Earning a “Best Of Lynchburg” award should be celebrated. Earning this recognition year after year should be too!

To place in our “Best Of Lynchburg” Hall of Fame, a business, person or place needs to have won a gold level in a category the majority of years since VistaGraphics started conducting the contest in 2014.

Flip through to see who is the best of the best in the region!
(And be on the lookout for our Best Of Lynchburg 2020 winners—they will
be published in the January/February issue of Lynchburg Living!)

BEST BUSINESSES

BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM
Davidson, Doyle & Hilton, LLP

BEST APARTMENT LIVING
Legacy at Linden Park

BEST AUTO SERVICE
Harris Tire

BEST BED AND BREAKFAST
Acorn Hill Lodge

BEST BOOKSTORE
Givens Books-Little Dickens

BEST CAR DEALERSHIP
Billy Craft Honda

BEST CAR WASH
Express Jet Car Wash

BEST CATERER
Charley’s Restaurant and Catering

BEST CHILDCARE FACILITY
Liberty Christian Academy Early Learning Center

BEST CLOTHING BOUTIQUE
Gladiola Girls

BEST CHILDRENS CLOTHING BOUTIQUE
Once Upon a Child

BEST COMMUNITY BANK
Bank of the James

BEST CREDIT UNION
Central Virginia Federal Credit Union

BEST CONSIGNMENT/THRIFT SHOP
On Second Thought

BEST FINANCIAL PLANNING COMPANY
DePaul Wealth Management

BEST FLORIST
bloom by Doyle’s

BEST FUNERAL SERVICE COMPANY
Whitten Funeral Homes

BEST JEWELRY STORE
Bowen Jewelry Company

BEST LAW FIRM
Overbey Hawkins & Wright

BEST MUSIC STORE
Lynchburg Music Center

BEST TANNING SALON
Sun Tan City

BEST TATTOO STUDIO
Caspian Tattoo

BEST TOWING COMPANY
Cranford Towing

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY
Travel Lovers

BEST VETERINARIAN
Peaks View Animal Hospital Riverside Veterinary Hospital

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BEST CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE
Light Chiropractic

BEST COUNSELING SERVICE
Horizon Behavioral Health

BEST DENTAL PRACTICE
Forest Family Dentistry

BEST DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE
Dermatology Consultants

BEST EYE CARE
Piedmont Eye Center

BEST HOME HEALTH PROVIDER
Centra

BEST PEDIATRIC PRACTICE
F. Read Hopkins Pediatric Associates

BEST PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER
Rehab Associates of Central Virginia

BEST RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
Westminster Canterbury

BEST WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE
Women’s Health Services of Central Virginia

HOME

BEST ELECTRICAL COMPANY
Drummond Electrical

BEST FLOORING COMPANY
Piedmont Floors

BEST HOME FUEL COMPANY
Foster Fuels

BEST HOME BUILDER
Custom Structures, Inc

BEST HOME FURNISHINGS
Grand Home Furnishings

BEST KITCHEN AND BATH COMPANY
MB Tile and General Contracting

BEST LAWN AND GARDEN SUPPLY
Rustic View Home and Gardens

BEST PEST CONTROL
Specialty Exterminating Company

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT
Jeremiah Cochenour

LIFESTYLE

BEST ART STUDIO
The Academy Center of the Arts

BEST CENTRAL VIRGINIA WINERY
Peaks of Otter Winery

BEST FAMILY FRIENDLY SPOT
Amazement Square

BEST FESTIVAL OR EVENT
The Virginia Wine & Garlic Festival
Get Downtown

BEST GOLF COURSE
London Downs Golf Club

BEST TOURIST ATTRACTION
Blue Ridge Parkway

OUTDOORS

BEST BIKING/HIKING/RUNNING TRAIL
Blackwater Creek Trail

BEST FISHING SPOT
Smith Mountain Lake

BEST PARK
Peaks View Park

BEST VIEW OF THE CITY
Candlers Mountain/Snowflex/LU Monogram

PERSONALITIES

BEST CIVIC LEADER
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

BEST LOCAL BAND
Dragonfly

BEST LOCAL NEWS ANCHOR
Danner Evans

RESTAURANTS

BEST ASIAN/ETHNIC FOOD
King’s Island Restaurant

BEST BAR
Bräuburgers Craft Burgers & Beer

BEST BARBECUE
Pok-E-Joes

BEST BREAKFAST
Market At Main

BEST BREWERY
Apocalypse Ale Works

BEST BURGER
Bräuburgers Craft Burgers & Beer

BEST COFFEE
Joe Bean’s

BEST DESSERTS
Mrs. Joy’s Absolutely Fabulous Treats (Closing in October 2019)

