04/09/13 - NNHS Newsletter

From Malcolm Davis ('65) of VA - 04/09/13, 8:47 AM - "Special request concerning Jamey (Douglas) Bacon ('66 - of VA)":

From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 03/20/13, 4:46 PM - " Dave Arnold's ('65) (12 Aug 1947 - 21 July 2012) Final Resting Place":

Carol,

Please post this in an upcoming newsletter.

Dave Arnold’s Ashes to be Distributed by Civil War Cannon at Fort Shenandoah on April 13th

My good friend, Dave Arnold (NNHS ’65), died tragically on 21 July 2012, as a result of an automobile accident. In accordance with his wishes, his body was cremated.

It was also his wish that his ashes be distributed in the Shenandoah Valley. Dave loved "the Valley" (as he called it) of Virginia. He grew up in the Tidewater area, but his heart remained in the Valley area of Virginia. It is only fitting that his ashes should find their final home there.

It is also only fitting that his ashes should be distributed by being fired from his very own cannon, which he was having fabricated, so that he could more fully participate with the 1st Virginia, his skirmish group, which is a part of the North-South Skirmish Association.

His final wish will now be fulfilled, thanks to the efforts of his fellow Civil War skirmishers.

On April 13 at 12:00 noon, this ceremony will take place at Ft. Shenandoah at the primary range where the skirmish events are held. Attendees will enter and pass the range keeper's house, and there are signs to the main range.

All are welcome to attend. Dave would have been thrilled to have you watch his cannon being fired on the skirmish field. I can think of no greater way in which to honor his memory.

Fort Shenandoah is owned and operated by the North-South Skirmish Association and is located near Winchester VA.

You can learn more at their web site: http://www.n-ssa.org/

Directions are here: http://www.n-ssa.org/NATIONAL/maps.html

For GPS users, the street address is “480 Chalybeate Spring Road, Winchester VA, 22603”.

Oh, WOW! I had no idea! We wish we could make it ourselves, but I think the chances of that are infinitesimally small.....

Thank you so much for letting me know, David!

April 13, 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrendered to Southern forces.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Dale Parsons, Sr. (June '48) of VA AND

Skip Wood ('65) of NC!


		04/09/13 - NNHS Newsletter - What Is This Thing Called Love?
“Love withers under constraints: its very essence is liberty: it is compatible neither with obedience, jealousy, nor fear: it is there most pure, perfect, and unlimited where its votaries live in confidence, equality and unreserve.” - Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 Aug 1792 - 8 July 1822)

Dear Carol, Because of your Typhoon newsletter, that has previously alerted all of your readers to Jamey's medical and fiscal needs in the past, Polly Norris Davis - '65) and I have been helping Jamey and getting to know her more personally and seeing just how great her needs are. Thank you for making us aware. It is now my request to ask for financial assistance from our classmates and your readers as we try to provide Jamey with improvements for her driveway so that she can maneuver her motorized wheelchair outdoors without getting stuck in the ground or thrown from her chair. Jamey wishes to fill in the center of the driveway and because of her home being located in Hilton, she must use brick to accomplish the project or it will not be approved. I have measured the area and priced the brick paving stone. She will need 288 sq. feet of the brick and that will cost $655.44 retail at Lowe's. She will also need 3 yards of crushed stone and 1 yard of sand which I have not priced yet. I am seeking to have the Peninsula Baptist Summer Youth Work Camp take this on as a mission project in July. This could hold down the cost for labor if the city and the community will allow them to do the work. If not, we will need to purchase the labor from a contractor. I have permission to set up an account at my church, Parkview Baptist Church, to receive any contributions and also to afford us sales tax exempt status when purchasing the materials from this account. An additional 5% discount will be afforded by using the church credit card when making the purchase. You may also deduct the contribution that you make on your income tax returns. I am seeking contributions now to make this mission a reality. This is a real need. Jamey's quality of life would be enhanced by this improvement to her home and yard. She is an amputee and is completely dependent on her wheelchair for mobility. Anyone wishing to contribute to this project is asked to make a check out to Parkview Baptist Church and mail it to Malcolm and Polly Davis at 118 Cindy Circle, Newport News, Va. 23602. I will turn the checks over to the church and keep everyone informed, through your news letter, of the running balance of the contributions received and their ultimate disposition. The names of those who contribute will be kept private and I am hoping that enough individuals will be willing to contribute at least $10.00 so we can raise enough to complete the job even if we have to hire a contractor to install the bricks. Please note on the check that this is for the "Jamey Bacon Mission Project." Here are some pictures of the driveway in its present condition.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Thank you all for considering this request for assistance. Your participation will be a blessing for Jamey and she is grateful for your concern always. Sincerely, Malcolm and Polly Davis NNHS Class of 1965 Thank you so very much, Sweetie-Pies! C'mon, Typhoon Nation - y'all know what to do!

