a few, all provide a unique structure to the garden. But the biggest impact of grasses is in agriculture, rather than horticulture. Rice, wheat and maize provide half of all calories eaten by humans, making the grasses the most economically important plant family in modern times. Another big hitter in the food department is the legumes, or the Leguminaceae. With 730 genera and 19,400 species, the legumes are most common in tropical rainforests and adjacent dry forests. We’re familiar with the beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans and peanuts that make up a goodly portion of the human diet, while clover and alfalfa are important forage crops that we eat indirectly, perhaps even as honey.
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The legumes are also showy and durable players in ornamental gardens. One of my favorites is Baptisia, with its white, blue or yellow flowers. Once established, this drought-tolerant perennial can assume shrub-like proportions in each growing season. The bush lespedezas are also perennials with shrub-like tendencies that get even larger, but can be whacked to the ground every year. One of the few woody legumes that grow in our climate is the redbud, its purpley-pink flowers gracing many roadsides in April. One look at the flowers of any of these plants will betray their pea family heredity. If you say Rubiaceae family to most folks, you’ll probably be met with a blank look. But many of us consume a brew from one of its species on a daily basis: coffee, from the genus Coffea. Other important members of this family are quinine and ipecac. As for our gardens, hardy cultivars of Gardenia provide potent fragrance, and the Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is a native groundcover that will not swallow up entire trees. A family well known to most gardeners is the Lamiaceae, formerly known at the Labiateae, and more popularly referred to as the Mints. Most people know the mints as herbs with fragrant leaves oppositely held on square stems. (Many members of the family fit this descriptor, although not all.) Peppermint, spearmint and bee-balm are familiar typical mints, with aromatic foliage and the running habit that often has gardeners cursing them. Names of a few other mints read like a wellstocked spice rack: basil, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano and thyme. The pungent aromas which
humans find so appealing allegedly makes the mints unattractive to deer. The olive family (Oleaceae) is a bit of surprise with its disparate assortment of species. Of course, there’s the familiar olive tree from the Mediterranean with its wellknown fruits and oil. But if you look at its much-planted (and often weedy) cousins the privets you’ll also see similar blue-black fruits and opposite leaves. Ash trees, as well as the forsythias with their early spring yellow explosions, are also members of the olive family. What about the largest of the plant families? Botanists don’t agree on a clear winner, with two families duking it out for bragging rights. The orchids (Orchidaceae) claim 880 genera and between 21,950 and 26,049 species. Most orchids are tropical, and we see the most extravagant ones in conservatories such as that at Ginter Gardens. But a few orchids also range far into temperate climates. The lady-slippers—Cypripedium is the only genus in the United States—can be found in scattered localities in our area. More common but far less conspicuous is the Cranefly Orchid, Tipularia discolor. They have an unusual life cycle that makes them easier to find in the winter. In the fall a single leaf emerges from each plant’s base and persists until spring. Leaves are typically green and pleated on the upper surface, but purple underneath. A 12- to 15-inch flower stalk with creamy little flowers is easy to miss among the leaf litter but merits closer examination when you find it. The other possible champ of plant families is the Asteraceae, for-
continued on page 25
CROZET gazette
WARS
—continued from page 1
tations. Rookie of the Year went to Anthony Judkins. The Frances Henry Award, given to the volunteer who went on the most calls—once upon a time that was usually Frances Henry—went to Stacy Hosenfeld. Member of the Year is chosen by the squad membership and Wood joined in with his President’s Award tribute. Booth, a WARS volunteer for two years, oversaw the renovation of the squad house kitchen, which had not been refurbished since the squad inherited the building from the Crozet Volunteer Fire department in 1978. “He gives so much time,” said Wood of Booth. “He’s so willing to give.”
FEBRUARY 2014
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The Chief ’s Award, chosen by chief Kostas Alibertis, went to Jim Moniz. Kostas had special praise for his work ethic. The Steve Thompson Lifesaver Award, which Wood called “Medal of Honor kind of stuff,” went to Alibertis. Thompson credits Alibertis with saving his life in 2007. The case was even written up in a medical journal. Wood said it involved “an old-school therapy.” Wood described the squad as “being in good shape. We have a young, vibrant group that’s strong and interested and they want to make a contribution to the community. We’re fortunate here. We really are. The resources that the people of western Albemarle provide are better than what most communities have.” Wood said that WARS answered more than 1,200 calls in 2013. All with volunteers.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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BY DR. ROBERT C. REISER
crozetannals@crozetgazette.com
Wash Your Hands Something strange is happening in the hospital. An intern disappeared at 2 a.m. in the middle of my last overnight shift. A colleague of long acquaintance refused to shake my hand yesterday. The ER doc who relieved me today wiped down my computer and phone with quaternary ammonium wipes before touching anything. I blame the polar vortex. I eventually found the intern, holed up in a closed section of the ER puking her guts out into a trash can. She was sheepish and apologetic and weakly vowed to carry on with her patient care duties. Impressive, but not too salutary. I sent her home. My colleague apologized for his impoliteness, explaining that his whole family was home sick with vomiting and diarrhea and he did not wish to give it to me. My relieving doctor asserted to me that every time she worked in the ER she got sick and she didn’t want to bring anything home to her already sick children. All of these events are connected by the epidemic of norovirus sweeping across the globe, exacerbated by the indoor crowding imposed by the cold of the polar vortex currently gripping the U.S. in its frozen clutches. Most of us are familiar by now with the norovirus, the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the U.S. and the scourge of cruise ships. Preventing norovirus is easy. Don’t put anything in your mouth. Transmission is by fecal to oral contamination (of course usually with a stop somewhere in between). Your mouth is the only way norovirus can get in your body to infect
you. Unfortunately you have to eat, especially on a cruise, and food is easily contaminated by food handlers. Surfaces can also harbor norovirus, hence my coworker cleaning the computer and phone, although I am not sure if she was really expecting to eat off the computer. Good hand washing and not putting her hands near her mouth would also be effective to prevent norovirus and not look quite so phobic. A far worse type of diarrhea occupies more of my clinical attention these days: Clostridium difficile diarrhea. Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium that, like norovirus, is acquired through the fecaloral route. Its spores can live for months on surfaces so they are potentially everywhere in healthcare facilities and only bleach will kill them, not the usual disinfectants like antiseptic hand gel. Ingesting C. difficile spores is not usually a problem for normal healthy people. The multitudinous numbers of other “good” bacteria that normally live in your colon and keep you healthy in many ways do not allow room for the C.diff to colonize and grow. C.diff only becomes a problem when the happy balance of your colon flora is upset by injudicious antibiotic use and many of the good bacteria are killed by the antibiotics. Then the ingested C. diff takes over and causes a debilitating and sometimes fatal diarrhea. Symptoms of C.diff are mild to severe diarrhea, fever, low abdominal pain and recent exposure to antibiotics. The diarrhea has a characteristic odor that most hospital nurses are adept at detecting. In fact Dutch researchers trained a beagle to detect C.diff by smell not only in stool specimens but also in infected continued on page 21
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
17
by John Andersen
Finding Time and Energy Every Wednesday at 5:04 a.m., my alarm clock goes off, typically blaring some obnoxiously rockin’ song on the radio - Here I am! Rock you like a hurricane! And every Wednesday at 5:04 a.m. I groan and start debating the million reasons I should really just stay in bed and skip the morning’s workout. I mean seriously, it’s 7 degrees outside and windy! I’ll probably die! Somehow, I manage to get myself out of bed, into some running clothes, and out the door. Even after years of doing so, waking up early in the morning to exercise is never easy for me. In fact, it’s pretty much always horrible considering that at 5 a.m. your bed is pretty much the most comfortable place on the planet. However, not once in my life have I ever regretted waking up and going on a morning run. No matter how little sleep I got, or what the weather was, I always consider at the end of my run how glad I am that I woke up and got to experience it. I share this snippet of my week because the two biggest limits keeping us from staying active are time and energy. Lack of time and lack of energy. It often seems insurmountable, exhausting, and hopeless. Yet I argue that everyone has plenty of time to exercise, it’s just a matter of what you’re willing to trade. And I would argue that the energy comes when you make exercise a routine and start to feel the positive effects it has on your body. Lack of exercise makes us lack energy, while getting exercise gives us energy in our daily lives. Working, parenting, cleaning, volunteering, organizing, networking, grocery shopping…there are many things that sap away any available time we have. Yet by making exercise—lots of exercise—a priority, we can find a way to get it done. That’s right; we need to think of exercise as a priority in our lives, not something we’ll do when we have enough time or energy. Flipping this paradigm is the single most important thing you can do to get back to fitness. Can’t quite muster up the energy to rise before the roosters? Here’s some perspective:
Schedule it: I have “scheduled” runs on Wednesday mornings (5:30 a.m.), Thursday evenings (8:15 p.m.), and Saturday mornings (5:30 a.m.). These times interfere minimally with my family and work life and they anchor my weekly exercise schedule. Though I will usually run on Tuesdays and Sundays too, those times change and allow me flexibility in my schedule depending on my family. Also, by committing to exercise during these times, I get out there no matter how I’m feeling or how the weather is. It’s a life lesson– ride the waves and roll with the punches. If you don’t have a few regular exercise days and times, make it happen. Otherwise, it’s very easy to not do anything at all, or you become just a fair-weather exerciser. Get outside: We humans need to get outdoors regularly, even in winter. When we don’t, we’re not right. I promise I am not anti-gym, but I do wonder about those folks on the treadmill as I run by the gym. Some of my most energizing, inspirational, and spiritual runs have been on some of the coldest, nastiest days. On a recent freezing cold, zero-dark-thirty run, I came to a spot where I had full view of our beautiful Crozet mountains, covered with snow and blasted with bright, full moonlight. It was stunning. I was definitely glad I woke up that morning! Get outside, explore the area, and breathe the air. This will energize you for your next activity. Find some friends: The best motivator is a friend and exercise partner. Schedule some runs with a friend. You will hold each other accountable and exercising is always more enjoyable! Get to bed on time: Trying to wake up at 5 or 6 a.m.? Your difficulty in getting up will be directly proportional to how late you stay up. I often make my mornings miserable by staying up until 11:30 when I’m running at 5 a.m. It kills me sometimes. Don’t forget, sleeping is training, too! Turn off the tube: I’m not a crazy person who says don’t watch TV. continued on page 25
3rd Annual
Definitive Downsizing Workshop February 20, 2014 Special Time - 2:00 PM Don’t miss this valuable presentation which sold out last year. Local experts will advise on how to: Understand the spring real estate market, Prepare your home for sale, Downsize and dispose of unwanted things, Stage your home, Work with an auction house, and Hire the right moving company. Make your reservation early and please note the special time for this event only – 2:00 PM. An Afternoon Tea (and coffee) will be served.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Western Robotics Teams Qualify for State Tournament by Brian Cohen Hollywood could not have written a do-or-die script with a better twist. Our teenage heroes had run out of time, chances and pizza. The Loose Screws Robotics Team from Western Albemarle High School faced elimination Jan. 25 from a third visit to the state championship in Richmond, much less the regional and national tournaments. Although Loosey, the Screws’ robot, had performed brilliantly through most of the rounds in the First Tech Challenge (FTC) Qualifier in Norfolk, it could not overcome the combination of a few untimely malfunctions and frequent alliances with low-scoring ’bots. The bottom line: The Loose Screws’ win-loss record kept them out of the finals. However, during judging sessions and interviews, officials noted Loosey’s unique and advanced features. In those sessions, each team gave a short presentation with a brief question-and-answer period to highlight the robot’s design elements (and process of design), community outreach efforts, and the team as a whole. The Screws impressed the judges, garnering nominations for six awards. One of
them was the competition’s most prestigious Inspire Award, which grants the winner and two runnersup the opportunity to advance to the state level. In the waning moments of the tournament when the awards were announced—the Inspire was the last one presented— the Screws heard their team announced as the first runner-up. The Inspire Award is given to teams deemed role models for others, displaying “gracious professionalism” (aka sportsmanship) in addition to designing an innovative and well-performing robot, maintaining a detailed engineering notebook, and participating in outreach activities to promote robotics. In addition, the Screws won the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award, presented for thinking “outside the box” in designing their robot. In a typical FTC robotics tournament, competition occurs as teams are paired in randomly selected, temporary—red vs. blue—“alliances” for multiple rounds, each lasting two minutes and 30 seconds in a field 12 by 12 feet, enclosed with foothigh walls. Alliances use their robots to generate points by accomplishing tasks, which differ from year to year. In the first 30 seconds, the robots operate without human drivers,
Loosey loads blocks into a bin, earning points for the Loose Screws Robotics Team.
directed solely by a computer program created by the team. Drivers control their robots for the remaining two minutes, manipulating them, this year, to gather plastic cubes and place them into bins, raise flags and do pull-ups on a bar. Each team in the victorious alliance is credited with a win. The top four winning teams advance to the finals of the qualifier, choose new alliances and compete in a best-of-threeround battle. Then judges proclaim two champions qualified to enter the Virginia championship competition on March 1. In addition,
winners of certain awards, such as the Inspire, are also invited to move on to the next level. Andy Cohen, student leader of the Loose Screws and president of the WAHS Robotics Club, said he and his teammates were not discouraged throughout the competition, since they had been told by inspection judges—the ones that hand out the awards—that Loosey was among the most sophisticated and innovative in the tournament, designed with a 3-D CAD program. Among Loosey’s unique features is a rotating brush scoop, flexible and
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
19
Engaged! Y Heather Dollins & William Staton
Bringing the best of two beautiful worlds together.
PHIL JAMES
Author of Secrets of the Blue Ridge, Volume 2
Loosey waits in her corner for the round to begin.
Saturday, February 15, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
A gentle, safe and loving atmosphere for young children to begin to explore the world and to prepare for kindergarten.
Ages 3 - 6
MARY E. LYONS
owner of Heartwood Bookshop
Sign up by the week or for the whole summer. Creative weekly themes. Private, in-ground wading pool for daily swimming.
This event will be held at Tabor Presbyterian Church
Close to Crozet, Charlottesville & UVA
Author of The Blue Ridge Tunnel: A Remarkable Feat in Antebellum Virginia
with PAUL COLLINGE,
Saturday, March 1, 3 - 4 p.m.
NUMEROUS SCHEDULE OPTIONS MARCH
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RY 15
Ms. Heather Michelle Dollins, daughter of Phillip Ray and Carolyn Mawyer Dollins of Batesville, Virginia is engaged to be married to William A. Staton, Jr. He is the son of William A. Staton, Sr. of Irvine, Kentucky and Marilyn Rice Staton of Clay City, Kentucky. The brideto-be graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BA in Historic Preservation in 2007. In 2011 she graduated from the University of Kentucky with a certificate in Transportation Planning and a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation. She is employed as an architectural historian by Dovetail Cultural Resource Group. The prospective bridegroom graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in Computer Electronic Networking. He is employed by McAfee, Inc. The wedding is planned for October 2014 at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia.
