Open Studios: Willie Simmons

Botetourt County is blessed with a lot of folks who are very creative. Willie Simmons of Fincastle is a local wood turner whose work I have long admired. (He is also a distant cousin.)

This past weekend 11 of the local artists opened up their studios and workshops to the public. I only made it to three of them because of my health issues, but I enjoyed the outing.

Willie makes interesting and unusual items that he sells at local craft shows.

He recently located some very cool-looking wood and has been making many implements from that.

I have a couple of his bowls and a few other items.

This is an overview of some of his work.

He recently came up with a wooden handle for a seam ripper. His product was featured in Threads magazine. You can order them online at his website.

Many of these items make great Christmas gifts. If you're local, check out his shop, which is on US 220 in Fincastle. I love to give local gifts and support my neighbors.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen random photos that I took on Sunday, October 27, 2013, around 4:00 p.m.

My MIL's house.

Electric fence row.

My cherry tomato plants, all dead and gone.

The reason some of my cucumbers were oddly shaped.

A turkey buzzard.

A view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Same view only without the zoom lens.

Another shot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

And another. I like the mountains.

A little Autumn color.

The forest behind the house.

A little more Autumn color.

Another fence row.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 316th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Around Fincastle

Botetourt County Courthouse

The Old Jail

Courthouse Complex (as it is currently called)

Botetourt Museum

Old District Court Building

Remnants of the Hayth Hotel, now rental property



Fencing at the Courthouse

A look down Roanoke Street

Catching the Sun

I took these photos on October 24 at 6:40 a.m., with my Nikon Coolpix P500 just as the sun was coming up and sending shafts of light through a break in the clouds. The light was exquisite and one reason why I love this time of the year. I went outside in my PJs and slippers to catch these shots.

Think of Me Tuesday

Well, dear readers, as you may recall, I noted a while back that my gallbladder surgery did not go as planned.

I was supposed to jump off the gurney and race my husband home, and fix him dinner, within about two hours of the surgery, and in six weeks time I was supposed to be feeling like a million bucks.

That did not happen.

While I don't know that anybody actually jumps off the gurney and goes on with their life right away, I do know that a lot of people apparently do much better after surgery than I have. I know one woman who had gallbladder surgery in mid-September and she is already back to doing Zumba. She's about 15 years younger than I am, but still. And there's another who is about my age who had surgery within days of mine, and she was out riding horses about five weeks later.

Yesterday I forced myself to go out to the Open Studios event and visit three artists' studios, all friends of mine. It was all I could do to manage that. Everywhere I went, people told me I did not look well.

To be honest, I can barely push a buggy around Kroger and it's been four months to the day since my surgery. I am in a great deal of pain and obviously something is wrong. I wasn't the healthiest person to start with but I wasn't in such bad shape that I should have degenerated to the point that I have.

Today I am finally seeing a specialist who may or may not help. I have no idea what I will be told - I can tell you I have thought up about a million things that could be wrong with me, none of them particularly pleasant. I am hoping that the reality is not as bad as my fertile imagination has sometimes led me to believe.

Anyway, if you are one of those folks who prays, or thinks nice thoughts, or lights candles, or crosses your fingers, or just offers up a little hope when someone you know is having a tough time, I would appreciate any of those good things.

Many blessings to you all.

PolterHeist

This weekend the Greenfield Education and Training Center, a Virginia Western Community College facility located in Botetourt, hosted a "Just Desserts" mystery theater event. They offered up a grand variety of sweets - Haunted Forest Pound Cake, Pumpkin Spice Cake, and Boooo cupcakes, to name a few. The play was put on by HaeBo Productions, an all-volunteer non-profit theatrical group established in 1997. They usually perform in the New River Valley.

I had never been to a murder mystery theater and it was on my bucket list of things to do.

I think about 50 people ended up attending this event.

We were seated at the far end and the large space made picture-taking a little difficult, especially since I was using my little camera.

The play was set at the Mouldering Pines Inn. The above is "Janet from another planet", the DJ for the gathering of the BOO group (that would be us the audience). Cameron Brown played this role.

The guy on the floor was Lionel Spector, a paranormalogist, played by Andy Bowyer. The fellow standing with the orange on his suit is Jim Lodge, the Mouldering Pines proprietor (played by Mathew Ridley), and his wife, Phyllis Lodge, is beside him (played by Crystal Farris).