BEST FOOD TRUCK
Mama Crockett’s Cider Donuts

BEST FROZEN DESSERT
Mister Goodies

BEST ITALIAN
Isabella’s Italian Trattoria

BEST KID FRIENDLY RESTAURANT
Chick-fil-A

BEST LOCALLY OWNED RESTAURANT
Bräuburgers Craft Burgers & Beer

BEST MEXICAN
La Carreta Mexican Restaurant

BEST NIGHT SPOT FOR LIVE MUSIC
Benjamin’s
Jimmy’s on the James

BEST PIZZA
Waterstone Pizza

BEST PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH
The Neighbors Place

BEST RESTAURANT FOR VEGETARIAN/VEGANS
Zoë’s Kitchen
Crisp

BEST STEAK
New London Steakhouse

BEST TEA SHOP/TEA ROOM
Ploughcroft Tea Room

BEST WAIT STAFF
Chick-fil-A on Wards Rd.

Hand-Carved Stamp Maker & Block Print Artist

Lynchburg Living Editor Shelley Basinger: Anna, the hand-carved stamps you create through Emissary Arts are so unique. When did you get into this type of art form?

Growing up, I experimented with my mom’s stamp collection, but it never really stuck for me. It did leave me curious, though, because I was really intrigued by the idea of creating original designs. And I wondered if it was possible to make stamps. Fast forward to November of 2018, and in a moment of creative energy, I started wondering about it again. The first thing that came to mind was carving a potato for a stamp. I ran to the store and grabbed a scalpel and a bag of potatoes. I carved a pinecone into a potato and stamped about 30 notecards. It was the closest I’d gotten to making a stamp and I was really excited. But at the end of the day, the stamp pad was full of potato water, the potato was shriveled, and I was a little deflated. So I scoured the internet, and that’s when I found the world of block printing. I don’t have any formal arts training. If I did, I probably would have been familiar with it. But not having that, finding block printing was like finding buried treasure, and I was immediately hooked.

What exactly is block printing?

Block printing is hand engraving a block of wood, linoleum, or rubber and then using that engraved block like a stamp. Cover the raised portion with ink, leave the recessed portion clean, press it on something like paper or fabric—and voilà!

You said earlier you never had formal arts training, but you’ve always been interested in art?

Always. I’ve never been able to stay away from it. It’s definitely a skill God gave me, and sometimes it’s expressed itself in ways I don’t always understand. As a kid, I don’t ever remember being bored (although my mom might remember differently) because I was always captivated by observing the world around me. Usually, I was analyzing color, shape, dimension, line, shadow, and light—before I knew to use those words. For most of my life that translated into creating things inspired by the beauty around me. I dabbled in art forms like drawing, painting, photography, cake decorating, clay modeling, and hand lettering, and my family was constantly telling me that I needed to sell my work. But it wasn’t until I found block printing that I felt comfortable narrowing my focus and branding my artwork.

How long have you been creating the hand-carved stamps?

I started right after that first potato stamp, so I’ve been at it for about 8 months. It’s been a steep learning curve, but one I’ve enjoyed.

What types of designs do you create?

So far, I’ve worked on two types of projects. One is making custom logo stamps (from already existing logos). Those are often for small businesses who want to improve their branding by stamping their packaging or products. The other is completely original block print designs—lately, it’s been florals or architecture—that I print either on notecards or on fine arts paper as stand-alone pieces.

Have you been surprised at the interest there has been so far?

Yes, there has been so much interest! I haven’t been able to accept every order given the fact that I’m balancing another job and chronic health complications related to Lyme disease. But I try to take as many as I can, and, honestly, I can’t tell you what an inspiration the support and encouragement I’ve received from my local and online community has been.

What other types of products do you create through Emissary Arts?

I’m currently working on expanding my custom stamp offerings to include some standard designs for last name and return address stamps. Besides that, there is so much left to experiment with, but one upcoming project that I’m looking forward to is stamping an entire wall in a local clothing boutique with one of my flower stamps.

That sounds neat! Looking ahead, what else do you hope to achieve with your art? Is this something you could do full time?

That’s a big question! Broadly speaking, I aspire to take everything that God has given me and use it to proactively reflect His beauty in a world where most of us have experienced something less than beautiful. If my art communicates that kind of hope, I’m content. Business-wise, I’d like to continue building my skill set, perfecting what I’m already doing. Going full time would depend on what level of creative freedom I could maintain. But I also love doing a variety of things, so taking the step to go full time with anything would be a big decision for me.

Any advice for aspiring artists?

I still have a lot to learn, but I’ve noticed that most artists experience creative highs and lows, though we’re not always aware that’s what’s happening. One week you’re busy creating and feeling like you’re moving forward, and the next week you’re stuck. It feels natural to ride those waves. But just riding it out can make you directionless over time. Highs are great and lows aren’t always bad, but two things help me work with that cycle and use it to my advantage.

First, set actual, measurable goals. You may reach those goals mostly in your creative highs or you may decide to push through a slump. Whatever you decide to do, actual goals provide a point of reference to track your progress long term, which is encouraging.

