duvall

Ho! Twenty-twelve, here we come!With horns a-blarin’ and a greeter’s poem. From out here in our rolling green heavenWe bid adieu to twenty-eleven. We float this salute o’er sceptr’d hillsAnd hope you feel a holiday thrill. Assembled here are faces with namesSome girls and boys of countywide fame. At first we can, we know,...
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We had nine folks working in the wet morning on U.S. 211 on Saturday (April 23) for the Rappahannock County Democrats’ annual Earth Day cleanup project. At least one soldier carried on even though she had been cut by barbed wire. At least one other wore shoes and not boots and got his feet,...
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Rappahannock County had a real pal in the late Betty Webb for the better part of three decades. There were few persons anywhere with such a spirit of generosity. If you were new to the Amissville neighborhood where Betty and her husband Gil lived, she wanted to make certain that you were welcomed; Betty...
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Every year around this time, frequent contributor Jed Duvall locks himself in an Amissville garrett and pens a New Year’s greeting that dresses up names from the past year’s Rappahannock headlines into meter and verse, for better or worse. Mostly better.
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Last Thursday (Oct. 21) at the Theatre in Washington, Rappahannock citizens heard the lowdown on new health-care realities from a physician who has read the entire health reform act, some 2,000 pages. Dr. Chris Lillis, a Fredericksburg family practice physician, stood before a small audience and reviewed the mechanics and effects of what is...
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My name is Scarlet, and I am a two-, maybe three-year-old mix of Lab and Shepherd. I am very happy in the company of other dogs, but my real interest is in you. They play lots of nice music here at the canine stopover, and whenever I hear that Sinatra song about how love...
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Hello, I’m Tux. Great name for a Spaniel mix, right? Nothing too fancy, just Tux. I am four years old, housebroken, and will retrieve if the mood is right. But here’s the challenge: to find things, we have our sniffers. And all you have is Craigslist. It’s close, but I think we win by...
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The best time is after supper, isn’t it? I’m Skip, a four-year old Pomeranian, neutered and housebroken. And I know that after a full day of action, chasing bears out of the yard, sniffing out moles, herding geese and crows, after a vigorous workout, it’s really nice to settle in. You beside the lamp...
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The weekend ahead in Rappahannock County is the time to find out: • what “mob” grazing is, • why malting one’s own barley is important, • what heirloom apples taste like, • how to spin and dye yarn, • where to find 20,000 baby trees in one place, • where to step off along...
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I’m Oscar, and you and I will have a nice long life together. I’m just 12 weeks old now, neutered and got-all-my-shots and ready-to-go. I’m a chihuahua-dachshund mix, with none of the grumpiness of the diminutive breeds. I’m such a happy guy and am so eager to hear from you that, hey, give me...
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Have you got a fence around your place? One of those nice stockade barriers, oh about yay tall? Maybe a chain link, garden variety or better? OK, wanna see me go over it? I’m a Lab-Shepherd mix, two or three years old. And, not to put too fine a point on it, but don’t...
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The news just came in, and it’s terribly exciting! I’m growing a heart! That’s what they’re doing for me here in Amissville. I’m only two years old, and arrived here frightened of my shadow. But there is new life for this two-year-old Yellow Lab mix: assertiveness, boldness shall be mine. Come on over and...
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I’m a four-year-old Chihuahua mix who is called Gypsy. Our sort is thought of as bossy and yappy, but that is not my way. Everyone should have a model, a creature that one looks to for guidance, inspiration; for an attitude about life. My model is Grace Kelly. So, you see, you and I...
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My name is Carey, and I would like to count on your support in the coming election. You see, while I am only six months old, I am always the leader in any play group. Clearly, this qualifies me to serve on the school board, so I am running for that office. My platform:...
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In just a little over a week, what’s being billed as the largest yard sale in the region will get under way. The Rappahannock County Democratic Committee’s annual two-day event is being held at the Link in Sperryville. The sale will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 with virtually everything one finds...
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Does it look as if I am in good shape? You bet I am! Hey, if you took rigorous walks as we do here in scenic Landfillville, you would be tight and toned, too. I’m Dillon, a mix of Australian Shepherd and Sheltie, and I’m approaching four months of age. Get up off your...
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A bright, sharp light was extinguished in Amissville over the weekend; Bill Payne, the auctioneer and valued member of the Amissville community, succumbed to cancer on Sunday. His steady, warm voice presided over auctions for the past two decades, filling the house with regular customers, moving the goods and entertaining everyone at no extra...
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Hello, my name is Abby. While I am just arriving at four months of age, I have already learned one of the most important lessons of life. That is, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. Therefore, I will always be your faithful friend — more than most. My heritage is...
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You can feel a lot better about yourself and your circumstances if you will just clean out something. A drawer. A shelf somewhere in the house. Part of the garage. A section of the shed. Just clean and dust and you will feel better -- summer heat, or no.
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I am only three years old, but have already learned the secret to making a successful long-lasting relationship. It comes from the great 20th century American philosopher Henny Youngman. It is to have dinner out twice a week with candles, wine and atmosphere. My wife goes on Friday and I go on Tuesday. My...
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The yearbook entry says my name is Harriet, and I am a 4- or 5-year-old Pointer. The description is of a “very, very nice dog.” I’m thought to be a quiet companion, but when you come visit you will find me with your ears. That is, when I see you, I will sing. Yes,...
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Peanut is my name, but that is merely a cover, a “nom de shelter.” Inside me, deep in my soul, I am “Lion.” I am so ferocious, so thoroughly in command, that the captain of my platoon permits me to display my Jimmy Cagney poster in my locker. I’m a three-year-old Chihuahua mix. Modesty...
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My name is BB. That’s all, just the two letters. You could say one stands for beagle and the other is for blue, cause I am kinda blue like a cattle dog. You must admit that my name is really easy to remember and really easy to call. I am a four-year-old spayed friend...
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When you come over to the shelter, don’t be surprised if you hear laughter. We are still giggling over what happened during the Shakespeare show the other night; you know, at the summer theater we have here. During Act V of Macbeth, when Lady M. hollers, “Out damned spot! Out, I say!,” we looked...
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Hello, I’m Hank, and you’ve seen me before, right here in these pages. I’m in for a second go-round because I’m a beagle who qualifies for senior discounts. More than that, I am planning to get my babyhood back. You see, I need a child, a youngster of your sort to play with. That’s...
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When they created the word demure, they were thinking of someone like me. I am only a year old, and my parentage is mostly Boxer. But I am far from the Mike Tyson pattern — instead you’ll find me quiet and clean and reserved. That means I do more observing than talking, chatting, prattling,...
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I’m a medium-size, five-year-old dog and I am part Hound, part Lab. That’s a deep, rich, chocolate brindle coat that I wear. My name is Bailey, but I don’t really need a name, because you hardly know that I am there. Some people think I am part cat, because I am so clean and...
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If I am outside when you drive up to the shelter here in Amissville, you will hear me. My bass voice – rather musical, if I may say so – will ring out as you approach. In truth, it makes me sound bigger than I really am. This sound of greeting, or warning, will...
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Greetings! I am Boon and I am just 10 weeks old. I’m just a small ball of hair, kind of like a four-footed mop. You could roll me around the living room and, with a little tickling, I’d laugh all night long. You could have friends over and spend time guessing what heritage I...
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Amissville’s Barbara Lohre does her part to protect the Gulf Coast by saving dog hair. The proprietor of Southpaw Pet Salon on Indian Run Road grooms and boards dogs and here grooms Tillie, a Hungarian Puli. While chatting on the Web with other groomers, she learned they were saving dog hair, ...
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First the missile gap. Then the science-education gap. And now this: the woeful lack of dancing knowledge among our young people. We find, to our dismay, that American children are far behind their counterparts in other developed societies. We even find that Rappahannock youth might be lagging behind their peers in Fauquier and other...
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My name is Blazer, and I am one of those mixture dogs. As you can see, I have the body and coloring of a beagle. But inside, I am a retriever: heart, brain and navigation system, I am a retriever. You throw it, or shoot it down, and I will fetch. Can there be,...
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I have to chuckle to myself because of my name: Ike. I mean, all of you who are named for kings and queens you don’t even remember, and I am named for a great president. I am just one of the kindergarten over here — seven months old and all puppy. I’m a yellow...
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You can take me home and teach me all sorts of tricks. That’s because I’m not even three months old and, as you know, a young dog can learn all sorts of stuff. My name is Brinks and I’m a puppy’s puppy. Baby dog, through and through. Happy and social and eager and loving...
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Hey, I got it back! Yes, I’ve regained all the weight that I had lost, and am in perfect trim once again. Thanks so much for being concerned; it is nice to know that you cared. Yes, I came in here after being lost and abandoned in Castleton, with ribs showing. Hadn’t had three...
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The newest fashions are out and I just love them! Argyles in lively reds; you will go crazy over my new jacket. It’s just the thing for the long walks on these cold winter days. There’s a whole canine line in this month’s issue of Dogue. Darling, you must see them! I’m Daisy, and...
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My coal black coat, which earns me the name Onyx, is just one of the attributes that comes from my noble birth. I am fiercely loyal to those who live in my realm. If we must discuss age, I am three in your years. My manners, even when taking a sip of water, are...
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