Book Banners Roil Front Royal

"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame."
~ Oscar Wilde

A group of so-called religious parents are threatening the funding of Samuels Public Library. They insist that books that they deem unsuitable for children must be removed, and the board of supervisors is listening to them, and may withhold funding that the library needs to continue operating.

When I lived in Warren County, I used that library frequently. It is a very nice modern library, and I still drop in there occasionally.

Another group has formed to save the library without banning books. The library staff has done their job in evaluating all the children's books to make sure they are wholesome enough for the intended age group. They want all children to feel welcome, so they included selections such as a book telling the true story of a baby penguin who was adopted by two male penguins. Zealots fear this story might "groom" children to accept same-sex couples. 

Local Article: royalexaminer.com/warren-county-holds-library-funds-amidst-book-collection-controversy/

The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/02/virginia-public-library-defund-republican-lgbtq-books

One advocate for the library pointed out that in Virginia, “Pornography in libraries is illegal… if they find pornography in the library, they should take their evidence to the sheriff’s office and have the librarian arrested. But they won’t do that because there is no pornography in the library.”

You may remember that I recently told the story of how Front Royal got the nickname Helltown long ago,  due to the brawling and other misbehavior that broke out when boatmen came ashore for whiskey and entertainment. Today this mostly charming town suffers from culture clash. It is on the edge of the northern Virginia suburbs, and old-timers feel the threat of over-development and some recall the displacement suffered by their great grandparents when they lost their homes so the national park could be built for city folks. Add to that the discomfort that many people feel when faced with social change and the unending friction of religious differences, and you wind up with disagreements.

I believe that the library will survive. Most people in Warren County appreciate the library. County supervisors need to refuse to be bullied by narrow-minded people. 

An Extraordinary Birder

I haven't taken any bird close-ups lately because my trusty old Nikon has been acting up, and it's the one with the zoom lens. Most birds don't look too interesting when photographed from a distance. Here is a shot that looks cute to me because of a pair of house finches decided to perch on a satellite dish.

There are many people who take better bird pictures than mine, and you can see some of them on Wild Bird Wednesday. One of my daughter’s friends has become a celebrity birdwatcher. Christian Cooper has a new book out and a TV series on the National Geographic Channel. His credentials include a Harvard education and serving on the board of NY Audubon Society.

 You may recall that Mr. Cooper made national news when a white woman called the police while he was birding in Central Park. My daughter Marie has known him for years from when they both worked at Marvel Comics.  I was excited to catch part of an interview with him on NPR the other day. He actually mentioned Marie by name! 

Of course, I looked up the transcript to copy that paragraph. Here Terry Gross asked him about a comic he wrote about a Black birdwatcher. 

COOPER: “It was actually Bobbie Chase, my old boss at Marvel, who was now working at DC, or, at that time, she was working at DC and Marie Javins, another old Marvel alum and dear friend of mine who was - who is now the head of DC Comics, and they approached me about writing a comic, which - I hadn't written a comic in years at that point. And I was really nervous that the old comic-writing muscles had atrophied. But it was a joy to bring that story to life on the page once we figured out what it was going to be 'cause they had a title. And once they told me the title, it just fell into place for me what I wanted to do, a story that was magical-realist to bring the points home. So that was a joy to do.”

I should probably clarify that Marie is not the head of DC Comics, she is the editor in chief, which is still pretty awesome and I am proud of her. I wish Mr. Cooper great success with the TV show. His book is already getting great reviews.

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Haymarket, VA

(Yes, I borrowed the title from Laura Ingalls Wilder.)

I finally made it out to Silver Lake. I had heard of it years ago when it was a privately owned campground. More recently, I heard it was now a public park, so I intended to go see it, but it is an hour away from me, and not big enough to make a special trip unless you are a fisherman.

Yesterday, I had an appointment at the podiatrist, so I left Charlie in daycare. I had the afternoon to myself so I headed up to Prince William County to shop at Wegmans and also visit the lake.

There wasn’t much going on, just some people fishing and Canada geese browsing. The park has an interesting story in that it exists because in 2006, county supervisors made a deal with developers to sell the 317 acres to the county in exchange for permission to build on nearby farmland. 

I believe the blackbird was a red winged one although I did not spot red on its wings. It had a lovely song.

A Peek Inside a Garden Cafe

Woodstock Gardens

This retail business is a combined plant nursery, garden supply shop, and restaurant. There’s also a small used book store for children. They accept donations of children’s books for resale, with half the price going to Shenandoah County Public Schools. 

This local shop was originally Fort Valley Nursery, although it is Woodstock and not Fort Valley.

 

Seen at Shenandoah University

I spent Saturday morning at Shenandoah University in Winchester. As I was leaving, I saw this mural at the Brandt Student Center.

Monday Murals / Blue Monday

Shenandoah University has a nice campus. I've been to a number of seminars there. This was on General Robert Milroy and his occupation of Winchester during the American Civil War.

Our speaker was Jonathan Noyalas of the university’s McCormick Civil War Institute. He wrote a book about Milroy called My Will is Absolute Law. The lecture was fascinating. Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the tour in the afternoon. I have been to some of the sites before, but others were new to me.

I have enjoyed a number of Noyalas’s talks and tours, beginning in 2008. There is much to learn from the history of the Civil War. In some ways our history seems appalling.  I don’t think it is something to celebrate so much as it is something to learn from.

Mosaic Monday

Note: Tomorrow is election day here. The local races in my town are not even contested; I guess not too many people want those jobs. But voting puts our officials on notice that we are paying attention to what they do. Be sure to vote.