Second, develop awareness. Be quick to recognize the emotional, physical, or environmental factors you’re dealing with. Then, you can adapt, whether that means stopping, pushing through, or finding another creative solution. I think that’s resilience—always moving forward, sometimes inspired, sometimes not.

How can people get in touch with you?

I’m very active on social media and you can find me on Instagram or Facebook as @emissaryarts. Or email me at annaeileenwhite@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Local kidney donation sparks four others

Needed: Type O kidney!” The sign in the rear window of a Ford Escape was clearly a cry for help—but would anyone really be willing to donate a kidney?

These were thoughts going through Forest resident Trina Layne’s mind two years ago as she desperately searched for a donor. Lynchburg station WSET did a story
on her quest to help spread the word.

Trina had been on a kidney transplant list since 2014 and had been on dialysis for two years. Now 51, she had known since her early 20s that she had polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary condition that can render the kidneys useless.

Meanwhile Charlene Morrell had a series of pointed events happening in her life. Charlene, a manager at Genworth, was talking with a new employee, Maysa Hamad, who told her that her cousin needed a kidney.

A regular blood donor, Charlene checked her blood type and started looking into living kidney donation.

A few months later her two nieces were spending the night with her and the 6-year-old told her that the liver is the only organ that stays awake. While Charlene told her many organs are always at work, she took the opportunity to tell them everyone has two kidneys.

Her 8-year-old-niece immediately replied, “Then you can give one to somebody else.” Out of the mouth of a babe came an idea that had been percolating in Charlene’s mind.

Two days later, she was scrolling through Facebook and saw Trina’s story on WSET. “It was just such a God thing,” Charlene said. “It was so clearly orchestrated by Him.”

Charlene spoke to her husband Andre, who fully supported her decision to become a donor. She contacted VCU Medical Center, where Trina was a patient, and underwent six months of psychological and medical tests to see if she could become a donor.

Charlene, now 44, passed the non-smoker and physically fit tests with no problem. A natural athlete who runs the 10-miler, Charlene was not concerned about her physical recovery, but she was still not sure she could donate to Trina. Even with the same type O blood, there were other markers that had to match up.

Trina knew someone had come forward to offer her a kidney, but she had no idea who her potential donor was. About two months after Trina’s testing, Charlene and Trina independently attended a session at VCU about living kidney donation. Charlene introduced herself to Trina, and while at the session, word came to Charlene that she was a match. She says they wept together.

The surgery occurred Feb. 5, 2018. “I was not nervous at all,” Trina said. “It was God’s plan for it to happen.”

Charlene’s kidney was removed arthroscopically. Two days later she left the hospital and within a week, the pain was gone, and she was back to work. Within three weeks she was working out again. “It was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Charlene said.

Trina’s recovery took a bit longer because she required a nine-inch incision. She was out of work for two and a half months. For her, it was a small price to pay.

She had been doing dialysis at home four days a week for two years, which required a four-hour procedure to clean her blood. She could not move for three hours and sitting was hard, as was sticking herself with two needles. During those years, she still managed to work full time at J. Crew.

The two have become friends and keep in touch regularly. “I don’t even know if I can put into words the amount of gratitude I feel,” Trina said.

Charlene knows what a life-changing event it was for Trina. “Every time she pees, she thinks of me,” she said with a laugh.

Charlene also served as a role model for others. One of her employees, Jennifer Smith, followed Charlene’s journey and learned about living organ donation. Even more profound was visiting Charlene at VCU the day after her surgery. She arrived just in time to see Charlene walk into Trina’s room for the first time post-surgery. “It was just so touching to see this,” Jennifer said.

She saw how quickly Charlene recovered and had just had a friend in New York be a donor as well. Jennifer decided to become a donor, too. “I couldn’t ignore this voice in my head: maybe this is something you should do.”

On March 19, 2018, soon after Charlene’s donation to Trina, Jennifer called VCU and started the process. She was scheduled for surgery at the end of August, but at the last minute her first match was not able to undergo the procedure.

A couple of days later she was able to give her kidney to a 28-year-old named Andrew, who was beyond desperate. “He’s so young, and he has so much life ahead of him,” Jennifer said. “He was knocking at death’s door.”

The two were such a good match that Andrew is taking reduced anti-rejection medication, and Jennifer hopes that means his new kidney will last longer than the 15 to 20 years most transplants are viable.

Even more amazing was the series of donations that Jennifer triggered. Known as a bridge chain donation, Andrew’s wife donated a kidney to a 65-year-old man, whose daughter, in turn, donated one of her kidneys to another person several months later. (Another unexpected benefit occurred when Jennifer took a work-related trip to India five weeks after her surgery. Her surgeon happened to be in India for a sister-in-law’s wedding, and invited Jennifer to attend.)

