Cooperative Living September 2015 - 3

THE INSIDE STORY
This issue's cover
Bill Sherrod
story is the Cooperative
Living Awardwinning
essay in the
2014-15 Virginia Outdoor
Writers Association's
high school and
collegiate outdoor
writing contest.
Three years running now, Cooperative
Living has sponsored an award as
part of VOWA's contest. Each of the
three winning essays reflected a different
facet of Virginia's broad palette of outdoor
experiences: hiking and climbing
McAfee's Knob on the Appalachian
Trail; a memorable bow-hunt for a trophy
deer; and this year's entry, a young
woman's burgeoning connection to nature
and her late grandmother's lasting
influence on her love of the outdoors.
Our award winner, Peyton Smith, is
a rising senior at the College of William
& Mary, majoring in environmental
science and government. She also has
quite a knack for conveying ideas with
the written word.
Journalists, public-relations professionals
and communications workers
today - especially those of us (ahem)
of a certain age - often bemoan the
decay of grammar and general-writing
skills. It's all, we suppose, generally attributable
to contemporary electronic
communications, in particular that bane
of grammarians, text messaging.
It's almost become a hobby - complaining
about the " younger generation's "
slow drift into communicationsclarity
oblivion. There's a certain sour
smugness in such dismissals that's unbecoming
and hints at ungraceful aging.
Then along comes a Peyton Smith,
who shows that there are, indeed,
young writers who can project powerfully
through the written word.
This year there were many excellent
entries in the VOWA contest. Each of
the three years the Cooperative Living
Award has been offered, the number of
entries has increased. And more often
than not, the entries have been fine examples
of essays and stories. It's refreshing
and reassuring to those of us of a
certain age to see good writing issuing
forth from the very demographic group
we so often accuse of killing language.
So, congratulations and thank you,
Peyton, for your thoughtful, poignant
essay. And thank you, also, for reminding
us old-fogey communicators that
the power and potential of the written
word lives on in raw, exuberant good
health. - Bill Sherrod, Editor
12
Our Mission
To inform you about your cooperative and its efforts to
serve your energy needs; how to use electricity safely and
efficiently; and the people who define and enhance the
quality of life in communities served by electric co-ops.
Contents
15
SEPTEMBER 2015
The Heron's Hymn
Her grandmother's love of nature inspired
Peyton Smith's essay, winner of this year's
Cooperative Living collegiate outdoor writing award.
On the cover: William & Mary student Peyton Smith, winner of the Virginia
Outdoor Writers Association Cooperative LivingAward. Laura Emery photo.
Fun Fall Fairs and Festivals
As the air cools and summer begins to sag,
communities across the Commonwealth burst
forth with fairs and festivals of every imaginable ilk.
26
Understanding Home Energy Efficiency
A little extra knowledge about heat loss and
gain can go a long way when you're planning
energy-efficiency improvements to your home.
Celebrating a Career Well Done
Longtime Northern Virginia legislator Sen.
Charles Colgan will retire this fall after 40 years
of distinguished service to the state Senate.
Viewpoint
Mailbag
Whatzit?
History Mystery
Say Cheese!
Happenings
Currents
DEPARTMENTS
2
4
4
5
6
8
10
Bang for Your Buck 11
Local Co-op Pages 18
Healthy Take*
35
20
Caught in the Web*
Safety Sense*
12
15
26
35
21
22
It's Your Business* 23
Feathered Friends* 24
Dining with Dan
28
Stories from the Road 30
Reader Recipes
Classifieds
Rural Living
34
38
40
* not in all editions
Visit us online at: www.co-opliving.com
www.facebook.com/cooperativeliving
Please recycle this magazine.
1
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Cooperative Living September 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living September 2015
