Cooperative Living February 2014 - 6

MAILBAG
LETTER DISAPPOINTED READER
I was so disappointed to see the
submission to the January MAILBAG
entitled " Thoughts on Politics,
Post-Election. "
Please don't let Cooperative
Living become a repository for
everyone's political opinions unless
the topic is about matters having to
do with our electric service.
Thank you.
Linda Seckel
Stanley, Va.
THANKS FOR THE MAGAZINE
Hello Cooperative Living ... I so
enjoy receiving and reading the
magazine each month. I get a kick
out of Margo Oxendine's column
and I really enjoy the shared
recipes.
It's nice to read about happenings
in neighboring counties across
the state, and especially neat to see
anything written about my own
vicinity.
Thank you for providing this
monthly resource!
Cindy Hoffman
Winchester, Va.
HERE'S A NIFTY
TICK-TREATMENT
ALTERNATIVE
I read with interest the
January letter about
removing ticks. This
may work, but it
can be dangerous
and painful, especially
if you are not
careful and using this
method on a child.
A deer tick is sometimes
as small as a
speck of black pepper.
That would present
quite a problem
to find its head. My
wife and I have had
many ticks here in
Manassas. She had Lyme
disease twice and I've had
it once. Thankfully we
caught it in time and had it
treated.
WRITE US!
NOTE
EMAIL
ADDRESS
We want to hear from you - comments, opinions, suggestions.
Your letter must be signed and legible. We reserve the
right to edit for grammar, style and length, with a 250word
maximum for acceptance. Write: MAILBAG,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340; or email
mailbag@co-opliving.com. Please include your name
and city/town of residence, with MAILBAG as the subject.
have to rub. Very seldom do
you have to rub more than a
minute and the tick will come
off on the Q-tip and you can
put the swab in the trash, or
wash it off and use it over
and over.
After the tick is off,
you can take a leaf from
a fig tree and put the sap
from the leaf on the
Our proven method is to take a
Q-tip, put a drop of liquid soap
on it (any kind will do) and start
to rub the tick. How long the tick
has been attached and how deep
it is will determine how long you
spot and it will reduce or eliminate
the itching. The sap from a fig
leaf is also good for poison ivy itch.
Boiling the fig leaves into a tea provides
a holistic treatment for diabetes.
My wife and I have done this many
times and it works.
Alfred P. Dugas
Manassas, Va.
WHATZIT?
Each issue, we will
pub lish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object.
You are invited to make
your best guess and send it
in writing with your name,
address, and phone number
to WHATZIT?, c/o Cooperat -
ive Living, P.O. Box 2340,
Glen Allen, VA 230582340;
or guess online at
www.co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " Dead -
line for entries is Feb. 20.
All correct entries will be
put into a drawing and a
winner announced in the
May 2014 issue. The
winner will re ceive a
check for $25. 
4
MORE ABOUT REMOVING TICKS
Your January issue had a MAILBAG
letter regarding tick removal with a
hot match head. This is unlikely to
work unless the tick is killed by the
heat, and in the process the person
could suffer a burn.
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
The November/
December 2013
WHATZIT? (r) was
the painted yellow
line on an asphalt
highway. Reader Pat Williamson (left) of
Stephens City was our $25 winner.
Congratu lations, Pat!
In my 50 years of experience as
a practicing veterinarian I have
removed in excess of a thousand
ticks from myself, other humans,
and a variety of animal species
including pets, rodents, camels in
Egypt, reptiles and so on. In all cases
I used my fingers, or if available,
tweezers, preferably sharp-pointed.
In all of those tick extractions
never was the head of the tick
detached. Ticks are very tightly
attached to their heads and it will
stay attached when they are
physically removed.
The dark spot often seen in the
Cooperative Living/February 2014
MAILBAG
girl passenger.
