Guy Fawkes Brightens an Autumn Evening

Cheryl Hodgkins' photos of group gathered around the bonfire and effigy of Guy Fawkes burning in the bonfire. Guy Fawkes mask photo by George Zepp

 

Early November is a great time for a bonfire and a few fireworks – and so it was Saturday night as Jenny Young offered a bit of British tradition with the celebration of Guy Fawkes Day. This is the second annual celebration of an event to mark the failure of plotters who wanted to blow up Parliament in London in 1605. In England the event has apparently taken on a little bit of Halloween and a little bit of folk activism. But here in Rugby it is a really wonderful excuse to enjoy an outdoor fire on a cool fall night with our Rugby neighbors.  Thank you, Jenny.   

For any of you not up on your British history, here is the Wikipedia explanation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

Tuesday’s Voting Info for Rugby

From Tom Howell 

For Morgan County election information (sample ballot, location of polling places, etc.), the Morgan Co. Election Commission has put up a very nice web site with all that information at hand. The URL is http://morganelections.com/

Under HOME on the web site you will find POLLS. This lists addresses of all the polling places in Morgan County.

Be aware of the new state law requiring photo ID. You should have received a new green voter card. Bring that too.

The Rugby area (zone 5-2) votes at Faith in Grace Missionary Church, 388 Peters Ford Road. This is a new location. To get there from Rugby, go west on TN 52 to the intersection at the bridge, but there go STRAIGHT, following Brewstertown Road past the dump to the dead end. If you're not familiar with this intersection, BE CAREFUL PULLING OUT. Visibility is poor. Turn right; go through Burrville; keep going straight where a major road forks to the left. I'm not sure how far you go or on which side of the .road this church is situated, but it's the only church that you'll come to before you cross Peters Bridge into Fentress County.

 

History Meeting Friday Night

Our next History Club Meeting is this coming Friday night, Nov. 9. It will be at the Friendly House, as usual, at 7:30. The topic will be the Molyneux family, an English family that lived in Glen Mary for a time and had many connections with the railroad, Rugby, specifically with Christ Church, the Masonic Lodge, and, sadly, with the cemetery.

 

Grey Gables Announces Upcoming Events

From Linda Brooks Jones November 17: Lunch and Author Program Shirley McCracken's husband found a Civil War artifact on their family farm. Thirty years later she wrote a compelling novel titled The Breastplate. She will give a program and have books for purchase and signing. Reservations 423.628.5252 November 22: Thanksgiving Dinner Seatings at 1 and 5 Eastern Time 423.628.5252 December 1: Christmas By Candlelight High Tea Dinner. Five Courses, Mike Jones, entertaining. 423.628.5252 Hadley’s New Poem Published   Hadley Hury has a new poem, “Palliation”, appearing in CHAPTER 16, the digital magazine of Humanities Tennessee. To read the poem and have the pleasure of checking out, if you don’t already know it, this really fine publication, here’s the link:   www.chapter16.org/

BIRTHDAYS

Nov. 10 - Michael Harris

Nov. 11 - Boyd Mitchell 

CALENDAR

Rugby is in the Eastern time zone, just barely.  

Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Election Day. Rugby voters go to Burrville & take photo IDs!

Friday, Nov. 9 – History Night Meeting – 7:30 p.m. Eastern .at the Friendly House. The topic will be the Molyneux family, an English family that lived in Glen Mary for a time and had many connections with the railroad, Rugby, specifically with Christ Church, the Masonic Lodge, and, sadly, with the cemetery. 

Saturday, Nov. 10 – Book Talk – Kit Howes talks about his book Hot Zone at 7:30 p.m. Eastern at the Rebecca Johnson Theatre in the Historic Rugby Visitor Centre. Free event.

Ongoing Activities Quilters’ Group - Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2–4 p.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House behind Christ Church Rugby Yoga – [Suspended until construction work is complete on the Friendly House] was Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, at the Friendly House. Christ Church Episcopal -- Sunday morning services, 11 a.m. Eastern, year round; all are welcomed

 

 

NATURE NOTES

Whip-Poor-Wills

By Linda Konig  

Most of our migrating birds have already completed their migrations southward. It leaves me a little sad, even though I know they'll return next spring. One of our birds, the Whip-Poor-Will, probably left in early October for south Florida and the Gulf coast, but will return in late March next year. I look forward to hearing the males' distinctive calls next April.

Their Latin name is Antrosomes vociferus. Vociferus is exactly the right name for them.  It means vociferous in English, and they're nothing if not loud. If you've ever had the doubtful privilege of being kept awake for a good part of the night by their calls of whip poor will, whip poor will, whip-poor-will, ad infinitum, you know what I mean. However, I do enjoy hearing them when they're in the edges of open woods, and I'm a respectable distance away. One of the places I often hear them is when I'm at The Lindens beginning at twilight. I recall hearing them a lot at Rita Myers' farm, too. It's the male making all the noise, trying to attract a female. Whip-poor-wills are in the Nightjar family, again, an apt name for them, as their calls can be – well -- jarring. 

Most people, including me, have never actually seen a whip-poor-will, and that's because they're so well camouflaged, both male and female. For a nice picture of a male whip-poor-will and some more information, try www.nenature.com/WhipPoorWill.htm   

 
As the male calls, a female flies to him, if she likes his song.  They nest on fairly open ground and blend right in with the surrounding vegetation.  Their nest might not even be recognized as a nest, since it's just some leaves raked together.  Mother Nature has timed the female Whip-poor-will to lay her eggs so that they hatch when the moon is waxing, about 10 days away from being full.  This means that soon after her two chicks have hatched, the parents will have enough light to forage for food all night. 

Because they're so vulnerable on the ground, the nestlings hatch quickly, mature rapidly, and disperse from the nest in about 19 days.  Sometimes the parents appear to drive them away from the nest to keep predators from finding them.  Known predators include foxes, raccoons, and skunks.  At times, the pair will have another couple of young before the summer is gone.  So why are the numbers of whip-poor-wills diminishing?  Some good guesses are pesticides which kill the insects they eat and/or increasing urban sprawl.

 This Week’s Editors: Rick Murphy and George Zepp