Now 43, Jennifer is a big proponent of living kidney donation. If you don’t have kidney disease in your family and are healthy, you should consider being a donor, she says. “All things considered, it was no big deal,” she said of the surgery and quick recovery.

The story comes full circle back to Maysa Hamad, Charlene’s co-worker whose cousin Jim needed a kidney. Crysti Shirley, yet another friend of Charlene’s who used to work at Genworth, decided to donate to Jim.

She started the process the same day Jennifer did, and ended up being a great match for Jim, who lives in Fairfax. Their surgery was done at Johns Hopkins on July 29, 2018.

While Crysti now works at Standard Insurance in Altavista, she keeps in touch with her friends from Genworth. “We built a lot of friendships at Genworth that will last a lifetime,” she said.

They also sparked a lot of giving. Charlene’s initial gift inspired kidney transplants for four additional people. She is a vocal advocate of not only living donation, but also encourages everyone to be an organ donor in the event of premature death. It’s as simple as checking a box on your driver’s license. If you don’t have a driver’s license, you can still register in person at your local DMV or online at organdonor.gov or donatelife.net.

A faithful member of Blue Ridge Community Church in New London, Charlene said she was never scared by the thought of surgery. “I knew God was asking me to do this,” she said.

All three donors in this story agree. They recently got together with their recipients to celebrate. “It’s a great thing to change someone’s life,” Crysti said.

The Academy’s Youth Programs Flourish with Reopening of Historic Theatre

Photos by brittany Griffith, Academy center of arts

Last December’s reopening of the Historic Academy of Music Theatre was met with great excitement throughout the Lynchburg and surrounding communities, but perhaps the most enthusiastic reception came—and continues to come—from the young members of the Academy’s Youth Theatre program.

“I always love when we have new students in our programs seeing the Historic Theatre for the first time,” says Kelly Posenauer, director of education at the Academy Center of the Arts. “We hear things like, ‘I get to sing here?’ I think they all know how lucky they are to perform in this incredible space and in turn give their hearts to the production.”

Anyone who caught the Youth Theatre’s recent production of Newsies has seen this passion and dedication firsthand. The cast was made up of 42 high school students from Lynchburg and the surrounding counties. About 1,500 people came out to see the performance over the course of three shows. Posenauer says it’s one of the most special productions she has been involved in. “The energy in the theatre was palpable,” she says. “Those students worked so hard and really brought the audience into their story.”

Newsies is one of five productions the Academy’s Youth Theatre program showcased this summer. The Lion King, Jr.; Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr.; A Wrinkle in Time; and The Jungle Book completed the lineup.

Summer productions are preceded by two-week camps. Although auditions are held for certain parts during these camps, all children enrolled in the camp get to play a role in that given production.

According to Posenauer, planning for summer productions starts about nine months before the camps begin. “The directors of the respective camps and I start discussing potential show ideas and make lists of shows that get us excited,” she says. “I take that short list to the Academy’s programming team and we discuss things like show themes, educational opportunities, and diversity to make sure that we stay as inclusive to our community as possible.”

In addition to a full summer calendar, the Academy’s Youth Theatre program now boasts year-round programming, offering more programs than ever before—including fall programming, a spring camp, and those five summer productions.

They also offer non–performance based programming. For instance, the Academy offers a “Broadway Bound” camp where Broadway performers share their knowledge with aspiring performers while teaching them real world applications. “While the camp doesn’t end in a ticketed production, students can walk away with the knowledge they need to have a successful audition and different acting techniques they didn’t previously know,” Posenauer says.

Posenauer believes that, regardless of the type of program a child participates in, theatre serves as both a safe haven and as a site of important development for young people. “The theatre is a magical and safe space for children to grow, to explore, and to thrive,” she says. “Theatre programs are generally comprised of some of the most accepting individuals who value each child for who they are but also encourage them to be so much more. Over the years I have seen some of the most timid children come out of their shells when they were on our stage. In theatre, students can learn core values like inclusion, patience, and selflessness.”

Delia Loy, a Youth Theatre student who appeared in Newsies, agrees—saying she walked away from her experience feeling changed. “I have found more confidence in art, theatre, singing, and dancing with the Academy, more than at my own school or anywhere else,” she says.

In addition to enriching the lives of individual children, theatre programs for young people also benefit the community at large. The director of Beauty and the Beast, Jr., encouraged students to donate books to the Free Libraries around town. “They learned how to give back to our community in a small way that created a big impact,” says Posenauer. “One thing I love about the Youth Theatre programs is how they connect our community. We have students from Lynchburg and the surrounding counties who come together and form friendships that last throughout the years. They support each other in their respective schools, thus creating community year round.”

In turn, the community gives back to the Academy in the form of scholarships that help children in need gain access to the Youth Theatre program. About 30 percent of students are on scholarships of some form, thanks to donors. The Academy also offers payment plans.

