At the fair with Leroy and Elmer

I’ve attended the Rockingham County Fair almost every year since moving to Virginia. The sights, sounds, and smells of the fair were all new to me the first time I visited. Now I look forward to the livestock barns, the crafts, the petting zoo, and the rides. Oh, and I can’t forget about the food. All these are part of the last hurrah of the summer. For me, the end of the fair signals the start of a new school year and the coming of fall.

I almost missed all the fair this year. Saturday was the only day I was in town, and the rain negated any thoughts of venturing out during the day. By evening the barns were emptying and the time for the all-you-can-ride armband was fast running out.

I did get to see an animal show featuring a liger, a cross between a tiger and a lion.

What else to see on Saturday night? A horse pull.

The Horse Pull was a new experience for me this year. Having grown up in suburbia in South Carolina, I had no idea what to expect.

I’m glad I went.

Eight teams of draft horses competed on Saturday night. Two teams hail from the Shenandoah Valley: Dan and Ricky, driven by Randy Wonderly of Grottoes, and Leroy and Elmer, driven by Vernon Herring of Broadway. I was pulling (no pun intended) for the hometown teams. How can you go wrong rooting for a team whose participants have names like Leroy and Elmer?

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be Leroy and Elmer’s night. Dan and Ricky tied for second place in the heavyweight division.

The last of the barns have now been cleaned out, the crafts picked up, and the rides transported to another site.

Time for school, cooling temperatures, and the color show of fall.

~~Colleen

Healing Stones (Sullivan Crisp Series #1)

by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

With all the news focused on a politician who had an affair, it’s a relief to find therapy in a fiction book that addresses the issue. I tend to view fiction novels much as I do parables. It doesn’t matter that it didn’t necessarily happen. It just matters what is learned, i.e. the moral of the story.

In Healing Stones, Demi, a college professor is caught in an affair with a colleague at their Christian college. While many are throwing stones, Demi seeks forgiveness, realizing she must pay the consequences. She loses her job and alienates her family.

Enter Sullivan Crisp, a psychologist of the best kind. He is witty and wise yet struggles with his own mistakes. His incorporation of “game show theology” is an adorable bonus.

The story line is great…intriguing, mysterious, humorous, sad and yet, reflects true life. A read of this book provides clever insight into a path of redemption.

I spotted copies at the most recent Green Valley Book Fair. Amazon.com also has it as a bargain book. It’s worth the read.

Habitat Homes in the Valley Go Green

The Central Valley Habitat for Humanity will be building homes a little more “green,” thanks to a grant from The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat for Humanity International. The Bridgewater-based non-profit was selected as one of 123 Habitat affiliates across the nation to participate in an initiative to build into new homes energy-saving materials, reduced water consumption appliances and fixtures, durable, lower maintanance materials, and lower carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Central Valley organization will receive $3,000 toward every home that meets Energy Star standards, and $5,000 for every home that meets even higher green standards. According to Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot Foundation, the cost for building greener is not expensive and can save thousands of dollars in maintanance costs for homeowners.

In a pilot program last year in which Habitat built more energy efficient homes, about $2,000 worth of energy efficient materials were added to homes built by the organization. They are reporting energy savings of 15 to 30 percent in the homes where these materials were used.

Interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity or learning more about the green initiative? Email Marsha Smith at Central Valley Habitat for Humanity.