Last week I mentioned that we had plans for our shop. If you’re not familiar with our property — there is the shop, the row of trees and black fence, the road, and then the North Fork of the Holston River. The shop is getting a new use.
We are in the very early steps of establishing a kayak and tubing business. Baby steps. If all of this comes together, and I pray that it will, it will be called Adventure Mendota. Adventure Mendota – Float the Fork! It has a nice sound, doesn’t it?
I see kayaks on this river almost every day. I hope these same folks have friends that don’t have their own kayak….maybe they will rent from us. Here’s what they’ll see when they are paddling along. My friend DeeDee took these pictures. They are real pictures of a real day on our river. Do you like what you see? There will be tubing, too!!
Do you have a river you love? If not, I’ve got one I want to introduce you to.
Have you heard that the winter of 2014-2015 is going to be long and “bad”. Perhaps “snowy?” I have. I have specifically heard it called a “Black Squirrel Winter.” Sounds serious!
At any rate, it means one thing for me in the coming weeks. Sugar water. Each time I speak with another beekeeper, they are saying “feed them.” Since I don’t know enough to argue, I listen, and I start stirring the sugar in the pot and putting it in quart jars.
Three of these…every day. One for each hive. Five pounds of sugar makes four quart jars. You can do the math. It’s expensive!
The nights are already cool enough to be concerned about mice entering the hives so we’ve taken that wide opening at the bottom of the hive (pictured above) and inserted a spacer which limits the access. Looks like this now.
And just in case we experience temperatures well below zero again, I’ve got my bubble wrap, duct tape, bags of mulch and tarp ready to pull out and set up to protect my bees. Because…remember this…
When I grew up Worley and Lily Millard were my forever friends Lisa and Katie’s grandparents, but I called them Granny and Papaw because that is what Lisa and Katie called them. If it bothered them, they were kind enough not to show it.
They lived in a little house that sat in front of the railroad tracks in Mendota. We called it “Granny’s House.”
By the time Lisa and Katie were 12 and 14, Papaw was not well, and Granny had lost most of her sight. The two girls took turns staying nights with Papaw and Granny. On many nights, it seemed quite natural for me to stay, too.
There was a bedroom just inside that window on the front porch. There were two beds in it. Lisa and I slept in one bed, and Papaw and Granny had the other. Lisa and I would slip outside and sit on the front porch and talk about the things young girls talk about. She had one of her first kisses on that porch.
In the back of the house, there was a wooden “boardwalk” that went to an outhouse. I looked for it yesterday. It’s gone. That was over 40 years ago. Wooden walkways are not built to last forever. Neither are houses.
The little house is in the area of Mendota that floods, so it’s future has been in jeopardy, and it was time for it to be removed. I said goodbye yesterday. I did not go inside but I could look inside the kitchen area from the back of the house. I was looking for a piece of my childhood…Lisa’s and Katie’s childhood…and I wanted to store it safely in these pictures.
It was quite the little lady in its day. Notice the “shake” shingles in the upper part of the house and the decorative curved detail where the upper part of the porch meets the ceiling? I can imagine when this was new…how exciting it was to have a house that was not just functional but had “pretties”, too! Granny had yellow roses growing near the house.
One night, when Lisa and I were quite young, we were sleeping soundly in the bedroom, and the Mendota train stopped behind the house in the early hours of the day. It hissed loudly and woke us. We popped up in the bed…startled. Granny ran in and put her hands on our shoulders and said “don’t worry girls..it’s just the train…it’ll be alright.”
Fall is here!! While today is the first official day of fall, it’s been feeling “fallish” in Mendota, Virginia for quite a while. I love the cool nights and the warm days with low or no humidity.
This morning I went out to the garden and pulled up the remainder of the onions. There were only a few.
I’ve never dehydrated onions, and I decided to try. I use onions in soups in the winter, and I think dehydrated onions will work as well as regular onions. I decided to “test” this little sampling of onions. Let’s take bets..this will result in one tablespoon of dried onions? Two tablespoons? Whatever it is, it will be small!!
Here they are…I only had enough for two of the dehydrator things.
There’s so much to learn about things like this. I’m learning the hard way about my potatoes. I had too many potatoes to plant in the raised beds in the spring so I planted them close thinking this would give me extra potatoes. In the picture below, the beds were bulging with potato plants.
And today? I have small, gnarly Yukon Gold potatoes. Turtle taters!! Some looked like a specific part of a man’s anatomy. I just stomped them and threw them aside. Seriously!!
However, we will have plenty of potatoes for winter even if they are funny looking. I have several of these Sam’s Club boxes full of potatoes. I’m wiping them down and putting them in a spare frig that we have.
These potatoes are part of my “60 days” of food on hand. If for some reason the stores don’t have food, I’ll be home eating green beans, potatoes, canned tomatoes and, oh yes, one or two tablespoons of dried onions. Don’t laugh…I’m not alone. This is definitely an “Appalachia thing”….”a Mendota thing.” It’s one of our funny twists.
The once-neat garden looks like a jungle. Look at the weeds in the blueberries!! Yikes!
And now, look again, I pulled them! These blueberries have done really well. We need to discard the old cages and find a new way to cage and net them for next year.
And now, it’s time to fix some of those potatoes for supper!
When driving across State Street from Virginia as you enter into Tennessee, you’ll see the Chamber of Commerce and a giant guitar reflecting Bristol’s musical roots. Now, there is something else! There’s a countdown to something that many love as much as we love music — college football. We don’t have a professional football team in this area, so we are heavily invested in both high school and college football — especially Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee; and in about 723 days, 12 hours, 27 minutes and 43 seconds away from the time when I snapped this picture, we’ll see them play right here in Bristol. All 130,000 seats will sell out at Bristol Motor Speedway. We don’t have anywhere near 130,000 people living here, but they will come! Pretty cool, right?
But we weren’t thinking football this weekend in Bristol. It was Bristol’s Rhythm & Roots Reunion. Emmy Lou Harris played to a record crowd last night. My girlfriend took this picture.
She was on the Piedmont Stage near the Bristol Public Library. There are large stages set up throughout downtown Bristol, and walking down the middle of the street means your senses are assaulted with lyrics, melodies, smells and bright colors. There are musicians on the stages, there are musicians on the street jamming, food vendors, specialty vendors, etc.
This morning, Mike and I arrived at Rhythm & Roots and we headed in the wrong direction to see Ed Harlow and “The Harlow Experience” playing. No worries. These great guys who work for the City of Bristol, Virginia gave us a golf cart ride. When I thanked them, they said “the City of Bristol, Virginia wants to make sure everyone has a great time.” Thanks guys! We did!
Here’s Ed. I did not know Ed was a musician so I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, The Harlow Experience was very, very good. He’s introducing his brother who recently turned 80. Doesn’t look it does he? Music must keep you young!
Here’s the whole group plus a guest who sang Happy Birthday to Ed’s brother.
We stayed about 30 minutes and watched them before it was time to go to see Heather Pace and the Poor Valley Girls. This is the only problem with R&R — deciding where to go and how long to stay. Fortunately, you cannot make a mistake. The talent is top notch everywhere. I could not get a good picture of the Poor Valley Girls. It was great hearing them, however, because I know every song on their CD. This picture was taken in Mendota.
Next we went to see Dale Jett & Hello Stranger at the Paramount. We had seen them perform here two months ago at Mountain Stage which was an awesome experience. However, the sound was so much better today. The theater was full. It was wonderful.
While walking along, we saw this set up for selling antiques. I am not a buyer. I don’t need anything else in my house, but I do like to see things artfully displayed, and I thought this was creative and deserved this picture.
On this blog, I share my love affair with Clinch Mountain. However, I seldom notice the Holston Mountain in the background of the City of Bristol. My loss. Do mountains inspire music? I think they do.
It was a wonderful day. As I closed the day, however, I learned that it was a day of loss. There once was a sweet little boy who knew how to make a piano sing. He played by ear. Like Lisa (my forever friend pictured below) and others, I do not remember a time he was not on this earth as we were raised as children together. Today he left us.
