End of year charitable Gift Giving Guide, Helping animal rescues and people

A year end charitable contribution can really make a difference, especially to a small non-profit. Small animal rescue groups have very few resources for "free money" and nearly all funding comes from private donations. Large umbrella groups often pay large administration fees and have seemingly unlimited advertising budgets. They rarely trickle down donations to local organizations and often are not even affiliated.

Look for groups that truly need your help! I've even found a small niche group that is not local to me that I particularly like. Research your non-profit to determine how much money actually goes to the services it provides (vs administration and fundraising). Smaller non-profits might not be registered but an online search of their reviews can be helpful.

It's not too late make a gift in honor or in memory. Holidays are often tough for those that have lost someone during the holiday season. Sadly my Grandmother passed on Christmas Day and it was her favorite holiday. A year end "in memory" donation might be the most thoughtful gift one could make. It never made sense to me to mail a Happy Holidays card to someone that had a recent loss, turn it around and send a "hoping you will find peace in 2022" message.

This year, in lieu of gifts, I requested for donations to be made to one of  my favorite non-profits. Many have social media sites on Facebook that provide frequent updates.

HOWS, Houses of Wood and Straw is an animal rescue charity that serves several counties in my area. They initially began building sturdy dog houses for chained dogs and have expanded to erecting fencing to get dogs off chains. Because of my animal rescue background, I've been a supporter for years. I understand very well the difficulty in Virginia to remove animals from a bad situation. Laws permit people to keep outside dogs and often the situation is dire. HOWS provides EYES into the community and at least makes a bad situation the best it can be, providing medical care, guidance, and property improvements. Sometimes even getting lucky by counseling pet owners to allow them to find a warm and cozy inside home for their dog(s).

My second favorite animal rescue is a niche organization in Alabama that rescues chickens. Sweet Peeps Microsanctuary rescues factory farm chickens, and even chickens that were slated to be killed in religious ceremonies. Operated by the daughter of one of my good friends, I know the funds are used appropriately. The first time I saw a truck of chickens headed for slaughter in South Carolina, I broke down in tears. It took me many years to wean myself off of chicken and turkey meat but it made such an impression to me that I never forgot this experience. Getting to know chickens on a personal level by having a flock of chickens of my own has opened my eyes to their varied personalities and antics.

Local wildlife rescues are often loaded with animals receiving very specialized care. Two of my favorites located in different areas of Virginia are Rockfish Wildlife Sanctuary and Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke.

If animals are not on the top of your list for donation, Meals on Wheels is one of my favorite assistance programs. Providing a hot meal can often be the difference between living at home or in a facility. Covid has been especially hard on those living in care facilities. Meals on Wheels can sometimes be the first line of assistance for not only serving a meal but for checking in on someone to see if they are OK. Give directly to your local community group not the large umbrella group. 

I can't image being homeless but one would presume this to be the first step of decline of ones inner soul. We are very fortunate to have The Haven in Charlottesville that address this basic need. Highly rated on Charity Navigator (under Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless).

Be wise with your giving and do some research first. IRS tax laws have been improved this year for charitable giving. In general, $300 for single and $600 for married filing. 

~Rebecca

Shops at Stonefield Lighted Christmas Tree Walk in Charlottesville VA

A nice holiday outing in Charlottesville Virginia is The Tinsel Trail at the Shops at Stonefield. Hosted by the Junior League of Charlottesville it features 50 Christmas Trees uniquely decorated by local businesses. 

The outdoor decorations will ring in the New Year, on display until January 2nd.  

Get in the spirit and check it out - it's free! Every year we take a little car tour of the lights and we added this to the list. Bundle up, it was only 40 degrees last night when we toured the trees. 

There is also a very pretty tree in front of the movie theatre and many of the trees along the walkways are also lighted.

Restaurants and businesses were open as we strolled around. It's prettiest at night but you can check it out day or night. Next to Burger Bach.

Enjoy my video of our tour 

 ~Rebecca

Best items in Lidl, Grand opening of store in Charlottesville, Virginia

Since the grand opening of Lidl Food Market in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 14, I've been exploring their unique options. The first trip into the store I was a little overwhelmed by the layout and offerings. But the seduction of a register coupon for $10.00 off when you purchase $30.00 was enticing so I came back the following week.

My positive experiences with Lidl (pronounced Leedl) encouraged me to blog about our new store and some of the best tasting products that I have discovered thus far. I specifically hunt for items with limited ingredients or that are organic. Many of the tasty items of course contain sugar but my picks generally do not have an obnoxious amount. I will leave label analysis up to each of my readers.

