Cooperative Living May 2019 - 6

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WRITE US!
BETTINA RING COVER STORY
APPRECIATED
The recent cover story article and
interview with Bettina Ring, former state
forester and current secretary of agriculture
and forestry, was wonderful! I have
known and worked with Bettina at the
Virginia Department
of Forestry for a
number of years.
She is one of the
most positive
people I know -
always smiling
and friendly,
even when she
has had to
make tough
decisions. She is very
dedicated to preserving our natural
environment. I don't think I need to
mention how very smart she is. And ...
she is a cat lover!
Thank you for publishing this article!
- Becky Woodson
program support technician specialist
Forest Management Division
Virginia Department of Forestry
COLUMN EVOKES MEMORIES OF
BAT TERRORS
Ms. Oxendine's mouse adventure
reminds me of my critter experience. I was
a middle-aged single female smitten with
a neglected storybook Victorian home in
a small New England village. I moved in
late in the day, set up my bed, and spent
my first night there. I awoke early the
following day to the sight of billowing black
smoke outside my window. In the next
door churchyard, I saw men in business
suits tending a huge metal grill. My first
thought: Did I purchase a home next to a
WhatzIt?
Each issue, we will publish a photo of a
familiar but unidentified object. You are
invited to make your best guess and submit
it in writing, along with your name, address
and phone number. Either mail to Whatzit?,
c/o Cooperative Living, P.O. Box 2340,
Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340 or guess online
at co-opliving.com under " Contests. "
The deadline for this month's entries is
May 20. Correct entries will be placed in
a drawing and the winner announced in
the July 2019 issue. The winner will receive
a check for $25. n
4 | Cooperative Living | May 2019
cult that practiced human
sacrifice? No. It was the
Sunday-morning preparation
for a chicken barbecue
luncheon.
The following night was
beastly hot, my windows were
painted shut, and I was
unclothed for comfort. I
dreamed that a vampire was biting my
neck. When I became fully awake, I
found a live bat on my neck! I took off
running down the long hallway with the
bat in hot pursuit. He was persistent, but
I finally shut him in a room and escaped
with quickly grabbed clothing and keys. I
was chuckling at the ridiculous situation
and rabies-terrified at the same time.
It was 2 a.m. New in town, I didn't
know anyone to come to my aid, so I
drove the 40 miles to my workplace. I
placed phone calls to animal control
officers, veterinarians, game wardens and
pest control companies. No one could
help me with this problem. Our lone
local law enforcement officer drawled,
" Lady, buy a tennis racket. "
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 250-word maximum for acceptance.
Write: MAILBAG, P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 230582340;
or email mailbag@co-opliving.com. Please include
your name and city/town of residence, with Mailbag as
the subject. You can also go to co-opliving.com and
click on " Mailbag " in the menu bar to submit a letter.
I slept in my office for a few weeks until
a professional bat exterminator did the
necessary home maintenance to seal varmint
entry gaps and permanently evict the pests.
However, I slept with the lights on and a
dutiful guard cat for two years afterward.
I became a church trustee with my own key
and enjoyed several years of blessed peace
before returning to my family in Virginia.
- Lois Rogers
via email
READER ENJOYS PASS-ALONG
COPIES OF COOPERATIVE LIVING
My mother-in-law in Charlotte County
passes her copies of Cooperative Living on
to me when she's finished reading them.
Years ago, you featured a Garden Muse
column about growing your own
sponges, and since then, I have
successfully grown dozens of them,
which grew on scores of feet of vines
along a sunny side of a fenced-in
community garden plot up here in
Charlottesville. I have been able to
reduce my reliance on plastic sponges
by using these luffas for scrubbing my
dishes. When I visit her, my mother-inlaw
has a pile of these back issues for
me to take home.
Perhaps you would consider including
a follow-up article with " testimonials "
from folks who grew them because of
reading that article. I also get such
satisfaction from growing birdhouse
gourds - not that I've used them for
birdhouses, but that they are beautiful
and functional.
I find many other articles useful,
educational and inspiring. The way you
include and incorporate customers'
photos and experiences is quite
heartwarming, and I appreciate reading
and seeing those features.
Every step we take towards using fewer
resources, nurturing the flora and fauna
on our planet, and taking care of the planet
itself is helpful, and I really like when you
include articles on native pollinatorattracting
practices. But I encourage you
The February
WHATZIT
was cardboard.
Jennifer Vandell
of Powhatan
was our
$25 winner.
Congratulations
Jennifer! n
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
co-opliving.com
NOW
ONLINE
TOO!
CoverMarchApr.qxp_FC_v1_CL_pmslr 2/19/19 11:08 AM Page 1
Cooperative
VIRGINIA'S ELECTRIC
March-April 2019
living
Bettina Ring
A Commitment to
Agriculture & Forestry
in the Old Dominion,
pg. 14
Celebrating
Virginia's Electric
Cooperatives
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Cooperative Living May 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living May 2019