Ages 2 ½ - 5
Summer Camp
This event will be held at Tabor Presbyterian Church
FEBRUA
tactile enough to gather several plastic blocks at one time quickly, even if they are pressed against a wall. Another innovation is the “ploop,” a mechanism that extends and retracts the scoop for additional reach in the field, yet keeps Loosey in compliance with rules limiting the dimensions of dormant robots. Judges were also impressed with the one-of-a-kind hanging and arm mechanisms. The Loose Screws will not be heading to Richmond alone. Western’s other team, the Geek Gods, won two qualifying tournaments with their robot, Nemesis, and will be attending the state competition also. At the Shenandoah qualifier meet in early January, Nemesis thrilled the crowd and judges alike when it performed a “double hang” on the pull-up bar with its alliance partner’s robot. Aided by a flexible drive train, the speedy ’bot maneuvered easily around the field. The Gods also won the Inspire Award and took home the Design Award for best CAD design. Since the WAHS Robotics Club was established in 2011, both teams have competed at the state level. But the club is about more than robot wars. WAHS Robotics Coordinator Caroline Bertrand said the club, 18 students strong, has been busy in outreach, training students at three local high schools, supporting a middle school club, teaching elementary students basic programming and persuading a Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club chapter to introduce 150 children to robotics. According to Bertrand, the club operates on a $5,000 budget. Half of the support comes from students’ families, half from sponsors. However, more is needed to meet expenses this year, Bertrand said. To support both teams, contact Caroline Bertrand at cbertrand@k12albemarle.org. To follow the exploits of the Loose Screws and Geek Gods, go to Wahsrobotics.com.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
By John Andersen, DVM gazettevet@crozetgazette.com
Poop Eating Dogs [Author’s note: Please excuse the content and childlike language used in this article. This is actually a very common problem and I simply hope to shed some light on it. You may want to read this after you’ve finished your breakfast!] “Oh, no! She didn’t just do that!” I thought to myself as I looked through the window into the backyard. “Ruby! Drop it! DROP IT, RUBY!” I yelled frantically as I put down my coffee and ran out to where she was. Oh, no. She just ate poop! Dog poop! Probably her own! Ugh!! My dog has a problem. My dear
sweet dog whom I love and have raised since she was a puppy… eats poop. But at least I’m not alone. “Coprophagia,” aka poop-eating, is a very common complaint from a lot of our clients. Most owners are likewise horrified when they first figure it out, then frantic in their search for a cure. They often wonder if there is something lacking from their dog’s diet, or if there is an intestinal problem. Or maybe they were emotionally scarred from days of being a hungry shelter dog. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Most of the time, your dog just likes to eat poop. To be fair, all dogs like to eat some types of poop. Cat poop, rabbit poop, deer poop, and horse poop are all delicacies if you’re a
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dog. So, really, dogs eating their own poop isn’t such a far stretch. What about similarly disgusting activities that most dogs like to partake in? Found a dead, rotten animal? Let’s roll in it! How should we say hello to a new friend? Smell their behind, of course! Going for a walk? Why not stop and smell someone else’s urine for 10 minutes! OK, I’ve probably officially dissuaded anyone who was thinking about getting a dog for the first time. But, why do dogs do these disgusting things? What is wrong with them? Until I get to heaven, where naturally all dogs will speak, I will just have to guess. But I think it all has to do with their sense of smell. Although dogs generally do have great vision and hearing, it’s their sense of smell that trumps all senses. A dog’s sense of smell is from 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than our own. We simply cannot fathom their different perception of the world through this incredible sense. To use vision as an analogy, it would be like what we
could see clearly half a mile away, dogs could see just as clearly 5,000 miles away! (Note: A dog’s vision is very similar to our own.) With this new perception in mind, who are we to say that eating animal feces is distasteful? To us, of course, it is completely repulsive. But to a dog, that pile of poop is likely to be a cornucopia of wonderful smells. Or that dead rotten animal carcass is likely to be the most pleasing perfume one could imagine. Unfortunately, I’m serious. So what can you do on a practical level if your dog is a wretched poopeater? First, walk them more, scoop the yard more, and don’t give them much unsupervised time outside. That is the simplest answer, but not so easy when it’s zero degrees outside and you have a fenced-in yard. We always call Ruby back in after just a few minutes outside and that usually is safe. There has also been much talk about adding things to their food to make their poop less tasteful. Such as pineapple, meat tenderizer, pumpkin, fiber, and green vegeta-
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CROZET gazette bles to name a few. I have researched extensively for evidence-based solutions as well as just anecdotal solutions for this problem and have never found a magic bullet. I have tried some mixtures of pineapple juice and pumpkin, but to be honest did not try it long enough to give it a fair chance. I did hear about a veterinarian who would go out and place hot pepper sauce on the poop in his backyard, hoping his dog would eat it and learn a lesson. I’m ready to try that one. Last, it’s one thing if your dog eats poop but is otherwise healthy and active. But it’s another if your dog is underweight or has chronic diarrhea. This could indicate a malabsorption problem that could lead your dog to eat poop just from a frantic need to get in more calories. If your dog seems not right, be sure to get a check up from your regular veterinarian. So if your dog has coprophagia, hang in there and be vigilant. Meantime, you may see me walking around my backyard with a bottle of Tabasco sauce.
FEBRUARY 2014
Medicine —continued from page 16
hospitalized patients not currently having diarrhea. People say beagles are all nose and no brain, but I wouldn’t mind having one on rounds with me. Almost any antibiotic can potentially cause C.diff, but certain antibiotics are more commonly associated with C.diff, diarrhea and colitis. These include our previously maligned Cipro (see Crozet Annals of Medicien, “Falling Down,” December, 2010) as well as clindamycin, frequently prescribed for MRSA skin infections. The treatment for C.diff is first to stop the offending antibiotics if possible. Often this is not enough to cure the diarrhea. If not, the treatment ironically enough is different antibiotics, notably Flagyl and vancomycin. Unfortunately there is a high relapse rate, 20 to 60 percent in some cases and it becomes subsequently harder and harder to treat. Recently a novel treatment has Ser ving
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emerged that appears to be much more effective than antibiotics in permanently curing C.diff, but it has a PR problem. The treatment is a fecal transplant; placing stool from an uninfected person into the GI tract of the infected patient. The cure rate is greater than 90 percent in patients with severe C.diff infections that have become unresponsive to antibiotics. Many in the medical community advocate for fecal transplants as the first line therapy for C.diff, but acceptance has been slow for some reason. Among the reasons is Medicare until recently would not pay for the donated stool and still doesn’t cover the whole cost. This stuff is not cheap apparently. Stool donors are screened for any infectious disease (that is most of the expense) and then the stool is infused via colonoscopy or enema, or more recently made into an encapsulated pill and swallowed, bringing the fecal-oral route full circle. Patient acceptance is surprisingly high, likely due to the misery of recurrent C.diff.
Fecal transplant is also being investigated as a cure for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and may have benefit in Parkinson’s disease and other neurologic and autoimmune disease states. Meanwhile, in the ER I have found a nearly foolproof method for curing unremitting diarrhea. Ask for a specimen.
Real Estate —continued from page 11
this year. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist, thinks the Federal Reserve wouldn’t “be troubled with a 6.5 percent mortgage rate.” Ouch. What this might do to our still recovering real estate market remains to be seen. Despite some cold weather, inquiries are up and potential buyers are looking at properties of all sorts. So while there may be bumps in the road, 2014 is shaping up to be another excellent year for local real estate.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
The Blue Ridge Naturalist © Marlene A. Condon | marlene@crozetgazette.com
Cats and Predators One summer day when I was a young girl of about 10 or 11, I was in the back yard when our pet cat brought home a nestling Blue Jay. The dead chick was naked (without feathers) and therefore it had probably only recently hatched. I immediately brought the cat into the house. Growing up with one or more cats at a time living with us, I knew all about their behavior. Cats were killers of all kinds of wildlife, from insects to mice to birds and anything else they could catch. (This isn’t a statement to demonize these felines. It’s simply a statement of pure fact. Anyone who tries to say that cats are not eager hunters that are extremely proficient at this activity is either being dishonest or is ignorant of cat behavior.) Unfortunately, any cat that has ever been allowed outside is a cat that can never be kept inside, especially when it knows there is a nest of baby birds to plunder. The cat will meow and meow until someone lets it out and that is exactly what happened at my house. One of my siblings or parents, being annoyed by the cat’s crying, let it out again—and again and again as I kept bringing it back inside each time it brought home
one nestling, then another and another until it had killed the entire brood of five chicks. At the time, my only feeling about this was one of extreme sadness because I felt there was no reason for the baby birds to have been killed. The cat didn’t need to kill to survive and, indeed, pet cats rarely eat what they catch. But now, as an adult with much more knowledge, I realize the tragedy was far worse than just having the lives of those five young birds cut short for no good reason. Another aspect concerns the Blue Jay pair, which often mates for life. The male and female had invested an incredible amount of energy and time into gathering twigs and other plant materials and building their intricate nest, not to mention the huge amount of energy that goes into bringing forth another life inside each egg. All of that effort had been for naught. In fact, this activity is so energy-and-time consuming that Blue Jays typically nest only one time per year. Thus the entire reproductive potential of that pair may have been robbed that summer. As time has marched on, I’ve watched our “civilized” world become more and more inhospitable to wildlife. It’s quite frightening because our lives are totally dependent upon a properly functioning
The author—who has often been accused of disliking cats because she’s honest about their behavior—is seen here on her 21st birthday with Priscilla, the family cat. Photo: Marlene A. Condon.
