By Maria Howard MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

Don’t be ashamed if you’ve made littleor no progress on that Jan. 1 vow. Now’sthe time to make changes so you can

accomplish something before theend of 2005.

First, let’s look at the reasonsyou failed to follow through onyour resolutions in the first fewmonths of the year.

If you’re like most people, timewas a limiting factor.

“What I always hear frompeople is, ‘I don’t have time,’“ said Chase Kaufman, fit-ness director at Woodlake

Aquatic and FitnessCenter. For

Kaufman andothers in thefitness indus-

try, that’s an excuse thatcan be overcome. “It’s not really finding the

time,” he said. “It’s more about

setting your priorities.” Maybe you don’t have time to get to

the gym for an hour. But that doesn’tmean you have to skip your workout.

“If you’re sitting on the couch watch-ing TV, you can be doing exercises,”Kaufman said. Don’t want to interruptyour favorite show? Exercise during thecommercial breaks.

“You can get in 20 minutes of exerciseduring an hour show,” Kaufman said.

If you were one of the multitudes whojoined a health club around the first ofthe year, you owe it to yourself — andyour pocketbook — to take advantage ofthat membership.

“If you don’t, you’re pretty much cheat-ing yourself,” Kaufman said.

The beginning of the year providesgreater motivation for lofty resolutions,he said, because people have gainedweight from all the holiday feasting.

At Woodlake, Kaufman ran a 12-week“New Year New You” fitness contest thatchallenged members to engage in cardio-vascular activities three times a weekand do strength training at least twice a

week. Members who met the challengewere awarded T-shirts at the end ofMarch.

Kaufman just initiated another con-test with similar goals, but it drew farfewer participants. Why? People are notas concerned about weight gain in themiddle of the year, Kaufman said, sothey’re not setting goals for themselvesas they do in January.

But maybe they should. Megan Healy, fitness director at the

Richmond Athletic Club, said it’s notunusual for individuals to be in the samesituation now as they were five monthsago.

“They say, ‘I still haven’t lost my 15Christmas pounds.’ “

What they might not realize is thatsummer is a great time to focus on trim-ming down and toning up, she said.

“I think it’s so much easier to diet inthe summer months because there arelots of fresh fruit and it tastes so goodwhen it’s hot,” she said. In general, heavy

By Pamela KulickSTAFF WRITER

hen Dr. Pat Elliot purchased 10 sheepas friends for her Border Collie, shehad no idea what was about to unfold.

“I got sheep to keep her occupiedand I soon realized I needed to find a

way for those sheep to pay their way,” Elliot said. “Itoccurred to me that I might be able to milk them.”

Elliot purchased a pure bred milking ram andstarted building a flock of milking lambs.

“I had learned how to make cow’s milk cheese froma neighbor and I wanted to begin making my ownsheep’s milk cheese,” she said. “I started makingcheese in 1993 but it took a few years to perfect. Ittakes time and experimentation to get it right.”

Elliot began selling her cheese in 1995.

“The cheese is handmade daily from unpasteurizedsheep’s milk,” she said. “There is actually more sheep’smilk in the world than there is cow’s milk.”

Elliot said sheep’s milk is more common in AsiaMinor, France, Norway and Sweden.

“There are challenges every day,” Elliot said. “It’salways something new. Having enough money to getthings started has been the most worrisome of mychallenges.”

With the help of her children, Elliot said she wasable to get things going and is finally to a point wherethe business pays for itself and then some.

“I would estimate the ewes are giving me about agallon each between the morning and afternoon milk-ings,” she said. “The ones that aren’t producingenough milk to cover the cost of milking go to the mar-

Culpeper Life CInside this week:Community C2Great Escapes C5Regional Travel C6

Community Editor, Tracey Ferguson Scatinatferguson@starexponent.com540-825-0771 (ext. 108)

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2005

Dr. Michael Watts

ASK DR. WATTS

Tick numbersdiseases

increasingQ: Are we seeing ticks earlier than

usual this year?A: For the past several years I have

been noticing a marked increase in thenumber of ticks and the diseases theycarry. I have also been seeing largenumbers of ticks in the winter months.As development has brought wildlifeand families closer together, the ticksseem to be adapting. Since ticks canlive for months in a semi-dormantstate, it is theorized that basements ofhomes or sheltered areas near thehouse may offer freeze-proof sanctuar-ies for these pests. Together with sev-eral years of mild winters and wetsprings, the ticks seem to be multiply-ing in number and aggressiveness.

