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Thursday, July 10, 2025
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An apology to the world’s knitters

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Ok, Laurie. After your insightful comments to my original knitting post, I agree: knitting is a sport.

There. I said it.

I was doing some research on the notion of knitting as sport. Recreational activity? Yes. Sport? I was still skeptical.

For starters, there are tons of knitting blogs out there (and if you blog about it, it must be real). Here’s how blogger Elinor of Lawrence, Kansas sums it up in her blog:

I’m a graduate student and new mother who spends her free time knitting. I find that knitting is such a powerful addiction that its presence in my life must be tightly controlled. As a procrastinator, I’ve always fought off the temptation to knit instead of work. Often, knitting projects threaten my exercise time as well. Because I am committed to living an active life, this is not acceptable so the rule is EXERCISE BEFORE KNITTING.

And then there’s this piece in the April 2007 issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors where the writer goes as far as to claim that “knitting is the new yoga.” Namaste.

Still not convinced? This entry makes reference to “hardcore knitters” and “extreme sports knitting.” Knitting on a half-pipe. Can’t wait to see that.

Furthermore, if knitting were not a sport, would it have it’s own Olympics?

I think not.

– YS

Shoefiti update

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NCL reader and local Computer Tutor, Leslie France of BlueWebWeaver, sent us this shoefiti update (Issue #25, NCL April 2007) from Cowslip Road.

Here’s the Cowslip shoefiti status report:

They are still up there but have migrated northward along the wire and are now somewhat obscured by trees.

More later on this breaking story …

It’s hard to see the shoes in this picture as they blend in with the trees:

Shoefiti Cowlsip

But when you zoom in a little closer …

Showfiti on Cowslip close up

Bingo! Thanks Leslie for the follow up!

Mr T’s Sat forecast update – Nelson Co, VA & Wintergreen

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Updated for mention of thundershower Saturday afternoon: 4.28.07 12:00 noon EDT

Good Saturday afternoon,

Just a quick update. There are a few dynamics coming together that may – and I say may – provide a shot at some showers maybe even an isolated thundershower this afternoon. This is on the backside of the system that moved through yesterday. A couple of upper air systems may provide light showers this afternoon. Regardless this won’t be enough to spoil much of anything, but might want to take a rain jacket or unbrella just in case for later today. It will get cool as clouds move in. The local satellite view shows clouds swirling in counterclockwise around the upper air disturbances. I do think best chances of rain will stay west of the BRP, but can’t rule out stray showers even in the Nelson, Wintergreen area. It will continue to be breezy from time to time with winds kicking up to 25 MPH with higher gusts. With Mr. Sun hiding on occasion, it will feel cool with the winds. For full forecast details info see previous post here.

The Blacksburg NWS office in Blacksburg mentions the possibility of thunder:

Near term /through tonight/…
Have adjusted probability of precipitation up slightly for this afternoon and added
isolated thunderstorms for all areas. Measurable rainfall looks like
almost a sure bet on the western slopes today. Also…model
soundings show thin cape developing across the County Warning Area as upper wave
moves overhead.

If you wade through the weather jargon – it essentially means what I said above. A slight chance of showers, but not a downpour day.

I wouldn’t cancel any plans on this one.

Have a great Saturday!
-T-

RHOP / Spruce Creek Gallery Evening of Art, Music, & Cuisine

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Talk about a great evening! Friday night Yvette and I went to the Rural Health Outreach benefit at Spruce Creek Gallery. The weather was beautiful and the temperature was just right. And no rain! – But this year it wouldn’t have mattered, there were three really nice tents set up, just in case. Here’s a few shots from Friday night.

All photos by Tommy Stafford – NCL Magazine
John Stork
Talk about a blast from the past! Nope John Stork Maddox wasn’t back to get in the B & B biz again, instead he was the auctioneer! John now lives in Richmond, but made the drive back just for the RHOP event.

Taylor Wine
Now this is a stretch! Taylor Smack, owner of the soon to be opened Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton knows all about beer, but we also caught him pouring wine as a volunteer at the RHOP event.

Silent Bidders
There were tons of items up for bid in the silent auction. Yep, Yvette made off with a really nice vase hand made by Nan Rothwell!

Emily Weed
Emily Weed, yep the one from Mountain Cove Vineyards, is happy here. She was the lucky bidder on her item!

