Cooperative Living November/December 2019 - 6

Mailbag
A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
The article on the town of Brodnax,
Va., published in the September 2019
issue of Cooperative Living, took
me down memory lane to the
early 1950s.
I viewed the town from the
school bus window passing
through twice each school day for two
years. I was the first to board the new
bus route on Dr. Purdy Road picking up
students in route to Brodnax; the main
stop in town was directly in front of
the post office. Garland Baird was the
student bus driver. I remember where
Armistead Lambert, mentioned in the
article, boarded the bus just next door
to John Drewery Lambert, whom my
late husband would meet in college
where he and I also met.
I remember vividly the names and
faces of those students we picked up
along the way and in town. Though I
passed through the town twice per day,
I never set foot in the town until late
in the summer of 1954 when I shopped
at the General Merchandise store where
former student bus driver Garland
Baird was working; then attending the
wedding of my friend Page Moore.
- Patricia Carper
New Castle, Va.
READER ENJOYS VCU HEALTH
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL ARTICLE
Thank you for your wonderful
article in the September issue about
VCU Health Community Hospital in
South Hill. It really is a crown jewel
for Southside Virginia and a
blessing to citizens all along the
Virginia/North Carolina border.
The new hospital offers a
myriad of specialists and clinics,
giving local citizens the opportunity to
be diagnosed and treated near their
homes, saving them countless hours
on the road, not to mention money.
The fact that it is the largest
employer in Mecklenburg County
is certainly a boost to the local
economy. However, I feel the single
most important aspect of VCU
Health Community is the cancer care
provided by CMH Specialty Clinics.
What a game changer! Because of the
addition of state-of the-art equipment,
including a radiation therapy
department, citizens from all over
Southside can take advantage of
receiving their cancer therapy,
including radiation, right here, instead
of spending two to three hours on
the road daily riding to Lynchburg,
Danville, Richmond, Charlottesville
or Durham. What a blessing that is for
citizens who are already in the fight of
their lives! That's a couple more hours
that they can spend with their families,
or working a few hours, or just resting
for the next day's battle.
As president of Barksdale Cancer
Foundation in Charlotte County, I can
promise you that our patients consider
it a godsend to have such a facility
nearby. In addition, the quality of care
and hands-on attention from the staff
is unparalleled ... one more thing to
be thankful for. Thank you for
publishing such a great and informative
magazine. I look forward to reading
every single issue!
- Wendy S. Lankford, President,
Barksdale Cancer Foundation
Charlotte County, Va.
ANOTHER HEAT PUMP OPTION
I liked the EnergySense column in
your October issue, but they left out
one option.
They also make two versions of small
" window " heat pumps similar to the
traditional window air conditioners we
are all used to seeing.
Like other heat pumps, they do both
heating and cooling (often including
a dehumidifier too), but are mobile,
cheaper and user-installed in under an
hour. Take it out of the box, do some
minor assembly, put in window and
plug into an outlet.
One version looks identical to a
traditional window air conditioner
but costs a lot more (over $1,000 each),
is generally slightly more efficient,
and includes winter heat. You have
to buy one for each
room you want to
heat/cool.
The other version
looks kind of like an
expensive kitchen
trash can and has
a hose that blows air
out the window
in a way that doesn't
block your view.
These tend to run
about $300-500 for
a unit that can
4 | Cooperative Living | November-December 2019
handle a (one) room up to 400-square
feet. These are a " little weird " in that
by blowing air out of the house, it has
to suck air into your house through all
the usual " draftiest " areas. This makes
its true efficiency harder to calculate
since it sucks cold air in from every
crack and crevis, but I can personally
verify it does cut heating bills over
resistance heat.
Roughly half of these also
dehumidify (for free) while in heat
and cool modes. If you have
high humidity, that's a big deal.
These two options are much
less expensive to install while
also being renter friendly
and saving a lot over traditional
resister heat.
They are true heat pumps too,
just a little oddball, but well within
most budgets.
- Trevor Berwick
Bumpass, Va.
COLUMN ENJOYED BY READER
I thoroughly enjoy reading Margo
Oxendine's column in your magazine.
She is extremely witty and always
provides a smile or a sweet reminder
of days gone by. Her column is the
first thing I read each month. She is
a true treasure. Thank you!
- Gail Sandifer
Culpeper, Va.
DOG STORY APPRECIATED
I just wanted to thank you for the
wonderful article on Nero. It brought
back so many happy times I had
with him. He truly was one of a kind.
Again, many thanks. I just was
so blessed to have had him, if only
for a short time.
- Carolyn Sisk
Rappahannock County, Va.
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Cooperative Living November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living November/December 2019