The lady in the shawl is Madam Zelda von Schpookum (played by Samantha Quesenberry); the guy under the sheet is the proprietor trying to be a ghost.

Madam Zelda attempts to contact the spirits.

She succeeds and spends some time talking to an empty chair (sorry, I am suddenly reminded of Clint Eastwood at the R. Convention).

The fellow standing is Fox Smolder (played by Tucker Miller) and the woman is Dana Skullery (played by Brenna Bower). They are members of the Hex Files ... The Truth is Out There. Get it?

Anyway, I won't give a single thing away because maybe you will get to see these folks perform somewhere. I hope they return to Botetourt and do their thing again.

At the end, the members of the audience had to write down who they thought was the murderer.

My husband wasn't going to write anything down, though he said who he thought the murderer was (and was right in his guess). I suggested he put down something - I won't say what - but it was so far off the mark that he (ahem) won an award for being "Not the sharpest surmiser." But I thought it was a very creative answer myself.

When they announced the award, my husband shouted out, "She told me to write that!" and everyone laughed.

We had a good time.

Age is Just a Number

From Sunday Stealing

A birthday meme (though my birthday has already come and gone this year)

1. As you get older, are you jazzed about your birthday?

A. This year I turned 50, and that's a big one as far as birthday's go. I was not jazzed so much as miserable. I don't like to think of myself as old. However, age is just a number. But generally I am jazzed; last year was an anomaly.
  
2. Do people usually remember your birthday?

A. My husband, my brother, and one of my close friends all have birthdays that are in the same month as mine, and so we all remember our respective birthdays easily. My other close friends generally remember, too, and I remember theirs.

3. An ex-coworker used to begin 3 mos. before her birthday flat-out reminding us that it was coming up. It's amazing what no self-esteem does for you. Anyway, do you know anyone who pre-announces their birthdays?

A. I do not "flat out" remind people of my birthday although this year I think I talked about turning 50 a lot more than I ever have talked about birthdays, because I was kind of scared of the number. So except for myself when I hit that big 5-0, I guess the answer to this question is no. 
 
4. What was your best birthday? Why?

A. This last birthday was pretty good. I turned 50 and my husband threw me a surprise party. I'd never had a surprise party before.
 
5. What was your worst birthday? Why?

A. Probably my 38th birthday, because that was my first birthday after my mother passed away.
  
6. Name your best birthday gift.

A. My husband gave me a Nook a couple of years ago, which was a nice gift, but the surprise party he threw me this year, and all of the people who took the time to show up in the middle of the day on a Saturday, tops everything. I mean, the gift of LOVE is absolutely the best. There is no material present that can ever top that.
  
7. Name the best birthday gift you've gotten for someone else.

 

A. I bought my husband a red leather captain's helmet for his 50th birthday, and I threw him a little party at his station because he had to work that day. At the time he was a captain with the fire department (and 6 months later he was promoted to battalion chief, so he didn't get to wear the red hat very long as battalion chiefs wear white). If you are a fireman the special leather helmets (as opposed to the department-issued helmets) are big deal things. They are also expensive.

  
8. As I age, I value SLEEP as a priceless commodity. I didn't get any for my birthday, however. What do you want this year for your birthday?

A. Well, for my 51st birthday, which is 8 months away, I want to be healthy and stay that way. I was healthy on the day of my 50th birthday but 20 days later I had my gallbladder removed and I have been sick ever since. So I value HEALTH as a priceless commodity and am hopeful for that. Having good health well before next year - like by Thanksgiving - would be great, though. I've been sick for four months and that's plenty long.

Composition Books and Chocolate

I thought I'd join up with yet another meme - the Saturday 9. It's run by someone who calls herself Crazy Sam, in case you notice that reference in the questions.

Saturday 9: If It Makes You Happy

Sheryl Crow is a breast cancer survivor and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please spread the word about early detection.

Here's a link to her youtube video: If You Makes You Happy, one of my favorite Sheryl Crow songs, though I am not necessarily crazy about the video.

1) What's something that always makes you happy?