Tiger Lily
Tiger Lily provided awesome music for everyone.

Ray Wine
Ray Ashton, of Delfosse Winery & Vineyard, is usually the one on the pouring end, but not here, it was his turn!

Sue Steps
Sue Bernard, of Spruce Creek Gallery, is one happy person. The crowd at Friday’s RHOP event was great. Sue tells us she’s healing nicely too from that injury. Should be out of the sling before long!

Mr. T’s TGIF forecast Saturday update

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TGIF!

Hello everyone, I am back in the saddle here in Nelson after a brief visit with my folks back on the farm in NW-TN. It’s a little bit greener there than here, but not by much. Unfortunately, there they are dealing with many of the same problems with the freezing temps from a few weeks ago. Most wheat crops there have been totally wiped out. A big portion of peach and apple crops as well. We’re not in that boat by ourselves, though I am not sure “misery loves company” works in this instance.

Weatherwise, look for the weather to slowly improve today. The bulk of the rain moved in afer midnight last night and thankfully conditions weren’t ripe for severe storms. We’re still going to be left with lots of clouds today. As the day wears on look for breaks of sunshine. With a cold front working its way through the area, and the heating of the afternoon, we still may see some isolated thinderstorms as the front works through, but nothing real organinzed, and again mainly east.

On the mountains you’re going to be in the clouds most of the day until the front works through and moves the fog out.

Which reminds me! Yesterday, Paul Purpura, our NCL photographer got these pictures below. The Wintergreen Performing Arts tent was on its way up yesterday. But look how foggy it was up there.
All photos by Paul Purpura for NCL magazine.
Tent-1

TENT-3

TENT-4

TENT-6

If you have never gone up and heard the performances duing the warm season there, do it! The performing arts group is a very talented orchestra.

There is so much to cover weather and event wise for this weekend. So let me get right to it. I still think we will see a fair amount of sunshine later today into the early evening hours. Though there may be a stray shower or tstorm around, mainly east of Nelson, it should slowly dry out. Should be a great evening to go out to the Rural Health Outreach’s Evening of Art, Music, and Cuisine at Spruce Creek Gallery on 151 just south of Nellysford. This is a great event and the ticket prices are very reasonable. Just buy one when you get there if you don’t already have it. Weather won’t matter, they have two huge tents set up so rain or shine, it’ll be fun! We’ll be there starting at 6:30pm!

Local satellite still shows plenty of clouds in the area, but if you look you do see lots of breaks in there, so it is slowly improving. We’ll still easily make the low and mid 70’s valley today – mid 60’s mountains. On the mountain it will cool later today as the front works through here. Already seeing some breaks and sun peeking through at the NCL office here in Greenfield.

Tonight we go partly cloudy with lows in the around 50 valley and mid 40’s mountains. A stray shower early but most of it is out of here tonight.

Saturday we go partly sunny with temps around 70 valley and mid 50’s to around 60 mountains. It will be breezy from time to time, with west winds around 6-8 MPH with gusts to 25 MPH from time to time. But with plenty of sun, it will feel very nice. Great day to go over to Wintergreen Winery and hear Jan Smith
Jan pic

and her husband
Jeff Pic

Jeff Vogelgesang play. They are our favorites! It’s Wintergreen Winery’s 14th anniversary this weekend. We’ll see you there starting at 12:30PM going till 5:30PM. Check out details for more events this weekend at their site linked above.

Sat night looks to be partly cloudy and cool with lows in the upper 40’s valley – mid 40’s mountain. Sunday will be even nicer with mostly sunny skies and temps in the mid 70’s below and around 63 or so mountain.

Lots to do this weekend and lots more storeis and updates here on our site as well, so check back throughout the day as we update!

Have a great weekend and see you out and about!
-T-

Mr. T’s Forecast – Storms late week – updated

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TS-Map
Updated: 4.25.07 5:36 EDT – for severe storms mention & Thursday
Good Wednesday evening,

Since I will be traveling back to Nelson over the next 12-24 hours will be doing an update now for Thursday and beyond until returning.

Not much has changed from the previous post below, but it appears the system is slowing a little from earlier today. The only real change will be the chances for rain and storms continuing into Friday evening and night. Still think we’ll clear out for the remainder of the upcoming weekend.

