"There seems a magic ..."

"There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas."

-- Charles Dickins

Hillary absorbs $13.1 million campaign debt

The Associated Press is reporting that Hillary Clinton has absorbed $13.1 million in campaign debt.

Ouch.

I thought Barack Obama had asked his supporters to help retire Hillary's debt. Guess that didn't work out too well ...

Rob Schilling's radio show cancelled in Charlottesville

Rob Schilling, the former conservative Republican Charlottesville City Council member, has been broadcasting on WINA AM 1070, getting the conservative message out to the masses. Friday he was notified his show unexpectedly cancelled effective immediately. Here is the information sent by former Albemarle GOP Chairman Keith Drake:

The Schilling Show Cancelled! Let's show Rob our support

Charlottesville, Virginia - December 22, 2008 -- If you're getting ready to tune into The Schilling Show in a few minutes on WINA AM 1070, you won't hear Rob Schilling and his program. Rob was informed after last Friday's show his program is cancelled effective immediately.

The cancellation of Rob's program is a huge loss to ATTA and the entire Albemarle / Charlottesville community. Rob was a consistent voice of fiscal conservatism and a champion of the rights of the average taxpayer and common citizen. Rob provided a forum to ATTA for our message: that local government should make every attempt to spend our tax money effectively and efficiently.

Indeed, Peter Wurzer and I were his final guests last Friday. We understand the cancellation was entirely a business decision in response to the tough economic times we're all facing, and that Rob's outspoken conservative message was not a factor. Also, the decision was made at the corporate level by Saga Communications (owner of WINA); and that local WINA management supported keeping The Schilling Show on the air.

This cancellation means WINA no longer broadcasts any local programming with a mainstream conservative theme. "Big government" programs such as The Coy Barefoot Show, The Rick and Jane Morning Show, and Saga Communications' separate Lib-Talk AM radio station remain in place.

Rob worked tirelessly for all of us, and I feel we owe him a bit of our time in return. Please contact the following individuals and let them know how you feel:

Edward Christian-President/CEO of Saga Communications
echristian@sagacom.com
Phone: 313-886-7070
Fax: 313-886-7150

Steven Goldstein-Executive VP/Group Program Director of Saga Communications
sgoldstein@sagacom.com
Phone: 203-221-1666
Fax: 203-222-9633

Rick Daniels-WINA Program Director
rick@wina.com
Phone: 434-220-2300
Fax: 434-220-2304

Renee Quesenberry-WINA General Manager
renee@charlottesvilleradiogroup.com
Phone: 434-220-2300
Fax: 434-220-2304

Thanks, and have a Merry Christmas. -- Keith

Keith C. Drake, Ph. D.
Chairman, ATTA

P.S. If you want to send Rob a note, you can contact him at: schilling@allhookedup.com

About the Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance (ATTA)

The Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance is a Political Action Committee (PAC) registered with the Virginia State Board of Elections. Its non-partisan mission is to promote more effective and efficient Albemarle County government, focusing on the budgeting process and taxation issues.

In 2007, ATTA educated citizens about a state law requiring a proportional drop in the tax rate when assessments rise more than 1%, and also the Albemarle Supervisors' proposed 30% tax increase. ATTA's efforts resulted in a public outcry against the tax increase and a nearly $10 million savings to taxpayers.

Albemarle Truth In Taxation Alliance
Keith C. Drake, Ph.D. Chairman
keith.drake@earthlink.net
(434) 974-1617

Albemarle Truth in Taxation Alliance
Peter Wurzer
Director of Research
pjwurzer@earthlink.net
(434) 973-8945

Cold day in the Valley ...

Last night's overnight low was 11 degrees, and today it never got out of the 20s. It definitely feels seasonal in the Shenandoah Valley on this second day of winter....

Christmas recipes ... Forgotten Cookies -- UPDATED

The recipe for Forgotten Cookies was passed along by a nurse at Children's Hospital many years ago when we both worked there. At Christmas we all brought goodies to share and she brought these yummie meringue cookies that had an almond flavor with pecans and chocolate chips inside.