A. Phone calls or visits from friends, small presents from my husband (which seldom happens, he's not a gift-giver except for important occasions, which he always remembers so he gets points for that), a song I love on the radio. Also blank composition books and chocolate.


2) In the lyrics, Sheryl refers to a poncho. How do you usually protect yourself from the rain? Poncho? Umbrella? Raincoat? Hat?

A. I usually have an umbrella and wear a light all-weather jacket.

3) Early in her career, Sheryl made ends meet by singing commercial jingles, including one for McDonald's. When was the last time you visited The Golden Arches?

A. I think it has been several years since I last ate at McDonalds. I don't normally eat fast food and if I do, Micky D's is not my first choice. But I remember when I was a child I thought it was great.

4) Sheryl rode a horse into the ring of a Wyoming rodeo and then sang. Have you ever been to a rodeo?

A. When I was young my parents took us to the rodeo at the local civic center. That would have been at least 40 years ago. I don't remember much about it.

5) Sheryl lives outside of Nashville, which is known as Music City. What type of music do you listen to most often?

A. What they used to call American Top 40. I'm not sure what they call it now. Adult Pop? Adult contemporary? I also like to listen to the sounds of the 1970s. And Sheryl Crow and Melissa Etheridge are two of my favorites.

6) Crazy Sam is a massive Sheryl Crow fan, and is sure that the only reason why she and Sheryl aren't best friends is that they haven't met. What famous person do you think could be your BFF?

A. When I was younger, I wanted to be friends with Kate Jackson of Charlie's Angels' fame. Now I think I would like to be friends with Meryl Streep or Susan Sarandon. 

7) Sheryl and cyclist Lance Armstrong were once engaged. Had they tied the knot, she would have become stepmother to his three children. Are you a step-parent, stepsibling or stepchild?

A. I am, officially, a stepchild. My father remarried a few years ago (my mother died in 2000).

8) Sheryl has performed carols at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington DC. Have you ever visited our nation's capital?

A. I think my parents took me there in 1972. I remember the zoo, but that's about it. I would love to return as an adult. A nine-year-old could not possibly appreciate the history of the things to see in D.C.

9) Do you consider yourself easy going or do you have a fiery temperament?

A. I think I'm easy going but I suspect my spouse would say otherwise. I tend to hold things in and then, BOOM, my anger overfloweth like gutters in a monsoon.

And because I just started this, and last week the Saturday 9 was about Melissa Etheridge, who is also one of my favorite singers, I will do last week's meme, too.


Saturday 9: Come to My Window

Melissa Etheridge is a breast cancer survivor and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please spread the word about early detection.

Here is a youtube video to Melissa Etheridge's song Come to My Window, which just happens to be one of my favorite songs ever (and the video is terrific, too).

1) This song is about a woman passionate about love and willing to pursue it, no matter what "they say." Are you fearless when it comes to public opinion? Or do you worry about what "they" think of you?

A. I can be fearless - as a journalist, reporter, newspaper columnist and blogger I have done my share of putting it out there and not worrying too much about public opinion. But there are times when what "they say" is an overwhelming worry.
 
2) Melissa's father was a high school teacher. Tell us about a teacher who had an impact on you.

A. Almost all of my teachers impacted me, mostly for the good. I was a straight A student and generally the teacher's pet in almost all of my classes, even in college. I would have to say that Jeanne Larsen, my English professor at Hollins, had the most impact upon me, though. She believed in me not just as a writer but as a woman and a person.

3) Melissa won a Grammy for this song. If you won a major award, where would you display it?

A. I have my diplomas on the wall in my office. But I have my Virginia Press Association Awards in a drawer.

4) Which TV game show do you think you'd do better on -- The Price Is Right or Wheel of Fortune?

A. Neither. I'd do better on Jeopardy.

5) Are you neat and organized?

A. I wish.

6) When was the last time you went more than a day without washing your hair?

A. When I had my gallbladder out in late June.

7) When you eat Chinese food, do you use chopsticks or a fork?

A. A fork.

8) Are you a good cook?

A. I am a good baker, and I make killer fudge. I am not a good overall cook, but we don't starve.

9) We're having a party in your honor! Would you prefer a costume party, a bowling party or a pool party?

A. I'd prefer a book party, but if someone wants to throw me a party I will be glad for anything. It's better than a funeral.