Conservation district announces field day

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DO YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS CARD IN THE NEXT ISSUE? Contact Tom Spargur at 540.812.2282 or tom@culpepertimes.com Conservation district announces field day

The Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District is hosting an upcoming fi eld day to highlight grazing management, fencing and water system design and infrastructure and explore conservation program opportunities.

The evening fi eld event will be held from 4-7 p.m. on June 16 at Lakota Ranch, 9272 Big Horn Road, Remington.

This event is free and includes a meal. Pre-registration is required for planning purposes. Please call (540) 825-8591 to register.

Lakota Ranch, located on the banks of the Rappahannock River, is home to the oldest and most prominent Devon beef cattle herd in the country. With a rich family history in agriculture and livestock production, the Engh’s have long been recognized for the grass-fed beef produced by their Devon cattle and for the quality of the cattle themselves.

Recently, Jeremy Engh was named Virginia’s 2022 Outstanding Forage Producer of the Year by the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council in January.

This multi-generational farm specializes in grass-fed cattle and has participated in several conservation programs over the years to help achieve their goals.

In observance of Memorial Day, all town o ces will be closed May 30 and will reopen on May 31 at 8 a.m.

➤ Mushroom, from Page 3

decided to tackle another venture.

He and Mayer-Mello opened a woodworking business in one of the property’s buildings where they make Adirondack chairs, benches, bowls, cutting boards and more.

With the help of Mayer-Mello’s husband, the pair even use an onsite sawmill they use to slice their own wood slabs.

Mayer-Mello recalls pondering the prospect of opening shop while her business partner was all but putting together the fi rst of what would become their next successful product venture.

When the sawdust clears, though, across the way Sally Mello’s studio becomes an oasis for art lovers. Specializing in painting and dabbling in hook rugs, she fi nds inspiration in the outdoors and animals. Her pieces can also be found in the shop alongside her jams, Jim’s honey, Mayer-Mello’s chicken eggs and more.

Oak Shade Farm is open from 9-5 p.m. on Friday through Sunday. maria@culpepertimes.com

Memorial Day Hours

A one-in-a-billion opportunity caught on film.

BY Sarah Langland

When Dani Izzie found out she was pregnant with twins in late 2019, she did what many pregnant women do; shared her news on Facebook. But unlike most women, Izzie faced an uphill battle in light of her disability that would make her pregnancy both challenging and dangerous.

Award-winning documentary director and friend Brad Allgood followed her pregnancy updates when he approached Izzie and her husband, Rudy, about making a documentary.

“(I) learned that only fi ve quadriplegic women in the world have living twins, so capturing Dani’s journey would be a one-in-a-billion opportunity,” Allgood said.

At fi rst, Izzie was reluctant.

“(I wanted Allgood to) get it and show a glimpse of real-life and (my) authentic lifestyle.” she said. “Moms with disabilities are rarely seen.”

She saw the documentary, entitled Dani’s Twins, as an opportunity to use the sensationalism of her story to help people rethink disabilities as more than a diagnosis.

Filming began in February 2020, however, things took a turn in March when stay-at-home orders were passed down from federal and state governments due to the spread of COVID-19.

Due to her high-risk pregnancy and a 30% lung capacity, Izzie took the pandemic very seriously.

Initially, Izzie was crushed when the fi lm project derailed, but both she and the documentary team were determined to tell her story.

“We worked together to fi nd a solution,” Allgood said. “The only option was for Dani to take the reins and fi lm herself.”

Equipped with cell phones, ring lights, microphones and a camera, the Izzies became fi lmmakers.

Sometimes when fi lming, Izzie would talk to the camera as if she were talking to her unborn babies. She shared, “on a personal level, beyond what this will do socially, I thought of my girls seeing this. I want them to see the strength and determination that Rudy and I have. I want them to see how to be brave.”

She was so dedicated to documenting the process, when her water broke at her home in Madison, she fi lmed herself in labor on the way to UVA Hospital in Charlottesville.

