Town Crier Articles

 

Hello, New Town Neighbors!  This is a brand-new Crier column for our readers that I hope will be a fun and entertaining collaborative effort between us.  Emphasis on collaboration, as most importantly, it is a column intended to bring us closer as neighbors of New Town and fellow-residents of James City County, the second oldest county in the country, by the way, trailing by only 2 years after Eastville, Virginia in 1634.  

 

Before I introduce you to the concept of this feature, I need to write that its launching is a harbinger, of sorts, for NNO—National Night Out— which will take place throughout the country on August 2nd.  On that date, our local Police Department has invited all neighborhoods to join them in an evening outdoors to encourage community relations between neighbors and neighborhoods. Their direction is to turn off your TVs and “turn on your porch light.” You can read more about it at https://jamescitycountyva.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=5257.

 

 

As you can see, the column’s title is, “Front Porch Chat,” and that is what it intends to be:  a chat between neighbors sitting on their front porches of a summer’s evening or on a crisp autumn day when skies are tri-colored and the trees the same. It's that perfect front-porch setting in your mind where one can share neighborhood news, curious facts (current and historical, like the county fact above), recipes, household, auto and PC hacks, poems, funny stories, even songs with others--all geared to generate laughter, good-natured fun, and a sense of well-being and peace with one’s neighbors. Think small town America—‘cause that is what New Town really is, all of us neighbors, all of us connected, all of us “in it,” together.

 

A little hokey, you’re thinking?  Perhaps.  But if hokey, according to its definition, means “sentimental,” “good-natured,” “old-fashioned,” and even “corny,” well, why not? Harmless silliness that makes people smile or chuckle, or makes them think fondly of someone or something, imparts to them new knowledge perhaps sorely needed—or simply makes them grateful for what they have.   I think we can all do with a little of that.  I’m hoping you do, too. 

 

So, what can you contribute to our “chats” for this feature?  For the most part, anything well-meaning and sent with the best of intentions to impart knowledge, to inform, to give curious pause to thought, or simply to delight or entertain will be most welcome. 

 

Each month, I’ll be rocking on the front porch waiting for you to begin our “chat.”  Please send your contributions, big or small, to ntratown.crier@gmail.com for inclusion in next month’s Front Porch Chat! Be well!

 

Your neighbor,

Patti Vaticano

 

Please enjoy this selection of "chats" to get us started! 

 

Jokes:  What is Forrest Gump’s email password?   1forrest1

 

Poems:                                                     

EARLY BIRD

by Shel Silverstein 

 Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird

And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.

If you're a bird, be an early, early bird—

But if you're a worm, sleep late.

 

 

Historical Fact:   Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. Fifteen years later, it was sold as a cure for an upset stomach by an Ohio physician named John Cook. It wasn’t popularized as a condiment until late in the 19th century.

 

Curious Happening:  In 2014, Australian native Ben McMahon spent a week in a coma following a car accident. When he awoke, the English speaker instead spoke fluent Mandarin.  He had studied the language previous to his accident, but not with any serious intent.

 

Household Hacks:  Coffee grounds mixed with dish soap and boiling water will unclog drains. 

 

PC Hacks:  To fix a flashing battery light on your laptop, press Fn+H on your keyboard.  VIOLA!  No more flashing light!

 

Recipes:  Watermelon Ice Tea--Watermelon is a popular fruit of summer, and this tea recipe is a nice way to use up any extra melon you may have left over. It's very easy to make and requires that you blend the melon with a little mint and lemon to create a watermelon “aqua fresca (cooling waters)”.  From there, it's as simple as adding freshly brewed black tea.

 

Pet Care:  

To keep pets safe during firework demonstrations: