Even in light of unprecedented recent challenges in our community and in our world, we look forward to spending time this summer* with family and friends and enjoying some of the wonderful events and attractions the greater Lynchburg region has to offer. Here are a few ideas to get you started: *As this issue went to print in mid-April, a stay-at-home order was in effect for all Virginians through June 10.
Register your child right now for the best week of summer ever! Camp Hydaway offers outdoor adventure, ziplining, water-toys, sports, and more in a safe, fun environment centered around Jesus. There are day camps for campers completing 1st – 3rd grade and overnight camps for those completing 3rd – 5th grade. Go to www.camphydaway.com to register.
The beauty of Red Hill and the landscape surrounding it is virtually unchanged from the days when Patrick Henry lived here. The peacefulness in this place Henry called the “garden spot of the world” flourishes.
July 4th at Red Hill is a day full of living history, music, patriotism and fireworks! Events begin at 3pm, fireworks at dusk. Open year-round. www.redhill.org
Kick off the start of summer at the 12th Annual Virginia Summer Solstice Wine Festival on June 20th from 11am-6pm at Lazy Days Winery. Celebrate great wines from local Virginia wineries, live music on two stages, great festival foods, craft vendors, belly dancers, a petting zoo and more! Wine tasting tickets include a free souvenir glass. Tasting tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Admission is free for kids 12 and under.
Summer is a time when family traditions and memories are made. This summer, take your family on an adventure they’ll never forget! Whether racing around the area’s only go-kart track to the sound of fans cheering in the stands, stealthily navigating the two-story laser tag arena on a mission to secure the team base, or winning big in our 40+ game arcade, one thing is certain: Summer will never be the same again! Summer will be the time when the kids learn that Grandma invented water wars in the bumper boat pool, that Dad can’t be beat at air hockey, and that no one can ace a shot like Mom on the Putt-Putt® course! With great deals on unlimited attractions starting at just $17, Putt-Putt Fun Center® delivers affordable family fun every time! Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. At these prices, it’s easy to plan a day of adventure at Lynchburg’s destination for family fun! With two 18-hole Putt-Putt® Golf courses, a go-kart track, bumper boats, softball and baseball batting cages, bumper cars, laser tag, and the area’s largest arcade, even Grandpa will be eager to join in on the action. Visit Putt-Putt Fun Center® and begin your summer family tradition today!
Did you know that during World War II superheroes promoted the war effort in the pages of comic books? Superman championed Victory Gardens while Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Batman fought the Axis Powers.
Learn more about their influence on World War II during the National D-Day Memorial’s Spirit of ’45: Outdoor Movie Night on Saturday, August 8, 2020 featuring “Captain America: The First Avenger” (PG-13). The movie will start at sunset, approximately 8:00 p.m. Before the movie, you can enjoy superhero themed activities, food trucks, and self-guided tours of the Memorial. Free admission. Learn more at www.dday.org.
Note: The National D-Day Memorial is continually monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation. Please visit www.dday.org for the most up to date information about this and other events.
Backyard Birds
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
When most people think of raising livestock of any kind, they think of big farms and wide-open spaces—but we can’t all buy 50 acres and become full-time farmers. Thankfully, with the rise of urban farming and backyard gardens, you don’t need to own a lot of land or quit your day job to enjoy some of the benefits of farm life.
For my family, backyard birds are an essential part of our home garden. They are relatively low cost and low maintenance (after a few start-up essentials), they don’t require a lot of space, and they do so many wonderful things for us.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rodney Chrisman, who owns and operates Wolf Hill Farm in Bedford County. His family-run farm specializes in breeding and selling chicks (and soon to be ducks) as well as farm products. They also offer “coop-ready” chickens for anyone wanting to skip the incubator stage. At any rate, Rodney is pretty much a backyard bird expert.
According to Rodney, the practice of raising backyard birds has been quickly growing in popularity every year as more people discover the benefits. As he pointed out, chickens take feed, table scraps, grass, and bugs, and turn them into fresh eggs and the best fertilizer around.
It’s true, chickens are great gardeners. Their clawed feet act as mini tillers as they scratch at the dirt to forage for bugs and treats—and at the end of the growing season, they are great at cleaning up your garden for you! They produce nutrient-rich waste which, if composted with their used bedding, makes incredible fertilizer. But the benefits don’t end there.
There is nothing like a beautiful, farm-fresh egg and the pleasure of being intimately connected to the food you and your family consume. Furthermore, chickens are dedicated foragers, and they love to eat the bugs we detest in our yards! In fact, ticks are a favorite snack, and the average hen can consume at least 60 ticks per hour! Rodney says that even if you don’t free-range your chickens, rotating their coop to new locations throughout your yard or allowing them an hour or two of free-range foraging time will drastically reduce the number of ticks and mosquitos around your home. I live in a fenceless yard, in a neighborhood with lots of roaming pets, so my flock stays in a fenced-in coop most of the time—but I love to let them wander and eat up all those undesirables while I’m working in my garden or enjoying the evening on the back porch.
If you’re sold on the idea of raising a flock of your own, there are a few things you should know before you go out and make a purchase. First: check your local regulations. Most localities in our area have some regulations surrounding backyard bird raising. These might include maximum flock size, distance from property lines, or yard size requirements. Fortunately, most localities do allow residents to keep poultry, even Lynchburg City!