Next time you feature
AN ADORABLE PAIR
What a beautiful way to
announce the holidays, with the
November/December cover. Kara
and Jacob make an adorable pair in
their " dressed-up " attire, riding a red
convertible with wreath, and
presents in tow, ready
for a road trip.
The whole issue
is chock full of
Christmas, including
delectable festive appetizers,
cute Christmas
critters, travel, and even
a gift idea with a co-op
gift certificate.
Thank all of you for
such a very special magazine.
We look forward to it
each month.
Carolyn Fisher
Fincastle, Va.
NEXT TIME, LET THE GIRL DRIVE!
I enjoy many articles in the
magazine each month, but I want
to comment on the photo on the
November/December issue's cover
of a small boy driving a larger,
a pair of children in
anything like this, could
you please let the girl
drive? Or give the
girl a position of
competence
instead of just
being passive?
Thank you.
Barbara Thackray
Chincoteague, Va.
NOVEMBER/
DECEMBER ISSUE'S
COVER KIDS A HIT!
I just wanted to say
how awesome I
thought your
November/December magazine
cover was! Those kids are
gorgeous and we loved the car
and the wreath and their little
outfits. Oh, it was just perfectly
wonderful to see sitting in my
mailbox! Such a great way to talk
about holiday travel, too!
I also found some really great
things to do in your HAPPENINGS
column. We stay home for
Christmas, but we like to take the
WRITE US!
NOTE
EMAIL
ADDRESS
We want to hear from you - comments, opinions, suggestions.
Your letter must be signed and legible. We reserve the
right to edit for grammar, style and length, with a 250word
maximum for acceptance. Write: MAILBAG,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340; or email
mailbag@co-opliving.com. Please include your name
and city/town of residence, with MAILBAG as the subject.
kids out to holiday parades and
festivals around the state before
then. Sometimes we find that the
coolest things to do are in the small
towns you've never heard of.
Thanks for always having great
content, and this particularly lovely
cover. Have a happy New Year and
God bless you all.
Sarah Williams
Via email
READER OFFERS GOOD
TICK-REMOVAL IDEA
I just finished reading Margo
Oxendine's RURAL LIVING column
in the November/December 2013
issue of Cooperative Living. In
response, I am writing to offer my
own experiences with ticks.
Ticks were a constant annoyance
WHATZIT?
Each issue, we will
pub lish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object.
You are invited to make
your best guess and send it
in writing with your name,
address, and phone number
to WHATZIT?, c/o Cooperat -
ive Living, P.O. Box 2340,
Glen Allen, VA 230582340;
or guess online at
www.co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " Dead -
line for entries is Jan. 20.
All correct entries will be
put into a drawing and a
winner announced in the
March/April 2014 issue.
The winner will re ceive a
check for $25. ■
4
during my childhood in rural
Appalachia. Pulling them out with
fingers or a pair of tweezers risked
separating the body from the head,
which sometimes bored deeper into
the skin, causing nasty infections.
But my grandfather was able to
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
The October 2013
WHATZIT? (r) was
the inside of a
butternut squash.
Reader Allen
Andreatch (left) of Chincoteague Island
was our $25 winner.
Congratu lations, Allen!
remove them completely without
the heads latching on tightly to the
skin. He would strike a common
wooden kitchen match, let it burn
for a few seconds and then blow it
out. He would then touch the stillwarm
end of the match stick to the
tick near its head. The tick would
let go and back out quickly, head
and all.
I have used this method of
removing the nasty things from my
own children and grandchildren,
and it has worked every time.
Karen Donnelly
Centreville, Va.
Cooperative Living/January 2014
Cooperative
November/December 2013
living
Going
Places
For the Holidays
pg. 12
ooperative
 Reader Recommended Appetizers
for the Holiday Hostess pg. 16
 Storm Doors Save Energy $$$ pg. 26
 Art & Archaeology in Alexandria's
Old Town pg. 30
For changes of address, please contact your local electric cooperative.
http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living February 2014

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