Jotk-Wliys i
VV'
A Big Stone Gap citizen
who follows Folk-Ways in the
Bristol Herald Courier has
just introduced a new topic for
the column-hair receivers or
retainers.
The terms bring back
vague associations to me of
vanity tables, powder bowls
and matching comb and brush
sets, but somehow I can’t
picture the article in question.
The reader, however, of
fers a pretty good description:
“Your recent column on hair
brought back recollections of
women in our community and
family who made ornamental
bags of linen and silk which
they called “hair receivers.”
“These bags were made
by slitting the cloth square in
the center each way for an
opening, turning back comers
and featherstitching edges.
The top square with the
opening was stitched to a
bottom square to form the
bag. A handle was attached
for hanging up. I’ve often
wondered why they kept their
hair-maybe there was a
superstitious reason.”
Undoubtedly superstition
was involved even though the
“receiver” user might have
been unaware of the implica
tions of the hair-saving
Check Trees For
Yuletide Safety
No Yuletide would be
complete without a tree
bedecked with ornaments and
twinkling lights, proudly
beaming forth the joy and
good tidings of the Christmas
season.
As you try to make this
year’s tree the most beautiful
ever, the Insurance
Information Institute reminds
you to make sure it’s the
SAFEST tree ever by being
safety-conscious when
purchasing and decorating
your tree.
Whether natural or
artificial, your tree should be
selected with great care.
Artificial trees should bear
the Underwriter’s
Laboratories (UL) mark of
approval. Natural trees should
be as fresh as possible, since
the dryer a tree is, the more
flammable it is.
The Institute offers these
tips for selecting the best and
safest natural tree:
Color and scent are
important. A pine tree, for
instance, should always be
deep green in color and give
off a strong pine scent.
- Shake the tree a little. If
the needles fall off too
readily, the tree is too dry to
be safe.
- The trunk butt of the
tree will probably be covered
with sticky sap if it’s been
recently cut. The fresher it is,
the better will be your
chances for a safe tree.
- Always place your tree
away from any source of
heat, particularly a fireplace.
Cut trees dry out fast, and
heat only serves to increase
the potential for fires.
- Use a tree stand which
allows you to add sugar water
or chemical mixtures to keep
the tree greener longer.
~ DECORATING
YOUR TREE --
When decorating your tree,
the Institute says to keep in
mind the following:
-- Whether for the tree or
outside decoration, use only
UL-annroved lights. Outdoor
Need To Buy
Auto Insurance
See Your
Farm Bureau
Insurance Agent
We sell atuo comprehensive and
collision at a 15% discount.
We also give a 10% discount on
fire lines and have paid a 20%
dividend for several years.
See us for your insurance needs.
Yancey County Farm
Bureau Insurance
Mary Sue Bailey, Agent
Carlle Rice, Agent
East Main Street Phone 682-2077
operation. But there were also
other reasons for the hair
bank, as our Virginia writer
indicates.
“In later years I knew a
lady who insisted that her
pretty pin cushions she made
as gifts must contain human
hair. I never knew why.
“Also, the nineteenth
century families (practically
all) placed locks of the hair of
their deceased members in
their Bibles. Occasionally
they were woven into a sort of
family hair wreath and dis
played.
More of hair receivers in a
later column. Meanwhile,
friend Alfred E. McThenia of
Glade Spring, Va" adds
another installment to our
fowl (sorry) weather signs. In
a recent letter he noted that
the preening of birds and
chickens is a sign of rain, this
process bringing out an oily
waterproofing in anticipation
of the downfall plus serving as
insulation against the cold.
“This oiling served to
insulate against the cold air
by retaining the body heat of
the fowl. My mother raised
pure-bred Plymouth Rock
(Dominecker) chickens, gen
erally in a flock of approxi
mately fifty laying hens, and
./ J
lights should be
weatherproof, and you
should securely fasten them
to walls, eaves or trees to
prevent wind damage.
