Cooperative Living September 2018 - 6

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FORMER RESIDENT RECALLS LIFE IN
HOLLAND, VIRGINIA
As a former resident of Holland, Virginia,
I was delighted to read in the August issue's
Crossroads feature that Holland is not " lost, "
but very much a friendly, bustling community.
My husband Charles Wheeler and I
moved to Holland in 1953, and lived there
until 1967. Charles was a teacher, coach
and principal of Holland Elementary and
High School. He was later appointed
principal of Forest Glen High School.
Our two children were born at Louise
Obici Memorial Hospital and attended
Holland Elementary School. The school at
that time was the center of activity for
sports, PTA meetings, Halloween parties,
and other activities. The school was also
blessed with some outstanding teachers.
I remember fondly the drug store, where
some friendly folks met frequently for
refreshments and local gossip. And, of
course, who could forget the miles and
miles of peanut crops all around the area?
Thanks for the memories. The story
reminded me of many old friends (long
gone) who I enjoyed knowing. Holland
will always be near and dear to my heart.
- Mary E. Wheeler
Charlottesville
THANKS TO MARGO FOR
THE WARNING
Many thanks to Margo Oxendine for her
warning about opening the door to
strangers in her June Rural Living column,
titled " Pieces of Springtime: Lavender Dust
Bunnies, Scary Handymen on the Prowl. "
Many years ago, a young man knocked
on my grandmother's door then simply
walked into the house. She grabbed a gun
and told the man to leave the house.
He reached into his coat to retrieve " an
information packet " he wanted to show
her, but she backed him out the door with
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 Sept. 20. Correct entries will be
placed in a drawing and the winner announced
in the November-December 2018 issue.
The winner will receive a check for $25. n
4 | Cooperative Living | September 2018
the gun.
Later, the same man was
arrested for assaulting someone
further down the road. The
" information packet, " it turned
out, was a knife he later used to
assault a woman down the road
from my grandmother's house.
Just like your mother warned;
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 now also go to co-opliving.com and
click on " Mailbag " in the menu bar to submit a letter.
beware of strangers, lock your doors, and
don't ever open the door to someone, no
matter how kind and gentle they may seem.
Thank you, Margo, for that reminder.
- Lori Petterson
Manassas Park
FRONT ROYAL IS A COZY,
UNPRETENTIOUS, INTERESTING TOWN
What a haughty, inept and unfair
description of Front Royal ( " Pandas and
Ferrets and Oryxes, Oh My! " August 2018
Cooperative Living).
I knew about the Smithsonian
Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) within
a few months of moving to Front Royal four
years ago, from seeing numerous articles in
the Warren County Report, a well-written,
free newsletter, widely distributed all over
the town. I cannot imagine that many " locals "
are not aware of the facility. How insulting.
My view is that Front Royal is a cozy,
unpretentious, but interesting town that
grew from a pre-revolutionary settlement on
the Shenandoah River at the base of the
Shenandoah National Park. In many ways it
is a typical American town where " dogs gambol
in the verdant new dog park, " (located
alongside the lovely river walk, covered with
breathtaking expanses of bluebells in the
spring and planned to connect to Skyline
Drive) " cows graze, and birds chirp overhead. "
Yet, in remarkable contrast to all this
natural and pastoral beauty, is the nearby,
highly scientific and technical SCBI, where
researchers study the preservation of exotic,
endangered species in a facility that is
rarely open to the public.
The magazine has so many interesting,
appealing articles about small towns all
over Virginia. I am shocked that this article
would commence with such a mundane,
unappealing snapshot of Front Royal. I
think you owe the town an apology as
well as a full-spread article about its
many attractive, neighborly aspects.
- Charlotte Detwiler
Front Royal
WELL WATER'S A GREAT COOLER
ON A 95-DEGREE DAY!
I enjoyed Margo Oxendine's story on
the backyard pool ( " On Lolling, Innovation
and Rural Skullduggery, " August 2018
Cooperative Living) and want to let her
know that my wife Ann and I have been
doing the same thing for years. Sixtydegree
deep-well water is a great cooler on
a 95-degree day and we simply store the
pool under the back porch out of the way
(with no upkeep) the rest of the time!
- John Snyder
Franktown
SCBI IS INVOLVED IN LOCAL
ACTIVITIES, TOO
Besides working with the exotic
animals described in your August issue,
the Smithsonian SCBI is involved in
local activities.
It supports the Virginia Master
Naturalist Program, a statewide corps of
volunteers providing education, outreach,
We received a lot of
creative guesses for
our July WHATZIT,
but the correct
answer is a brick set
in mortar. Reader
Nancy Seery of
Hot Springs was
our $25 winner.
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
Congratulations, Nancy! n
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Cooperative Living September 2018

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