In the future, Posenauer hopes to see the Youth Theatre program continue to expand and evolve, and she believes that the recent restoration of the Historic Academy Theatre has already begun to facilitate positive growth. “The education department now has more space to expand,” she notes. “This summer we added a straight play [A Wrinkle in Time] to our lineup, expanding beyond just musical theatre. I would love to offer more programs like this when we have openings in our schedule.”

Regardless of the specific shape the future takes for the Academy’s Youth Theatre program, the ultimate goal is to make sure young performers leave their experience changed for the better—whether through learning new skills, making new friends or unearthing new confidence.

“My first experience with theatre was not with the Academy and while I enjoyed it, I definitely felt like I could have walked away,” says Elise Jones, Youth Theatre student and Lion King, Jr., cast member. “But now I’ve made a real family here and I feel so at home. I can’t imagine my life without it.”

How to Create a Pollinator-Friendly Growing Space

Did you know that one in every three bites of food we eat is courtesy of insect pollination? Think of it this way—one of the three meals you ate today, you can thank a pollinator for. Counter that fact with a not-so-good statistic—U.S. honeybee populations are declining at a rate of 44 percent or more.

But, this issue goes way beyond honeybees. Honeybees are an imported species. There are 3,500 species of native bees that actually do more foraging per day than the honeybee. There are also moths, wasps, butterflies, bats, beetles, flies and some birds that are all out there working hard to pollinate.

Helping our pollinators thrive is simple: When they are provided with a safe habitat, they will return. Thankfully, the City of Lynchburg is abuzz with good news to help our pollinator populations. A few recent headlines include:
• Randolph College is the 9th college in the nation and the first in the state of Virginia to be certified as a part of the Bee Campus USA program.
• The City of Lynchburg became the 87th city in the U.S. to be recognized as part of the Bee City USA movement sponsored by the Xerces Society.
• And lastly, Blue Ridge Conservation, a joint effort of both the Hillside and Lynchburg garden clubs, has planted two pollinator gardens in the city along with LEAF (Lynchburg Expressway Enhancement Fund). The goal of all these groups is to help declining pollinator populations by doing what we can to slow or stop habitat loss, increase plant food sources in order to provide better nutrition, and reduce pesticide exposure.

So—how can you make a difference and contribute to this movement?

Here are a few ways to make sure your garden is pollinator-friendly.

Limit Chemicals:
Before using a chemical, really weigh whether you must use it at all. Some people have adopted a “don’t spray until dusk” policy with pesticides, claiming that bees don’t feed at dusk. Herbicides are responsible for much of the decline in food sources for pollinators that are so critical to our food production.

Provide Food:
Invite pollinators to inhabit your yard by creating a habitat where they can find a diverse population of flowering native or naturalized plants (see sidebar) as well as egg laying or nesting sites. When choosing what to plant in an area, do some research on what that plant does. Look for plants that provide both nectar (food) and that are host plants (a place where the young can grow and feed). If you include as few as five different kinds of each of these in your green space, you have done a lot to provide a place for foraging pollinators to rest.

Create Nesting Sites:
Once pollinators have a food source, they will need places to nest and overwinter.

Be slow to clean up your garden in the fall. Instead of feeling like you must mow and pull every dead flower or vegetable, let it stand. These dead stems make excellent sites for pollinators to lay eggs. Keep some leaves on your property for hibernation spots. Make a pile of sticks somewhere for shelter.

Let dead trees stand unless they endanger you or your property. If you designate a third of your available landmass to be left in this “natural” state, you have created a pollinator-friendly overwintering environment that can increase the odds of their survival. This may have the added benefit of reducing the pest populations in our gardens as many of the pollinators also feed on other insects.

Build a Habitat Structure:
If you want to commit to helping pollinators in a more serious way, you can build a variety of habitat structures. One of the more elaborate designs is the Pollinator Palace.

In July, students from the Regional Governor’s School summer camp attended a tour of the Pest House at Old City Cemetery. While there, they also constructed a Pollinator Palace.

Here is how to get started:
Location
Place your palace away from well-used paths around your home. About a 10-foot radius is all that is needed to keep the inhabitants undisturbed while they settle in. The Pollinator Palace at Old City Cemetery is located between two winterberry and serviceberry trees, both of which are food sources in the environment.

Your structure should be in the direct sun in the morning and can be in partial shade in the afternoon. A nearby occasionally wet muddy spot is ideal but not required. Think of a spot where you might have a shallow puddle after a rainstorm for a few hours.

Construction
We wanted our site to stay tidy—because Old City Cemetery is a public garden—so we began with a layer of cardboard to suppress weeds. We then covered any openings with wire mesh, to prevent groundhogs from setting up house. (Pollinators are welcome, but not groundhogs!)

Then you begin the process of layering pallets and placing prospective “home sites” on each. Be sure you place the materials about three inches in from the edge of the palette so they do not get too hot in the sun and to also prevent rain from flooding out your “guests.”