The second time in the store was easier to navigate. During this trip I roamed through the non-food items that include kitchen and home goods plus a little clothing. I was shocked to discover they had tall back chair cushions that might fit my 1980's retro outdoor patio furniture. I gave up years ago on trying to find them but took one home for a fitting. Presuming I was on the only person on the planet that needed to fit this style of chair I waited until the following week to buy the other matching three. Sadly when I returned, they were all scarfed up! This led me to contact Lidl.com, who responded immediately and directed me to other nearby stores that had this item in stock. I was thrilled at the quality and great pricing of this item!

I'm totally hooked on the pack of four light and fluffy brioche burger buns. They toast up really quickly so beware, they can burn easily. Hands down better than any other plain bun that I've eaten and a nice quantity for households that don't have a large family. There also is an inhouse bakery that churns out a lot of different breads and pastries. None of which I've tried so there could be some really nice options here as well. 

I should mention the layout of our store, when you enter you will find produce and seafood freezers. The rest of the frozen food wraps around the entire back and other side of the store. Finding other packaged dinners, ice cream and veggies on the opposite side of the store near the check out lines.

Another favorite is the Lidl labeled Whole Wheat and 12 Grain Bread. My husband loves both of these pan sized breads and the price is incredible. The only downside is that they are not organic but I don't always purchase organic bread so it's not a deal breaker for us.

There were not a lot of organic produce options. Lidl advertises they provide the lowest prices so possibly this is a difficult task when supplying organic but one would presume consumers would realize organic sadly often costs more. Hoping the Charlottesville market will encourage Lidl on this front for future offerings.

Also stocked is refrigerated Lidl Orange Strawberry Banana Juice. I never drink any packaged juices but we had company in town and did serve this with breakfast and it was a sweet not overly banana in flavor blend. It was one of my few shocking amounts of sugar items (all bottled fruit juices will be) but was pleased that it was organic.

Next row over is the specialty imported item section. Mainly sweet treats, teas, coffee, oils, and jarred items. I found a nice bottle of  Grapeseed Oil. The only return that I made was for an organic bag of coffee that I found very acid leaving a very unsatisfactory, undrinkable taste in my mouth. I would not purchase again either of the organic coffees they offer. Lidl is a German company so possibly in Germany they prefer a more acid coffee. I disliked it immensely. Lidl has a 100% satisfaction guarantee in all their 10,500 stores, so you can always bring back what doesn't float your boat.

Lidl operates in 29 countries around the world.

In the specialty section we found two items that our household hands down loved. The number one sweet treat was the dark chocolate topped butter cookies. I even made a Smore out of 2 of them and it was fabulous. I purchased the Chocolate chip Shortbread cookies out of desperation when they were out of my number one choice and they too were very nice. Fortunately, I was glad to find the butter cookies in stock when I went back the following week! 

 

A few more honorable mentions; I was happy to find Lidl labeled organic apple sauce which was excellent! The organic Planet Oat Oatmilk is very nice and does not contain added sugar or Sunflower oil which is always a negative for me as that particular oil is highly inflammatory. The organic eggs are reasonably priced and are in recyclable cardboard - YAY! The Lidl flavored seltzers are tasty - mango and grapefruit I've tried and are nice. Happy to see bottled gallon jugs of Drinking Water that I need for my one sensitive stomach cat :) The box of 40 green tea bags has a decent flavor for bagged tea (I typically drink loose tea but nice to have a back up). The Lidl small chunk light canned tuna in water also has a nice pleasing flavor. Beyond Meat Sausage patties and a decent tasting Falafel are in the freezer section. Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies make my husband happy.

A few more items that I would like to try have been sold out. Understandable for a new store opening trying to gauge consumer likes and dislikes. No worries, I'm hooked so will be back!

I remember going into Trader Joe's for the first time and saying I didn't get what all the excitement was about. It seems we often think this way until we get used to the store layout and their offerings. I've changed my mind in both instances about Trader Joe's and Lidl. Give it a try a few times - leave a comment about your Lidl favorites so others can give them a try!

~Rebecca 

Flowers to spot at the end of Spring in Shenandoah National Park - Plants and Wildflowers

Jarman Gap Trail

Last week I had the opportunity to hunt for blooming plants in the Southern and Center sections of the Shenandoah National Park. "Hiking" three separate days we hiked on four trails; Milam Gap, Limberlost, Jarman Gap, and Riprap. We encountered more Appalachian Trail hikers on Memorial Day on the Riprap Trail than on any other days.