When I asked what they were, she said they were called Forgotten Cookies because you put them in the oven at night to cook ... and forget about them until the next morning. They are one of the favorites of my family and friends.

Forgotten Cookies

2 egg whites (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Add flavorings; mix well. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoonsful onto aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets coated with non-stick spray. Place in a 350-degree oven; immediately turn oven off. Let stand 8-10 hours or overnight. (Do not open oven.) Store in airtight container.

Yield: 5 dozen

Updated Christmas Eve:
Yankee Phil really liked these cookies and has posted about them:
-- So good, so fattening
-- Christmas celebration in Augusta

They are also mentioned in the 2008 Carnival of Christmas. Enjoy!

My grandmother's Christmas quilt ...

Every Christmas I display my grandmother's Christmas quilt on the hall tree that was in her house and now is in the entryway of my home. The quilt is red and green on one side ... and a flowery floral print on the other ... typical of the practical necessity of not have holiday-only items in the house. Practical was a way of life in the hard-scrabble mountains of southwest Virginia and, later, in Chesterfield County where they moved to better their lives.

My grandmother was named Mollie and was born in 1885 in Alleghany County, NC, which is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains just over the state line from Virginia. She married my grandfather who was from Grayson County, VA, just over the state line from NC, and together they raised 10 children. My mother is their youngest and only surviving child.

I have several quilts that Grandma made with her own hands or with neighbor women. As a child I can remember the quilting frame set up in a spare bedroom where they worked when time allowed.

I'm sure the quilts would be very valuable in the market place ... but they are far more valuable to me. When I was young we actually used them on our beds but today I have them safely tucked away. I want to preserve them for my children.

The Christmas quilt is special ... a reminder of Christmases past.

Photo by SWAC Girl

Christmas 2008 at my house ...

The porch welcomes family and friends ...

SWAC Daughter's nativity set ...
Table is set and ready for friends ...

Candle in the window on a foggy day ...

Dinner is ready ...

Christmas: Faith ... believe ... joy.

All that baking paid off with tins full of goodies ready for company.

Fresh Frasier Fir makes the house smell like a Christmas tree ...

Photos by SWAC Girl

"Dear Santa: Leave the gifts ... take my sister"

The gift from my Texas sister arrived last week and is under the tree.

Don't you just love a sister with a sense of humor?

Love ya, Gilly!

Photo by SWAC Girl

2008 ... Santa showed up on a fire truck

Swoope Fire Department's Santa greeted neighbors over the weekend as he did in 2007.
"And we heard him exclaim as he drove on his way,
"Merry Christmas to all ... have a fire-safe holiday!"

Photos by SWAC Girl

A family tradition ... Christmas cookie weekend

Cinnamon polar bear cookies on the cookie sheet ready to bake....

SWAC Niece and I were cooking up a storm in my kitchen....

Sugar cookies, gingerbread people, gingerbread snowmen, Forgotten Cookies, pressed cookies, fudge, chocolate-covered toffee ... the cooking possibilities are endless each year as we get together for our cookie baking weekend.

A tradition that has gone on for years, SWAC Niece, SWAC Daughter, my sister, and I get together in December to turn out dozens of cookies and many pounds of fudge and toffee for serving to guests and to give as Christmas gifts. Sometimes we join up with Mom to make fruit cakes ... hers are the only ones I like.

My Texas sister and her daughter are cooking many of the same things in her kitchen in Austin. The tradition continues....

Photos by SWAC Girl

Sights & sounds of Christmas ... Richmond's Westend Assembly of God

The Westend Assembly of God's 2008 Christmas program.

December 12, 2008

Photo by SWAC Girl

Christmas in Staunton ... "The Underpass" ornament

The Staunton Junior Woman's Club's 2008 Christmas ornament commemorates one of the city's most memorable landmarks: the railroad underpass and the huge, oversized watering can.

SWAC Niece has been traveling to my house since she was a little girl. She would always go to sleep on the two-hour trip from Richmond but would wake up as they drove through Staunton. When she saw the watering can at the underpass, she knew she was almost to Aunt Lynn's house.

The Staunton Underpass and Watering Can

The Staunton Underpass is the gateway into Staunton's Historic Wharf District. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad established the bridge to bring trains into the historic railroad station in 1854. The Station and Railroad played an important economical and historical role in the development of Staunton. The track is still in use today by Amtrack. Amtrack stops at Staunton's railroad station three times per week in each direction on its route between Washington, DC, and Chicago.

The Water Can, placed at the Underpass, has been greeting visitors to Staunton's historic district since the mid-1990s. It has been given the official title of the World's Largest Watering Can. The Staunton Watering Can sculpture was created by local artist Willie Ferguson. The Water Can is approximately 18' tall and 20' wide and is surrounded by beautifuld isplays of seasonal flowers; in 2004, the City of Staunton received a Keep Virginia Beautiful Award for the display. The Watering Can and Giant Flower Pots were created to honor local humanitarian Barbara Hunter Grant.

Ferguson has many other large sculptures around the Staunton area including an open book at the library, crutches at the hospital, and a giant boot at his shop.

Christmas 2008 ... The Underpass and the Watering Can.

Photo by SWAC Girl

Carnival of Christmas 2008

Cat has graciously offered to host the 2008 version of the Carnival of Christmas ... but if you want to participate, you had better hurry. The deadline is tomorrow, December 23. Check out her post to see what is acceptable, what is not, and how to go about entering.

Thanks, Cat ... and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Stacy

Christmas ornament hand-painted by 10-year-old Stacy.

As I was growing up, a tradition in our family was for my parents to give us ornaments from places they had traveled each year, and SWAC Husband and I continued the tradition with our children ... so we have a number of "special" ornaments that are placed on the tree year after year.

As I carefully unwrapped the tissue paper from around one particular ornament, memories flooded back as I saw the hand-painted ceramic decoration for the tree.

It was a jack-in-the-box painted in 1975 by a 10-year-old boy named Stacy. I held the ornament in my hands and remembered back to the days when, as a young 20-year-old, I worked at Children's Hospital in Richmond (called Crippled Children's Hospital in those days)....

Stacy touched my heart more than any other child I worked with because of his devilish sincerity. I loved that child. He was from southwest Virginia, one of many children from a large, poor Appalachian family. As best I can remember, his siblings were playing cowboys and Indians and tied him to a tree, piled leaves at the base of the tree, and set the leaves on fire.

Stacy was horribly burned, so much so that both legs and one arm had to be amputated. He came to Children's Hospital for rehabilitation.

The patients at the hospital lived in the dorms and received daily treatment as well as schooling. Stacy was with us for a long time as they worked with him to heal his stumps so he could receive prosthetic devices to help him lead a normal life.

For someone who had been through such a horrible experience, he had a devilish sense of humor. He was funny, playful, and almost always in a good mood. Perhaps it was the love he received from all of us as he went through physical therapy, recreational therapy (which was where he painted the Christmas ornament), and the one-on-one education he received.

I still remember the day he presented the decoration to me. I kneeled beside his wheelchair to be at his eye level as he flamboyantly presented it to me ... then I took it home to my Christmas tree and, after the holidays, packed it away. Every year for the past 32 years it has been placed on my tree.

Stacy would now be a young man in his 40s. I don't know what happened to him ... I lost track after leaving Children's Hospital. I have often wondered where he was, how his life turned out, and if he was able to handle the emotional scar of such a life-changing incident so young in his life.

I placed his ornament on the tree and again wished Stacy a Merry Christmas, wherever he is....

Busy, busy, busy ...

Christmas ... the Christ child ... follow the star ... family ... friends ... presents ... fellowship ... winter sweaters ... twinkly white lights ... Christmas trees ... church ... warmth of those we love ... neighbors ... pets ... winter.

I love this time of year!

Spiders take down Grizzlies ... congrats, University of Richmond!

What a win Friday night for the University of Richmond's Spiders! They were the champions of the NCAA 2008 Division I Football Championship ... their first national title ... beating Montana (who has shot down Harrisonburg's James Madison University the week before) for a 24-7 finish.

