Category Archives: Rural Life in Mendota

Daily adventures in a rural farming community.

Fall Garden and Pictures of Mendota

Before I start…if you are interested in learning to quilt, please see information on our upcoming class by going here.

I’ve been off my blog for a few days. I’ve really been off kilter for the same number of days. The days are getting shorter, and I have to work on not feeling “the yucks.” Do you get them?

Mike is working to get our woodboiler in working order for the winter. If you have a woodboiler, you know a side benefit is that it provides hot water, but our hot water feature did not work last year. As of today, that is fixed. Yeh!! While he was working on this, I took the doggies for a ride. Our granddaughter’s birthday is coming up, and I wanted to make sure her gift arrives before the weekend, so the doggies and I headed out to see Patsy at the Mendota Post Office. Here’s a few things we saw along the way…

First, a favorite barn of mine. My parents hung tobacco in this barn. Do you know where it is?

Ruby's Barn

And a friend, Judith, asked for a picture of churches in Mendota. I think I know the church she’s wanting to see as it was her family’s church. The members of St. Peter Presbyterian now own this church and worship there, but at one time it was the Mendota Bible Methodist Church. I have spent many summers in Bible School at this church as well as quite a few Sunday nights. I still remember Patsy and her sister, Mary Alice, singing “He Touched Me.” I’m surprised I remember anything, because there was a lot of note passing, nudging and “looks” going on the left side, back two rows of that church at one time.

St Peter

I like this little door plaque that someone made for the church. Wayne Hays is Pastor of St. Peter. Pastor Wayne has earned the respect and affection of our community.

St. Peter Door

And what would be better than a small, rural school at the base of the mountain? That was the story once, but that was a long time ago. The building is old, but if Washington County’s leadership saw the building today, they would be shocked. It is Spic-and-Span clean thanks to Wanda Riner, Bill Porter, and the MCA. If you were one of the ones privileged to attend this little school, you’ll like this picture.

Hamilton School

Here’s another…

School Again

And I came home from my little drive with the doggies, I walked around the yard and went over to where some green bean vines were hanging around left from a day in August when I stuck just 16 beans in the raised beds. I never watered them and it quit raining, so I thought they’d just do nothing. A few came up…I believe these are Mountaineers.

Green Beans Climbing

I could not believe it…there were beans on these vines and two others not pictured. Perfect, tender green beans.

Green Beans

Guess what I’m eating while I type this?

Mendota Quilt Class November 15-16

These pieces have plans, and they’re hoping others will have plans, too!

Quilt 2

Wanna learn to quilt and do it here in Mendota? Work hard for two days and leave with a quilt? Chris Schanzenbach and I are hosting a quilt class on Friday and Saturday, November 15-16, 9:30 am until 4:30 pm. Class will be held in my guest house, lower level.

Cost is $35 payable at the time of registration and includes lunch both days. There will be additional costs for your supplies and tools (Chris will provide a materials list following registration). Instruction will be geared to first-time quilters, but more experienced quilters are also welcome. Come and enjoy a mini-retreat, relaxing with your neighbors, and making a beautiful quilt. Something for a new baby, wall hanging or just to keep your lap happy!

You’ll need to bring your own sewing machine and know how to operate and sew with the machine.

For me…it’s what is in this bag…just fabric today but oh the possibilities! Did you think I was going to be the instructor? My sisters are rolling around in the floor laughing. No way. Chris is the master quilter. I’ll be taking the class with you. Learning and having fun.

Brown Bag

Little pieces of fabric…they’re lining up and thinking about being a quilt. “We just know we’re going to be beautiful!”

Such pretty colors…how fun this will be!

Quilt 3

To register, send $35 with your name, email, and phone number to:

Chris Schanzenbach
5505 Mendota Road
Mendota, VA 24270

Space is limited. All registrations must be received by November 9. Questions??? Contact Chris at cmschanz@gmail.com.

Route 802 Mendota Virginia

I drove down State Route 802 today — the Mendota Road. I decided to bring you along. There’s a house on that road that I’m fascinated by but it’s not included in this post. I have to stop and talk with the folks and ask them if I can put it on the blog. They weren’t home, so that may come later. At any rate, here we go…

802

The roads are winding–not in a scary way but just enough so that you have to drive a little slower and watch what you’re doing. I went really slow and took pictures.

Windy Road

Here’s Regina’s Rockybrook. I think it’s open only on Saturday. She called me one night when I wrote the Mendota Villager just to say thanks. That was a long time ago. Margie Dean now writes The Villager.

RockyBrook

Here’s an old building that I think looks interesting. I wonder what it was built for? Does anyone know?

Old Building

And a sassy red barn that someone obviously loves.

Red Barn

Someone’s beautiful entry “Peace Like a River.” They love the North Fork, too!

Peace Like a River

Here’s what used to be North Fork Baptist Church (below). It was established in 1776. I do not know if services are still held here. Mom took Pat and me to revival at this church when we were young. I mortified her that night by announcing that I knew where babies came from — “out of their mama’s mouths.” I had seen a mother cat carrying a small kitten and got everything mixed up.

Holston View

Another church…I’ve never been inside this church. However, when I was a teenager, I “parked” there with someone. Who? Well, that young man no longer walks on this earth, and I’ll never tell. It remains a secret! We sat there and listened to an eight-track tape, and I tried to act like I liked beer. Ugh.

Poor Valley Log church

Nearby there is a chimney that nature is reclaiming.

chimney

I took a picture of this sawmill which is one of two on this part of Route 802. My father had a sawmill. My father was a pallbearer when the famous musician, Mr. A. P. Carter, passed away. People who have learned that Daddy had a relationship with A. P. ask if Daddy was a musician. Nope, he loved and owned a sawmill, and A. P. loved sawmills almost as much as he loved music. They were sawmill men.

Sawmills

Below is a picture of a field of boxwoods. I love it when people try and earn a living in Mendota. Once in a while, they can. I hope this nursery is doing well. Across this field and the river, there is an old two-story structure which you can see a tiny bit of in this picture. I’ve never been there, but I was told there was a dumbwaiter in the building. Now why would I remember that?

Boxwoods and Old Building

And another sweet church..

Church 2

And this was my Uncle Paul’s church. His name was Paul Barker. He was both a preacher and a miner. His granddaughter called me a few weeks ago. It was so nice to connect.

Church 2 again

Hope you’ve enjoyed driving down State Route 802, Mendota Road, with me. I was coming home from a ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail. Here I am…

Eva Beaule on Bike

I’m “coming out.” I’m a supporter of a hiking and biking trail in Mendota.

Betrayed

I wanted to go for a ride today, and getting Mike to go was like pulling teeth. He did this…he did that…and then, he said, “can I drive my sportscar?” Of course he can drive his sports car. The real statement was “if you will you ride with me in my sportscar, I will go.”

My reply was, “can you drive like you’re driving my Prius so I’m not going to be skeered?” “Yes,” was the reply. Then I pulled the real bullet out…”Honey…do you think you can get in it with your not-so-awesome new knee? “Of course” was the reply. And he did! Off we went!

Porsche 1

We saw some pretty places…I took these pictures through the windshield so they may be a little blurry.

Taylor's Valley

The picture above was from Taylor’s Valley. We had to zip in and out of Virginia to get there.

Virginia Sign

But what goes up, must come down. What gets in, must get out. He got in really easily, but I did not think he’d get out. Here he is..planning on how to get out of that car.

Still thinking

I think I can…I think I can…

Getting out

Almost there…(Me: Yawn)

Getting back in

You’d think this car would love him back. But she’s a selfish girl. She betrayed him. Look in the mirror in the picture below. Can you say “Flashing Blue Lights?”

Mirror

I feel a little sorry for him. Not too much, but just a little.

Pam Powers and Leaps of Faith Jewelry

If I have a dream for our remote little village, it would be for us to have small, sustainable businesses. Maybe a jewelry business? Did someone really eat with these pieces?

J 1

Or these…Why didn’t I think of this?

J 2

Such a great idea…

I love Randy and Pam Powers. They are not only neighbors and relatives, but Randy is the son of my sister Nancy’s best “lifetime” friend, the late Rita Collier. They walk the walk of their faith, and they’re fun!