Next, it’s a good idea to carefully research the breeds available to you before you buy, and choose the breed that is best for your needs. Personally, I like chickens that lay plenty of brightly colored eggs, so we’re raising Ameraucanas, who lay blue-green eggs, and Welsummers, who lay rich terracotta speckled eggs. When it comes to ducks, we’re looking for an easy temperament and a high egg production. But maybe you are looking to raise birds for meat or want chickens with great personalities who will doze on your lap in the sunshine. Always do your research, and if you’re not sure, my friend Rodney would be happy to help!
Then, there are a few essentials you’ll need to provide for your flock, in order to keep them safe, healthy, and happy:
If you’re starting with babies, you’ll need a safe place for them to grow, away from the elements and predators. You can use almost anything as long as it is secure, big enough for all of the birds plus their food and water, and can be kept very warm. We use a big plastic tote and keep it in our mudroom.
Baby birds are very sensitive to temperature changes and must be kept very warm (80-90 degrees). Even after they’ve been moved out to their coop, you’ll want to move the heat lamp outside with them in case of cool nights. You can pick one up at just about any farm store. Slowly move the heat lamp away from the brooder as the chicks age.
Whether you are going to free range or keep your birds in a coop, their diet will require regular feedings of specifically formulated feed to stay healthy and lay eggs. Babies require protein-rich starter feed for the first few weeks of their life. Then, you’ll want to slowly transition them to a grower feed for the next few weeks. Once they are starting to lay eggs, you’ll switch them to a layer feed, which they will eat happily for most of their lives. Mix in crushed oyster shells and grit, which can be purchased with the feed, to achieve the necessary balanced diet.
Your birds need a strong, secure shelter where they can sleep, lay eggs, and be kept safe in inclement weather or while a predator is on the prowl. Remember, everyone (and everything) loves chicken, so protection is critical. Chickens and ducks require about two to four square feet of space each inside their coop, and if they are confined to a run, at least twice that outside. Bigger is always better. Inside, you may want easily accessible nesting boxes of about one square foot each, and something for the chickens to roost on. (Old wooden ladders work great!) Also, make your life easier by adding a large, locking door for coop clean-out. Their run should be fully enclosed with sturdy fencing, and you’ll want to consider fencing above and below to prevent animals that may try to dig under, or hawks that would swoop down from above. At Wolf Hill, Rodney uses hoop houses for ducks and chickens. He says they’re great because they are very secure, and they can be moved around your yard so you can reap those fertilizer benefits.
You’ll need to provide plenty of clean straw in the coop and the nesting boxes. Avoid hay, as it creates a lot of dust and attracts mites, which are harmful to chickens.
All in all, raising backyard birds is such a great experience for the whole family. “It’s good for the birds and God’s creation in general to be raised in a backyard environment,” says Rodney. “Every egg that someone raises and eats themselves helps the environment, and goes a long way to prevent some of the inhumane practices that take place in modern poultry factories.”
Not to mention that the simple good work of caring for living things and producing your own food is an invaluable experience that brings joy and contentment to all who undertake it.
Take a Break from Netflix: Book Recommendations for All Ages
Lots of people are finding themselves with more time on their hands than ever before. (That’s not a bad thing, right?) Even those working from home during the day have free evenings and weekends as the governor’s stay-at-home order continues.
Now is the time to get lost in a good book (or two… or 50). We asked the Lynchburg Public Library to recommend some good titles for all ages—and all are available online through the library’s hoopla or Overdrive collections. If you aren’t sure how that works, we’ve included some background information as well—just keep scrolling.
Adults Titles compiled by Leann Underwood, adult services supervisor at the Lynchburg Public Library
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel—Hilary Mantel provides a compelling twist on Henry the VIII, telling the Tudor saga from Thomas Cromwell’s point of view. Mantel does not paint Cromwell as a do-gooder, but rather shows us his greed and ambition as part of a complex character. The eaudiobook is available on Overdrive. The video is available through hoopla.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman—We could all use a reminder to have faith in humanity. This humorous, poignant novel follows a year in the life of Ove, a man who has lost his wife and is determined to end his—but events and neighbors assure that Ove remains. The ebook and eaudiobook are available on Overdrive.
Clock Dance by Anne Tyler—A delightfully bewitching and beautifully written novel of one woman’s transformative journey through self-discovery. Willa Drake spends the novel surrounded by eccentric neighbors who treat each other like family. Available on Overdrive. The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson—Eric Larson makes non-fiction read like fiction. It is the height of WWII and Europe is looking for a leader. Larson captures the sacrifice of Winston Churchill himself, and his family, in the fight against Germany. Available on Overdrive.
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett—“The Dutch House” is very accurately described as a “richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go.” The Dutch House almost becomes a character itself, allowing the reader to look through the windows into the lives of those who have lived there. Available on Overdrive. Young Adult Top 10 List Compiled by Emily Mook, youth services library assistant at the Lynchburg Public Library All are available through hoopla’s Bonus Borrows Collection
• The Lord of the Rings audiobooks (entire trilogy) • The Hobbit audiobook • Spider-Man: Miles Morales Volumes 1 & 2 comics • Loki: Agent of Asgard Volume 1: Trust Me comic • Magic: The Gathering: Rise of the Gatewatch eBook • The Gamer’s Bucket List eBook • Star Wars Volume 1: Skywalker Strikes comic • Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume 1 comic • Rebel Belle audiobook • The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens eBook
Children’s Top 10 List Compiled by Emily Mook, youth services library assistant at the Lynchburg Public Library All are available through hoopla’s Bonus Borrows Collection
• Captain Underpants audiobooks (select titles in series only) • Lumberjanes Volume 1 comic • Boxcar Children eBooks and audiobooks (select titles in series only) • Classic Starts audiobooks: Peter Pan, Oliver Twist, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, A Little Princess, Alice in Wonderland, and Anne of Green Gables • Diary of a Wimpy Kid eBooks (select titles in series only) • Big Nate comics (select titles in series only) • The 39 Clues audiobooks (select titles in series only) • Wings of Fire audiobooks (select titles in series only) • Avatar: The Last Airbender: North and South Part 1 comic • I Survived audiobooks (select titles in series only)
Understanding hoopla and Overdrive The hoopla and Overdrive collections are available to anyone with a Lynchburg, Campbell County, or Bedford County library card. The Lynchburg Public Library allows for three checkouts per month per library card. (However, checkouts of the hoopla Bonus Borrows Collection are unlimited.)
Anyone who has a library card issued from a library branch in Lynchburg, Campbell County, or Bedford County can create a free digital account with each collection. Go to hoopladigital.com or vppl.overdrive.com and sign up for an account using your library card number and PIN. (Your PIN should be the last 4 digits of the phone number you gave when signing up for your library card.)
People who don’t have a library card can still get one online at lynchburgpubliclibrary.org/get-a-card. Allow 24 hours for your card to become active.
If you have a question or are having trouble, reach out to the Lynchburg Public Library on Facebook or by calling (434) 455-6300 between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Showstopper
Spring Tablescapes
Goodbye folded laundry and paperwork—it’s time to return your dining table to its former glory
If a spring brunch or dinner party is on your end-of-winter-celebration checklist, there is an easy way to take your dining area décor to the next level: a styled tablescape. “Tablescapes can elevate furniture, from an incredibly simple table to a hand-me-down set to something brand new,” says Ashley Hilbish, interior designer with Curtains, Blinds & Bath. “They add tons of visual interest to a room that typically gets the smallest budget and is usually left for last when it comes to decorating.”
Looking at your empty table and not sure where to start? Ashley says first, try to block out the colors in the rest of your home. “The table is one place where you can get away with not matching the rest of your space,” she says, adding that great tablescapes have lots of layers as well as contrasting colors.
To show us how it’s done, Ashley created two table settings—in two very different styles—that we hope will inspire you to reclaim your dining table this spring.
Bright & Traditional
Versatility is the backbone of this transitional tablescape that’s perfect for someone trying to incorporate updated pieces into their more traditional home. “It neither screams stuffy or too casual,” Ashley says. “This look can go from full-blown Easter meals with the family to a simple cheese and wine pairing on a sunny afternoon with friends.” In fact, this table setting is so versatile, just switch out your textiles and flowers from season to season—everything else can stay.
Give your table a personal spring touch by painting the names of your guests on eggs.
Ditch the rings and tie your cloth napkins into a bow-tie shape. Also, don’t be afraid to use a mix of metal finishes.
Intricate floral candlesticks are a nod to traditional style. For a finished and cozy look, add white unscented candles.
Ashley encourages clients with longer tables to try using two table runners horizontally instead of one down the middle.
This more formal spring centerpiece features orange tulips alongside a diverse mix of white flowers, pampas grass, and feathered/seeded eucalyptus.
Like What You See? Many of these items from both tablescapes are for sale at Curtains, Blinds & Bath—18458 Forest Road, Forest, VA 24551.
Bold & Whimsical
Dark colors, matte finishes and soft textures collide gorgeously in this “moody” tablescape that would fit well in mid-century, boho or modern homes. It gives off a metropolitan vibe—you may even want to pretend you’re brunching with friends in New York or Los Angeles. “Am I saying you can’t mix in grandma’s vintage silver with this for a personal touch and still make it work? Not at all … but I think overall, the textures and finishes—even down to the eucalyptus greens—really make this look on trend,” Ashley says.
Create your own floating plants—these centerpieces are easy to make and work well with most décor styles.
A white boho-inspired runner gives this table setting a more laid-back vibe. For those with a playful spirit, ceramic bunnies give this décor the “spring” touch it needs.
Burgundy Scabiosa gives a pop of color to this arrangement that features delicate pink Quicksand roses.
Select items with varying heights to add dimension and interest.
Soft pink bowls contrast sharply with black plates, fitting in with a modern aesthetic.
GO BRIGHT OR KEEP IT LIGHT BUT DON’T BE AFRAID TO CRANK UP THE PIGMENT IN 2020
After a long stretch of whites and neutrals, we are extremely excited to announce: color is making a comeback. And if you’re ready to bring some bolder hues (and patterns) into your home, what better place to start than on the walls?
“People are definitely wanting to add in more color,” says Mary Lou Stufano at James T. Davis Paint and Design Center in Lynchburg. “There has been a very strong shift towards the artisanal movement and working with local artists. People are also traveling and bringing back fabrics from other countries that they want to work into their style.”
Mary Lou and fellow James T. Davis designer Kara Oliver not only showed us a few top color choices, they took it a step further and showed us how to style these paint options in your home.
Colors of the Year
While you may have heard about Pantone’s widely publicized “Color of the Year” (their 2020 pick is an elegant Classic Blue), you may not realize that local paint stores, such as James T. Davis, research and prepare their own list of recommendations. What’s even better—it’s not limited to just one color!
From “Mullen Pink” to “On the Nile,” their 2020 lineup includes mostly vibrant, rich colors—with only a few tamer counterparts. The color palette as a whole gives off a formal, traditional vibe. Kara and Mary Lou see these colors working well in one of Lynchburg’s older, historic homes with dark mahogany furniture, even wicker and rattan. But don’t forget to bring in some modern touches so it doesn’t look dated.
“Add maybe a brass and glass coffee table or a very modern piece of art to tone down that traditional feeling,” says Stufano.
If you aren’t quite ready to paint your living room the orange-inspired “Ballet Cream,” Oliver suggests starting small. “Think in small doses. A half bath for example. A homeowner can have some fun with that space,” she says.
Transitional Style
Taking a step down from the Colors of the Year are two “transitional” looks created by our James T. Davis experts. “These are a transition between a traditional and contemporary design. You may see a traditional style or wood furniture but much cleaner lines. Not curly and fussy,” Stufano says.
The colors they chose for these looks—a range of pinks and blues—are not neutrals, but they are soft and feminine, even in their darkest shades.
“Gold accents can play well off the blue,” Oliver says, but adds that silvers would work as well and encourages homeowners to mix metals. “Because they aren’t as glaring and shiny anymore, some metals you can’t even really tell if it’s a gold or a silver.”
One way to bring a metal into a room is with wallpaper. A modern, geometric pattern can give these pink and blue shades a little bit of an edge. Add other textures to draw people in such as velvet, a popular fabric choice. “People like things that feel good, and light plays off of velvet differently than it would a linen,” says Stufano.
If velvet and Laura Ashley–inspired colors have you thinking, “what decade are we in?” don’t fret. “Some colors and textures are definitely coming back into play, but they are being presented differently. For example, we are seeing cleaner, straighter window treatments. None of those valences that used to be popular,” Stufano says.
Overwhelmed By Your Choices? Oliver and Stufano tell clients to find items in their home that they love and bring them to their consultation. Then, they can start choosing some colors around those choices. “This could be a pillow, a fabric, a piece of art. I had someone bring me a shell once,” she says. “For people with new builds or those who are ‘I don’t know where to start,’ this narrows down their selections.”
Floral Focal Points
Step away from the vase (and out of your comfort zone) and give one of these STUNNING displays a try
Photography by Heather Kidd
Special spring events call for statement-making blooms. According to Mary Ellen LaFreniere of Steel Cut Flower Co., one of the biggest mistakes she sees is when people display flowers in vases all over their home. “Focus all of your attention on one area, make that the focal point,” she says.
Ready to try something different? Mary Ellen created three unique options to get you started.
Chandelier
Most people have a chandelier over their dining table, and it’s already a focal point, especially if your event centers around a meal. First, Mary Ellen suggests keeping it simple—choose one color palette or even just one flower. “With one color family, the placement of flowers won’t matter as much,” she says. (In all three of these arrangements, Mary Ellen used tulips, sweet peas, heirloom carnations, peonies, bush ivy and lilies.) For the modern, rectangular chandelier on the previous page, she molded chicken wire into a column shape—to create a base for greenery—then after attaching it to the chandelier, added in flowers throughout. Let the flowers cascade down and be natural, she says, “as a way to liven up the space.”
Tip: For those with traditional chandeliers, Mary Ellen says she would wrap greenery around the center point and then use the fixture’s natural curves as places where flowers would hang down, affixed with small wire hooks.
Chair
An exquisitely decorated chair is perfect for a gathering with a “guest of honor” who will be the center of attention in lots of photos. Mary Ellen used chicken wire molded into a column shape to create the backbone of the arrangement, then fastened it to the chair with boutonniere pins. She suggests starting from the ground and working your way up to create an organic, climbing shape. The goal is to make the greenery and flowers look like they are connected to the rest of the space. “We like for things to look natural, have a liveliness factor. Instead of just a decoration we stuck on the chair,” she says.
Tip: Don’t go overboard. You don’t want this arrangement getting in your guest of honor’s way or dominating photos.
Mantel
A home’s mantel is often already the focal point of the living room. Why not dress it up? Mary Ellen says the goal is to have the arrangement feel as though it’s reaching out into the room. “People tend to go upward on mantels,” she explains. “But due to the height of them, it looks better when they are more at eye level and reaching out.” Also, asymmetry is key to make the arrangement feel more “alive” and less stuffy. Here, you can embrace finicky flowers that don’t always look great in vases (we’re talking about you, tulips) and have them cascading upside down for a modern look.
Tip: If you want the arrangement to last, put shallow bowls or planters on the mantel to keep your flowers in place and watered. For day-of décor, use chicken wire as the structure, and attach to small nails in the back of your mantel.
A YEAR FOR THE BOOKS
DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY WILL EXPAND IN LYNCHBURG THIS YEAR
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, an international initiative that sends free books to children from birth to age five, is extending its reach to additional Lynchburg-area zip codes this year. Local education-focused nonprofit The Aspire Foundation began partnering with DPIL last fall and has since signed up many families who reside in the 24501 and 24504 zip codes.
“When we started the program last September, we didn’t know how fundraising was going to go,” says Aspire Foundation co-founder Mary Omotoye. “We decided to start the program in 24501 and 24504 because according to the U.S. Census Bureau, those are the most socioeconomically challenged areas in Lynchburg. We are happy to announce that we now have enough funding to open the program up to 24502 and 24503 as well in 2020!” Grants from the Schewel Family Foundation, Centra Foundation, Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, and Mustaches 4 Kids increased DPIL funding significantly.
Omotoye first learned about DPIL when she and her family lived in Cleveland, Ohio. She and her husband, Samuel, enrolled their two young sons in the program and received free books for about half a year. When the family moved to Lynchburg, however, they discovered that DPIL was not available. For the Omotoyes, this absence proved to be an exciting opportunity rather than a disappointment.
“I checked the Imagination Library website and found out that in order to be an affiliate of the program, you have to be a nonprofit organization,” Omotoye notes. “I talked to my husband about it and we thought, ‘Why don’t we start a nonprofit?’ We always had it in mind that we eventually wanted to do nonprofit work in the education sphere, so we thought this initiative was a great place to start.” The couple founded the Aspire Foundation in 2018.
Rox Cruz, a local mom and Freedom Schools Site Coordinator for The Listening, Inc., was one of the many parents who was excited about DPIL coming to Lynchburg.
“I am a major Dolly Parton fan, so I’ve known about this program for over 10 years,” Cruz says. “Once I had my first son, I wanted to sign him up for the program right away. We were living in Florida at the time, but unfortunately our zip code was not eligible for the program. I was so stoked to find out we were eligible in Lynchburg!”
Beloved country music artist Dolly Parton founded DPIL in 1995, and the program has since expanded beyond Dolly’s home state of Tennessee to all 50 states and to Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. Childhood literacy is a passion of Parton’s largely due to her own upbringing.
“Dolly Parton’s father was illiterate, and she grew up very poor. Her mission is to provide books for all children, no matter their family’s income,” said Omotoye, who also experienced a humble childhood. “My husband and I are immigrants and didn’t have a lot growing up, but good educations and a love of books and learning helped us find success—I’m a pharmacist and my husband is a physician.”
By 2003, DPIL had mailed one million books, and now the program sends out over one million books per month. DPIL earned the Library of Congress Best Practices Award in 2014, and the initiative’s 100 millionth book was dedicated to the Library of Congress in 2018.
Enrolled children between ages birth and five receive one free, high-quality book each month until they turn six. The books are selected by an expert panel and come from reputable publisher Penguin Random House. Titles are age-appropriate, at least two bilingual titles are sent to each child each year, and DPIL’s partnership with the Braille Institute of America ensures that blind and visually impaired children receive Braille books.
Cruz, whose sons are one-and-a-half and four, is especially grateful for the addition of bilingual books to their home library.
“My husband is Puerto Rican, so it is really meaningful to us that this program occasionally sends out bilingual books,” she says. “I was so excited when my four-year-old received A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats in English and Spanish last month.”
Although DPIL is beneficial for all children in the targeted age range, it is ideal to enroll a child at birth.
“What’s special about this program is that it really starts from birth,” says Omotoye. “We’re really trying to target that age group before kindergarten because there are tons of studies that show that just having books in the home early on in a child’s life—before the child is even talking—is incredibly impactful on brain development and reading readiness.”
Of course, reading to your child is even more beneficial than simply having books in your home. “For parents, the DPIL books are a reminder to be more intentional about sitting down and reading with your children,” Cruz says.
Omotoye adds that DPIL has a “large impact with a relatively low financial input.” It costs $25 per child per year, which comes out to $2.10 per book including shipping costs.
With the upcoming inclusion of additional Lynchburg zip codes, the Aspire Foundation will be focusing on registering new families for DPIL in 2020. Existing partnerships with Miriam’s House, Johnson Health Center, Richeson Drive Pediatrics, the Jubilee Community Center, and Lynchburg City Schools (specifically the Pre-K Headstart program) will continue to raise awareness of and participation in the program, and Omotoye hopes to work with even more community partners this year.
“To register as many children as possible, we want to partner with places that provide services and programs for children,” she says. “We have many wonderful community partners already and are hoping to partner with One Community, One Voice and other organizations in the near future.”
Cruz highly recommends enrolling in the program as a supplement to taking your children to the library.
“We love taking our kids to the library, but this program brings free books to us when we’re too busy to go out or it’s flu season and we don’t want to risk our kids getting sick,” she notes.
Although the long-term benefits of DPIL, libraries, and reading books in general may be lost on little ones, the joy of receiving a free and personalized gift in the mail applies to folks of all ages.
“For kids, it’s simply a gift that they get in the mail,” Cruz says. “There’s a kind of magic in receiving snail mail, especially when you’re receiving something wrapped up with your name on it. My four-year-old thinks Grandma Dolly sends him the books personally!”
To check your family’s eligibility for DPIL, visit aspirefound.org. Although it is possible to register online, Omotoye recommends doing a written registration form at this time. To learn more about DPIL, visit imaginationlibrary.com.
Flowering Friends of the Vegetable Patch
USING FLOWERS AMONG FOOD CROPS
There is a certain satisfaction in seeing crisp, clean rows of tomatoes or tightly packed lines of lettuce. But in my gardening experience, I have found that my plants are happier and healthier when they are given a bit more freedom—not unlike people.
In nature, plants don’t tend to segregate themselves into exclusive groupings, but rather they grow together, mixing and mingling. In doing so, they achieve a symbiosis; they benefit from and protect one another.
Polyculture is an agricultural practice that seeks to mimic this natural diversity by growing a variety of plants together so they can help one another grow. Planting flowers in and among vegetable crops is a wonderful way to naturally promote garden health and, as an added benefit, enhance the beauty of your garden spaces. I personally love gardens that take on a wild, lost-cottage appearance—but flowers don’t have to look messy and haphazard. Considering size and height, complementary colors, and spacing will help to give your garden an elegant, graceful appearance.
However, the main reason to plant flowers alongside your veggies is that they can attract—and repel—insects. As gardeners, there are bugs we like, and bugs we would rather be without. Pollinators such as butterflies, moths, and, of course, bees, are critical to the survival of vegetable gardens. Then, there are the bad bugs: aphids, beetles, leafminers, squash bugs… the list goes on and on. Planting flowers can deter pests by their scent, make it more difficult for pests to travel and spread through your garden, and even attract other insects that eat those pests. >>
Pollinators, Please!