Mountain Laurel

There is about a 1,000 foot difference in elevation between the Southern and Northern Central parts of the Skyline Drive so some wildflowers down south were about a week ahead of the northern elevations.  

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Pink Azalea

Most obvious was the development of the Mountain Laurel which had really come out along the southern Riprap Trail and was holding back along the central Limberlost Trail. I would estimate that it's really going to be impressive in Limberlost around June 12th. There is a free park entry day on June 16th so that's where I'll be! 

Bowman's Root

We encountered some lovely wildflowers on Jarman Gap Trail. One being lavender blooming Skullcap. White blooming Viburnum shrub and pink blooming Azalea can be spotted all over the park this time of year. 

One of my favorite wildflowers, Bluets

Signs of bloomed out Early Meadow Rue could be found on Jarman Gap Trail but was stealing the show in Limberlost. Another sweet wildflower that I had never encountered was Bowman's Root. A delicate white wispy bloom and better described by its other name, Fawn's Breath.

Skullcap

One had to look fairly closely to find the teeny little Bluets scattered along the Limberlost Trail, conversely the Golden Ragwort was plentiful all over the central area of the park. It was nice to have my mother scout out for flowers one day and a friend on another day. They both were equally good at finding oddities. 

Daisy like Golden Ragwort

A few unknown plants were of the fungus plant world. May be you can identify these pretty plants?

Surprisingly, the more developed Limberlost Trail seemed to have the most variety of birds and plants but we did see a pileated woodpecker on the Riprap Trail. Jarman Gap and Milam had more inclines than the other two trails and require a little more skill but still very accessible. Riprap was a nice gradual climb and pretty safe as far as getting your footing. Limberlost is ADA accessible. 

In a few weeks the towering orange flowering tiger lilies in Milam Gap are going to be amazing!

~Rebecca 

Wildflowers in Shenandoah National Park along Skyline Drive

Bacon Hollow Overlook mile marker 69

Located 40 minutes from Charlottesville, the Shenandoah National Park is a treasure for all to enjoy. Skyline drive is 105 miles long and the only road that traverses through the park from South to North. Driving the posted 35 miles per hour, it will take 3 hours if you put your blinders on and don't stop anywhere along the route. An impossible feat for even the most hard hearted.

Sassafras is easily identified

There is a park entry fee and if you go often it can begin to add up. There are several passes that can help you avoid or reduce your fees (if permanently disabled, a veteran, or a senior). When I turn 62 I want a Senior Pass for my birthday present! If you are in a vehicle with one holding one of the passes, you too can gain free access. There are also annual free for anyone days scheduled each year.

Golden Alexander

Because we currently don't have any special passes, I always jump on any chance to get free access. A visiting friend purchased a 7 day pass to the Shenandoah National Park and only used the first day. It is permissible to use a pass purchased by another person so my husband and I went the next day and explored the southern trail section starting on top of  Afton Mountain at mile marker 105 and ending north at Swift Run Gap mile marker 65. It was a perfect picnic day and we mainly ate our way up Skyline Drive veering off at all the overlook points. We did walk a few segments of the Appalachian trail observing wildflowers, birds, and trees.

Mountain Laurel

There are over 850 flowering plants documented in the park. Golden Alexander was in full bloom in the southern areas of the park this time of year. The bloom can best be described as a yellow Queen Anne's Lace. The Spring Ephemerals have nearly bloomed out. The Mountain Laurel is just now starting to bloom at the lower elevations. The full show will occur in June and is a beautiful time to come to the park. White flowering Viburnum shrub was often spotted in the woods.  Also quite common along the roadway is Golden Ragwort which could best be described as a 2' tall miniature Sunflower. It seemed to be more plentiful North of Big Meadows.

We had a wonderful afternoon exploring and getting to know one section of the large park. It took about 4 hours for us to leisurely drive up half of the park but would take a lot longer if any serious hiking would be planned.

~ Rebecca 

Spring Private Garden Tours 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia

Several years ago I joined a local Charlottesville Virginia plant exchange and garden discussion Facebook group. It's an active group with many sharing plants or collecting my excess! We're all happy that plants will find new homes and not simply be tossed on the compost pile. Select times of the year you can sign up for tours of home gardens.

Yesterday my mother and I visited three gardens located in the Key West neighborhood of Charlottesville. Our car navigator led us a bit astray and we initially drove right past the first garden on our list. On our way we noticed a colorful flowerbed that stood out from all the rest. It ended up being the home we were trying to locate! Leslie's garden is not easily missed as you cruise through Key West. This time of year the Iris is showing off as are the Peonies.

Leslie's garden was an empty palette when she began gardening their property 13 years ago. Originally starting small with a 12' long strip of flowers her gardens now encircle the home. Recently a massive swath of pink Daffodils have been added to the adjoining forest area and happily cascade down the back hillside to meet the Rivanna River. I'm told by other neighborhood gardeners she is often spotted tending to her plants. 

All three Key West gardens that we visited are located in deer country so a wide array of tactics are employed to help protect plants. Electric fencing, the rotation of various deer repellant products, and extremely tall fencing and netting help keep the deer away from special plant areas. Also plant selection is crucial, planting things they don't usually dine on unless extremely desperate but nothing is 100% when you're dealing with deer.

One pretty spot in Leslie's garden is the Lotus pond. The pink flowers tend to burst upward in June and crescendo on July 4th. Leslie invited us to be sure to come back and see the show!

We so enjoyed our day out meeting fellow nature lovers and seeing a diverse set of gardens that were all equally amazing. I hope this peek at Leslie's garden gives you a taste of what's on tour this year.

~Rebecca

  

Antique furniture for sale in Virginia, New River Valley, Blacksburg, Roanoke and Charlottesville areas

For several years now I've been helping a friend clear out her family home by selling vintage items. Recently we have begun selling a wide range of antique furniture. Originally many pieces came from her Grandmother's historic 1905 Victorian home. Our Grandmothers were best friends, going to ladies luncheons together, flower arranging and crafting. Soon I'll be selling floral vases and hand painted treasures created by Madeline in my Etsy Shop.

1905 Cabinet from Kitchen Entryway

The furniture is currently located in the Blacksburg / Roanoke Southwest Virginia area but arrangements are in the works to transport requested pieces to Charlottesville, Virginia. So if you are interested in any of the pieces and live in Charlottesville send an email to forsythiahill@gmail.com. This glass front cabinet used to hand on the wall where you walked into the back entryway. It's unfinished natural wood, could be walnut or poplar.

I wanted to show off some of the more lovely old pieces. None of which have been altered or refinished! Seems the "paint it white" craze has ruined many original finishes. It looks nice but I prefer seeing the original patina on vintage pieces. I do believe there is a need for painting some not so old / not so valuable beaten up furniture but in the case of the family pieces that I'm helping my friend sell, I do not see any need for such treatment.

Pieces date from Early American primitive to Mid Century. There are many marble top pieces on casters. A beautiful Eastlake era Washstand and Dresser set in a soft natural walnut finish should be snatched up quickly as such sets are often broken up and sold separately. One of my favorite pieces is a lovely hand carved burl wood dresser. 

Several Victorian pieces came out of the Victorian home. A rare burl wood Victorian sewing table with side drop leaves and a wonderful dark wood twist open lid Card Game Table (UPDATE: this item has SOLD). There is also a split pedestal claw foot table with matching claw and ball feet leather seat chairs that would be stunning in an office conference room or could even fit in a kitchen without the leaves. 

Several pieces are Art Deco. A very special piece is the large tiered Wedding Cake Chandelier with side lamps which is probably early 1905 - 1915. It also has matching wall sconces! I'm in love with the cedar trunk that has a burl maple finish and classic Deco detailing.

Several washstands are available and possibly a marble top table if the owner is willing to part with it. There is one new item, a super comfortable adjustable Enso queen bed that is like new.

I have a few more pieces that are not included in this blog post (piano, cedar armoires, queen anne chairs, flour dough box, etc) email me if you would like more information, forythiahill@gmail.com, I'm happy to help. Hurry as these items are one of a kind authentic vintage.

~Rebecca  

Desecration of tombstones at Hollywood Cemetery a great loss of history

Several days ago vandals destroyed over a dozen monuments and tombstones at the famed Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. 

Founded in 1847 the grounds are full of massive trees and gardens, designated as an arboretum and the graves are a rich history of national importance. Several Presidents and 18,000 Confederate listed men are buried here.

The setting itself of the cemetery is lovely. Towering trees dot the cemetery while resting below flowering gardens highlight the beautiful monuments. The flowing James River meanders around the base of the tiered hillside. I found it a very special, calm and quiet place for reflection. I have a real beef with people that think it's fun to desecrate the resting place of the dead. It's the lowest of low no matter your reasoning. 