Provide different materials (brick, pipe, etc.) with various size holes for diverse pollinators to enter. Unlike honeybees, other pollinators are mostly solitary dwellers. The adult will enter one of these provided holes and store pollen or bugs, such as caterpillars, and lay its eggs in the opening.

Then, when the young hatch, their first meal is close by. They then chew or eat their way out of their nest and move on to complete their life cycle and pollinate their preferred crop for the new season.

Add a roof to protect the structure. We nailed on these bulb crates and planted lantana and thyme for food and cooling.

(Plus, it’s just cute!)

Additional pots and plants surround the palace to entice our guests to stick around a while. The pots were filled with pinecones, flowers, or a small amount of soil for pollinators that burrow.

Maintenance
This structure should be usable for 4-5 years depending on how fast the pallets decompose. Once you are sure the pollinators have left their nests, it is a good idea to clean the different elements to prevent mites from taking up residence. Remove what nesting sites you can from the structure. Clean with a 1:3 bleach to water solution by submerging the brick or pipe. Replace the bamboo, grass and twigs yearly to keep your palace pest free.

Unlock the Potential of This Environmentally Friendly Backyard Concept

First made popular in Africa, keyhole gardens are now being used all around the world. Once you hear about how they work and the benefits, you’ll quickly see why.

Keyhole gardens are circular, raised gardens with a path in the middle that allows access to the entire space. Within a six-foot radius, you have your compost pile, your vegetable garden and your water source. A strategic layering system establishes a nutrient-rich base for your garden. The compost basket sits in the middle of the garden, providing nutrients to the plants.

Aside from convenience, keyhole gardens are the most environmentally responsible garden you can use in hot, dry, climates. Additionally, they have the added bonus of delivering a lot of food with very little work because of their compact size.

If you want to give it a try, here are a few basics to get you started.

Building

The site of your garden should be in a sunny location on your property, preferably easily accessed from your kitchen. Next, decide what you want to use to construct the structure. You don’t want to use materials that will decompose quickly. Brick, stone, cedar or locust saplings would all work. You can have an elaborate or simple design—be creative.

Your keyhole garden may need to become taller as your compost basket fills so be sure you keep that in mind and don’t design it too short. Start by making it about two feet high, with the option to make it taller as you need to.

Next, design your compost basket. It should be about two-feet in diameter and a foot taller than your existing exterior wall. A chicken wire basket is sufficient because it’s not solid—the nutrients in the basket need to be able to be released into the garden. Place your composting basket just inside the keyhole.

Layering

Now begin layering the ingredients to fill the garden inside the structure:

• The bottom layer should have branches, rocks, or broken clay pots about three inches deep to provide some drainage.

• Then comes your carbon layer, also known as “browns.” Browns are things that used to be alive but are now “dead.” Add a layer of cardboard (TV boxes are great to work with), then straw and/or leaves. This brown layer needs to be three times deeper than the next layer. So if your garden is three feet high make this layer two and a half feet high.

• Next you have your nitrogen layer or “greens.” This can be grass clippings, coffee grounds you’ve collected from your favorite coffee shop, food scraps… anything fresh. (Don’t use all grass clippings here as they may mat and not break down properly.)

• Finally add your soil, about 6 inches deep. Try to fill the soil so that it slopes down toward the edge of the garden. This will help with drainage.

Planting

Keyhole gardens are best for greens, radishes, broccoli, beans, etc. It’s not the garden for tall or deep-rooted crops like potatoes. Grow at least four different things in the garden to help use the soil’s nutrients wisely. You could run right out and make the structure out of chicken wire and plant greens in it for fall. Try spinach, kale, turnip greens and chard.

To prolong the growing season, make a “top” out of a floating row cover fabric or a poly/plastic sheet for greenhouse structures and have fresh greens on your table from your garden at Thanksgiving.

Composting
You’re probably wondering, “What did I make that basket thing for?” We’re back to greens and browns. Begin filling the compost basket in the center of your keyhole. It is just like a compost pile. Add layers of browns and greens and as the magic of decomposition sets in, the nutrients and moisture released will feed and water your vegetables.

It’s still a good idea to add water once a week if it doesn’t rain. But, you don’t need to drag a hose out there! Did you boil water for potatoes? Dump that in. Cooking corn for dinner? Dump that water into the basket. Use the “gray water” from around your home and save resources. Filtering through the compost cleans it out so it’s safe to use. The compost you are adding along with the gray water will keep the soil fed and the garden productive for several seasons.

Create a timeless mantel that can change as easily as the weather

It’s not just a place to hang stockings in December. Whether it’s large or small, modern or traditional—a home’s mantel is typically the focal point of the living room, making it the perfect place to show off your unique style.

But for many of us, time and money are limited. The goal is to create a budget-friendly mantel display that we can keep in place 365 days a year—with just a few changes each season to keep it current.