So much of the food we eat relies on pollinators to grow and produce fruit. Planting the right flowers can draw them in and give your garden the boost it needs to be productive.
Bees, well known for their productive pollination in gardens, can’t see the color red. They are especially attracted to blue and violet flowers that smell sweet and provide easy access to nectar. But bees are not the only pollinators we want in our garden! Butterflies and hummingbirds are excellent pollinators too, and they have different mouth-shapes and color preferences. Hummingbirds, for example, love red, cone-shaped flowers and can access nectar that is stored deeper within the bloom. So when in doubt, plant a variety!
Cosmos: Full disclosure, I listed these first because they are my favorite. I love how leggy and wild cosmos grow, especially when planted among sunflowers (which are also great for bees). But these beauties are professional pollinator magnets, with many varieties and colors to choose from. Bees love the purple and pink varieties, while the white sensation variety is especially good for attracting lacewings, who in larvae form have quite an appetite for aphids. Tip: They look stunning among anything that vines or climbs up a trellis.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea): Bees love this stuff. Their purple, cone-shaped blossoms are the perfect color and shape for our busy, buzzing garden friends. As an added bonus, echinacea is well-known for its immune-boosting, cold-fighting qualities when used in tea.
Zinnias: An excellent choice for the vegetable garden, zinnias attract lots of beneficial insects. In particular, butterflies love them. They are bright and colorful, and provide late-season nectar for pollinators. They also invite beneficial insects, especially Monarch butterflies, to lay eggs in their foliage. They attract hummingbirds, hover flies and wasps, all of which eat up destructive pests. Plant them around your tomatoes to deter worms. If you need more convincing, they make gorgeous cut flowers. You can’t lose with a thick zinnia patch in your garden.
Columbine: Columbine is another personal favorite and has a very interesting history of adaptation to benefit the pollinators that drink their nectar. Biologists have found that the unique nectar spurs, or long tubes that lead to the flowers’ nectar, grow in length based on the tongues of their preferred pollinators. These are a favorite snack of hummingbirds.
Lavender: This divine smelling, purple beauty is a favorite of bees and gardeners alike. You probably already have some in your garden. Consider placing it nearer to your veggies. Choose long-blooming varieties—be sure to leave some uncut—and bees will come from miles around to enjoy the bounty of pollen and nectar that they provide.
Pest Prevention
There are all sorts of things we don’t want in our gardens. Flowers can be used to disguise food crops, confuse and trap harmful pests, and even attract insects that love to feast on all the bugs we don’t like. Better yet, strategically placed flowers are so much better for the garden than chemical pesticides, which can damage soil and stunt growth over time.
Calendula (Pot Marigolds): Who doesn’t love these flowers? Simple, compact, colorful, and late-blooming, pot marigolds are so cheerful and deter all sorts of unwanted insects, such as squash bugs, mosquitos, and lice. Considered a great “trap crop,” calendula attracts pests like aphids and whiteflies and produces a sticky substance that traps these garden pests before they reach your crops. Note: Calendula, an edible, herbal flower, is different from the common marigold, which is toxic when ingested.
Chrysanthemums: Did you know that some brands of bug repellent and pesticides use a chemical extracted from mums (pyrethrin) to deter pests? Not only do these flowers repel pests such as beetles and harlequin bugs, which destroy gardens, they also keep away lice, ticks, bed bugs, roaches, and other universally disliked crawling critters. I like to plant them among squash and potatoes.
Queen Anne’s Lace: A tall, elegant choice for the garden, Queen Anne’s Lace attracts lacewings, ladybugs, hoverflies, and a number of other pest-gobbling insects to the vegetable patch. They are also known to give tomato plants a little boost when planted close by! Like many on this list, they will keep coming back year after year and can spread prolifically.
Yarrow: Yarrow is becoming the permaculturists secret weapon. It attracts beneficial insects such as bees and lacewings, provides excellent nesting grounds for these helpful critters, and has a scent that repels garden pests. In fact, it would make an excellent addition to your cucumber patch. To top it all off, yarrow is a beloved medicinal herb, used to control bleeding, pain, and inflammation. It’s also known to fortify garden soil and activate compost. This is a powerhouse of a plant you should always make room for.
Nasturtium: These attractive edibles are another powerful multi-use companion, and they come with a cornucopia of benefits. The flowers and leaves are edible (and quite tasty) and provide an extensive list of medicinal benefits. They also emit a powerful odor that masks the scent of crops that are often vulnerable to a pest attack. Plant them everywhere, but especially near your brassicas.
Consider experimenting with interplantings of beneficial flowers this spring. You’ll have a great time trying different height and color combinations. When you find yourself spending less time fighting off pest infestations and more time enjoying the beauty and bounty of your garden, you’ll become an instant polyculturalist for life.
General Tips:
Avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These products can be helpful to the gardener, but often their consequences outweigh their benefits. Pollinators don’t like them, and they can strip soil of its organic qualities. Use natural, cultural solutions when possible, and if chemicals are a must, check to make sure they aren’t harmful to beneficial insects.
Plant in small groups. A single flower is better than no flower at all, but planting in clumps is a good way to attract pollinators. It shortens the distance that they have to travel for food and encourages them to stick around. As pest repellents, groups of flowers perform better.
Shoot for year-round blooms. If you provide a constant food source for beneficial insects, they will return to your yard all year long—and likely make their homes close by. Try to keep something in bloom throughout the year.
Provide other resources. Bees, butterflies, and all of those garden-friendly bugs need more than food to survive. Consider providing housing (bee hotels are really cool, and make for a fun project) and shallow water to encourage long-term residence in your garden.
Bold and Beautiful
A Bedford County custom build full of color and contrast
Photos by Laura Beth Davidson
Before Jill Rufus can answer a knock on the front door, the family’s Golden Retriever, Hershey, has long beaten her to it. Almost on cue, the gentle giant lays down on the foyer rug, rolls over onto his back, and stops—hoping for a belly rub from this new stranger-turned-best friend.
It’s a very fitting welcome to the Rufus household. While the impressive craftsman-style home is impeccably styled down to the very last detail, there is a down-to-earth vibe here. From her husband Jim’s obvious aversion to wearing a tucked-in button down and khakis to Jill’s easy and approachable conversation, this is a place where it’s okay to kick off your shoes and be yourself.
Jill and Jim—owners of real estate and rental investment company The Rufus Group—stumbled across the “Tranquility” house plan by Garrell Associates while attending a party at a friend’s house in 2012. With four sons—now ages 16, 17, 18 and 20—they were outgrowing their current space, a traditional historic home. “What sold us on [the new house] was the open spaces, and I liked the different levels of the ceilings,” Jill said, adding that only three homes of this style have been built in the Lynchburg area. “It’s not cookie cutter.”
Neither are Jill’s décor choices—she’s not afraid to mix colors, patterns and textures. “I’ve just always been attracted to color,” Jill said. Turquoise is one of her most-used hues.
The living room is especially vibrant with its floor-to-ceiling wall featuring patterned hardwood tiles from Mirth Studio, based in Charleston. “I call this my Charleston room,” Jill said. The couch, zebra-inspired ottoman, and large floral oil painting over the fireplace are all Charleston finds.
While Jill has always been a do-it-yourself kind of person, (she also is part owner of Ideal Cabinets of Lynchburg and oversees kitchen designs and other renovation projects regularly), she recalls a gentle nudge to get some design help as they built. “We were about 25 percent in when the kitchen designer said, ‘do you not have an interior designer?’” Jill recalled. “It had never dawned on me at all.”
The friend with the same house plan they saw at that party, Kate Avello, agreed to take on the job. Because she had lived in the same house, and had a similar modern style to Jill’s, it was an easy fit. “We had a really good time together,” Jill said.
Instead of always focusing on perfection, Jill loves to talk about all of the things that went wrong throughout the building process—but ended up being “happy accidents.”
In the keeping room right off the kitchen, dark wood, mirrored inserts frame the fireplace and instantly catch the eye. They were designed by a jeweler-turned-home builder, who also does other custom projects. He laser cut the design, but the final pieces were too small. “Jimmy did the measurements one day, and I took a pic of those and sent them to the builder,” she explained. “Well, apparently Jimmy’s 7 looked like a 1.”
This led to a months-long back and forth between the designer, decorative painter, installation crew and mirror company to come up with a plan to salvage the original design: “But it was all worth it in the end,” she said.
There are other “happy accidents” in the kitchen—featuring antique white cabinets and a leathered granite in Antarctica white.
The Rufuses chose to not only increase the size of the island but also double stack the granite—which caused the slab to sag. Jill had meticulously measured the space and bought chairs. At first, she was frustrated they wouldn’t fit with the added support posts. “Our builder said, ‘Jill… put two of the chairs on each side. You’re going to have better conversation that way.’ Now, I love that.”
The kitchen is truly the heart of the Rufus home. “We usually eat right here [at the island],” she said. “The computers go up and everyone just hangs out.”
It’s also a place that Jimmy shows off one of his hidden talents. “His degree is in hotel/restaurant management. He does everything involving cooking,” she said. “I don’t cook at all!”
The Rufuses enjoy hosting dinner parties in their formal dining room a few times a year. But even when they aren’t expecting company, the table is always set. “Every time people come over they are like, ‘Are you about to have a party?’ For my eye, I like to see that it looks put together and not empty.”
A herringbone dresser in the dining room ties into the other black and white accents found in the home. It’s the only piece of furniture that came from their old house, a $300 auction win. “Other things I’ve shed,” she explained, “but that will always stay with me.”
In the master bedroom, the brighter colors found in the rest of the home are taken down a notch—including the classic drapes, a $50 find from Estates and Consignments. Chandelier-style lamps give the room another touch of elegance.
On the tray ceiling, a decorative painter, who also did work in other parts of the home, created a unique bronze design. Again, Jill wasn’t worried about perfection. “Kate called me and said, ‘Jill, it’s not even.’ I said, ‘No, I kind of like it like that.’ Because the painter freehanded it. And it’s another part of the story of this house.”
Jill and Jim reminisced about another “happy accident” many years ago. With two young sons already, they were finalizing plans to adopt a newborn baby boy, when Jill found out she was pregnant. “My life at that time was a blur,” she said. “Is he a happy accident? He is. I would have definitely been done after our third.”
Opening their home to a child in need came second nature to the Rufuses. Jill’s previous career was running an infant adoption agency. It was also in this season where she developed a passion for interior design. “I would go on these home visits all over the state and was just wowed by some of the interiors I saw,” she said.
The main level powder room is the room for the daughter Jill never had, she joked. It’s the smallest, but loudest, room in the house—inspired by the beachy prints of Lilly Pulitzer. “The boys will bring the girls they are dating in here and show it off,” she laughed.
The Rufuses four sons all live at home and have plenty of space to themselves. Right off the foyer is a set of open stairs leading to the basement, where there are three of the boys’ bedrooms, a kitchen, billiards room and home movie theater.
It’s a major upgrade from their last home, where all of the boys shared one bathroom. While Jill certainly has moments where she misses their younger years, she’s also the type of mom who thrives in the present. “Years ago, my first house was very matchy matchy. It looked like kids lived there and I wanted it to look that way,” said Jill. “But I knew once my kids were older, I could really invest in stuff that would stay nice. Once that time came, I knew and did exactly what I had always wanted to do.”
An Old Classic for A New Decade: Grandmillennial Style
Over the past few years, shiplap, barn doors, and whitewash saturated rooms on cable makeover shows as well as houses in our very own zip codes. Much like the hunter greens and oversized couches of the 1990s and the shabby chic craze of the early aughts, the modern farmhouse look took hold of the better half of the past decade.
Well, the times are always changing—and that means interior design trends come and go. However, the latest look for the new decade isn’t really anything “new” at all. Even though some refer to it as New Traditional, the most recent term is grandmillennial.
Grandmillenials grew up with AOL and early cell phones, and they don’t shy away from modern perks—they just happen to be drooling over the period costumes and gorgeous set design when streaming “The Crown” or “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” This group of millennials adores traditional decor, and they’re updating the classics in a way that’s all their own.
Artistic Classics in Bedford Reagan Flaherty Sampson lives in a charming country home that she bought and restored two years ago. You might expect to see a farmhouse- or cottage-style at the end of the gravel lane, but once you make your way through the front porch and into the home, you’ll feel like you were transported to a high-end tea room or gallery. “It’s very cozy, but I still have some grand tastes!” she laughs.
Reagan’s mixing of patterns and use of watery hues lends a contemporary effect to an otherwise traditional living space. A wall of gold framed mirrors catches and bounces natural light around the room—a smart design choice that helps balance the visual weight of a wooden armoire. Reagan purchased many of these at consignment shops over the years, but friends and loved ones also bring them to her when they unearth them during renovation projects or when cleaning out their attics.
The living room is also home to an eye-catching piece of artistic glasswork positioned in the corner. Reagan found the piece at the Bedford Farmer’s Market for $20, but it looks like a million bucks. “It’s actually an old window! I love the way the light passes through it,” she says. She displays the glass on an easel that belonged to her stepfather’s father in the 1940s.
Reagan has a love for older homes—both her current home and previous home are well over 100 years old. “I love bringing things back to their original state while making them functional,” she says.
It’s no surprise that she also has an affinity for furnishings and accessories that come with their own stories. Her favorite piece in this “new” house is a giant armoire in the dining room. “It’s a King Louis XV, and there’s still a sticker on it from when it was shipped over by a boat from Paris!” she explains.
Continuing Traditions in Lynchburg Another local grandmillennial not only embraces traditional style, but also puts her cherished treasures on full display. Kate Blickenstaff Poats is a local realtor who sets foot in professionally designed interiors daily; however, she chose to style her 1950s ranch home herself. “I like to build my style around things I cherish and things that make me happy,” she explains, such as the framed Gucci scarf hanging on the wall. Kate’s mother owned the scarf and proudly showcased it in Kate’s childhood home. Kate had always admired its beauty and colors. The scarf is just one symbol of what inspires Kate’s touching sentimentality.
“I want my space to feel warm and inviting, like the way I feel about the home I grew up in,” she explains.
She achieves her design goals in a variety of ways, from shopping local estate sales to surrounding herself with furnishings and accessories that carry special meaning. For example, a framed gold leaf oil painting depicting a Mediterranean afternoon reminds Kate of her time studying abroad in Spain and Italy, and her love for collecting ginger jars led her to buy a set of six paintings of jars by local artist Claudia Stubstad.
A love for traditional style indicates that someone also has an appreciation for the past. “I’m definitely an old soul,” Kate admits.
“I think that’s why I love traditional style—it makes me think of my grandmother and my parents.”
She also prefers rooms that looks collected and curated, so she incorporates heirloom pieces with newer furnishings to create a space with a healthy dose of personality and plenty of visual interest. A classic Persian rug in the dining room was a local estate sale find.
“I love that it is being passed down from one Lynchburg family to another,” she explains. Other antique treasures include chairs upholstered with chinoiserie fabric, a collection of blue and white porcelain, floral side chairs—all are at home in Kate’s living space.
Grandmillennial Style for Everybody If you’re drawn to classic design and furnishings or accessories with history and meaning, then you, too, can develop your own spin on traditional style that looks elegant, refined, and refreshed—even with Grandma’s hutch and china collection on display. Mady Greer of Curtains, Blinds & Bath in Forest works with many younger clients who embrace traditional style.
She believes this style appeals to a new generation because it offers a high-end look and usually incorporates some heirloom pieces.
“Mix in pieces that are timeless,” suggest Greer.
“Use real wooden pieces as opposed to metal furnishings, and start with your living room and dining room, which tend to have larger, more traditional pieces to begin with.”
It can feel overwhelming to transition out of your current style. Greer recommends sticking to classic shapes for tables, sideboards, and couches—think rolled arms, tufted, or Chesterfield sofas. “All of our customers add their eclectic, niche pieces in their accessories and artwork,” she says.
In a time where the world is moving forward faster than you can download a new app, there’s something inviting and comforting about traditional design, and millennials have caught hold of it and made it their own.