There also seems to be an increasein their resistance to pesticides inrecent years. Some of the older, over-the-counter chemicals have becomeobsolete in some neighborhoods. Toprotect your pet and your familyagainst these disease-carrying para-sites, be sure you speak to your veteri-narian about a reliable tick controlprogram.

For professional tick populationforecasts by zip code, month, and tickspecies, visit www.tickalert.com.

Q: You mentioned in your dentalcolumn that dentistry should only bedone by a veterinarian or licensed vet-erinary technician. What exactly is alicensed technician?

A: A licensed veterinary technician,or LVT, has a college degree in veteri-nary technology and has passed anational board examination demon-strating specific knowledge and com-petencies. These individuals arelicensed by the state and renewal ofthe license requires annual fulfillmentof continuing education requirements.Some states refer to these individualsas certified veterinary technicians(CVT) or registered veterinary techni-cians (RVT). By education and respon-sibilities, licensed technicians are sim-ilar to registered nurses in humanmedicine and registered dentalhygienists in the dental profession.

By Virginia law, certain tasksrequire an education and a license toperform. Some restricted tasks includecomplete scaling of teeth, injection ofcontrolled substances, administrationof anesthesia, suturing of skin inci-sions, adjusting of x-ray machine set-tings, and administration of rabiesvaccines. Each of these clinical skillsrequires a breadth of medical under-standing that can only be achievedthrough a carefully organized medicalcurriculum. The Commonwealth ofVirginia has determined there to bepublic health and consumer protectioninterests in regulating these practices.

Technically, the title of “technician”should be reserved for these educatedprofessionals. Many practices, espe-cially those without LVTs on staff, usethe generic word “technician” to referto unlicensed veterinary assistants.Licensed technicians are required toprominently display their state

Provolone,cheddar...sheep?

W

You heard it right, sheepcheese is quite the delicacy

Metro Creative Graphics

A pet’s oral care is vital to its health.Only a licensed veterinary technicianshould work on an animal’s teeth.

See TICK C4

Didn’t stick to your New Year’s resolution?You couldalways tryagain 1. Lose weight2. Pay off debt3. Spend timewith family

See SHEEP C4

See KEEP C4

53119425 6/2/2005 4:59 PM Page 1

Miss Chrystal Marie Millerand Mr. Jay Daniel Durkee wereunited in marriage on Jan. 1,2005. The Reverend JohnHutchinson performed the cere-mony at the First PresbyterianChurch in Jacksonville, Fla.

The bride is the daughter ofMr. and Mrs. Charles A. Miller ofCulpeper. Chrystal is a graduateof Culpeper County High Schooland a senior at JacksonvilleUniversity, Jacksonville. She iscurrently studying exercise sci-ence and is on the dean’s list.After this year she is planning onattending physical therapyschool at University of NorthFlorida.

The groom is the son of Mr.and Mrs. Kendall Durkee ofJacksonville. Jay is a 2004 grad-uate of Auburn University,Auburn, Alabama where hemajored in Civil Engineering. Heorganized and coached theAuburn crew team. It was on thecrew team that the couple firstmet. Jay is the Regional Directorfor Realty Executives, Inc. inJacksonville, Florida.

The bride was escorted by herfather, Mr. Charles Miller. Themaid of honor was Miss JulietteGilliland, a friend, of Richmond.The bridesmaids were Mrs.Jennifer Miller, her sister-in-law,of San Diego, Calif.; Mrs.Kathryn Kovarik, sister of thegroom, of Altanta, Ga.; and MissBecky Watt, a friend, ofJacksonville.

The groom’s best man was Mr.Ken Durkee, Jay’s father. Thegroomsmen were Mr. Chris Falckof Washington, D.C., Mr. DanielJones of Birmingham, Ala., andMr. Mike Sherburne ofJacksonville.

Ushers for the ceremony werethe bride’s brothers, Mr. JakeMiller of Auburn, Ala., Mr. Luke

Miller of San Diego, Mr. KirkMiller of Charlotte, N.C., and Mr.Zeb Miller of Reno, Nev.

The ring bearer was Mr.Alexander Miller and the flowergirl was Miss Anastasia Miller,both children of the bride’s broth-er Mr. Luke Miller and his wife,Mrs. Jennifer Miller.