-- Before plugging in your
light strings to test them,
check for bad sockets, frayed
or bare wire and loose
connections -- especially if
the lights are old and have
been in storage. Make sure
each light socket, has a rubber
socket gasket, and replace if
needed. Any unsafe strings
should be discarded.
- Now test each string,
checking for burned-out
bulbs. Replace any bad ones.
As you arrange the light
strings on the tree, be sure
you don’t overload any
electrical circuits. Overloaded
wires and wall sockets can
heat up suddenly and may
start a fire.
- If your tree is metal,
never use light strings, since a
“short” in the wiring could
make the whole tree “live.”
Always use spotlights on
metal trees.
All Christmas
decorations prove quite a
strong temptation for
inquisitive children, so be
sure to keep kids away from
all electrical fixtures and
connections.
-- When leaving home, be
sure to tum off all decorative
lights.
The Insurance Information
Institute wants you to enjoy
the holiday season, so
remember that adequate
safety precautions can help
ensure a happy and safe
Christmas for your family
and friends. (PRN)
One large carrot a day will
provide all the vitamin A
you need.
V
as one of my assigned chores
around the house, I. tended
the chickens. This oiling
exercise would not be done at
random. It would instead
involve the entire flock
simultaneously , and .I’ve seen
the fences standing full with
hens, old roosters, and
pullets, each bird preening
and oiling its feathers all at
the same time. This exercise
usually took place in the early
or mid-morning and invariab
ly it rained before nightfull of
the same dasfV
Mr. McThenia goes on to
describe an experience with
another dependable weather
prophet, the Screech Owl.
‘‘Before moving into our
present house (in 1962) we
lived “On the Hill” and in the
back yard stood a large maple
tree, with the stub of a limb
that had been ‘hollowed out’
for a nesting place by a pair of
Flickers (Yallerhammers). In
late Autumn, after the Flick
ers had hatched their brood
and left, each year came a
Screech Owl to take up his
Winter abode in this hollow
limb.
‘‘We kept watch and just
as certain as this little Owl
would come up and thrust its
head out from the hole and
make his strange (warbling)
sound, then, just as surely
would we have snow by late
afternoon. The little Owl was
very punctual, always to
appear at or near 7:00 a.m.
and never later than 7:30 a.m.
“Ofttimes, the TV weath
erman would predict: ‘clear
ing and colder, or snow
turning to rain by late
afternoon, ’ but if the Owl had
given his warning, we’d have
THIS CHRISTMAS
the savings are bottled up at
RE-BOTTLED FRAGRANCES j OLD SPICE SET
J After V. II oy
Ilia Charlie, W W m Colo9ne • 4l^,l *^
iilll rp ld ’"- DISCOUNT CENTERS |<&UJ
Retail $1.50 I I I S a
RIVCO* LOW. EVERYDAY DISCOUNT PRICE '
i 79* '
T jr. CHANEL =5 \ MEN’S 3-PC. GIFT SET _j
COTY WILD MUSK j COLOGNE SPRAY x * % fl. a*. pSJS—[S
GIFT SET ISP: 1.5 fl. ox. In chic \ ® rut Af ,er Shave ITf . I
Mfr. Sugg. ' l j
everyoay discount price Mfr. Sugg. Retail $2.75 /f *,.
J mL LOW EVERYDAY DISCOUNT
Cologne Spray, net wt. 2 oz. * $t A A
I Dusting Powder, net wt. 4 oz. i m • M Jr
Mfr. Sugg. Retail $6.75 , | ~ ‘ J OLD SPICE
- p * - TRAVEL KIT
case
SI 75 Shave Cream.