There’s something different in the air in Mendota this fall. For some reason, people are becoming optimistic that our little community is revitalizing. I thought about this today and wondered out loud to Mike whether this was wishful thinking on my part or was it reality? Perhaps you and I together can find the answer.
It started, believe it or not, with our Mendota Cemetery Quilt sale. We sold $2100 in tickets for our quilt. For a large community, this might not be significant, but for Mendota…a community without even a store, this is impressive. Was it just a pretty quilt?
And there are other signs. Literally. Do you see two signs in the photograph below of “sprouts” of vitality in Mendota? If you did, you missed one.
Gary Barker retired from the Washington County School System and opened a garage in Mendota. The Kiser family operates a successful organic farm in Mendota. The third “sign” is that corn in the background — that belongs to River Gate Farm — one of Southwest Virginia’s largest dairy farms located right here in Mendota.
Then…as I climbed back in the truck….interruption here to say I love Luckie and she and I roll in a truck!
Back to whatever I was talking about.….I looked over at Gordon Barker Jr.’s farm and saw….more! I recalled two years ago when Mike, Marc, Mary and the boys and I drove across Clinch Mountain to a pumpkin stand and tiny farm maze. I asked the owner “where did you get your pumpkins?” He replied “Gordon Barker, Jr. in Mendota, Virginia.”
Here’s some awesome news…I’m going to the doctor next week, and I’m riding my bicycle to get there. HMG has reopened the Mendota Medical Clinic (pictured below). The days are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The phone number is 276.645.6710, and the beloved Dr. Andy Brockmyre is our doctor. Great medical care right here in Mendota. He bikes to work…we might just bike beside each other on the day of my appointment!
Katie had her store open last Saturday. She’s percolatin’
She had some cute pillow slip dresses and a stack of stuffed punkin’s…
Here’s the dresses made with antique pillow cases…nice.
There’s several folks that operate businesses from their homes….
I know of three men in the valley who make beautiful jewelry. Tom Ilowiecki made this bracelet. It sells for $35.
Like a little table with barn siding? Mike makes those. Personal note: are you happy Pat Statzer? This is for you!!!
So there’s all sorts of bits of optimism! So…another thought for Mendota. We could have our own Quilt Trail. The Timmons’ barn has one, and look what is going to go up soon at RiverCliff Cottage! Are there more to follow?
Next spring is going to be fun for Mike and me. We are working to have our property on the North Fork of the Holston work for us. There’s a business plan, there’s lots to learn and there’s a lot of work, and we’re still in the “almost decided for sure phase” of what we want to do. I’ll share it with you as each step becomes concrete. But I can tell you, we’ll be down at the shop often enough to make sure my flowers get watered.
In the meantime….we are keeping it all in perspective. One step at a time.
Note: If you are visiting RiverCliff Cottage to view pictures taken from the Mendota Heritage Festival today, please visit the Mendota Community Events Facebook Page.
The Highlands Beekeepers had a booth at the Washington County Fair, and I volunteered to work from 3 to 6 this past Friday. This worked out great because I got free admission and a place to park! Yay! It was fun talking to people about the bees, but wow, it was so hot. I was sweating like a pig. Notice how my colors match the honeybee’s colors? If I’d lost a little weight, I would have dressed like a bee. Maybe next year.
Speaking of pigs…we met Piggy Sue. Piggy Sue is a therapy pig. She’s very clean and friendly. She wasn’t sweating nearly as much as me so I take that “sweating like a pig” remark back. She actually was very, very clean.
Here’s another…
Yes, that picture above was my friend Sue kissing Piggy Sue. On the way home, she asked me if I wanted a sip of her lemonade. Nope!
I loved the country decor of our fair.
Mendota and Benhams were well represented. Mary McCroskey and Terri McCroskey cleaned up. Girls — I am going to take you on next year!! Here’s Mary’s chair which got Best of Show. She also had a fern which was loitering around with a Blue Ribbon!
And Terri’s green beans…
It’s all about agriculture at the fair…here is the Virginia Extension Office display.
Some more canned goods…
This was one of the more strange things. The man from Bathfitters kept getting in his bathtub and driving around. That tub could move!
Cute, country stuff…
$5.00 got you a ride on the bull. This young lady had just finished clogging and she took on the bull with such grace. Ahh…to be that young. She has the world by the tail.
I have another dishtowel to give away! Eight readers commented on my blog on the dishtowel post, and I put their names in a bowl. I drew Patsy Carrier’s name and she now has the dishtowel. Yay Patsy!!
This one is a little brighter. It came from target. I like it because it has a jar on it. Jars work so hard, are able to do so many things, and they look good doing it! They are like women!
So…if you comment on this blog post, I’ll enter your name and someone will win this cute little dishtowel. So easy, and it’s so fun to get things in the mail (assuming you don’t live in Mendota…poor Patsy…she got her dishtowel tossed to her while she was at work in the post office!) We’ll have the drawing on Wednesday, September 17.
There’s more in this post. I finished another wreath. Last night I watched a video on how to tie a wired-ribbon bow. I made my bow…I don’t think I could do as well without a wired ribbon, but it was pretty easy with the wire.
I added the B that I’d spray painted black and then dabbed orange dots using an eraser and paint.
Looks more at home glued to the wreath….
And here it is….
I really like this wreath. It’s simple but speaks of fall. This one will go on the door leading into our den.
I have one more door that I might make a wreath for. It’s addictive!
Note: Aimee won the dishtowel. I’ve sent her an email asking for her address so I could mail the towel. Thank you to all ten who commented and had their names entered! This is so fun!!
Fifteen years ago when we decided to buy this property in Mendota, it was partly because of things like cake walks. If you live in the ‘burbs, how many cake walks do you attend in a year?
So we’re having our Mendota Heritage Festival on Saturday, September 13, and I’ve been asked to provide a cake. I am willing to do many things, but I don’t bake cakes that must be counted on for a decent appearance. It just doesn’t happen.
I made a diaper cake. I haven’t asked if this is permissable. I’m just going to show up with my cake. Here it is…
Mike said “is it finished?” which has trampled my confidence. However, this is as good as it gets.
While I had out crafty stuff which is incredibly messy, I decided to rework my “B” which appeared on a summer wreath last year…
It looks really rough in this picture…
I spray painted my “B” black and then I poured some orange paint I got for 49 cents on a paper plate. My tool of choice was an old pencil with a eraser.
I then just “dotted” with the eraser tip and made a B that will look good on a fall wreath.
And here is where the wreath should appear, but it does not. Because I haven’t made it yet. I’m still basking in the glory of the B. This was so easy.
Thought some of you from Mendota or with ties to Mendota might enjoy The Villager. It’s a peek into life in our rural life. Margie Dean puts this together for our community. If you like seeing this on this blog, please leave a comment so that I’ll know. I could do it for our future issues, too.
Sep/Oct/Nov 2014 THE VILLAGER
MENDOTA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION NEWS
Thoughts from MCA President (Bill) Porter – Wake Up Mendota! There are wonderful things taking place in your community! The MCA Board is actively serving you. We are working to maintain the community center in good shape. We work hard to keep the pantry stocked and serve the needs of the people weekly. We explore fundraisers to help supplement the county grant. We are working to promote Mendota so businesses will want to open in Mendota. We plan and work tirelessly. We speak positive about beautiful Mendota and the surrounding area. If you want to expand your boundaries and give a helping hand, show up at the next MCA meeting. We need your help and support! We had a great energetic group at our September2 meeting and we believe God has good things in store for Mendota and YOU! Be a positive influence for Mendota!
Welcome HMG! Mendota Health Center opened September 3. Holston Medical Group announces the expansion of primary care services with the opening of HMG Primary Care at Mendota. “We’re very pleased to partner with the Mendota community to provide primary care services to this area,” says HMG President & CEO Scott R. Fowler, MD,JD. “Dr Andrew Bockmyre, a local physician and long-time HMG physician now provides the community with the peace of mind of excellent care, close to home, decreasing travel time and expense to the members of the community.”