The bride wore her mother’santique white wedding dressaltered to the bride’s specifica-tions, changing the high collareddress to a lowered neckline. Thedress was handmade in 1970 ofbeautiful brocade fabric withantique lace around the necklineand lace at the end of the longsleeves. The floor length dressended with a chapel length trainand completed with a waistlength veil. She carried a longhand tied bouquet of sage coloredflowers with ivory roses and ivy.The sage flowers matched thebridesmaids floor length dresses,which were light sage in colorwith an overlay of chiffon. Thegirls carried hand tied bouquetsmatching the bride’s flowers.

Mrs. Jeanette Miller, motherof the bride, was the vocalist per-forming the Ave Maria by FranzSchubert as a prelude to the cele-bration of the wedding. She wasaccompanied by organists Mr.Andy Clarke.

The groom’s parents at theJacksonville Yacht Club, hosteda rehearsal dinner. Family andfriends of the couple enjoyed thelovely dinner.

After the wedding ceremony, areception was held at the beauti-ful and prestigious River CityCompany overlooking St. John’sRiver in downtown Jacksonville.Music was from the 1950’s andenjoyed by all.

After honeymooning atAmelia Island, the couple nowreside in their lovely home inJacksonville.

Mark and Jennifer Houck areproud to announce the birth oftheir daughter Lauren AshleyHouck. She was born on March22, 2005 at 11:05 p.m. Sheweighed 8 pounds and 4 ouncesand was 21 inches long. She waswelcomed home by her older sis-ter Brandi Marie Houck and herolder brother, Mark Allen HouckJr.

Proud paternal grandparentsare Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Houck.Proud maternal grandparents areMr. and Mrs. Richard Phelps.Proud great-grandmother isFredith Whaley.

Sunday, June 5, 2005C2 CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT COMMUNITY

AnnouncementsThe Culpeper Star-Exponent publishesanniversary and birthannouncements at nocost as space permits.These briefs for theCommunity Calendarmay be e-mailed tormoses@starexpo-nent.com or sent toour offices at 122 W.Spencer St., Culpeper,Va. 22701. The Culpeper Star-Exponent reserves theright to edit for lengthand clarity.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

BIRTH

Lauren Ashley Houck

TodayBaccalaureate Service at

CCHS: As CCHS graduates faceuncertain times in the worldtoday, our community will havethe opportunity to join togetherin a service of faith. CCHSAcademic Boosters Club is spon-soring a Baccalaureate Service at3 p.m. in the CCHS auditorium.The community is invited toattend. The CCHS MCJROTCwill lead the processional andpresent colors. Two seniors willbe giving short testimonies ofhow God has guided themthrough their high school years.The service will include selec-tions by the CCHS BrassEnsemble and CCHS Chorus.

Also participating in the ser-vice will be Father LeoZonneveld, of Precious BloodCatholic Church; the Rev.Howard Holmes, of StevensburgBaptist Church and the Rev.John Grotz, of MitchellsPresbyterian Church.

Camp Virginia Jaycee willbe serving children and adultswith mental retardationthroughout Virginia with sum-mer residential camps, daycamping and specialty camps.The dates of the summer pro-grams will be June 5 to Aug. 26.Camp Virginia Jaycee servespeople with mental retardationfrom seven to 70 at the beautifullocation in the Blue Ridge

Mountains near Roanoke.Campers experience the great

outdoors with traditional camp-ing programs like swimming,horseback riding, arts and crafts,fishing and boating, sports andgames and music and dancing.New this year, are the specialtyAll-Star camps which includesoccer, cheerleading, baseball,fine arts, music and drama andbasketball. Evening programsare a time for campfires andcamp songs, talent shows, staffand guest entertainment, specialdinners and more. Weekendrespite camps are available also.

Camp Virginia Jaycee hasbeen serving children and adultswith mental retardation sincethe first camping season in 1972.A nonprofit organization locatedin Blue Ridge, Va., CampVirginia Jaycee has served thesespecial people throughout thestate of Virginia for more than 30years. Some camperships areavailable based on need. Call947-2972 or emailc r i n k e r @ C a m p V i r g i n i a -Jaycee.com.

You’re Invited to a PhotoOpportunity with Hospice ofthe Rapidan at 3 p.m. in the for-mal gardens at James Madison’sMontpelier Estate, Orange.Dozens of Monarch butterflieswill be released at once to com-memorate loved ones from thecommunities served by Hospice

of the Rapidan (Culpeper,Fauquier, Greene, Madison,Orange and RappahannockCounties). Call 825-4840.

Butterfly CelebrationRaises Funds for the Hospiceof the Rapidan: Craig Wilt,Bereavement Care Coordinatorfor Hospice of the Rapidan, isplanning a butterfly release atJames Madison’s Montpelier forSunday at 3 p.m. to celebrate thelives of mothers, fathers, andloved ones everywhere. Fallingmid-way between Mother’s Dayand Father’s Day, the Butterflycelebration provides in the com-munity with an unique gift idea:sponsor a butterfly for $25 inmemory of a deceased loved oneor to honor a living person or anorganization. Everyone in thecommunity is encouraged toattend the Butterfly celebration.Call 825-1200 Sunset Lane, Suite2320 in Culpeper to order a dedi-cation using Visa andMasterCard. For directions call672-2728.

MONDAYFauquier Community

Theatre will hold auditions forits Summer Youth production ofNeil Simon’s “Fools” from 7 to 10p.m. and June 7 from 7 to 10p.m. Call-backs, if necessary, willbe held June 8 from 7 to 9 p.m.This is for people who are ages15-23. Auditions will be held at

the brick building. FCT Theatreat Vint Hill, 4225 Aiken Dr.,Warrenton. The show is beingdirected by Richard Perryman.Set design and back stage man-ager will be Molly Mueller.Performances dates for the showare Aug. 5, 6, 7, 12, and 14. Formore information or directions,visit www.fctstage.org, or call349-8760, 270-0232 or 347-2204.

GriefShare, Weekly semi-nar for those grieving a death;Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m., CulpeperRegional Hospital; free; non-denominational; all ages wel-come.Call 349-5814.

June 6/7Prospective resource par-

ents: are encouraged to attendthe upcoming orientation per-taining to foster/adoption par-enting. This is the first step tobecome approved as foster/adop-tive parents. The agency is look-ing for people who have a strongdesire and commitment tobecoming a good resource forlocal children who need a lovinghome to grow and be nurturedin. The hours are Monday, from6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. orTuesday, from 10 a.m. to noon.The class will be held in the con-ference room on the second floorof the Department of SocialServices located at 219 EastDavis Street, Culpeper. Call727-0372, extension 386.

WEDDING

Miller - Durkee

New titles at the CulpeperCounty Library are:

Adult Fiction:“Fool’s Gold,” Vivien

Armstrong; “Third Secret,” SteveBerry; “Drifter,” Lori Copeland;“Marker,” Robin Cook; “RightMadness,” James Crumley;“Vineyard Prey: a Martha’sVineyard Mystery,” Philip R.Craig; “Washingtonienne,”Jessica Cutler; “Next Big Thing,”Johanna Edwards; “AnotherEden,” Julie Ellis; “Wizard’sFirst Rule,” Terry Goodkind;

“Headmaster’s Wife,” JaneHaddam; “Rage: an AlexDelaware Novel,” JonathanKellerman; “Velocity,” DeanKoontz; “Circle,” Peter Lovesey;“Alphabet Sisters,” MonicaMcInerney; “Blinding Light,”Paul Theroux; “Sarah’s Quilt:the Novel of Sarah Agnes Prineand the Arizona Territories,1906,” Nancy E. Turner; and“Bloody Point,” Linda J. White.

Adult Non-Fiction:“Perfect Soldiers: the

Hijackers: Who They Were, Why

They Did It,” Terry McDermott;“Baby Laughs: the Naked TruthAbout the First Year ofMommyhood,” Jenny McCarthy;“Big Shoes: in Celebration ofDads and Fatherhood,” AlRoker; “Behind the Lines:Powerful and RevealingAmerican and Foreign WarLetters – and One Man’s Searchto Find Them”; “You – TheOwner’s Manual: an Insider’sGuide to the Body That WillMake You Healthier andYounger,” Michael F. Roizen;“Chocolate: a Bittersweet Saga

of Dark and Light,” MortRosenblum, “Bobby Flay’sGrilling For Life: 75 HealthierIdeas for Big Flavor from theFire,” Bobby Flay; “NewDecorating with ArchitecturalTrimwork: Planning, Designing,Installing,” Jay Silber; “WindowStyle,” “Spinning the Globe: theRise, Fall, and Return toGreatness of the HarlenGlobetrotters,” Ben Green;“Pirates Laffite: the TreacherousWorld of the Corsairs of theGulf,” William C. Davis and“1776,” David McCullough.

