Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
Are there any rope beds still being used? This was a bed that did not have box springs. It was a type of platform bed in which the sleeper and mattress were supported by a lattice of rope, rather than wooden slats. The bed would then have a mattress or two placed on top. The ropes would need to be tightened regularly with a bed wrench, and sometimes wedges, as they sagged, so therefore they needed to be stretched out. This is where the saying “sleep tight” comes from, the tightening of the ropes on the rope strung beds.
Oftentimes, the ropes needed to be re-strung occasionally, reducing the sag and to even out the wear.
Humans have been trying to find the best way to sleep for millennia. A 77,000-year-old bedding was made from grass-like plants called sedges. These beds could be as thick as a foot, but were on the ground in South Africa.
Egyptians began building raised platform wooden beds, while the Scottish people made raised beds from stone, and created mattresses made from wool. The most poor of society would just have a mattress on the floor.
In this community, the average family would have a bedtick which would traditionally be stuffed with straw, chaff, or down feathers. Oftentimes, the entire family had to share it.
Life’s little instructions to make this world a better place include the following:
- Cultivate good manners.
- Go an entire day without criticizing anyone.
- Realize and accept that life isn’t fair.
- Give clothes not worn to charity.
- Listen more, talk less.
Thursday’s one-half inch of rain was certainly a pause that refreshed. Friday had signs of a fine day, and indeed it was. Humidity had gone somewhere else, and the gentle breezes turned the countryside sweeter. Some showers have been passing through the area. Still, it is the “Dog Days.” Local folk lore states that when Dog Days come in dry, they will go out wet. Time will tell! The writer’s grandfather always cut brush during the Dog Days, as he noticed the brush did not come back as aggressively the following year.
This week’s quotes are as follows:
“Here’s an idea: Let’s get over ourselves, buy a cherry pie, and go fall I love with life.” — Tom Robbins
“When you put love out in the world, it travels; it can reach people in ways that we never expected.” — Laverne Cox
“Do something good and someone might imitate it.” — Albert Schweitzer
“I think you should be a child for as long as you can. I have been successful for 74 years being able to do that.” — Bob Newhart
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” — Margaret Mead
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Sitting on the front porch is where one may hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
The community welcomed its new citizen, Justin Clinton Bowers, II. He entered this world at 5:50 p.m. on July 10th and weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces. Melinda and Justin Bowers are the proud parents. Congratulations!
Shaun, Ava, and Leslie Bowers, along with Tammy and Laura George and Reshella and Hudson Leary, spent last week at the beach in Santa Rosa, Florida. They visited the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Destin, Florida, shopped at Baytown Wharf, and had a picnic at Eden Gardens State Park. It was a great week with family.
Galen Crummett attended his 62nd class reunion Saturday at the Harold K. Michael Ruritan Building. Fifteen out of the 50 surviving members were in attendance.
Saturday visitors of Evelyn Varner were Sonny and Steve Brooks of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Chris Wood of Michigan, Judy Costello of Verona, Virginia, Eugene Varner, Geneva Varner and Bill Trester and friends from Piney River, Virginia.
Sunday found Evelyn Varner and Wanda Pitsenbarger visiting with Ronnie and Christine Bowers.
Monday through Wednesday found Phil Downs entertaining his granddaughter, Amelia Gibson, and friend, Wilson Beima of Springfield, Virginia. He was pleasantly surprised by a visit on Saturday and Sunday from Rose Sith of Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Sydney, Australia, hosted the Olympic Games in 2000.
- Snoopy, from Charles M. Schulz’s “Peanuts” comic strip, is a beagle.
- Only female mosquitos bite.
- The world’s first public museum, the British Museum, was founded in 1753 in London.
- A lake on Saturn’s moon, Titan, is named after Lake Ontario.
August birthdays include Justin Via, David Puffenbarger and Lonnie Conley, first; Tracy Armstrong, second; Nancy Enyart, third; Brittany Gumm, Junior Bolton and Skyler Frame, fourth; Charlotte Hoover, Doris Hoops, Paula Price, Steve Stump, Carter Hott and Colby Hott, fifth; Jerry Smith and Johnny Rexrode, sixth; Amy Berg, seventh; Amanda Rexrode, Karen Peer, Gary Smith and Carl Hevener, eighth; Philip Simmons and Dolly Rexrode, ninth; Carrigan Hedrick, Corrinne Hedrick, Sherman Bennett, Margaret Kiser, Darren Olka and Sara Olka, 10th; Brandon Mitchell and Becky Rightsell, 11th; Doug Simmons, Pat Godfrey, Sam Harper and C.J. Eckard, 12th; Sandy Bennett, 13th; Moni Harman, 14th; and Denise Neil and Bobbie Shanholtz, 15th.
Concerns are as follows: Bob Adamson, Dyer Anderson, John Ashley, Roger Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Richard Bennett, “Bo” Boggs, Marie Cole, Christian Dasher, Benny Evick, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, the Allison Fleming family, Carl Gant, David Gillespie, Lola Graham, Patsy Green, JC Hammer, Marlene Harman, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Grace Hedrick, Jim Hiner, Evan Hise, Tim Hively, Gary Harman, Alma Harper, George Hevener, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Adalbert Hoover, Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, the Lois Huffman family, Lisa and Mike Jamison, Jessica Janney, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Marsha Keller, Kim Kline, Ginger Knight, Tracie Knight, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Ronnie Lambert, Rex Landis, Roger and Skip Mallow, Yvonne Marsh, Ed May, Gary McDonald, Neil McLaughlin, Rose Miller, Bruce Minor, Tom Mitchell, Barbara Moats, Gloria Moats, John Morford, Bill Mullenax, Helen Nash, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Walt Pitsenbarger, Wanda Pitsenbarger, Andy Pond, Janice Propst, Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger, Alda Propst, Janis Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Stanley Propst, Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Charles Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Linda Fay Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Mike Roberts, the Rose Robinson family, Donna Ruddle, Jenny Ruddle, the Bonnie Shanholtz family, Brittany Shriver, Annie Simmons, Barry Simmons, Greg Simmons, Phyllis Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Judy Simmons, Nelson Simmons, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Tina Stuben, Steve Stump, Elizabeth Terry, the Rosa Tichenor family, Linda and Larry Vandevander, Sandra Vandevander, Raymond Varner, Amy Vaus, Estelle Wagner, Rene White, Judy Williams, Ann and Ed Wimer and Margaret Wimer.
