Queen Jessie Gully - photo by George Zepp

Rugby Greets the New Year

 Fireworks and Flowers

 Folks seemed to enjoy New Years Eve in Rugby – at least we could hear some loud booms, evidence that somebody stayed up until midnight and set off a few fireworks. 

Earlier in the evening at the Cafe folks had fun with all the party hats, noisemakers and party streamers that Barbara Mitchell had provided.  And Chef Brian outdid himself with his chocolate cake dessert!

Tom Lee (right front), family and friends at Cafe New Year's Eve

Rugbeians have enjoyed the mild temperatures lately. I have seen lots of folks out walking and hiking.  The weather has triggered a few early blooms which seem out of place for this time of winter. The pink flowering quince behind The Lindens is starting to bloom, the English primroses at Kingstone Lisle have put out a few blooms and our winter jasmine and Lenten roses are putting out buds. One Lenten Rose is in full bloom. All of this is a lot earlier than last year. 

But alas, this is winter. The temperature is supposed to get down into the teens tonight with a possibility of snow!

Jones Waterfall Winter 2009

 This Week in Rugby

Monday, Jan. 2 – Winter Hours Begin at Historic Rugby; café open daily except Wednesdays, and Visitor Centre and Commissary open Fridays-Sundays.

Friday, Jan. 6 – Music at the Café – 6:30 p.m. – Dusty and the Oldies

Saturday, Jan. 7 – Soup Hike to Beautiful Jones Waterfall - Mike Harris will lead a hike to Jones Waterfall along a trail behind Uffington House - not a very difficult hike, and the waterfall can be spectacular. Hikers will meet at the Café parking area at 10 a.m. and walk from there. We will end up back at the Café in time for a warm bowl of soup or chili by the fireplace.

Saturday, Jan. 7 – Community Potluck – 7 p.m. at the Friendly House. Please note the change of location for the winter

Rugby Bypass Work Progresses

Photos by Carrie Thornthwaite

Carrie merged three photos to create this image of Little Creek Bridge

Carrie's photos above show the huge beams that are now in place on the bridge over Little Creek.  Jenny Hubbard Young and George Zepp pose on some of the beams.  And Mike Harris, Jenny, Rick Murphy and George pose in front of one end of the bridge.

 It appears that the bridge beams crossing Little Creek are now all in place and other work seems to be proceeding at various spots around the site.  We were told unofficially that there is now a plan to deal with pyrite removal in areas where some of the work had been halted. So it appears that work is progressing throughout the site.

Literary News

Hury Poetry to be Published

 Hadley Hury has just learned that one his poems will appear in The Avatar Review, a well respected online magazine, in a later spring issue.

Trumbo Book Now Available

 Bob Trumbo said that his book "A Guide to Proper Governance for Dummies" is now officially out and available to order directly from the two largest book stores, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I think maybe this is the link to the Barnes and Noble site – I guess it is under a pseudonym: 

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-guide-to-proper-governance-for-dummies-a-m-freeman/1108068498?ean=9781468531480&itm=1&usri=a+guide+to+governance+for+dummies

Quilter Dorcus McBrayer

Commissary Demonstrations This Weekend

The Commissary will be featuring two local craft and art demonstrators this weekend. Dorcus McBrayer will be demonstrating quilting on Saturday, Jan. 7.  Mara Trumbo will be demonstrating her painting techniques on Sunday, Jan. 8.  See some thoughts from Mara at the end of the newsletter below.

 Betty Silcox Obituary

 Rita wanted to make sure everybody knew that one of our Rugby neighbors passed away recently. Betty Silcox, who lived with her husband on Horseshoe Bend Road passed away recently and was buried last week at Laurel Dale Cemetery.  Here is a link to her obituary: http://www.fouroaksfuneralhome.com/cgi-bin/CompanyInternal?stdout+115+fouroaksfuneralhome.com+1689+4+9103:Lcgi_html/

 BIRTHDAYS

 Jan. 3 – Gayle Minor

Jan. 6 – John Gilliat and Dorcus McBrayer

CALENDAR

Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely.

Monday, Jan. 2 – Winter hours begin at Historic Rugby

Friday, Jan. 6 – Music at the Café – 6:30 p.m. - Dusty & the Oldies

Saturday, Jan. 7 – Soup Hike to Jones Waterfall.  Meet at Café parking lot at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7 – Quilting Demonstration at the Commissary

Saturday, Jan. 7 – Community Potluck 7 p.m. at the Friendly House

Sunday, Jan. 8 – Painting Demonstration at the Commissary

Friday,  Jan. 13 - Music at the Café – 6:30 p.m. - Leonard Anderson

Friday, Jan. 13 – History Club – 7:30 p.m. at the Friendly House.

Saturday, Jan. 14 – Book Club – 7 p.m. at Benita and Tom Howell’s house. Two of Kentucky author Wendell Berry's works will be discussed, The Long-Legged House, a collection of essays, and Nathan Coulter, the first novel in his Port William series. The snow date will be January 21.