Board-certified family physician Andrew Brockmyre, MD, began caring for patients at the Mendota location on September 3. Office hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 8am to 5 pm.
“I am excited to be practicing in my home town and look forward to providing quality care to my neighbors and friends,” said Dr. Brockmyre.
Brockmyre received his doctorate of medicine from Michigan State University School of Medicine and has been practicing at Holston Medical Group since 1997 where he has continued to provide compassionate, attentive care to patients in all stages of life.
Mendota, go to the Clinic and welcome Dr. Brockmyre and staff!
The Mendota Community Association meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. Residents of Mendota are encouraged to be a part of this active leadership group. Everyone is invited to attend the meetings and if you have ideas or concerns, please contact Bill Porter at 276-386-7063 or 423-914-5156 or Cobenna Barker at 276-466-4551. Our goal is to keep the building maintained in good shape, inside and out, for many years and that everyone will continue to enjoy many community events sponsored by the MCA and other groups.
Community Center rental is available by calling Wanda Riner at 276-645-2362.
Activities Coming Soon – (Place on Your Calendar)
Mendota Heritage Festival, Sat, September 13
Mendota Pumpkin Patch Event, Tues, Oct 28
Veterans Day Appreciation Dinner, Tues, Nov 11
Christmas Dinner/Tree Lighting/Concert, Friday, Dec 5
Mendota 5K River Run – Saturday, March 21, 2015
Neighborhood Watch
Residents of Mendota area are encouraged to attend the meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Community Center. A representative from the Washington County’s Sheriff’s Office leads the meetings. The meetings are very informative and interesting. The September 4 meeting welcomed Sergeant Jamie Davis, District Supervisor of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Sergeant Davis talked about and distributed literature and pamphlets on Wildlife Crime Watch, Hunting & Trapping, Rabies Vaccination Program and Living with Black Bears in Virginia. Check out the community center bulletin board for information on Wildlife in Virginia and pick up the September copy of the Neighborhood Watch Newsletter for telephone numbers and websites to report suspicious wildlife related activities.
The October Neighborhood Watch will welcome Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman on Thursday,
October 2 beginning at 7:00 pm. Come and visit with Sheriff Newman. He wants to meet you and listen to your concerns and thoughts on how to enhance the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the Mendota area. Place October 2 on your calendar today so you will not forget this important meeting. Please come and bring a neighbor.
Mendota Heritage Festival, Sat, September 13
Come and enjoy the wonderful activities that are planned for you and your family. The children will enjoy a petting zoo, bubbles in the field, button making in the Library, and archery – all free. Also, guessing jars filled with goodies could be yours if you can guess the number of items in the jars. Adults will enjoy the music, vendors, horseshoe, archery, quilt show, and a cake walk. Everyone will enjoy the K-9 Demonstrations by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Library book sale, and photo contest. Come and welcome HMG’s Dr. Brockmyre and staff to the Mendota Health Clinic. Good food too!
Mendota Food Pantry
The MCA is delighted to serve Mendota and surrounding area with a food pantry that is open weekly on Thursdays from 4-7 pm. Now, we are serving from 35-49 families weekly. The food pantry accepts monetary donations along with non-perishable food items. We have been blessed with continued donations from Churches plus donations of food from several individuals that contribute weekly. We extend a very heart-felt “Thanks” to everyone. Your support is valuable to the success of the pantry. If you haven’t been contributing to the food pantry, think how you might help.
Also, we need a chest type freezer for our pantry, if you happen to have one to donate.