“(The project) was very di cult physically, emotionally and mentally,” she recalled.

Her hands were not steady, and she experienced frequent lightheadedness. In addition, blackouts lead her to lie down most of the time.

Despite the physical challenges, she impressed herself. “was really proud of her body. It was empowering to create a baby in a body that’s kind of broken.”

“Insofar as my disability intersects with my role as a parent, I feel capable and complete,” Izzie said. “The love and joy in this experience is nourishing and limitless.”

The documentary premiered at the Mountainfi lm Festival in Telluride, CO, on May 26, and will be followed by a virtual festival, on May 31-June 7. Tickets can be purchased at https:// mountainfi lm.eventive.org/welcome.

“My hope is that the fi lm will resonate within the disability community, encourage those who have been doubted, or self-doubted and contribute to the larger push to normalize disability and dismantle barriers.”

Wellspring welcomes Spanish-speaking practitioner

Dr. Juan Carlo Munoz- Gonzales previously worked with Wellspring in 2017.

In an e ort to better serve Culpeper’s growing Spanish-speaking population, Wellspring Health Services welcomed back Internal Medicine practitioner Dr. Juan Carlo Munoz-Gonzales this past fall.

“Dr. Munoz has been welcomed back to Wellspring and the community with open arms,” said Wellspring CEO Dr. Khalid Athar. “Many of his previous patients have started coming back to see him.”

Munoz-Gonzales is from Puerto Rico and earned his degrees from National Autonomous University of Mexico Guadalajara, Mexico and Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.

He previously worked with Wellspring from 2017 through 2018 before moving to a practice in Fredericksburg to practice Colonial Internal Medicine.

“Having a doctor that can speak a patient's native language removes barriers to quality healthcare,” Athar continued. “I believe that it also provides a sense of comfort.

As for Munoz-Gonzales’s priorities, they lie in continuing to care for the community through his expertise.

“I want to continue integrating evidence-based medicine with compassion and empathy to our community.”

TIM HICKLING | CULPEPER TIMES Cody Long sits in his studio where he works with glass. He teaches students the skills needed to create such objects like marbles and pendants.

Local glassblower offers unique experience

Cody Long always wanted to be an artist. Now he works to create them.

BY Maria Basileo

While molding dangerous hot glass may seem like a thrill out of reach for most, artist Cody Long wants to shatter the hurdles in place to bring students into the creative world of glassblowing.

“People have been asking me for years to do (classes),” he said. “But I wanted to make a few projects that really anybody can make.”

Owner of Wanderlust Gifts, Long previously operated out of a storefront in Culpeper, but closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to focus on his studio when juggling the two along with family life became too much to balance.

With his new found freedom, Long recently elected to open his studio to people interested in expanding their creative horizons.

“I’ve done classes before but a few months ago was when I really started to market it,” he said.

Students learn the basics and leave class with a few mementos to remember the experience.

“You can come in your fi rst time and have no artistic experience and you can make a pretty good pendant or marble.”

For ease of learning, Long prefers to teach classes one-on-one.

“There’s a lot of things that go into it where it’s easier to pay attention and actually absorb what you’re learning if it’s one-on-one.”

For those who are already familiar with glassblowing, Long o ers lessons in new techniques.

Long has a decade of experience in glass, adding the fi rst time he put glass into the fi re it ignited a passion.

“I always wanted to be an artist,” he said. “It’s probably the fi rst thing I ever remember wanting to be other than an astronaut, but I’m still working on that.”

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work, and through many ups and downs, cuts and burns, I’ve found myself living my dream all of which would not have been possible without the support of my family, a close group of friends and this amazing community I call home,” Long said.

One of the most rewarding and biggest parts of Long’s job, however, comes from working with families who want to solidify the memory of their deceased loved one in glass.

“It’s not something I really imagined myself doing but it's a much more gratifying and fulfi lling type of product to make.

Branded as Memoriam Glassworks, Long incorporated ashes into his custom made pieces including a recent endeavor that included making a cherry tree to celebrate a man who found joy in climbing them in his youth.

Long also makes a lot of di erent glasses like tasting fl utes for brides and grooms for weddings. maria@culpepertimes.com

May 2022 • News from your electric cooperative

UPGRADES For high-energy use homeowners and renters who need home upgrades to save money and increase resiliency, we o er on-bill nancing for water heater replacement, energy audits and consultations for homes and businesses, electrical services, and coming soon a program designed to enable members to pursue energye cient home improvements.

CHARGING For electric vehicle (EV) owners or soon-to-be EV owners who want to build energy independence and save money we currently o er a library of resources and tools to help you learn more about EVs. Coming soon, EV owners will have the opportunity to enroll in an incentive rate encouraging them to charge during o -peak hours for a rebate.

Vividly Brighter

REC is happy to announce the launch of a suite of innovative solutions that power the future of our communities.

At REC, we have a deep connection to the communities we serve. Our members are our neighbors and we share their values.

Being member-centric, we are uniquely able to incorporate those values into the way we serve you. First and foremost, we value being a good neighbor. is means we listen, we take care of each other.

We are proud of our relationships with the communities we serve. And that close relationship means we are always looking out for ways to make our neighbors’ lives better. For instance, we heard you asking for new ways to save money and to move our communities toward a brighter future. is is what led us to create Vividly Brighter. Our brand new suite of innovative solutions includes a variety of services and resources designed to make your lives better.

SOLAR

For year, REC member-owners have taken steps to pursue renewable energy options. Today, nearly 2,000 homes are connected to solar or wind generation system through net metering. Members who aren't ready to install a system of their own can participate in our community solar program designed to help bring more renewable energy into Virginia.

Learn more at myrec.coop/vividlybrighter We energize our community. Vividly Brighter helps strengthen our energy grid for the future using innovations that fuel energy independence and savings. We want our community to enjoy energy sources and systems that focus on solutions for the future. Together we can make a grid that is strong, reliable and provides power for the people.

REC’s Power Supplier Announces Rate Increase

As a result of higher natural gas prices, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) has implemented a rate increase to cover the higher generation costs resulting primarily from those natural gas price increases. Along with 10 other electric cooperatives in Virginia Delaware and Maryland, REC is a partial owner of ODEC.

“In recent years we have not seen any mid-year rate change by ODEC, but greater volatility in the markets and the higher costs for natural gas used to generate electricity have necessitated this rate increase,” said Brian Doherty, Managing Director — External A airs at REC.

“Similar costs are being faced by other utilities in the mid-Atlantic and other regions of the country – this is not unique to us here in Virginia.” e high winter demand for natural gas coupled with cold temperatures (particularly in January) impacted the price of natural gas, and signifi cant volatility on some days drove short-term prices even higher. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other global economic factors further exacerbate price increases and volatility.

“REC works year-round to keep expenses as low as possible,” Doherty said, “and we want to be as transparent as possible about these increasing costs.”

What this means: A typical residential household that uses nearly 1,350 kWh of electricity each month will see an increase of about $2.90 per month.

Keep in touch at myrec.coop

Is

On is List? If so, you may be entitled to unclaimed Capital Credits

VISIT MYREC.COOP/CAPITALCREDITS

to view the list of those who are entitled to Unclaimed Capital Credits. If you see your name, or have information on how to locate someone on the list, call 800-5523904 and speak with a member service representative. You also have the option to live chat online by clicking the “Need Help” link on our website, myrec.coop, or you can email us at offi ce@myrec.coop.

Capital Credits represent each member-owner’s investment in their cooperative. Instead of profi ts sent to stockholders in faraway places, the Cooperative Business Model means those dollars stay in the local communities served by REC.

With your help, we can locate those listed and deliver their checks. If the member-owner or other person legally entitled to the Capital Credits does not claim his or her money within 120 days from publication of the listing on the REC website on May 1, this patronage capital becomes the sole property of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.