Part of the incredible journey is the story of Coach Mike London, 1983 UR graduate and former Richmond cop, who was appointed head coach at UR in January 2008.

Congratulations to UR and students/alumni.

Way to go, Spiders!

Should Virginia's governors have consecutive terms in office?

In a front page story today titled Power to Govern, Bob Stuart at the Waynesboro News Virginian asks the question, "Should Virginia's governors have consecutive terms in office?"

He talked with former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a spokesman for former Gov. Mark Warner, and James Madison University political scientist Bob Roberts as well as Del. Chris Saxman and Del. Steve Landes, all with varying viewpoints. Good article.

First day of winter ...

It is the shortest day of the year ... the first day of winter. Bring on the snow!

No ... snow is not in the forecast for this week ... but we are waiting. My snowboarding daughter has her gear ready to go ... my snowboarding son is ready to hit the slopes ... I'm anxious to invite friends over to sled in the back yard. But, first, we need snow.

It's winter in the Shenandoah Valley....

Remembering to seek God Almighty for enduring strength & wisdom ...

"America needs God more than God needs America. If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

-- Ronald Reagan

Bethlehem Village at Afton ... open now through Tuesday

A tradition and an experience that takes us back in time 2,000 years to the birth of Christ ... from The Bethlehem Project website:

Imagine a little village that existed long before colored lights, reindeer, or Santa Claus. Roman Soldiers walk the streets, Wise Men appear with their camels, shop keepers are going about their everyday lives yet this village is on the brink of something immense, the birth of one who would forever change the course of human history. Experience this village as it really was. Come to Bethlehem and see for yourself the magic and wonder of the first Christmas.

Step back in time as you enter the gates of Bethlehem of Judea. The Roman emperor has issued an order that a census be taken throughout the Empire and every citizen must register. On a cold winter’s night you are traveling streets illuminated by torchlight, wandering deeper into the heart of a village where cautious Roman soldiers patrol the crowd, Wise men, shepherds, livestock are among the many passersby, shops and shopkeepers inhabit a bustling marketplace, and welcoming cheer abounds. Now, far away from the tinseled trees and crowded malls that most commonly usher in the Christmas holiday season, this is an event no one should miss.

Open daily Friday, December 19 thru Tuesday, December 23, from 6-9 pm. Admission is free to the public. Donations are accepted for the Village and Restaurant to help with costs. Gift shop available.

Hispanic Tour: This year we will have a guided tour in Spanish starting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 23.

Communion Service: Join us for Communion in the Village on Tuesday, December 23, at 8:30 pm.

Special Afternoon Hours: This year we will open at 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 21 (one day only), to allow visitors to enjoy the Village during day light hours.

Location: We are located near the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia just minutes from Interstates 64 and 81. Our street address is:

Hebron Baptist Church
66 Tanbark DriveAfton, Va. 22920
Click here for a map to Hebron Baptist Church.
For more information call (540)456-6863.

Background: The Bethlehem Village Project is a community effort of local churches and friends from the Afton, Waynesboro and Charlottesville, Virginia, area. The village is located on the grounds of Hebron Baptist Church in Afton, Virginia, and is maintained by the generous efforts of this fellowship.

History: Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains a highly dedicated group of volunteers is transporting delighted spectators back to the 1st century with one of the longest continuous running "Village of Bethlehem" productions in the country. The Bethlehem Project was conceived in 1999 by Rev. Jim Ailor (Hebron Baptist Church pastor at the time), who, having studied a miniature model of Bethlehem and the nativity, decided to recreate historic Bethlehem for people to experience firsthand. He rallied members of Hebron and surrounding churches together to create a temporary village during those first few years. It began with just a few shops and characters in the parking lot of the church. Each year the village was erected and dismantled for the event.

In 2004 Hebron Baptist donated land to allow the village to be constructed as a permanent collection of buildings and stables. It continues to grow each year in its scope and dramatic portrayals while still maintaining the authentic feel of a small village around the 1st century.

It is well worth following the star to the Bethleham Village at Hebron Baptist Church at Afton.