To show us how to transition to this fall mantel, we went to the home of Peg Breiholz. The owner of The White Brick House in Forest has a passion for neutrals and a love of thrifting.

Step 1:
Gather together what you want to use.
You can find unique décor items without draining your bank account—your parents’ or grandparents’ unwanted things, flea markets and thrift shops are good places to start. Consider choosing a few pieces that can hold fillers (flowers, grasses, etc.). “That’s why I use watering cans year-round,” Peg says.

Also, keep in mind a balance of different materials: wood, glass, metal, and organic things like branches or florals, etc. This will give your mantel display texture and make it more visually interesting. Peg prefers to use more wood, for warmth, in fall or holiday displays. In spring and summer, she may include more glass or metal for a cooler tone.

Step 2:
Select a backdrop item.
Every room and mantel is different, so you need to assess your space to determine whether you need a large piece (such as Peg’s “Orchards” sign) or something smaller to anchor the space. “In my living room, because the ceiling is so high, you really need this large sign to pull your eye down and bring your focus in toward the mantel,” she explains.

Step 3:
Add your large items…
Two large metal watering cans, a wooden organizer with drawers and an antique lantern are a few items Peg keeps on her mantel year-round. When assembling mantel décor, she uses wooden boxes or stacks of books to raise up items that are in located in the back. She also prefers to create asymmetry—and this starts with those larger pieces. “Personally, I don’t really like having two candlesticks, for example, on each side of the mantel,” she says. “It’s almost like with a painting. You want to lead the person’s eye through the display, sort of on a journey.”

Step 4:
then get smaller…
Peg uses an antique glass kerosene jar, a scale and a rusty star as a few of her medium-sized pieces. She also says this is the point where some people can get a little overwhelmed about what should go where. “You should aim to balance the visual weight on your mantel so one side doesn’t feel heavier than the other, even though the objects are different on each side,” Peg explains. “You need to keep in mind, there is a lot of trial and error. You will have to play around with the mantel a lot and even come back to it after a day or two if you think something doesn’t look quite right.”

Step 5:
…and smaller.
For a subtle fall display, Peg uses cattails as a filler in her water cans. You’ll also find antlers in an aqua egg basket, and pine cones and squirrels are used as small additions that have a fall-feel… but also aren’t orange pumpkins. Your small- or medium-sized items can also be a great place to add in an accent color. (Peg prefers little pops of aqua and green.)

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Bonus:
This can easily be your spring/summer mantel too!

The big pieces stay put. All you have to do is switch out some smaller items to transition your mantel to a different season.

Instead of antlers, squirrels, and pine cones…you’ll find a bee skep, honey jar, bird house and bird’s nest in this summer mantel display. Daisies and grasses are used as the filler instead of cattails. A green watering can adds a bit of color without being too overpowering.

All of it combined together says “summer” without changing the tone of the rest of your home. “I’m not looking at the literal time of year—such as pumpkins for fall. I go more with how it feels,” Peg says.

Meal planning with food sensitivities in mind

Photos by Ashlee Glen

Sometimes it feels like we live in a time of almost total food-confusion. Science keeps changing its mind about what is healthy—and what was good for you last year might very well kill you now. New “superfoods” with sensational health benefits make the news on a regular basis and suddenly show up in every magazine, restaurant or store shelf. (Yes, I’m looking at you, kale and goji berries!) Even good ol’ chicken eggs are confusing. A few years ago, the egg white ruled the shell from a health perspective…but I think the yolk is making a comeback.

So, what should you eat to be healthy… and, also, feel healthy? Personally, I think it is pretty simple: Healthy eating habits start with you taking control of your own food. Research where it comes from, what it contains and how it was grown or prepared. Also, taking control of your own food means your diet might look a little bit different from your friend’s, family member’s or co-worker’s due to our own unique sensitivities.

When taking control of our food, we need to start with the big picture then work on our own individual plan.

The Big Picture

Food writer and author Michael Pollan summarized the big picture very elegantly in his book In Defense of Food. He writes “Eat food, mostly plants, not too much.”
Simple, right?

“Eat food” means avoid the processed, artificial stuff such as vegetable oils and synthetic sweeteners. Buy whole foods and cook at home. “Mostly plants” means to enjoy meat, eggs and dairy in moderation and to fill your plate with a variety of seasonal, colorful plant-based foods. Not just broccoli and iceberg lettuce, but explore your farmers market and grocery produce section. “Not too much” means to keep the calories in mind and control your portion size.

The Individual

When it comes to food, we are all different and one size does not fit all. We vary in preferences, lifestyles, body types, and sensitivities. Sensitivities or intolerances may be an underexplored area for many people. It certainly was for me! Over the past few years, I have come to realize that my body really does not like gluten, corn and lactose—and it had been trying to tell me that for years.

A sensitivity is different from an allergy. It does not trigger the immune system by producing an aggressive, allergic response but may be more subtle. Food sensitivities may manifest themselves in different ways and often we are unaware that food is the root cause to a condition or an ailment that we experience. More often than not, we look for a prescription drug to take care of the problem, when our diet may be to blame.

Wheat (gluten), corn and dairy (lactose) are three of the most common foods people are sensitive to, but once you start researching the list gets much longer. The issue with these three is that they tend to show up as ingredients in almost all processed foods. Your yogurt may be thickened with cornstarch, your hot dog may contain gluten and your protein powder is likely made from dairy.

If you experience unexplained symptoms, such as GI issues or skin problems, you may want to take a closer look at what you are eating. A prescription from your doctor may be the solution—but it may also just reduce symptoms, not the root cause.

Here is an action plan that worked for me:

1. Again, take control of what you eat. Stop eating out for a period of time and cut out processed foods. Since you still need to eat, look up some recipes with a lot of room for flexibility (like the ones in this section!).

2. Start a basic elimination diet. You may have a general idea which foods cause you trouble so start with cutting them out of your diet for 7-10 days to see if anything improves. If not, try the next food group.

3. Keep track. Read labels and take notes of what you eat. Remember that some symptoms appear instantly while others take several days to appear (especially skin problems).

The following recipes are two of my top picks for those with food sensitivities. Here are a few of my top recipes for those with food sensitivities.
lynchburgliving.com/chicken-stir-fry

Taste & learn at Everyday Sommelier

Wine is meant to be enjoyed and shared; that philosophy is central to Tonya Hengerer’s new business. She hopes to help people learn to appreciate wine without concerns that their palates might not be sophisticated enough. “If you like it, that’s all that matters,” she said.

Everyday Sommelier, which opened at 514-B Fifth Street in June, welcomes customers to taste wines and chat in a relaxing atmosphere. While they can’t sell wine to be consumed by the glass or bottle in their store, their ABC license allows for free tastings.

The shop boasts 325 wine labels from 20 countries, including unexpected places like India, Lebanon, and Bolivia. “There are beautiful wines being made all around the world,” Hengerer said.

She speaks glowingly of a sparkling wine from England, for example, that has beaten two French champagnes in blind tastings. Because of climate change, she said, the British can now grow grapes they couldn’t before.

A sommelier is a wine steward, or literally a “butler,” who is trained to be an expert in wine. Tonya and her husband Scott hold the Level III Award in Wine from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.

“Understanding wine is a ticket to the many cultures around the world — giving access to history, landscapes, language, and cuisine,” Tonya says on their website. “It’s also a study in the art and science of grape growing, vineyard management, and winemaking, and, how each of these things contribute to the style and quality of a wine.”

So whether you like sweet or dry wine, you can learn to distinguish qualities of wine, without pretension. “I want to educate people so they can comfortably articulate what they want,” Tonya said. To that end, the Hengerers are offering wine tasting classes on Saturdays, as well as an occasional trip to Tuscany in Italy.

The Hengerers have been wine enthusiasts for 15 years. Scott, who is a financial planner, often has wine-themed dinners for clients. Many of their trips have involved getting to know small vintners in Tuscany, Italy; Napa, California; and Bordeaux, France. All of these experiences primed them for opening their own business.

Tonya says their wines come from small, family vineyards where grapes are grown organically or biodynamically without the additives that large bottlers often use. While some people think they are allergic to sulfites used to preserve wine, Tonya says there are more sulfites in cola than wine. There are other additives that can create an allergic reaction.

The way a wine tastes begins in the soil. If the grapes aren’t high quality, the wine won’t be either. “Wine making is basically farming,” Tonya said.

Everyday Sommelier also keeps price in mind. Seventy percent of their bottles are $30 and under, Tonya said. A “hidden gems” shelf features wines for $11.

Along with wine, Everyday Sommelier sells artisan foods from Tuscan families the Hengerers have met. They are the only U.S. distributor for these products, which include pasta, truffle oil, and crackers.

They have already received a warm welcome from the community and formed serendipitous connections. One couple found a wine from Lebanon that they hadn’t seen since they went to Lebanon 20 years ago to adopt their son.

The parents of a local man who has become a winemaker in South Africa visited the shop and saw their son’s wine featured. As a result, he was able to do a talk at Everyday Sommelier in August when he was at home for a visit.

While for many, wine makes the world go ’round, it also makes it more neighborly.

Photo by Lucas Moore Photography

It can be easy to wish away one time of the year for another. Here, a photo perfectly captures one of those fleeting “in between” moments of our seasons—rich green trees alongside their vibrant yellow and orange counterparts.

Photographer Lucas Moore used a drone to capture this view of the Gladys area of Campbell County in October 2016. “I really love this shot because of the truck in it,” he explains. “I was just trying to get shots of the colors of the trees but when I heard a vehicle coming I immediately knew I wanted to try to incorporate that into the photo.”

See more of Lucas’s incredible nature photography on Instagram: @lucas.allen.