Alive 55 Senior Group
The Alive 55 Group continues to enjoy their monthly activities. The July meeting was a health program by Dr. Donna Fraysier that everyone participated in and thoroughly enjoyed. The August meeting was a fun meeting with a scavenger hunt for unusual items of empty spool of thread, a used crayon, rubber band, finishing nails, and a match stem. After finding these items, everyone enjoyed using them and learned to make “creepers”. Then, we had a creeper race that was won by Jo Mutter. We played bingo and had ice cream sundaes and banana splits. Barbara Hays brought watermelon – delicious. The September 16 meeting will be a cook-out at Nottingham UMC Picnic Shelter at 3 pm. But first, some seniors are going to the Creations Kingdom Zoo located about 15 minutes from Nottingham, leaving about 1 pm from Nottingham and arriving back at 3 pm for the meeting.
Our October 21 meeting will be a fun time and preparing for our Silent Auction scheduled in November and “The Gift Tree” for Mendota’s children and elderly that might need a little extra love and care for Christmas. Also, we will work on shoeboxes for children in foreign countries through Samaritan’s Purse. Our November meeting will be featuring Mendota’s talented Oscar Harris. In December, we will celebrate Christmas with a program, games and Christmas goodies.
Come and see what’s happening at Alive 55. You’ll be glad you did!
Snow Removal from Mendota Health Clinic – HMG.
If you have equipment to remove snow from the clinic parking lot and would be available to scrape the parking lot on days the clinic is open, please contact Bill Porter at 423/914-5156.
Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday November 2, 12:00 am – Remember to set those clocks back one hour.
MENDOTA
Heritage Festival
Sat – Sept 13, 2014, 11am-3:30pm
MUSIC – Beginning 11:00 am
Jeff Millsap 11:00 am
Blood Bought – D.C. & Mary Hess- Noon
Savior’s Call – 1:00 pm
Candice Bennett – 2:00 pm
Liz, Gregor, Micah – 2:30 pm
Karen Vermillion – 3:00 pm
God’s Grace – 3:30 pm – Patty Odum
Free to Enjoy all Afternoon
PETTING ZOO
Enjoy all Afternoon – Free
K-9 DEMONSTRATIONS 1:00pm
Washington County Sheriff’s Office – Free
QUILT SHOW – Free Admission
Bring Your Quilt and Win the Blue Ribbon
HORSESHOE CONTEST
Free of Charge
ARCHERY – FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
BEGINNERS AND EXPERIENCED
FOOD
Hot Dogs, Nachos/Cheese, Chips, Brownies, Cookies, Sodas, Water, Baked Goods and ice cream cones
CAKE WALK – Noon & 2pm
15 Cake Walks Tickets – 2 walks for $1.00
MENDOTA BRANCH OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY LIBRARY BOOK SALE Special Button Making for Children
Photo Contest – Children & Adults – Call Ray @645-2374 for Details
MENDOTA HEALTH CLINIC – HMG
WELCOME Dr. Brockmyre and Staff
GOODSON KINDERHOOK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT.
BUBBLE FUN FOR CHILDREN IN THE BALL FIELD – 3:00 PM
CAKE AUCTION – 11:45am
We Welcome Mendota Community residents and friends to share in a day of family entertainment.
Mendota Community Center
2562 Mendota Road
Mendota, Virginia 24270
276-645-2362
THE VILLAGER
MENDOTA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
We invite everyone to worship with us Sundays, 6 pm and Wednesdays, 10:30 am. Thanks Be to God! We are planning our Advent and Christmas studies and look forward to supplying shoe boxes for children with Samaritan’s Purse in November.
MENDOTA MINISTERIAL GROUP
The Mendota Ministerial Group – Pastor’s meetings are to encourage and pray together, for each other, the Mendota Community and, as the Spirit leads, for ministries for the Mendota area. We invite all area ministers to join us. We meet the second Thursday, at 6:30 pm; but if that is not a good time/date for you, let us know and we will try to find a date that will work for most.
The Mendota Gathering Bowl, a ministry of the Mendota Ministerial Group, will continue weekly on Thursdays in January 2015. Summer Picnics, compliments of Saint Peter Presbyterian Church, have served almost 100 individuals monthly at the community center. Thanks Wayne and Barbara Hays and the Mendota Parish. We appreciate you!