CICADAS READY TO EMERGE
		If you like red-eyed bugs that look like space invaders and whine like little chain saws, you are in for a treat. Millions of 17-year cicadas — insects that crawl up from underground once a generation to find mates — will be partying in the Richmond area in about a month. They last appeared in 1996. It’s a phenomenon worth celebrating, said Gene Kritsky, a cicada expert at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. “To me it’s like having a David Attenborough special in your backyard,” Kritsky said, “if you are lucky enough to have them emerging in your yard.” About 1½ inches long, the big bugs can damage the twigs of young trees. Dogs can get sick if they eat too many. But mainly the cicadas are harmless, if you can put up with the noise and numbers. Driving through them, “it’s like chunks of gravel hitting the front of your car,” said Eric R. Day, a Virginia Tech insect expert.


There are 12 populations, or broods, of 17-year cicada. Different broods appear in different regions in different years. This is the year for Brood II — as in 2 — which inhabits a stretch from north-central North Carolina through central Virginia to Connecticut. In terms of territory, Brood II is Virginia’s largest. “This is Richmond’s day in the sun for cicadas,” Day said. About mid-May, the cicadas will crawl up out of the ground, leaving dime-size holes. The brown bugs will then climb up trees and buildings, shed their skins, pump their wings and darken to Halloween-colored adults — black bodies, bulbous red eyes and wings with orange veins like racing stripes. The males make the big noise, singing to attract mates. The females flick their wings — sort of the cicada equivalent of batting eyelashes — making sounds like the click of a light switch. “If you know how to do this, you can actually snap your fingers and the male will respond and walk toward you,” said Kritsky. The insects mate, and each female lays 400 to 600 eggs in punctures she makes at the ends of twigs. Shortly after mating, the adults die. The visit lasts four to six weeks. The eggs hatch in summer. Youngsters the size of tiny rice grains drop to the ground, dig in, and start counting the years to 17. “We have no idea how they know how much time has passed,” Kritsky said. Kritsky used to eat cicadas — stir fried, deep fat-fried, other ways — until he tired of munching on his friends. They taste like canned asparagus, he said. “I always bring in one or two for my cats. They play with it, and then they eat it.” The puncturing of twigs can harm small trees — you can cover them loosely in cheese cloth — but can help larger trees, according to Kritsky. “It’s like a natural pruning,” he said. “Next year, they’ll come back with a better growth.” The cicadas aerate the soil with their holes, return nutrients to the soil when they die and provide food for birds and other animals, Kritsky said. “They do a lot of good.” Kritsky recommends that people get married when cicadas are courting. “‘Think about it. The only time you will have the same environmental conditions of your wedding day will be on your 17th anniversary, your 34th anniversary and your 51st anniversary.” Cicadas are as Virginian as Smithfield ham and humidity. Thomas Jefferson recorded their visits at Monticello, writing in 1775: “It appears … that they come periodically once in 17 years. They come out of the ground from a prodigious depth.” The insects’ lengthy disappearing act may have evolved as a way to avoid predators. After all, no one wants to wait 17 years for food to arrive. There are also 13-year cicadas, as well as dog-day cicadas that appear every year in the heat of summer. But the 17-year brand gets the most attention. “We are so used to our comfort,” said Maymont horticulture director Peggy Singlemann. “But just to know that for 17 years an insect has been underground waiting for its time to re-emerge. I think it’s fascinating.” The cicadas “were just everywhere” in Maymont in 1996, Singlemann said. They were “very, very noisy” but they didn’t cause significant tree damage. “Some people were complaining about them, and some were taking them in good stride.” “I have fond memories of it,” Singlemann said. She marked the insects’ return on her calendar. In this world of instant gratification, 17-year cicadas tell us there are other ways to look at time. When Richmond’s cicadas return in 2030, your toddler will be in college. Today’s college students will be facing middle age. And this writer will be retired — or underground with those clock-watching cicadas. rspringston@timesdispatch.com (804) 649-6453 OH, JOY! Thanks so much, Joyce!

		To make you smile..... *Happy Pet Day!!!* AWW! Thanks, Ruthie!