 

Joel Sartore Exhibit

Today at the MSV

This is the final weekend for "Photo Ark" at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley so I made time to go. It features wonderful portraits of animals, many of which are endangered species, by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. 

The pictures are portrait-style and feature animals that are in captivity and could be brought into a studio-style setup with plain backgrounds and controlled lighting. Thus your attention is on the uniqueness of the individual without the distraction of the environment. This reminds me of Richard Avedon's approach in his book, "In the American West." 

Sartore's project has result in several books, including some for children.

Unlike many exhibits, this one allowed photography, although not flash. They encouraged "selfies" to post online with the hashtag #SaveTogether with a goal of spreading awareness of endangered species. 

It is said that people will only save what they love.  Sartore believes that every species has a right to exist.

[Note: If you purchase a book through my links to Amazon, I may earn a credit toward a purchase. This is not something I push so I haven't gotten any credits in over the year.  I do not consider this blog to be a source of income.]

John Brown's Hideout: The Kennedy Farm

Washington County, Maryland

Tuesday Treasures

John Brown

and his associates collected arms and ammunition on the Kennedy Farm (Samples Manor) in Maryland for months prior to the raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, October 17, 1859.

I'm reading a book about John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid by one of my favorite teachers, Charles P. Poland, Jr.  This got me interested in going back to the Kennedy Farm, which I have visited in the past on field trips with Professor Poland and a history class from Northern Virginia Community College. 

This site is peaceful and remote. Although it is not far from Harpers Ferry as the crow flies, allow plenty of time to get here. The route includes five miles on a winding and narrow road.

In Memoriam
to the Provisional Army of the United States of America and their presence at Kennedy Farm the summer of 1859.

John Brown, 59, hanged

• Annie Brown, 16, sent home • Martha Brown, 17, sent home • John Henry Kagi, 24, killed • Aaron Dwight Stevens, 28, hanged • Owen Brown, 34, escaped • Oliver Brown, 19, killed • Jeremiah Goldsmith Anderson, 26, killed • John E. Cook, 29, hanged • Charles Plummer Tidd, 24, escaped • William Thompson, 26, killed • Dauphin Osgood Thompson, 21, killed • Albert Hazlett, 22, hanged • Watson Brown, 20, killed • Edwin Coppoc, 24, hanged • Barclay Coppoc, 20, escaped • John Anthony Copeland, Jr., 25, hanged • William H. Leeman, 20, killed • Stewart Taylor, 22, killed • Osborn Perry Anderson, 29, escaped • Dangerfield Newby, 44, killed • Lewis Sheridan Leary, 24, killed • Shields Green, 23, hanged • Francis Jackson Meriam, 21, escaped. “

. . . I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land: will never be purged away; but with blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed; it might be done . . .” . . . 

It can be said . . . it all started here . . .

Signs of Love

As you may know, there is a tradition in Virginia of signs that say LOVE. This one is in front of the United Methodist Church in Toms Brook. 

On the other side of the Valley Pike, I noticed another LOVE sign in front of a house. 

In Strasburg, someone at Solarcrate was glad to see the New Year come. (There's a reflection in the image but it is almost lost in the shadow of a building.)

My blog stats show I have shared 590 posts tagged Signs. 

Here is something I am thankful for: We got our second dose of the vaccine for Covid-19.  They were administered in the athletic building of Shenandoah University. 

Thankful Thursday / Signs, Signs

We'll still wear our masks when in public. Here's a sign on the door to a convenience store.

Here's a sign on a display of books. (Remember books?) February is Black History Month.

I found a cute heart-shaped sign in the Dollar Tree and got it for Valentine's Day. 

Before closing this post, I want to mention that we got several inches of snow last night with a layer of sleet on top of it. The roads were slick and dangerous from the ice so we stayed home. Here's a picture of our shed today. Yes, I've got a barn quilt mounted on it.

Old and New Stuff for Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

It's the end of another week and I have a few odds and ends to share, starting with an old image in black and white. I took this with my Kodak Brownie in Beach Haven, New Jersey. My aunt and uncle had a summer place on the ocean. 

My brother, my parents, Aunt Doats, Cousin Curt, Peggy, Uncle Don.

Floral Friday / Garden Affair / Friday Bliss: Yesterday I drove to Haymarket to get some groceries that I can't find here. Wegman's had some nice flowers for sale. 

Skywatch / Weekend Reflections

 

On the day before that, I stopped at Strasburg Town Park and ate a protein bar for lunch with a view of the North Fork of the Shenandoah.

Recently I received my blog book for the second half of 2021. It's a printed version of my blog posts, and I've been getting these ever since I started blogging in 2005. Now these books almost take up an entire shelf.

Let's close with something to think about. A friend posted this and it really rings true. I remember struggling to work with back pain and other health challenges back when I was single. I had a mortgage to pay so I had to force myself to go to work even when it made me feel worse. 

Stay safe and stay healthy!

Outdoor Photo Exhibit: Give Me Shelter

When I left the gardens of Glen Burnie, I was surprised to find an outdoor show of photos. The photos are by Sarah Jones Decker and she has a new book, The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-tos, and Huts.

Tuesday Treasures.

The pictures blended in nicely with the foliage and rock walls. An outdoor exhibit ensures extra space for social distancing and fresh air too.

On Friday I showed the gardens here with the large insect sculptures. We visit the Glen Burnie gardens several times a year.