Check out the Kingsport Times News article on Pam’s hobby-turned-business. It’s called Leaps of Faith.

Sometimes newspaper links fail to work after a period of time. If this happens, you can also take a peek at her work on Facebook. Here’s the Facebook link…

https://www.facebook.com/leapsoffaithjewelry?fref=ts

I encourage you to visit her Facebook page and “Like” her. If you’ve ever lived in Mendota or a small town, you have some idea how hard it is to make a living here. “Here” being in Mendota — not driving elsewhere. Pam took a courageous step, and she can use our support. If you’re interested in pricing or buying a piece of Pam’s jewelry, please message her (or even me) and she’ll get in touch with you.

Hope someone who is buying me a Christmas present is reading this! Hint! I could use another “Serving Spoon Cuff Bracelet” (only about $27).

Can You Solve These Mysteries?

I’m hoping someone will help me figure out two things. What is this? It looks like a wooly worm except it’s gold and it has spikes.

Spiked Worm

I’ve googled “gold wooly worm with spikes” but I didn’t find anything other than just regular wooly worm information. It’s actually got a cute face. It’s like a cross between a wooly worm and a Yorkie dog.

cute Face

And the second question is what is this all about? I did not decorate for Halloween but I’ve got little spidery webs on all the shrubs. I didn’t like them so I just shook the shrub with a broom and they fell or blew away, but what are they?

Mystery White Things

Please leave a comment on this post or on Facebook if you know what either of these are.

More Barns and Beans

I have been looking at barns recently. I wish that every barn had a good home–just like cats and dogs. Here’s two that hit the lottery. They were in not-so-great shape a few years ago, but now they’re showing off.

Like this one…it’s even got a sign.

Mendota Farms Barn

And here’s its buddy…across the road.

Mendota Farms Other Barn

I like those barns because they are full of hay…planning for winter. That is what I’m doing, too. I’ve been trimming the shrubbery so I won’t have to do it in the spring. Here’s how messy it looked…

Before Trimming

I divided the daylillies which were like tree trunks. They have not been divided since the house was landscaped 14-15 years ago so they weren’t blooming very well. They may never bloom now, but I just had to do something so I took the shovel to them. I felt like Lizzie Borden out there axing away at the roots.

Day Lily Boulder

And after I gave everything a haircut and divided the daylillies, I took this picture. This area could use some mulch, but we’ll wait until spring. Right now, I just wanted it to look neat.

After

And Mike, who apparently has gotten in touch with his flowering side, has been out saving every zinnia seed. Who is this man and what did he do with my husband? He has the dried flowers in plastic bins like this sitting on top of our freezer so that all the moisture will be gone leaving about a gazillion seeds for next year.

Zinnia Heads

And here’s something I am definitely going to work on next spring. I stuck a few Mountaineer Half Runner beans in the raised beds late in the summer. Since I never watered them, they didn’t do very well. However, one survived and thrived. It’s got beans on it! I ate one! This will be how we plant beans next year, as all of the raised beds have had root crops in them this year. It’s not good to put your onions and potatoes (root crops) in the same spot, so the beans will be a nice change for the raised beds, and can you just imagine how pretty the tunnels will look if the beans climb like this one?

Mountaineer Half Runner

However, next year’s garden will have to wait. Something more important…like the Dear Girls waiting for their evening ride to bark at deer. We saw 32 yesterday. I do love my doggies.

Dear Girls

Tobacco Road – Mendota, Virginia

On Sunday afternoon, Mike’s son pulled out of the driveway after a quick weekend visit to Mendota, and I decided to take the dear girls for a ride. They are so stiff that I have to lift them into the truck, but they so enjoy their rides. My back is going to break before they are gone, but that’s okay. We took the camera on our ride and took a few pictures of the road work at Barnrock Road.

Here’s where Swinging Bridge Road intersects with Barnrock Road. The new road will be behind that black plastic…I’m not sure how the cut off onto Swinging Bridge will look. The Elk Knob folks who are working on this road seem to be focused on the other end at the present time.

Barn Rock Road Curve

And here’s where Granny Bott’s house was…

Barn Rock Road Intersection

Here’s how it looked a few months ago…

Granny Bott's House

I drove up to where Barnrock intersects with the Mendota Road which I still call “802”. Before the county actually named the roads, we called them by their route numbers. For instance, I live on 614. If I go up through Rich Valley, I’m traveling 700.

Sign

There is a new huge culvert/drain area running along the onset of Barnrock Road. Does VDOT know something we don’t? It’s true we have had water running across the road in this area but this thing could divert the North Fork of the Holston River! Here it is….

Another picture…I told you it was huge!
Huge trench

Here’s another…it’s as wide as the road.

Huge Huge Trench

I walked up the road (802) a bit and saw something I’ve been looking for. It was right under my nose. If you don’t know what this is, you aren’t over 40 and you weren’t raised in Washington County, Virginia. It’s the “premium leaf”…Burley tobacco.

Burley Surprise 1

Mr. Burley…I’ve been looking for you….

Burley Barn

Mr. Burley, I smell you…yes sir I do….

Burley 1

You’ll be “in case” or “in order” soon and then you’ll be sold. There will be a check to cash. I remember Mother and Daddy getting their check, and I’d get shoes! So long ago…so much has changed, so it’s nice to see your familiar face.

Cozart #1…Cozart #2…hey Mr. Burley I’ve been lookin’ for you!

Burley 2

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Dear Honeybees

Dear Honeybees,

Since you arrived at the end of May, I have made over 100 trips to your home. When I visit you, I bring you sugar water. Since May, you have consumed over 300 pounds of sugar. You should be sweet by now.

Sugar Water

You are not sweet. No…quite the reverse. You have rewarded me by stalking me. On a good day, you hitchhike and ride on my clothing while I’m outside. On a bad day, and there are lots of bad days, you are just mean. Mowing? Only on your terms else I’m chased. Due to you, liquid Benedryl has become a staple in my house. You have taken possession of my home recycling center, my garage entry, and you think the sheets on the clothesline are yours, too. You love my flowers and plants, but you get mad when I water them. What is it with you?

When my husband washed the car, you sent one of your guards out to sting his big toe, which grew to be really big. He was just washing the car????

In the near future, I’m going to cut off your sugar water. Did you hear that? No sugar water!! What do you think of that?

God Intervenes

lots of bees

Our beekeeping came to an abrupt halt in late winter when we realized every honeybee was dead. We were able to extract the honey left in the hives and we did that. We cleaned the boxes (supers) for all eight hives as best we could and stored them in Mike’s shop. We’ve since re-established three hives, but that left a lot of bee “houses” and supplies down in the shop. Even though we froze the frames to kill wax moths, we’ve still had moth activity destroying a portion of the stored combs. This week, Gerald and Mike pulled everything out to determine what to keep and what to destroy.

There was still residual honey in the boxes, and they set them out on the porch of the shop thinking our honeybees might discover and clean them. Honeybees are really good at finding honey. Mike said that within just a few minutes, there were six or seven bees investigating. Within 60 minutes, there were hundreds…maybe over a thousand…honeybees working to get that honey residue out of the boxes, fighting with each other over who the honey belonged to, and warning Mike and Gerald to get away while honey work was going on. Honeybees are very effective in their warning skills. Mike and Gerald left the shop as quickly as the bees showed up.

Mike could not enter the shop all day yesterday. The bees were like gladiators. This morning, he told me that since these were my bees, I could suit up and go down to the shop and move the bee boxes away from the door so that he could get in. He was right, but I was so irked. I didn’t want to get out of bed.

Mike went out and called out for me to come outside. I was in my pajamas and barefoot. Very annoyed at him. And then God intervened, and my day just changed completely.

Here’s what I saw when I went outside…the picture does not do it justice.

Pink Sky 1

Look at Clinch Mountain rolling up there in the background…

Pink Sky 2

Whew..what can I say?

Pink Sky 3

And just like that…it was over. I was down at the shop and even though it was early, a few hard-working honeybees were already there…maybe 50-60. I picked the boxes up and moved them away from the door. The bees didn’t mind. I was humming…they were humming.

Bee Hives

It was all good. Did you see the pink sky? Did your mood lighten?