Many years ago, in another Virginia community, our family plot was desecrated by kids that thought it would be fun to turn over tombstones and smash them in half. Originally my family donated the land for the cemetery and therefore had the oldest monuments in the cemetery. It was such a loss historically. The markers have never been repaired.

The older monuments and markers that I found fascinating were more nature based. Angels, women with flowers, or the recurring strange tree stump monuments. The tombstone inscriptions are often fascinating and provide a snapshot of the period 100 - 150 years ago. It really is a must see if you are in Richmond. Spring will be lovely in the Cemetery. 

This is a tragic loss and I hope the vandals will be found and punished but may be it brings renewed interest in history and hopefully greater protection will be provided for the grounds to deter criminals.

~ Rebecca

    

What a year 2020 has been for the world! My year in review.

2020 is DEAD and gone. There is no disagreement on this topic - Dead, gone, bye bye, flushed and crushed. Somehow our big plans for the year were realized; finishing mom's apartment renovation, selling her townhouse, and moving her in. Thankfully both my husband and I continued to work because we're both involved with businesses that sell items online.

In spite of Covid-19 mom managed to move. We had strict rules for anyone coming into mom's home and luckily everyone stayed safe. In order to find room in our split level house, two years ago we launched a garage build project which we finally completed in the Summer. We moved my online vintage shop out of the basement into the new upstairs area over the garage. It ended up being a super smart thing to do. The lower level garage area has proved to be a great spot to stash mom's excess and also use for contactless item pick up for my online selling.

Because my mother lived 2 hours away, selling her items online was more difficult. We finally decided it would be easier to just load up most of what remained and try to sell it here. After months of driving back and forth packing boxes and bringing back fragile items in the car (mainly by my husband) mom listed her place and sold it in 6 days. We hired movers who loaded all day and arrived to our house at 8 pm, unloading a stuffed van until midnight. The moving day started later than anticipated when the movers called to say they ran out of gas on the way! We chalked it up to 2020, the year when nothing goes as planned! The movers were awesome once they arrived and we sold more than enough of mom's excess furniture here to pay for the move.

This Fall I helped my in-laws research their Medicare part D drug plan. For a government program, it's fairly straightforward but there are glitches which made it horribly infuriating. It took me days to figure it out and I've worked with technology for my entire adult life. I can see now how a senior gets stuck with the same plan year after year potentially costing them big bucks if they do not have the capacity to research all the plans available to them. It shouldn't be this hard!

My health changes day to day. We had planned to move mom in the Spring but unfortunately things were originally delayed because I began having vertigo attacks (which finally resolved after taking an antihistamine daily). Also getting to Roanoke and packing boxes was a challenge because my wrists hurt so badly. In the middle of all my health ups and downs the coronavirus hit. My left wrist was so bad from osteoarthritis that it was unusable. I finally got three cortisone shots in that wrist and held off on the other as the pain getting the shots was unbelievable. I had gotten cortisone in one foot a few years ago and it was magical! The shots in my wrist were not as successful but tamped down the worst pain. I do have to limit what I do or it gets back in bad shape again. I've been keeping a food and medicine log for a year now trying to trace what causes my inflammation. Basically I've found no definitive food triggers (I typically eat very little dairy and sugar) but I began taking a teaspoon of virgin coconut oil every day and there "might" be something to it. I've tried a host of other things without benefit (even hemp oil). I also take D and Zinc from time to time which doesn't seem to have any bearing on pain.

We lost our dear chicken Bluebell in 2020. She would fly up on top of the coop and yell at the passing hawks to dare come around (HA). It's often hard to figure that out why a chicken is ill and usually the time is near once they start going downhill. One of our remaining four chickens, Buttercup, is 12 years old, which is a near record for a chicken. Mom likes to spoil her when feeding scraps. Our three cats remained well this year thankfully. Very excited for Mom to see her first Spring here which will blow her away! Trying to train her to leave the plant stems and seeds as she comes from years of townhouse living where every leaf is raked and dead twig removed. Life here is certainly different but she's very happy. She's even packing up boxes for my Etsy and Ebay Shop sales!

I can't think of a better moment to take my annual trip to Richmond to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens as offer a FREE WEEK every January! I really enjoyed my trip last year. You need to make an appointment this year! Nature walks seem to be highly popular events because of the safety factor. Hopefully the pandemic will have a few positive outcomes, people will gain an appreciation of protecting our planet and the wild spaces we have left. I have been videotaping more wildlife this year and finally have more than 1,000 followers on my youtube channel so I get a little kick back when you watch :)

Cheers to you and a hopeful 2021. The world is going to explode when we can all get back together.

~Rebecca