Friday, Jan. 20 – Music at the Café – 6:30 p.m.-  Butch & Doug

Saturday, Jan. 21 – Historic Rugby Board Meeting – 1 p.m. at the Community Building

Sunday, Jan. 22 – Commissary Artist Demonstration - Mara Trumbo-Painting

Friday, Jan. 27 – Music at the Café – 6:30 p.m. - Robin Branstetter & the girls

Saturday, Jan. 28 – Lantern Tour Onstage – 4 p.m. at the Visitor Centre Theatre. Adult admission $15 at the door.

Sunday, Jan. 29 – Commissary Artist Demonstration - Mara Trumbo-Painting

 Quilters’ Group - Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2–4 p.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House behind Christ Church

 Rugby Yoga – Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House.

Historic Rugby Winter Hours

 Harrow Road Café open every day except Wednesdays. Sundays through Thursdays - 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. EST. Fridays’ and Saturdays’ hours include dinner seatings, 8:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. EST.

Visitor Centre and Commissary General Store - Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays through Thursdays - weekday and weekend group tours can be arranged with advance reservation.  Post Office will only be open when the Commissary is open

Lodging Facilities available year-round.


NATURE NOTES

Winter Flowers

Lenten Rose at Walton Court

By Linda Konig

Winter flowers: That may sound like a contradiction in terms. But I've been delighted to learn that yes indeedy, it is possible to have winter flowers in our area without growing them indoors. The ones I've learned of recently are all hardy bushes that bloom in winter, provided we have a warm spell as we've had recently. Wendy Whitten, a new friend, surprised us with bouquets that she brought to Christ Church on Christmas Eve, and she brought a bouquet for me Sunday morning. The Christmas Eve bouquet had greenery graced with blooming Rosemary, Winter Jasmine, Wintersweet, Winter Honeysuckle and Winter Viburnum.

I was most interested in the Winter Jasmine because I recall reading in old local newspaper clippings written years ago by Nellie Brooks, and perhaps Patricia Wichmann, that Winter Jasmine was blooming during winter in Rugby.  Somehow those Winter Jasmine bushes have disappeared, but I'm thinking it might be good to bring them back. These vining bushes are great on banks to prevent erosion. They can spread to areas where they're not wanted, however, if you don't cut them back every 3 years or so. Like the wild black raspberry canes that grow so well here, the Winter Jasmine branches also start a new plant if a branch tip touches the ground and the branches are arching.  They behave well on trellises, etc., though, and if you'd like to cover up something unsightly. . . .  When your winter-weary eyes are hungering for outdoor color, Winter Jasmine bushes are especially appreciated. Their bright yellow blooms on the green stems will continue to open for 6 to 8 weeks, barring a hard freeze.  I assume that tiny wild bees pollinate them, since local wild bees often come to Winter Honeysuckle. 

 The Winter Viburnum, which I'd never heard of before, is fragrant and has pale pink blooms in clusters. Wintersweet is pale yellow with purplish-brown centers.  They're usually fragrant, depending on the kind of hybrid you buy. I've noticed that the Mahonia bushes around here have started to open their sweet-smelling yellow flowers recently, too. Get out and see and breathe in all these before the winter weather gets to them. If you're interested in planting any of these, it would be wise to choose a protected side of the house, perhaps on the south. Since I have brown thumbs, you might like to visit a Website I discovered that gives a lot of advice about growing Winter Jasmine and also has photos of these little beauties.  It's http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3297510/How-to-grow-winter-jasmine.html .

Jim McBrayer's photo of Mara at work

And a Word From Mara

 By Mara Trumbo

 Winter is a perfect time to slow down, regroup and energize one’s creative thoughts. There is no better time, or more congenial place to be in for an artist, poet and writer, than in Historic Rugby this time of the year. Nature provides a continuous colorful landscape with its countryside rapidly changing from green to gold and soon hopefully silvery white when the first snows fall. Cardinals have replaced the hummingbirds visiting our gardens. Raccoons, deer and foxes join our squirrels in playing hide-go-seek in our woods. Streams run full, blue skies still outnumber bleak days and there is no lack of inspiration here!

 With that in mind, local artist and international art instructor Mara Trumbo is busy dreaming up new projects for her  “How To” book and Spring teaching tours of Florida and Italy. Mara is also a part-time employee of Historic Rugby and the Spirit of Red Hill. During quieter times in the stores, Mara paints, sketches and makes notes every time inspiration hits her. She invites visitors to watch and feel free to ask questions on her various techniques and class dates in the area. Mara will be demonstrating on Saturday January 14 from noon to 3 p.m. and whilst volunteering behind the counter. She’ll also be happy to talk to you on Sundays: Jan. 8, 22 and 29. On special offer this winter are house portraits of your own home done from your favorite photo on a 16”x 20” canvas for only $99 – an original for less than the cost of a print… a perfect New Year gift. So come along and visit us at The Commissary. The fire in the stove is warm, the coffee hot and the art very cool!

 Mara’s virtual gallery can be visited at:

www.PictureTrail.com/MaraTrumbo

and the artist can be contacted at:

Cadisama@earthlink.net

Or Tel (423) 628-6591

Editor's Note: Jim McBrayer recognized the orange critter shown in last week’s Rugby Week – he wrote “the critter isn't a lizard at all, it's a salamander. It's the "red eft" stage of the Eastern Newt. The red eft larval stage is terrestrial; the adult is aquatic, with external gills. Usually it's the other way around with salamanders.”

This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp