Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
With warmer to hot temperatures arriving on the scene, so too are the flies’ arrival. Flies tend to aggravate mothers more than any other member of the household. They tend to love the kitchen area, swarming all over the place. They will crawl on cabinets, on the stove, on the floor, ceiling, and even the walls.
Mothers always worried about houseflies getting on the food, especially as it was getting put on the table for consumption. There was a variety of ways to combat these flies. One method was the trusty old fly swatter, available within easy reach.
In days of yore, another method was to purchase flypaper that came in a small cardboard tube. This was tacked on the ceiling and then pulled on the tube to unroll a piece of paper about two inches wide. The paper would be dripping with a horrible sticky substance. The idea was that the flypaper would attract flies, and once caught in the sticky stuff, they would die when trying to escape.
There were some disadvantages to this flypaper. First of all, tall visitors would walk into the house, and not seeing the paper they would bump their heads into it. With it covered with dead flies, this action would pull it loose from the ceiling. It would often end up wrapped around the head and stuck in the hair.
Another problem was that this flypaper was expensive. Makers of the flypaper took advantage of the poor housewives who wanted to serve clean food to their families. Four rolls would cost 50 cents, with mothers using four flypapers a day. This became costly for an annual purchase of $180 — just for one room, the kitchen.
A good portion of the family income would be spent on flypaper. Sprays soon came along, with the bountiful table of food being covered with a sheet when spraying the room. That way everyone could eat in peace.
So be careful when opening any door of the house. Flies are waiting for this opportunity to fly in and create havoc! Be sure to sneak in and out as they swarm by the door waiting to come in.
Life’s little instructions for peaceful living include the following:
- Walk down a country road.
- Send birthday cards.
- Mow for the elderly neighbor.
- Hug one’s kids every day.
- Volunteer to help without being asked.
The earlier part of last week brought about temperatures ranging between 20-26 degrees in the mornings. As the week drew to a close, showers brought about warmer temperatures. The hummingbirds have arrived and very much appreciated the feeders waiting for them. They love plain water with sugar in those feeders.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“Aim for the highest cloud so that if you miss it, you will hit a lofty mountain.” — Maori Proverb
“Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time.” — E.B. White
“If there is a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it.” — Jimmy Buffett
“It doesn’t matter if I don’t succeed in something. What matters is if I learn from my mistakes.” — Linda Evans
“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” — Mark Twain
Sitting in the shade is the perfect way to hear the “Talk of the Grove.”
Shaun, Leslie, and Ava Bowers have been sitting outside their lovely Stoney Run home where they are listening to the whippoorwills’ lovely songs. They have invited Tom Mitchell over as he too enjoys hearing their tunes.
Children have been busy with all of their ballgames. Oftentimes, this crowds in to their daily school instructions.
Most families in this neighborhood have been involved with the highway cleanup during Earth Day week. Several folks have even gone beyond that with eradicating the brush along the banks, cleaning around the home sites, and doing a lot of weed eating, even along fence rows. A hearty group of folks, including youngsters, from the St. John Lutheran Church area brought in many bags of trash. With warmer temperatures arriving this week, the volunteers should culminate in making this community a prettier place, and making it so much more beautiful. In most of the southern section of the county (Sugar Grove district), the many volunteers have taken on the challenge of Earth Day. In a short time, gardeners will be planting the flowers which the humans, hummingbirds, song birds, and bees so much enjoy.
It is still a little too early for garden planting, although Sam Cockran has his pretty well done. His garden sits in an area where it is conducive to growing plants early.
The Raymond Varner potpie/beans fundraiser on Saturday drew quite a crowd. Lots of helping hands went into making this a successful fundraiser. From all reports, all the vittles were very tasty.
Joel and Betsy Farrar of Lynchburg, Virginia, were Saturday visitors in the home of Willard and Judy Rader.
Sunday evening found Joann Moyers, Julie Smith and Evelyn Varner motoring to the Victory Church of Dayton, Virginia to enjoy the Crossroads music.
On Sunday, Charles and “Pidge” Anderson went to visit Willard and Judy. They also had a visit from Damian Moats this past week.
Ava Bowers, daughter of Shaun and Leslie Bowers, placed first in the seventh/eighth-grade division of the Young Writers. They plan to motor to Charleston on Thursday to attend the Young Writers from all over the state. Congratulations, Ava. She has put Sugar Grove on the map again!
A gathering of friends and family met last Saturday at the Mt. View Church of the Brethren in McGaheysville, Virginia, to have a surprise 60th birthday party for Joyce Marshall.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
Orlando, Florida, is known as “the Theme Park Capital of the World.” The city typically attracts more than 65 million tourists a year.
Ninety-four percent of pet owners say their animal pal makes them smile more than once a day.
Australia is the only English-speaking country to have made voting compulsory in federal and state elections.
Egypt’s Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important waterways, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run at Hanlan’s Point Stadium in Toronto, Canada. It landed in Lake Ontario, Canada, and is believed to still be there.
Concerns for this week are as follows: Bob Adamson, John Ashley, Roger Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Richard Bennett, the Mike Blankenship family, “Bo” Boggs, Marie Cole, Christian Dasher, Benny Evick, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, Carl Gant, Lola Graham, Patsy Green, JC Hammer, Marlene Harman, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Grace Hedrick, Jim Hiner, Tim Hively, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Adelbert Hoover, Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, 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, Helen Nash, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Wanda Pitsenbarger, Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger, Alda Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Stanley Propst, Clement Rader, Jr., Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Charles Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Linda Fay Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Donna Ruddle, Jenny Ruddle, Brittany Shriver, Annie Simmons, Phyllis Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Stanna Smith, Tina Stuben, Elizabeth Terry, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Raymond Varner, Amy Vaus, Estelle Wagner, Rene White, Judy Williams, Ann and Jerry Wimer and Margaret Wimer.