NWS Sterling thinks severe weather still a possibility in particular during the afternoon Friday. Here’s what they say:

Friday afternoon primarily east of Blue Ridge. This will bring threat of
severe thunderstorms and rain to County Warning Area Friday after

We could see a stray severe thunderstorm on Thursday, but the dynamics are much better on Friday.

As I type this post Wed evening, many tornado and severe t-storm watches are posted in Arkansas and areas to the north and south. They will be affecting TN and Nelson, VA later on over next day or two.

For the mid-south where I am Wednesday night, the brunt of severe weather dives south, but some severe storms are still possible here. It gets organized over Thursday as it runs toward Nelson.

More updates as needed and when I return to Nelson. Be nice to be back in the mountains!

Have a great Wed evening and Thursday,
-T-

.

Previous post
Good Wednesday morning again from West TN.

I continue to keep an eye on several things affecting our weather here back in TN and there in Nelson over the coming 48 hours.

There are chances for rain over the next 2-3 days before we dry out. We won’t have contiunual rain, but decent shots for showers and then thunderstorms toward the end of the week.

Wednesday look for skies to be come mostly cloudy as the day progresses. Local satellite via Wunderground show partly cloudy skies across the area, but more clouds are streaming in from the west and SW. Temps today will be near 80 early then cooling as showers move in. The forscast models seem to miss the temps as we are getting more sunshine than expected. Some of the NCL Weathernet stations like NCL-Wintergreen Winery are already reporting upper 70’s. On the mountains look for temps in the low 70’s for highs.

Tonight about 40% of the area will see some scattered thunderstorms. Lows in the 50’s generally.

Thursday is pretty much a carbon copy of Wednesday with temps in the 70’s. By Thursday night chances for storms become better organized after midnight continuing into Friday.

The NWS office in Sterling is monitoring the situation for possibly severe storms in that period. Here’s part of what they say:

This
system has a history of producing weather over the central
US…would not be surprised to see a few strong/severe storms in the
middle Atlantic. Will go ahead and add mention to the severe weather potential statement with this
package issuance…

We certainly have the chances for severe weather here in TN where I currently am. You can take a look west to TX and see what’s been brewing. Just not confident yet that the system will hold together as well by the time it gets to Central Virginia.

The storm prediction center in OK shows us near the slight risk area for severe weather over the coming 48 hours.
Click this picture to enlarge:
Thurs Svr Outlook

The area inside the green is the slight risk area. On Friday it shifts slightly east, but we are still in it. The best chances for us seeing severe storms is after midnight Thursday and during the day Friday. By Friday evening we begin to see showers diminish with temps falling overnight into the mid 50’s.

Over the weekend look for mostly sunny skies on Saturday with temps in the low 70’s. ON Sunday partly cloudy with temps wamring to the mid and upper 70’s. Should be a great weekend to go out and hear Jan Smith at Wintergreen Winery! She and Jeff will be there playing. Yvette and I will be there for sure, never miss hearing them when we can. They are a great team!

Look like a nice weekend shaping up, so enjoy!

I will monitor the developing weather and update as needed.

Have a great Wednesday!
-T-

Mr. T’s Tuesday forecast & beyond

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TN Tractor
Good Tuesday morning again to all from West Tennessee,

I am still away forecasting remotely from NW-TN. Back here the tractors are in the fields getting ready for the planting season as seen in the photo above. This is in a field back on the farm I grew up on. A very common sight back here, but WOW, what a contrast to the mountains back there in Nelson.

Tuesday look for scattered showers and thundershowers across the Nelson Central, VA area. Not everyone will see rain, but about 50% of the area will. Temps will still make it into the lower 80’s valley and around 71 mountains.

Tonight widely scattered showers and thundershowers continue, most numerous this evening. Lows in the upper 50’s valley and mid 50’s mountains.

Wednesday look for more widespread rian in the afternoon, cooler with temps in the upper 60’s valley – low 60’s mountains. Chances for everyone seeing rain Wed are more likely, thundershowers are less likely.

Thurs and beyond our chances for rain increase with the bext chances for rain on Thursday throught Friday afternoon. Temps are generally in the 60’s for highs until Friday when a warm front moves through, puts us on the warm side and we get back into the low 70’s valley and mid 60’s mountains. We begin clearing out Friday night and have partly sunn skies just in time for the weekend.

