At long last, we are giving Rugby Week a new look. If you are looking at this online, this new website will allow us to give the weekly newsletter a little friendlier look and to include photos.

A number of you have been having trouble receiving the newsletter. One reader mentioned that his own email service provider has tightened up their anti-spam filters and he has had to actively “white list” a number of his regular correspondents. So it would be a good idea for you to add the Rugby Week email address as one of the addresses you do not want treated as spam. The other problem that I have noticed is that there has sometimes been a delay of hours before the newsletter is received.

There will be several ways to see the newsletter online in the future that can hopefully eliminate these problems. You can just bookmark this new website and check it each week for updated postings. We normally post the newsletter by 10:00 am EST each Monday. The other option that we will offer starting next week is that we will provide you information about how to register under Google groups if you would like to receive an email notification when each newsletter is posted. This will allow you to be notified of the weekly posting and any special postings. After a trial period, we may stop using the old method and require anyone who wants to be notified of postings to register with Google Groups.

WORK GOING ON IN RUGBY
It has been a little while since any new construction has started in Beacon Hill. Lavonne Gibbs mentioned that she and Charles now have a backhoe in place to begin work clearing for their new workshop near their house in Beacon Hill.

The Historic Rugby properties staff is hoping to put the plastic covering on the new greenhouse behind the Uffington barns today. The hope is that the process of propagating some Rugby heirloom and native plants can begin soon to make them available to the many people who have said over the years that they would like to either spread more our special plants around the village or take a little bit of Rugby with them.

LAND FOR SALE
Teresa Coker has five acres of wooded land for sale near the White Oak River about one mile from the center of Rugby. She says it is next to the protected land of the State Natural Area. To contact Teresa for more information call 931-267-5870 or 931-752-5151. Her mailing address is P.O. Box 62, Rugby, TN 37733.

LOST HAT
Jessica Neary reports that her son Sam has lost his hat somewhere between Oak Lodge and Virgo House along the paved path on the north side of the road. It is a multi-colored Patagonia hat. If anyone finds it they would be much obliged if you would put it on their front porch.

BIRTHDAYS
January 31 – Mary Ann Lovett
February 2 – Ed Gleason

NATURE NOTES by Linda Konig
Last Monday George and Rick told me they had found something dead they wanted me to identify. Oh boy! We walked to a frozen puddle near Ingleside, and lying there frozen beside it was a lizard? Salamander? George put it in a plastic bag, and I took it home, thinking I would look at it more closely with my magnifying glass and try to find it in one of my field guides. First I decided it must be a salamander because of the grooves down its sides. It was blackish with dull green spots.

After much study, I decided it must be an Eastern Tiger Salamander. Its description seemed to fit the one we had found, but tiger salamanders are hard to pinpoint because their stripes and spots and colors have many variations. There are several sub-species of them.

Then an inspiration hit me. I should look at the salamander with my black light. Wow! What had looked like dull green spots (that were getting darker and duller by the day) glowed a greenish yellow! Now, for the first time, I could clearly see that the spots were round and that there were two rows of them going all the way down the tail. This was especially exciting to me because this means I can look for salamanders around puddles and ponds at night with my black light. Also, it meant that I was wrong about the kind of salamander I have. It is a spotted salamander, and its spots were originally yellow, not green.

What was it doing out in the cold when it died? These spotted salamanders mate January through February in our area. Otherwise, they are underground a lot. There is just no telling what you might find at night, even in the “dead” of winter.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 2 - Bob Hemminger is leading a pre-potluck hike on Rugby trails Saturday afternoon. He hopes that folks planning to attend the potluck will join the hike beforehand. Meet at 1:00 at Harrow Road Cafe. For more information, e-mail Bob at dagbob@juno.com no later than Thursday evening.

February 2 - Community Potluck 7:00 pm

February 9 – Morgan County Chili Cook Off – Go and support the Harrow Road Café’s chili entry. Entry at the door is $5 for a bowl of chili, drink and dessert. Central Middle School, Liberty Road, Wartburg. 4:00 to 7:00 pm EST

February 9 - Four Course Valentine Dinner at the Harrow Road Cafe - call Historic Rugby for details and reservations. Romantic lodging in 1880s buildings is also available. Ask about special lodging/dinner packages.

February 10 - Workshop - Acrylic Painting with instructor Mara Trumbo. Contact Historic Rugby for more information and reservations.

Exercise Group - Monday and Thursday at 9:00 am EST at the Friendly House

Quilters Group - Wed. and Sat. 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Friendly House