natural world. And that world can only be kept running smoothly by the wildlife that people, generally speaking, show so little appreciation for. There’s nothing wrong with having an affection for cats, especially if you show that affection by keeping your kitty indoors where it won’t get hurt or killed horribly as most of the cats of my early years did. At that time, when both cats and dogs were allowed to run free, I was horrified one day to see a dog with a lifeless cat hanging out of its mouth and I often witnessed dogs and cats run over by traffic. Yet all these years later, there are people who continue to think that pets should be allowed to roam free. I truly find it hard to understand. They often try to justify their belief by suggesting that cats are a part of nature and predation is natural. But this argument is fallacious. No native predators (which cats are not) would be anywhere near as numerous in the environment as cats that are companions to an overly abundant human population. And, adding insult to injury, some people assist feral cat colonies that are outdoors 24/7 and truly taking an enormous toll upon the natural
world. Some folks think that cats should be considered helpful to gardeners, but this idea is particularly egregious. It’s based upon a lack of understanding of our natural world. In point of fact, pure and simple, gardeners who experience problems in the yard are doing things incorrectly. When you choose to ignore the reality of the universe, you choose to have difficulties because you are choosing to ignore natural laws. Humans are not God; they have no power to successfully alter the way the world works. Contrary to horticultural belief, “pest problems” are not a given. It should not be considered normal to encounter a variety of critters attacking your garden and interfering with your desire to grow favorite plants. I know because I’ve successfully grown enough fruits and vegetables to eat fresh, give away to friends and neighbors, and to can and freeze without ever employing pesticides. The same is true of the ornamental plants I’ve grown, the number of species of which are too numerous for me to even estimate. continued on page 24
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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Across 24 25 26 27 30 31 32 1 Thin slice 6 Expectorated 28 29 34 30 31 32 33 10 Poker stake 14 “Skyfall” singer 34 35 36 37 15 Missing U 16 Bird on Canadian dollar coin 38 39 40 17 [I-64, exit 143]: _____, a lovely, sheltered heiress, eludes her 42 43 41 42 43 governess and drives her powder 44 45 46 47 54 48 56 57 58 blue Porsche west to meet… 20 Prof. Leary’s hallucinogen 49 50 51 52 53 21 Moonstruck star 22 Name of five French kings 54 55 56 57 23 _____-chef 24 [I-64, exit 148](with 34-Across), 58 59 60 …her plucky, practical chum, _____, an investigative journalist 61 62 63 with some news to share at… 26 [I-64, exit 178A] …_____ Towne Center for coffee; 33 Each 60 Kidney related 12 Back/forth alternative the heiress confides her plan 61 To be to Caesar 35 Het _____, posh 13 In the end, in Paris to elope with darkly Dutch region 62 Lessens light 18 Either Ben or his attractive… 36 GPS info 63 Word with blarney brother? 28 Lullaby goal 37 Son, not same or gem 19 Leather leggings 30 Thirteen popes named father 23 _____ Silverstein, 31 Drink gradually 39 Xmas present for Down “Giving Tree” author 34 See 24-Across MD wannabe 1 It’s great in China 24 Takes to court 35 Window component 40 They dish the food 2 Bustles 25 Managed care plans: 37 Golf cry 42 Gasses and mists 3 Act like Hatfields Abbr. 38 Furry sitcom alien 43 Pancake place, for and McCoys 26 Word before service 39 Bonnie Scots river made short 4 Peyton’s brother or conscious famous by Robert Burns 44 Papier _____ 5 Shovel up again 27 Pirates walk it 40 Hemingway’s boat and 45 Fire remains 6 Least risky 28 Doo wop lyric, gypsy leader in “For Whom 7 Political equal 46 Nobel winning _____ na-na the Bell Tolls” physicist Bohr 8 Fresh or hot 29 Epithet before Wayne 41 [I-64, exit 173]…but stony- 9 Heavy weight who said, or Abner hearted epicure _____(with 10 Director Woody “Everything we 31 Foot bottom 44-Across), whose excesses 11 _____ room in the _____ 32 Retirement acct. call real is made have led to foreclosure on his ancestral estate in Goochland County Solution on page 32 44 See 41-Across by Mary Mikalson 48 Cries of discovery 49 Arsenite, symbolically Across Down 50 Lady Macbeth’s 3 Hottest planet 1 Opposite of morn hallucination 51 NJ “traffic study” Fort 5 One small ___ for 2 Largest planet 54 [I-295, exit 15B] mankind (Armstrong) 4 Mercury is the ___ planet …Optimistic, loyal despite two 6 Our ___ is the Milky Way 7 Earth has only one ___ rejections, _____ rushes to save his beloved from a fortune 9 Look at the stars with this 8 Outer ___ hunter after a text from her 11 Number of planets 10 Earth’s ___ is really a star best friend 58 Home to Beelzebub 12 Space object with a tail of dust 59 Not far
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Mountain Plain Baptist Church Our friendly church invites you to worship with us.
Controlling Static this Winter
Sunday School • 10 a.m. Traditional Worship Service • 11 a.m. Dr. Sam Kellum, Pastor 4281 Old Three Notch’d Road Charlottesville (Crozet), 22901 Travel 2 miles east of the Crozet Library on Three Notch’d Rd. (Rt. 240), turn left onto Old Three Notch’d Rd., go 0.5 mile to Mountain Plain Baptist Church
More information at
www.mountainplain.org or 823.4160
Tabor Presbyterian Church (USA) Worship Service Sundays • 10:30 a.m.
FOLLOWED BY FELLOWSHIP adult sunday school at 9:30a.m.
With all the super frigid weather mother nature is dishing out on us, we are doing all we can to stay warm. Heaters and wood stoves are working overtime and so is the static electricity in the air. During the dry winter months, random shocks, static cling and hair standing on end become part of life. Here are a few tips to help. • Humidifiers: Raising the humidity level in the home will reduce the static electricity in the air. A quick fix is to simply simmer a pot of water on the stove. Turn it into an air freshener by
adding your favorite spices, oils, or herbs. • Dryer Sheets: Using dryer sheets or a dryer ball helps to stop the static where it starts. Not a fan of dryer sheets? Try adding a clean, damp kitchen towel to the last 15-20 minutes of the dryer cycle to to prevent clothes from clinging together. • Static Cling: To get rid of static in something you’re wearing, try rubbing the clothing with a wire hanger. Rubbing the clothing with a dryer sheet or a damp wash cloth also works. Stay warm and static free!
Rev. Dr. Jewell-Ann Parton, Pastor
Traditional in style, progressive in outreach and mission.
Shrove Tuesday Potluck Supper & Concert Featuring Faithful Men March 4 • 5:30 p.m.
Love Donation. RSVP online at crozetcares.com or call church 823-4255
Ash Wednesday Service
March 5 • 6 p.m.
Events for the Crozet Community An Outreach of Tabor Presbyterian Church
Book Signings & Discussions
Sponsored by Over the Moon Bookstore Saturday, February 15 • 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Phil James, Author of Secrets of the Blue Ridge: Volume 2 Saturday, March 1 • 3 - 4 p.m. Mary E. Lyons, Author of The Blue Ridge Tunnel: A Remarkable Feat in Antebellum Virginia with Paul Collinge, Owner of Heartwood Bookshop
Crozet Crafternoons
Third Fridays: February 21, March 21, April 18 • 6:30 - 8 p.m. Work on your project in the company of fellow crafters!
Crozet Community Orchestra Concert March 12 • 8 p.m. At Crozet Baptist Church
Inequality for All: Movie and Discussion March 30 • 6:30 p.m.
Faciliator Rev. Liz Hulme Adam, Chaplain and Prebyterian USA Minister RSVP marierdal@comcast.net For more information visit
CrozetCares.com Click on Upcoming Events
Tabor Presbyterian Church
5804 Tabor Street • Crozet www.taborpc.org • 434-823-4255
facebook.com/crozetgazette
Naturalist —continued from page 22
Consider the idea that cats will put an end to the activities of voles and bunnies. Yes, they certainly will have an effect because cats may very well wipe out every bunny in the area and make quite a dent in vole populations. But a gardener who wants this outcome to occur is also a gardener who is blind to the impact his pet is having upon the natural world— and his garden. Those voles (a type of mouse) are not just an important food source for other kinds of critters, such as hawks, owls, and foxes; they are also aerators of the soil you grow your plants in. By digging burrows they allow air and water—both of which are essential for plant roots to grow—to enter the earth. Yes, voles do eat grasses and forbs (herbaceous flowering plants other than grasses, sedges, and rushes). In the natural world, one of their roles is to help limit plant numbers so plants do not become overcrowded. I have voles on my property, yet they have never been problematic. Why? I also have numerous kinds of snakes that I rarely see, but they keep vole numbers so limited that the chunky creatures do not pose a serious threat to my gardening efforts. In fact, and to my dismay, I
hardly ever get to see a vole. Snakes are the prime predators of voles and everyone who’s ever told me about vole problems have been people who have killed off these sinuous reptiles. As pointed out previously, these are people denying the reality of the universe. And the idea that you need cats to kill bunnies that are so adorable to see is ridiculous. Vegetable gardens should always be fenced. (It’s called living in agreement with nature.) Flower gardens can be made less attractive to rabbits by simply allowing so-called “weeds,” such as Common Plantain that they prefer to eat, to grow in the lawn. A lawn should not be a monoculture for its own best health and well being anyway. Allow White Clover to grow— which Eastern Cottontail Rabbits also prefer to eat instead of flowers—and it will collect nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil, naturally fertilizing your grass. Then you don’t need to go to the expense of buying and applying petroleumbased nitrogen fertilizer, too much of which is often applied, which then runs off and harms the Chesapeake Bay. In other words, create a naturefriendly garden and you will be not only a successful gardener, but a gardener at peace with the world and virtually every wild critter in it.
CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
In the Garden Peachtree League Regsitration —continued from page 14
Grows Again
merly known as the Compositae, with about 23,000 species spread across 1,620 genera. Composites are so-named for their floral structure, consisting of scores of small flowers typically arranged in a discshaped inflorescence. Familiar examples are the sunflower, aster, chrysanthemum, coneflower, blackeyed Susan, marigold, zinnia and the oft-reviled dandelion. Besides these familiar examples from our gardens—and lawns—the composites are important food sources to both humans and birds. We get seeds and oil from sunflowers, leaves from lettuce and flower buds from artichokes, a type of thistle. Knowing plant families is a bit like genealogy, giving you a better idea of the relatives of the plants in your garden. Of course, like your relatives, you might embrace some, while keeping others hidden in the closet.
The Peachtree Baseball League held registration for the 2014 season on Jan. 7 and 9 in the Field School’s central hall. The atmosphere was hectic. “We have over 400 kids that register each year,” league president Cheryl Madison said. She’s been involved with the league for 18 years and president for the last seven. “It’s definitely growing. The community’s growing—and so are we.” More than 50 years old, the league serves boys and girls ages 4 through 18 from western Albemarle and northern Nelson counties and abides by Babe Ruth League rules. The number of kids participating is rising rapidly, and Madison said the league needs coaches at all levels, but especially at the lower levels. No experience is required, and the league provides training materials.
Peachtree is also looking for funding help. “We do need team sponsors, and we need concession sponsors, and field sponsors,” Madison said. “That’s the only way that we can make it. We are a nonprofit organization.” “That’s what we want, to be able to offer baseball to anyone who wants to play,” Madison said. “We want them to have the ability to stay in their community, play baseball, and have a good time. Along with being with their friends, too.” Opening Day is March 15 at Crozet Park. Businesses can sponsor a team— provide a uniform (with the business’s name on the back) and a hat for every player—for $350. The league also offers concession stand signs and outfield banners. For details, email Madison at madisonhi@aol.com.
Streetscape
Fitness
This plan is believed to result in the least disruption to businesses on the street. The county will post updates on work progress on a website (www. albemarle.org/crozetstreetscape), on the county’s Facebook page, Twitter, and through its “A mail” list, an email service that citizens can sign up to receive that allows them to get news and event notices from county government. To sign up for Amail go to www.albemarle.org/amail.
But, admit it, it does suck up a lot of time and energy that could be doing a lot of productive things. Talk with your spouse: Carving out time for yourself is going to take you out of the picture for a while, and this can be troubling in a busy family. If you’re starting up with exercise or increasing your exercise towards a goal, be sure to have a good sit-down with your spouse or family. Let them know your goals and why you are doing this. It may be difficult for your husband to juggle the three kids while you’re gone on a two-hour Saturday bike ride, but if he understands where you’re coming from, it will lead to support and not resentment. Also, don’t be the time hog. If you are taking up a lot of time exercising, be sure to reciprocate with your spouse. Last, after a hard long run, it’s not sit-onthe-couch time…it’s GO time! Be prepared to be plugged in when you get home. No matter how epic your run or ride was, odds are your
spouse doesn’t care, she just wants you to help! Take the time and don’t feel guilty: There’s nothing worse than feeling guilty about going on a run. Many of us can’t help but feel like we’re abandoning our spouses and kids to take on a selfish pursuit. Remember that exercise is not only important for your physical and mental health, but you are also modeling the importance of exercise for your family. When you leave the door, leave those worries behind for just an hour. Set a goal and declare it: I definitely need a goal in front of me to keep motivated. Spend some time looking through race calendars, or thinking about an active vacation (hiking trip, etc.) and book it! Send in the check! It will change your outlook and get you motivated to stay on task. And don’t keep it to yourself. Tell your friends and family so they will hold you accountable. Make it a goal to make exercise a priority in your life this year. You’ve only got one life, and this is it!
—continued from page 3
Crozet Mass —continued from page 5
Fr. Lukyamuiz said that because the Crozet Catholic community is forming, his stress will be on Catholic fundamentals, specifically the Eucharist, the Bible and the Rosary. He told the Crozet mass committee that it is now up to local Catholics to show what they can do with the opportunity given them in the new chapel of ease.
—continued from page 17
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CLASSIFIED ADS ALTERATIONS AND TAILORING: Experienced seamstress with 30 years of tailoring and garment alterations experience, working from home in Crozet (Highlands). Call for a free consultation. Ruth Gerges: 434-823-5086. JAZZERCISE FREE DAYS. Studies show that 75% of people who exercise in the morning are still exercising a year later. Come join us for your morning workout—5:50 a.m., 7:50 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. You can try a class for free during February 10 - 16. Great information at jazzercise.com or call Jane at 434466-9933. NO MORE EXCUSES: Come try Boot Camp for REAL People, a co-ed exercise class for all ages and abilities. You can expect a safe, fun and challenging workout including cardio, strength, core work and flexibility. Classes are held on M/W/F at 5:50 a.m. at Crozet Park or at an indoor location in weather under 21 degrees. Looking for more accountability? Results Driven Boot Camp is a 6 week session held on Tuesday/Thursday at 9:15. A new session begins on February 25. Pre-registration required. Contact Melissa Miller at 434-962-2311 or www.m2personaltraining for more information. MATH TUTOR: I am an Adjunct professor at PVCC where I teach Developmental Math. Starting in January I will be available to tutor math for middle/high school students in the Crozet area. $25 per hour. Bill Millard: 804874-5023. Classified ads start at $16 (repeating) and include free online placement. To place an ad, email ads@crozetgazette.com
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Nectar of the Goddess
Song: To Celia Ben Jonson
by Clover Carroll | clover@crozetgazette.com
As you prepare to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day this month, consider adding the deeply romantic E n g l i s h Renaissance love song “Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes” to your playlist. Ben Jonson’s 1616 lyric “Song: To Celia” was set to music by an anonymous composer (perhaps Jonson himself ) shortly after its publication, and became immediately popular. It has since been performed and/or recorded by myriad singers, from Paul Robeson to Johnny Cash. In line with Renaissance practice, Jonson translated the letters of Greek philosopher Philostratos (3rd c. AD) and transformed the ideas into a tightly structured, elegant love poem. One of the best and most beloved old love songs, “Drink to Me” expresses an innocent devo-
tion and longing that sadly might be considered corny or sentimental today. The setting I imagine for this poem is a crowded gathering at which the poet may not touch his beloved nor even speak to her in other than formal terms. With today’s freedom of association and expression, it might be difficult for us to comprehend such a social context in which men and women were never alone together and, with every movement observed, were forced to conduct themselves with the utmost decorum; even a glance could be meaningful and/or misinterpreted. As they lift their glasses across the table (or room) from each other, the poet asks his beloved to express her love by simply meeting his eyes. Words are not necessary to confirm their intimacy. The suppressed longing for consummation throughout this poem creates a tension between chastity and passion that adds to its
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DRINK to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine; Or leave a kiss but in the cup, And I’ll not look for wine. The thirst that from the soul doth rise Doth ask a drink divine: But might I of Jove’s nectar sup, I would not change for thine.
Ben Jonson
energy and beauty. Ben Jonson (1572-1637) was a contemporary of John Donne, about whom I have written here before (“No Man is an Island”). Known primarily for his plays, Jonson is considered “next to Shakespeare, the greatest dramatic genius of the English Renaissance”; in fact, Shakespeare starred in Jonson’s first play, Every Man in His Humour (1598). Jonson’s best known plays include Volpone (1606) and Bartholomew Fair (1614). Jonson is considered a “Cavalier Poet,” not only because he supported Charles I in the English Civil War (which resulted in Charles’ beheading in 1649), but also because of the chivalric character of his poetry. Jonson’s influence on literature was so great that his students and followers were known as the “sons of Ben.” The poem begins calmly enough. Only send me a toast with your eyes, the poet pleads, and I will return your pledge of love; I prefer the kiss you leave for me inside the rim of your cup to actual wine. When I read this first line, I always hear the emphasis on the word “only.” We do not need words, or touch, or wine for our souls to commingle through our eyes alone— according to medieval convention, the windows to the soul. But now he really takes off, developing an extended metaphor that compares love to spiritual nourishment, and his yearning to “thirst” for a “drink divine” that only she can give. We might paraphrase lines 5-8 as ‘when one person’s soul is drawn to another, he needs spiritual rather than worldly fulfillment. But, even if I had the opportunity to drink the nectar of the gods (a divine drink), I would not exchange it for your love.’ His yearning for her springs less from his body than
I sent thee, late, a rosy wreath, Not so much honouring thee, As giving it a hope that there It could not withered be. But thou thereon didst only breathe And sent’st it back to me; Since when it grows, and smells, I swear, Not of itself but thee! from his soul, he claims, and her love is more intoxicating to him than any alcohol. This metaphor also raises the temporal act of kissing to the level of spiritual communion (also involving wine), and begins to raise the lady herself to the level of divinity—an idea that is further developed in the next stanza. The tightly interwoven rhyme scheme (abcbabcb) and extensive use of sound effects add a polished, gem-like quality to Jonson’s song. The frequent combination of alliteration, such as kiss/cup, rosy/ wreath, and thou/thereon, with assonance in “drink divine” and “kiss within” make this poem music to our ears even without its delicate, wistful melody. The second stanza grows even more flowery, both literally and figuratively. I recently (former meaning of “late”) sent you a wreath of flowers, he reports. I sent these roses‚—a symbol of beauty—not only as a tribute to yours, but also to save it from withering or dying (as cut flowers invariably do). At this point, we have already entered the realm of hyperbole; it requires our suspension of disbelief not to view this reasoning as suspect. But he goes further. She merely breathed on the wreath, he claims, and this gave it new life—evidenced by the fact that, since she returned it to him, the flowers have continued to grow and their perfume has been replaced with the smell of her. In these final lines, the poet attributes supernatural powers to his beloved and infers that she is a goddess, capable of granting the gift of immortality. continued on page 29
CROZET gazette
Where Did Your Roses Grow? [ by elena day • elena@crozetgazette.com \ I am preoccupied with current D o m i n i o n Virginia Power’s push to change Virginia’s utility laws so it can recoup the $530 million it has invested to date, as well as all future costs, to license and build nuclear unit North Anna 3 in Louisa County by increasing our monthly electric bills. Since Dominion rules the Old Dominion via political cronyism and its status as largest contributor to political campaigns on both sides of the aisle in the General Assembly, the success of their quest is almost guaranteed. February brings us Valentine’s Day and “love by flower bouquets.” There’s money in those flowers, just as there is money out there for our utility company and in the case of Keystone, the oil industry. Cut flower production originated and became established in the Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first greenhouses for flower production in the United States followed European settlement. These were small producers of mostly roses, mums and carnations near cities and larger towns. With the development of refrigerated trucks and air transport, carnation and rose cultivation moved to the Colorado mountains and then to coastal California. Chrysanthemums and gladioli were grown in Florida and California. Field production decreased and greenhouses proliferated. In the mid 1960s producers found that the savannah around Bogota, Colombia, is optimal for flower cultivation. It has high light (12 hours a day year round), moderate temperatures and low productions costs; i.e., campesinos displaced by ongoing political violence and then in the 80s, the drug war, who were willing to work for very low wages. In 1969 David Cheever, after having graduated from Colorado State University, and three partners, each investing $25,000, began growing carnations near Bogota. They employed state of the art assembly line practices and modern shipping techniques and air transport. Within five years
27
FEBRUARY 2014
there were 10 more flower producing enterprises cultivating roses and mums as well as carnations. Colombia is currently the second largest exporter of flowers worldwide. The Netherlands remains first, although a percentage of Dutch flowers are first imported from Kenya, Israel, Zimbabwe, Ecuador and Uganda. Seventy percent of Colombia’s cut flowers are grown for U.S. markets. Ecuador’s high altitude farms account for another 23 percent. Ecuador’s roses are considered exceptional. Roses produced at 17 cents/rose in Ecuador may sell for as much as $8 each in the U.S. In 1971 the U.S. produced 1.2 billion rose, carnation and chrysanthemum blooms and imported 100 million blooms. By 2003, the U.S. was importing 2 billion blooms and grew only 280 million. California accounts for 75 percent of current domestic production. These are largely specialty cut flowers such as lilies. $13 billion retail worth of flowers are sold annually in the U.S. In 1991 the U.S. suspended import duties on Colombian flowers. This was disastrous for U.S. growers. Of course the U.S. Colombia Free Trade Agreement signed in 2006 made things worse. Today 90 percent of cut flowers from South America pass through Miami International Airport (MIA) where they are inspected for insects but not for chemical pesticide residues. MIA’s top flower importer, Queens Flowers Corporation, receives five tractor trailer loads of packaged blooms from Colombia on a typical day. Now that it is February, imports have swelled, as they will again in May for Mother’s Day. It takes 48 hours for flowers to travel from a field in Colombia to a U.S. warehouse, from where they are transferred to Krogers, Walmart, Costco or a local florist. Flowers are maintained at 34 degrees F throughout. The South American flower industry has been showcased as a means of alleviating rural poverty and as an alternative to coca production. However the reality is quite different. Workers are exposed to 100 different kinds of pesticides because regardless of positive aspects for growing in the savannah around
With the exception of the roses, this winter wedding centerpiece was made of locally foraged materials.
Bogota, equatorial pests are pervasive. Many of these pesticides are dithiocarbamates, which are implicated in high rates of miscarriage and birth defects. All cut flowers are dipped in a foamy fungicide solution before packaging as well. Floriculture in the savannah
draws on large quantities of groundwater. Rainfall around Bogota is on average 33 inches per year. Flower planters have drilled over 5,000 wells. Springs, streams, and wetlands are disappearing. Three gallons of water are used to grow one rose bloom. Furthermore, pesticides and fungicide runoff contaminate surface waters. Sixty-five percent of flower workers are women; most are single mothers. Many companies insist that women take a pregnancy test or provide proof of sterilization when hired so employers won’t have to provide maternity leave. Twenty percent of workers are children in Ecuador. Most child labor has been eliminated in Colombia. Workers typically work 12-hour days. Before Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, shifts are increased to 16 to 20 hours per day. Workers have been thwarted in efforts to organize or join unions to demand better working conditions. (Unionists have been regularly continued on page 29
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Pinewood Derby Winners From Pack 492 Cub Scout Pack 492 held its annual Pinewood Derby Feb. 1, and the winners, shown here, left to right, were Henry Volodin, first place; George Rader, second place; and Diego Russo, third place. Weblos winners were Adam Bonefant, first place; Sebastian Provencio, second place; and Xander Vaughn, third place. Special awards were also given for
“most unusual,” “most aerodynamic,” “best paint job,” “most creative,” and “most realistic.” The winners were Jameson Spence, Sebastien Provencio, George Rader, Xander Vaughn, Luke Davidson, and Ben Rekosh. There were 26 entries in the derby. Pack 492 meets monthly at Murray Elementary School in Ivy.
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Pinewood Derby Winners From Pack 79 Cub Scout Luke Vance’s car hit 180.3 miles per hour on the ramplike aluminum race track as Pack 79 held its Pinewood Derby Jan. 25. Placing second was Andrew Sime’s car at 177.3 mph and in third was Keegan Scott with a 175.3 mph finish. The boys are shown here from left to right. Fastest cars by den were Evan Matta (Tiger Den), Harry Ledford (Wolf Den), Collin Attaway (Bear Den), Jacob Petty (Webelos 1) and Simrat Saini (Webelos 2 Den).
Awards for creativity in car design went to Alex Flamm and Brandon Thomas. Hands On Awards (meaning the scouts built their car without adult help) went to Luca D’Auria and Hunter Brady. Awards for the cars showing the most scout spirit went to Nathan Scott and Jeb Blackman. The derby had 40 entries. Thirtythree cars were built by Cub Scouts and seven were entered by Scout’s relatives.
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CROZET gazette
Cut Flowers —continued from page 27
killed and/or disappeared in Colombia for decades.) Wages on average are $8 day, not nearly enough to cover the cost of a family’s basic requirements. Floraverde, a trade association, motivated to sell more flowers from Colombia/“land of flowers” has begun certifying growers as to taking steps to improve worker safety and welfare and decreasing pesticide use. Since 1998 pesticide use has decreased 38 percent to an average of 213 pounds of active ingredients per 2.4 acres per year. In 2005, 36 percent of the toxic chemicals used in Floraverde-certified farms were listed as extremely toxic or highly toxic by the World Health Organization (WHO). A survey of 84 farms found that only 16.7 percent respected manufacturers’ recommendations to keep workers out of greenhouses for 24 hours after spraying the most toxic products. Workers generally reenter sprayed greenhouses after an arbitrary odor sniff. Chemical pesticide residues pose little risk to flower buyers. Perhaps there is less incentive to push for changes to floriculture in South America (and Mexico) than there is regarding imported foodstuffs in the U.S. And then, one may think of jobs that floriculture provides. But there is the issue of groundwater depletion and surface water contamination. What’s a world citizen to do! Apparently some consumers are demanding organically grown flowers or at least less heavily pesticided blooms. The “buy local” movement is encouraging small enterprises and thereby, in some localities, the rural
FEBRUARY 2014 economy. Most hopeful is that some folks are more willing to buy seasonal floral arrangements. These are not simply twigs in winter. Floral arrangements may include vines and evergreens, ornamental kale, mosses, hellebores or Lenten roses, seed pods, and shelf mushrooms. In February 2008 I provided centerpieces for a local wedding (see photograph on page 27). All materials had been foraged except for the pink roses (origin thereof was likely Colombia). Makes me feel as if I was ahead of the curve. Action Alert: It has been documented that neurotoxic pesticides known as neonicotinoids have been linked to mass honeybee die-offs. The European Union has banned their use. In the U.S., “neonics,” manufactured by Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, are available at garden centers and are routinely sprayed on plants folks buy for their home gardens. Friends of the Earth, Organic Consumers’ Association and other groups are joining together to ask CEOs of Home Depot and Lowe’s to end the sale of neonics in their stores during Valentine’s week (2/10-2/16.) To “show bees some love” check this website: www.organicconsumers. org/ocaactions.cfm?actionnum =12957
Drink to Me —continued from page 26
This remarkable event completely obscures the embarrassing detail that she actually rejected his love by returning the flowers! The overall effect of sound and meaning is to express a deep, intense, enduring love that could not fail to sweep any lady off her feet.
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BEREAVEMENTS Beth Hardwick Strunk, 97 Gregory Edward Seay, 50 Agnes Bowen Johnson, 92 Carola Nancy Sheppard Blankenbeckler, 83 Martha Jane Brooks Whitworth, 80 Mary Lillian Kennedy Ballard, 88 George Daniel Hutchinson Jr., 77 Shizuko S. Rainey, 84 Ronald Chandler Shepherd, 38 June Mann Bare, 74 Amy Lynette Sandridge, 38 Caleb Jeffrey Easter, 26 Edward Thomas Pugh, 77 Iler Margaret Morris, 81 Ruby Lee Viar, 79 Ralph Haywood Brown, 81 Woodrow Wilson Keyton, 95 Wayne Alan Wood, 14 Mary Carter Lee, — Joel Thomas Sandridge Jr., 83 Terri Louise Moore, 49 Susanne Gier Palmer, — John Raymond Aker, 84 Lillian Leona Jones Burton, 97 Frances Lucille Roach, 70 John Howard Mack Jr., 69 James Andrew Rotherham, 75 Allen Jay O’Neill, 93 Shirley Marlene Thompson Hancock, 79 Katharine M. Kingman, — James R. MacDonald, 69 Rose Laverne Shiflett Morris, 87 Ross Ormond Kirby, 92 Agnes Cutchins Clark, 72 James Edward Wyant Sr., 80 Telisa Carol Shifflett Pritchett, 51 Donald Sven Hedstrom, 56 Paul Dilwyn Summers, 85 Ali Bonniebell DuPont Frazier, 43 Frances Hellmann Guterbock, 94 Thomas Ellison Ruscher, 89 Ricky Nelson Thompson, 54 Alice Virginia Wade Fortune, 94 Phillip John Walker, 41 Doris Marie Conley, 63 William Henry Boozer III, 61 Kevin Scott Goodman, 53 Justin Derieux New, 90 Annie Elizabeth Marsh Gibson, 85 Hazel Arline Gibson, 72 Tim Colvin Morris, 87 Robert L. Van de Castle, 86
December 18, 2013 December 22, 2013 December 26, 2013 December 27, 2013 December 27, 2013 December 28, 2013 December 28, 2013 December 29, 2013 December 29, 2013 December 30, 2013 December 31, 2013 January 1, 2014 January 2, 2014 January 3, 2014 January 3, 2014 January 6, 2014 January 6, 2014 January 6, 2014 January 7, 2014 January 7, 2014 January 9, 2014 January 9, 2014 January 10, 2014 January 10, 2014 January 10, 2014 January 12, 2014 January 12, 2014 January 13, 2014 January 14, 2014 January 14, 2014 January 14, 2014 January 14, 2014 January 15, 2014 January 16, 2014 January 16, 2014 January 17, 2014 January 18, 2014 January 18, 2014 January 19, 2014 January 19, 2014 January 20, 2014 January 20, 2014 January 21, 2014 January 24, 2014 January 26, 2014 January 27, 2014 January 27, 2014 January 27, 2014 January 28, 2014 January 29, 2014 January 29, 2014 January 29, 2014
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
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Crozet
Weather Almanac
JANUARY 2014
Thank You for Voting Me Your Favorite Realtor!
By Heidi Sonen & Roscoe Shaw | weather@crozetgazette.com
January Was the Coldest in 20 Years January finished a wicked six degrees colder than normal and was the coldest month here since January of 1994. Our pond froze up on the 4th and stayed iced over all month except for a brief mid-month thaw. So, how cold was it? Here are some of the stats. Only one day, the 11th, did not drop below freezing. Seven days dropped into the single digits including a low of 3 degrees on the 7th. The average high for the month was just 41 and the average low was 19. Historically, last month ranked as the 12th coldest in 100 years of records. The “King of Cold” was January 1977, when it was a full 5 degrees colder than this year. Back in ’77, the warmest days only reached the 40s and it didn’t rain at all. Everything that fell was snow. January of 1994 was the second coldest month ever and other notable cold months occurred in 1912, 1917, 1989, 1982, and 1978.
in 2010 when we had the record snows, the winter wasn’t particularly cold, but the snowstorm formula just kept coming together perfectly. This year has been much colder, but nowhere near the snowfall. We had only 4.0 inches of snow last month, which is below the average of 5.3”. It didn’t seem like four inches fell because it took nine different days of wintry precipitation to add up to that much. We probably set a world record for “Most school ever missed from four inches of snow,” but that’s a whole different issue.
Snowfall… You might think that cold weather leads to lots of snowfall but I find that’s not the case around here. Snow is more of a random event. If everything comes together just right, we can get dumped on, even if it we aren’t in much of a cold snap. Back
Monthly Precipitation Totals: Crozet 2.91” Old Trail 2.81” Charlottesville Airport 2.25” Univ. of Virginia 2.76” Nellysford 3.15” White Hall 2.25” Waynesboro 2.17”
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Rainfall… Almost all the monthly precipitation fell in two big rainstorms between the 5th and 11th and then the rest of the month was mostly dry. Our water table is in great shape heading into the growing season, with our highest groundwater index since 2004.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Crozet’s Favorite Flicks
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Country Setting in Crozet Character galore in this 2100+ sqft, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath Cape Cod. Large garage, finished walk-out basement, abundant landscaping surrounds a large patio & fish pond. 1st floor master, fireplace, skylights. Call to see where you can view pictures. $206,000. Qualifies for 100% VHDA rural home financing. 434-466-4634.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
© J. Dirk Nies, Ph.D.
