Towns & Villages Column by Anne Davis

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Wednesday, May. 22, 2013

Plan to donate blood June 3 in Marshall

It really is spring. The iris that are such an important part of my beloved flower beds are in full bloom with that delicious odor of grapes and the spiderwort with its delicate blooms give us a lift each morning.

Enjoy each lovely thing that you have in bloom; forget about those pesky dandelions. They make wonderful wine.

Congratulations to Doug Smith and his bride Jen on their marriage last week. The wedding was held at White Hall in Loudoun County with very nice weather and many family members and friends in attendance.

Doug and his twin brother Scott attended Fauquier High School, where they had many friends. Their father, Donn Smith, is a resident of Orlean, where he is active in many community activities.

Attendance at the Orlean Fire Department breakfast was sparse this week. Please make an effort to attend this monthly event which is always held on the third Sunday of the month. We miss you when you don't come.

Lots of birthdays to celebrate this week: Alice King, William Stribling, Davis Sharp, Tom Hood, Bill Smythe, Shawn Nashwinter, Crystal Sharp, Linda Stribling and Molly Wolfe. Be sure to acknowledge this important day if you have the opportunity .

The Marshall Community blood drive will be held on Monday, June 3, at Marshall Baptist Church from 2 to 7 p.m. The average number of people who donate blood is only about 4 percent of the population.

Blood supplies are often critically short, especially in wake of the serious accidents which have happened in our country in recent months (e.g., the Boston Marathon bombings).

If you are able, please consider making this important contribution to your community. Ursula Baxley works very hard to make this drive a success; please don't disappoint her.

Wednesday, May. 15, 2013

Lifelong Markham resident mourned

B-r-r-. If this is spring, please let me go back to winter. The cats took up their winter sleeping spots last night with plenty of close cuddling and loud purrs. Spoiled rotten; I don't think so.

Markham lost a lifelong resident and friend yesterday. Alex Green died peacefully at his home after a period of declining health. Postmaster, storekeeper, friend, father, uncle and grandfather, Alex played an important part in his beloved Markham community.

He was active in the Leeds Ruritan Club where he held a perfect attendance record for many years. The pavilion at the Leeds Ruritan Park in Hume was named for him several years ago. to celebrate his community service.

He was also active at the Markham United Methodist Church which his family had attended for many years.

Alex and Paul Pierce were joint keepers of the store in Markham for a long time. Alex enjoyed his daily trips to the post office until he could no longer drive. A recent photo in this newspaper showed Alex and Paul at the store.

Survivors include his daughter, a son, brother and several grandchildren, plus many loving nieces and nephews.

The Orlean Volunteer Fire Department will have the monthly breakfast on Sunday, May 19, from 8 to 11 a.m. Please come to support our local volunteers and enjoy that nice meal. Attendance was small at the April breakfast; let's see if we can improve it this month.

Birthday greetings this week to Jay Branscome, Jim Stribling, Elena McIntosh, Ann Garrett and Ann Whitelaw.

We found out too late to include Juanita Russell's celebration in the column at the correct date, but we still send her our good wishes.

The friends at the Orlean United Methodist Church made Juanita's birthday very special for her with a lovely home-cooked meal, cake and all of the trimmings in the parlor at the Fauquier Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Last Saturday, Hume Baptist Church celebrated special memories of the community with dinner and remembrances from present and former members.

Special music was presented by Hunter and Jean Payne who had organized the choir many years ago.

There were some funny stories and a good many laughs shared by the group. What a neat way to honor a special place in the Hume community.

Friday, May. 10, 2013

New book out for border collie fans

Can you believe we are beginning the first full week in May? We delight in the first blooms in our gardens and are disgusted with those pesky dandelions that show their little faces on the lawns. Grass is growing rapidly and needs frequent trimming.

We note the departure of Steve Campbell, former managing editor of this newspaper, who is moving on to other ventures. His personal kindness to those of us who write these community columns was always appreciated. He even made that long trip (not included in the list of editor's duties) to Charlottesville to visit your writer in Intensive Care last year. We wish him well.

Birthday greetings this week to Ellie Riedel, Pernille Brandt, John Douglass, Robin Anderson, Robert Stribling Jr., Sarah Woods, Courteney Nashwinter, Alyssa Newlun and Carrie Spear. Hope all have wonderful days and fun with someone special.

Donald McCaig, a writer known to many of us who are into Border Collies and a frequent commentator on NPR, has new book out. The title is "Mr. and Mrs. Dog" and includes some great stories about Donald's trips to the British Isles for the International Sheepdog trials. By the way, the National Sheepdog Finals Trials will be held at Belle Grove Plantation, Middletown (near Winchester), the second week in October. Days well spent to watch the top handlers and their talented dogs from the United States and Canada compete for the championship.

News flash. A recent survey of young couples state that they would not want to have their parents live with them. Most would choose Mom if they had to have a parent in their home, but would not like to have Dad because of his poor hygiene and bad influence.

What does this say about the way we are bringing up our children? Many of us remember living in a home with grandparents and elderly aunt and uncles. We treasure the time spent with them even as they declined physically and mentally. OK, parents, shape up.

Quote for the week: "The earth has music for those who listen."