\ EVEHTOAV
1 discount *U
JT -<w, \-T '■J.IJjmII ,1. iv««yo»* oikount met j
Mfr. Sugg. Retoil $6.00 Y\ x | s _ 69
RCVCO ■ LOW. ~~~r
EVERVOAV
O, .count RRtce “ w m I N|NA R|CC| f \ ENGLISH LEATHER remit?- |C
-TiL- l air DU TEMPS A ; ' STARTING ' 1 BRUT 33
, I U ' GATE SET WM" GIFT PACK l rr[f|"f^^d
> fu.p. ,c IV, fl. 01. Her favorite Li After Shave 2fl oi [£3|ltfathPG Ar,,. UJ £,**
CONCENTRATED CHARLIF eau de toilette' Y||r ’ ' lIFRII * | Splosh-on lotion, H £ ® *
cologne «pkay CONCENTRATED I mnm<hu Deodorant Stick, net wt. 275 oi. |U| * 3V, fl oi. H S^. 33 !^
COLOGNE ™ Mfr Sugg. Retail $6 SO | ' i Bar of soap IM| ~ | Soap on a rope, 81.TH8,,
. SPRAY A 1 Ivr,/> Mtr . Sugg. Retail $5.00 *** net wt. 5 oi. fc- Jj
PifjiL By Revlon.
Ne,wt 2v -»* ! , | • ,
r. r Pv=lC=w BRITISH i MENNEN GIFT COMBO ' J.B. WILLIAMS
Retail $7.00 Till I STERLING / -T=3> THE SMART SET ,
v °^* *LA>* ifo—J AFTER B
■■■■ discount
QQ IT LOTION . I In?1 > lo\Uiy Splosh-on lotion, ipp
JmJr J 5.^...» 5 .^...» II |l.Ai. spmd H ■ I 7fi oi 11l Tv PUHI
/p 1 II 3.8 fl. oi. IhqhH| 111 I t, UUij
II Rugged, masculine WWW Deodorant Spray. |U
■I aroma. L—— ■■■ .....J s J net wt. 7 oz,
at most STOiit. WHiii QUANTITIES J III Mtr Sugg After Shive, 6fl oz | v Ms, % U m a
** ■ Retail $5.00 Speed Stick Deodorant, Aqua Cologne, 1 % fl. oz. 1 Retail $4.80
I til net wt. 2Vi oz. Aquo Ve|ya Aft#r s hov yy 4 01 .
T 1 0..3?;S $ 4.29 Mf,Su gg Retail $4.95 Mir. Sug g Retail $2.00 everyday o^S^tSSi
*2 49 -■'".■.ts' *129 *3 49
DISCOUNT RRICE Mm* W M DISCOUNT PRICE W•Mm M V iHP M ■ - "
\ Tll7l7r*A )
Every Day is Savings Day on Everything at Revco!
> America's Fastest Growing Discount Chain!
rW- . x
W vv
4\ vkA.
v r* dky
_4.
/«/
deep snow.”
Readers are invited to
send folk material to Folk-
Ways and Folk-Speech, Box
376, Appalachian State Uni
versity, Boone, North Caro
lina 28608. f
cimtflfltcEs M
]
See Us for your Centerpiece,
Corsages, Poinsettias
& All Christmas Decorations
_ I HOLIDAY
■as up
682-2324 fe/
682-3527
19E By-Pass
Mayland Tech Offers
Secretarial Course
Beginning on January 3,
Winter Quarter, Mayland
Technical Institute will offer
an Evening program in
Secretarial Science. These
courses will be offered in
sequence so that a student
beginning Winter Quarter will
be able to complete the
program by attending evening
classes,
Classes are offered Mon
day through Thursday begin
ning at 6:00 p.m. Winter
Quarter courses for beginners
include: Beginning and Inter
mediate Typing, Beginning
Shorthand, Business Law,
and Office Machines.
General Education
At
MaylandTechnical Institute
Winter Quarter Begins January 3
_ v
Courses For Credit Toward A
Bachelor’s Degree
Courses For Pleasure And Self-Improvement
> - -
Day Evening
. ■ ■ ■—*——
* History * Music Appreciation
* Creative Writing * History
* Drawing * Composition
* Math * Math
* Science * Painting
* Psychology
For Information Call Student Services
THE YANCEY JOURNAL DECEMBER 16, 1976 )
For more information, call
Kathy Justice, Evening In
structor in Secretarial Science
765-7549 or come by Mayland
Technical Institute.
PAGE 7
March of Dinted
SPACE CONTRIBUTED 0Y THE PUBLISH