Our Senses (Part Three): Hearing The world is alive with reverberations and deep with silences. Our sense of hearing brings the world into our minds, touches our hearts, and speaks to our souls. And in our turn, we communicate to the world with the language of sound. We sing, laugh, cry, speak out and we keep silent. Our sense of hearing is integral to our lives. Our relationships are nourished by our active attentiveness to the meanings and nuances conveyed in sound. When we speak openly, we desire to be understood; when we listen well, we seek to comprehend. And when we don’t, anger and frustration can arise. “That’s the most absurd argument I’ve ever heard,” he blurts out impatiently. She quickly retorts, “Well dear, maybe that’s because you’re not truly listening to me!” Our word ‘absurd’ comes from the Latin surdus, meaning deaf. Like touch, hearing is a physical sense. Sounds arise when a vibrating material sets the air in motion. Our capacity to hear is based upon our ability to detect and to discern these pulsing movements of air. The two most important characteristics of sound that we perceive are its pitch and its loudness. Pitch, the position of a note on a musical scale, is determined by the frequency of the sound wave measured in Hertz (Hz = one cycle per second). Higher frequencies yield notes of higher pitch. Loudness is determined by the amplitude (the height) of the sound wave measured in decibels (dB). Larger amplitudes produce louder sounds. To hear, our ears transform airborne vibrations into electrochemical signals transmitted to our brains. This transformation is a multistep process that occurs as sound traverses from the outer ear through the middle ear to the inner ear. Undulating pressure variations of air (sound) in the ear canal sets the flexible, circular, tympanic mem-
brane (eardrum) to vibrate. The eardrum transmits these vibrations to the middle ear. To help keep the eardrum flexible, the body uses the Eustachian tube to equalize the air pressure in the middle ear with ambient atmospheric pressure. The middle ear holds the smallest bones in the body, the auditory ossicles— the malleus, incus, and stapes. Often referred to as the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup, the ossicles transmit sound to the inner ear, the cochlea, which is a spiral shaped, fluid filled tube. In the cochlea, sound undergoes yet another change as the vibrating cochlear fluid selectively stimulates, depending upon frequency, specialized hair cells. It is these hair cells that generate electrochemical impulses that are transmitted by the auditory nerve to the brain. From start to finish, all of this happens in a split second! As we age, the range of sounds audible to our ears tends to diminish. This most often occurs due to damage to the hair cells or to the fine nerve endings inside the cochlea, leading to reduced perception of sound intensity and quality. About one in six people have some degree of hearing impairment. Hearing aids that amplify sound to overcome the decrease in hearing sensitivity can improve communication for most people suffering hearing impairment. In cases of more profound hearing loss, a cochlear implant, which replaces the functionality of the inner ear, can offer help. Cochlear implants process sounds and transform them into electric impulses that stimulate the auditory nerve. And, of course, many people who are deaf compensate with heightened abilities in their other senses. We can hear sound with frequencies that range in pitch from a very low 20 Hz to a very high 20,000 Hz and amplitudes that range from the barely audible 0 decibels to the exceedingly loud 100 decibels. Most people find sounds louder than 100 dB uncomfortable and even painful.
Normal speech is conducted with auditory intensities between 50 and 60 dB, and with frequencies between 100 and 150 Hz. When we sing or play music, we often employ a higher pitch than our regular speaking voice. For example, the standard A note has a frequency of 440 Hz and a soprano’s vocal range extends up to “soprano C” at 1,046.5 Hz. Musical instruments can yield sounds beyond the range of our vocal chords. The first key on the piano’s keyboard is tuned to a frequency of 27.5 Hz, while the eighty-eight key is set at 4,186 Hz. Sound waves with frequencies above what we can hear are referred to as ultrasonic, while those below are referred to as infrasonic. Many animals can generate and hear ultrasonic and infrasonic sounds. Bats produce ultrasound with frequencies as high as 200 kHz (kHz = 1,000 Hz) by contracting their larynx (voice box) or by clicking their tongues. By rapidly interpreting the ultrasonic echoes that bounce off objects, bats “visualize” their environment, permitting them to navigate and forage for food even in total darkness. At 120-130 decibels, ultrasonic bat calls (which are louder than a smoke alarm blaring four inches from your ear) are among the most intense of all airborne animal sounds. Bats on the wing are extremely loud, yet are silent to our ears. At the other end of the frequency spectrum, large land animals such as lions and elephants use infrasound to communicate their location and territory. Similarly, the songs of whales–which can travel hundreds of miles underwater–contain notes sung in infrasound. Fascinating and potentially calamitous phenomena can occur when an object preferentially absorbs energy at its natural frequency of vibration, called its resonant frequency. If bridges, buildings, trains or aircraft continuously take in energy at their resonant frequency, oscillations with ever-
33
greater amplitude can result, causing violent swayings and even catastrophic failure. Does this sort of stressful resonance happen in our bodies? The Department of Defense has reported the resonant frequency of the eye to be 18 Hz, while the resonant frequency for the entire human body is in the vicinity of 3-8 Hz. Experimental exposure to a lowlevel, inaudible 17 Hz tone caused more than 1 in 5 human respondents to report feeling “anxiety, uneasiness, extreme sorrow, nervous feelings of revulsion or fear, chills down the spine, and feelings of pressure on the chest.” In a real life case in England, Vic Tandy, a university employee, became very anxious while working late at night in a lab. “I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck.” He saw a grey blob out of the corner of his eye. “It seemed to be between me and the door, so the only thing I could do was turn and face it.” After observing, the following day, an object vibrating wildly in the middle of the lab, Mr. Tandy sought a natural explanation for these phenomena. He eventually discovered that a large building fan was vibrating at a frequency of 18.98 Hz. He postulated that the fan was the culprit of his emotional sensations and visual artifacts. Published reports such as these have led to the hypothesis that, in some cases, infrasound may be the source of eerie visual apparitions and uncanny sensations people have experienced in haunted houses! Our ability to recognize and interpret sound is a marvelous gift. We possess the extraordinary capacity to sort through cacophony and tune in to the relevant; to hear the sound of a baby’s cry above the noise of the vacuum cleaner. Sound conveys not only information, but music, which is the “art of the Muses.” Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers captured well the inspiration we all can find in Nature’s melodies: To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls Over stones on its way To sing through the night Like a lark that is learning to pray I go to the hills, when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear what I’ve heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music, And I’ll sing once more.
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CROZET gazette
FEBRUARY 2014
Miller Basketball Keeps Rolling By Ben Scheiner The Miller School of Albemarle has a long tradition as a central Virginia basketball powerhouse. On the heels of some major changes to both the boys and girls programs, one might have expected an off year for both teams. But that is not what’s happened. The departure of Taylor Sandidge, former team captain and current UVA-Wise point guard, hasn’t left the Miller girls team devoid of talent. Four of their current players are planning to continue their basketball careers at the collegiate level. Guard Rachel Odumu has signed with Monmouth University in New Jersey, and center Adrienne Darden is verbally committed to the University of Delaware. Kristen Histand, a three-point specialist, will be playing at Hood College in Maryland, and Lilly Riggleman, known for both her strong offensive and defensive game, has several division-I teams interested.
The depth of talent, though, would mean nothing without strong leadership. While the players are incredibly capable, they’re anything but divas. Odumu, Histand, and senior forward Emonnie Key are team captains. “We are 9-5 overall and 2-0 in the Blue Ridge Conference,” head coach James Braxton noted. “We won the Daily Progress Holiday Classic with a big win over Spotswood High School. I would say we are still a work in progress. Hopefully our best basketball is ahead of us.” Both Riggleman and Darden are Cameron Smith about to score.
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averaging 11 points per game. “This is a team with a lot of players who can help in many ways. It’s a good defensive team, but needs to learn how to play together and play to their other teammates’ strengths,” Braxton said. The Miller boys team has undergone an even greater transition this year, starting the season with a new coaching staff and the loss of multiple starters. Despite a 8-12 record (1-2 in conference play), the team boasts plenty of talent. They sport an impressive 82 point-per-game average, largely due to their two stars, Cameron Smith and Guilherme Guimaraes. Smith, a 6’1”, 170 lb guard from Bristow, has an overall game to be marveled at. His ability to affect the game on both sides of the court has been crucial to the Mavericks’ success, and doesn’t go overlooked. “Our most consistent player has been Cam,” said first-year head coach Ralf Melis. “He leads us in scoring, assists, steals. He has been our second best rebounder. He sets the tone on defense and keeps us organized on offense. He has been great getting into the lane to score and he has taken more free throws than the rest of the team combined.” While Smith gives Miller a threat on the perimeter, Guimaraes provides a strong inside presence for the Mavericks. At 6’8” and 200 lbs, the native Brazilian consistently brings energy and effort not only on game day, but to the practice floor as well. “Guimaraes has a huge impact on
how well we play on a daily basis, whether it is his intensity in every practice, or his defensive energy during games,” Melis said. “Gui has done well statistically, but his overall contributions far outweigh what the statistics show. Quite honestly, when Gui struggles, we really struggle.” Melis says the season has gone largely as expected. Every player on the team is playing a position that is new to him, and many players haven’t competed at this high a level before, so there has been a learning curve. Nonetheless, improvements are evident. “We have played really well at times, but we have also struggled at times,” said Melis. “Hopefully as the season progresses we will be more consistent, but we have already seen a lot of growth in all of our players.” For now, Melis and his staff are putting their emphasis on player development rather than the record of wins and losses. To them, it’s all about teaching their players how to play the game. This emphasis, along with the work of the Director of Player Development Damin Altizer, has resulted in the team’s shooting an impressive 53 percent on the season from inside the 3-point arc, and 34 percent from beyond the arc. “Overall our team has done a good job sharing the ball. We try to emphasize ball movement and pace with our players,” Melis said. “Creating an environment where the players feel confident on the court, and are free to make mistakes was one of our main goals for this season.”
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