Weekend temps are generally in the 70’s over the weekend.

Back here in W-TN where the cows are taking a bath below in the pond on the farm,
Cows Pond

we are expecting severe weather tonight, more likely Wednesday. The possibility of isolated tornados perhaps. I don’t miss those back there in Nelson!

Have a great Tuesday!
-T-

Mr. T’s Workweek Forecast

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TS-Map

Good Monday to everyone,

As I prepare this morning forecast, I am in West Tennessee about 700 miles away from you there in Nelson. Already miss those mountains! It’s pretty flat here, pretty but in a different way. This is where I grew up almost on the Mississippi River.

Look for another super wonderful day weatherwise! We’ll see partly cloudy skies in Nelson County. Temps will warm nicely well into the lower & mid 80 valley, mountains around 80 degrees. So a warm day all around. Monday night we become mostly cloudy with temps falling into the upper 50’s valley and around 55 on the mountains.

By Tuesday we see chances of rain work into the forecast. Highs still mild generally in the upper 70’s.

We get a brief break in the rain Wednesday but by Thursday the better chances for rain surface continuing till around Friday then we clear Friday night. Temps cool to lower 70’s for daytime highs over the weekend, but we should see plenty of sunshine.

Ironically the system you will see there in Nelson is already starting to affect where I am now in W-TN. We may actually see severe weather here by Wednesday.

I’ll update again as things progress on the forecast.

Have a great Monday!
-T-

Mr. T’s Sunday forecast & work week outlook

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Tommy Weather Map

Good Sunday,

What a great weekend thus far and Sunday won’t be a disappointment either! Today look for sunny skies and temps ranging from low to mid 80’s valley and lower to mid 70’s mountains. As of 10:40 EDT the NCL- Wintergreen Nature Foundation Wunderground station showed a mild temperature of 74 degrees. This is about as close to perfect as you can get!

Tonight temperatures drop to upper 40’s to near 50 valley and around 46 to 47 degrees mountains. We will start having southerly winds later today so temps will stay up a bit warmer tonight than previous nights.

On Monday the nice weather continues with mostly sunny skies and temps low 80’s valley – mid 70’s mountains. Southerly winds do increase in the afternoon to around 15-20 MPH. Monday night looks to be mild again with lows valley 55 – mountains low to mid 50’s depending on cloud cover. Mid 50’s if clouds bank up against the mountains overnight. The winds stay up in the 10-20 MPH range overnight Monday.

By Tuesday skies become partly sunny as some clouds begin working in – in advance of the next system. Still mild temps in the upper 70’s & upper 60’s mountains. By Wednesday afternoon chances of rain move into the area with temps again in the upper 70’s valley – and around 70 mountains.

The chances for thundershowers continues through Friday.. By Saturday, right now it looks like the rain will be on it’s way out of here. Great timing!

Enjoy your Sunday, it’s gonna be a beautiful one!
-T-

Pharsalia Folk Festival

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What a wonderful day for the Pharsalia Folk Festival. You’ve read about it in our April issue of the magazine. Today we went out and spent some time there. Huge turnout for the event and Sunday looks to be as beautiful a day as Saturday. So if you haven’t made it out there yet, make sure you go on Sunday!

All Photos: Tommy Stafford – Nelson County Life Magazine

Doug Coleman
Above Doug Coleman of The Wintergreen Nature Foundation, dressed as Patrick Henry, chats with one of the people dropping by.

banjo player
Here a young man from Amherst County plays tunes from the festival time period

Hilltop Berry
Kim Pugh of Hilltop Berry Farm & Winery pours wine for one of the folks at the festival. They along with Wintergreen Winery were making sure folks never got thirsty!

Dick Morgan & Yvette
Dick Morgan of Pharsalia chauffeurs Yvette along. Now that’s riding in style. We don’t think they had a Polaris back then!

Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard demonstrates how stone walls and foundations were created in the early days using only gravity and friction.

Pharsalia Front
There are many, many “in costume” period demonstrations. Here’s one in front of the main house at Pharsalia.

This is just a small sample of what you will see at the Folk Festival, be sure to make it out Sunday if you haven’t had the chance.

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