NEW TITLES AT THE LIBRARY

Summer ReadingProgram: Clifford’s happy. Heknows it won’t be long before hecomes to the Library to help itkick off the Summer ReadingProgram. We’ll have aFUNtastic time, beginning withClifford’s visits June 20 and 21and a fabulous show Thursday,June 23 when Captain Kidzoperforms. Pick up the flyers thattell all about what we have instore for you this summer!

Magic 4 U! Wednesday, July13, 7 p.m. and Thursday, July14, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.Children will experience thisfun, quick-paced program thatincludes amazing magic, bal-loons, storytelling and greatfamily humor. The show ispacked with strong visuals andwonderful storytelling that rein-force the importance of reading.

Learning Safari: Thursday,July 28, at 10:30, 2:30 and 7 p.m.children will encounter theworld of the tropical rain forestwhen the Leesburg Animal Parkcomes to visit. Their program,“The Living Rainforest”,includes a live animal presenta-tion and the opportunity torecreate the sounds of a rain for-

est thunderstorm. The presentation teaches the

importance of conservation, andshows the relationships betweenanimals and their habitat andpredators and their prey. Forupdates and more information,check out the Library’s web siteat http://library.net/culpeper orcall 825-8691.

THERE WILL be no story-times June 1 through 27 as weprepare for the SummerReading Program. Storytimesresume June 28 and go throughJuly 26 as part of the summer-time offerings. These will be onTuesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 7p.m. All are walk-in, with no reg-istration required, and will fea-ture special guests and presenta-tions.

TEENS Read … StartingJune 20, teens can read, reviewand win. There will be weeklydrawings and lots of cool prizes.It’s a good chance to be … read-iculous.

TEENS! Are you dramatic?Athletic? A health nut? Do youdance? Any or all of the above?The library invites you to helpproduce a special program for

teens, by teens, “Get Real, GetFit!” Contact Susana Spencer at825-8691.

TEENS Wanted! A few goodvolunteers are needed to helpwith the summer Reading pro-gram this summer, startingJune 20. Please fill out a volun-teer application form at theCirculation Desk. There will bean orientation meeting onThursday, June 2, from 6 to 7:30p.m. in the meeting room. Call825-8691.

Check out the YA area! Thenew bulletin board design isbrought to you by teen volun-teers Tolya Ast and CharliePetersen. Both are very interest-ed in Japan and are studyingJapanese in Culpeper HighSchool. Their theme is a compar-ison of traditional and contempo-rary Japanese culture.

Also in the YA men are sever-al artworks created by teens inthis spring’s After School ArtProgram. We regret that wewere not able to exhibit all thepieces. The art will be displayedthroughout the month of June.

FRIENDS OF THELIBRARY BOOKSTORE –

Have you visited lately? We havea selection of new books, as wellas like-new, recent books. Pricesgenerally range from $1 to $5.

Hope to see you at the bookstore, located next to theComputer Room in the library. Ifit is not open at the time you arehere, visit the corner bookshelves in the main library.

Monday: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m.

Tuesday: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.Thursday: 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30

p.m.Donations of new or used

books are accepted during allregular library hours. Call 829-4950.

THE THIRD THURSDAYBooks Club’s next meeting isJune 16 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.The topic will be GeraldineBrooks’ memoir, “ForeignCorrespondance.”

A volunteer is needed tohelp distribute booklets tohealth care facilities and offices.This program is books-by-mailand helps those who are not ableto come into the library. Pleasecontact Susan at 825-8691 if youhave a little extra time.

FROM THE CULPEPER COUNTY LIBRARY

By Marilyn RauberMedia General News Service

WASHINGTON - Tattoos areno longer taboo.

And they’re not just for theyoung and rebellious any more.

Take the Deaton-Crosslandfamily. Tattoos are a family affairfor Deborah Deaton, a 48-year-oldnurse, and her vascular surgeonhusband, Stanley Crossland. Theyhave five tattoos between them.

Their 18-year-old daughterJessica has one on her back, andtheir 16-year-old Laura alreadyhas picked out her design.

“It was an easier decision beingolder. Who cares what peoplethink?” said Deaton, who works ather husband’s Arlington, Va.,medical practice.

Clinic staffers think “it’s cool,”and at least one employee plans ongetting her own tattoo, she said.

Deaton has Celtic designs onher shoulder and lower back. Her

husband sports one on each shoul-der, and an elaborate tattoo thatmirrors his Celtic wedding bandencircles his upper arm. The pairencouraged their older daughter toget her Celtic stag “somewherewhere you have the option to hideit” from prospective bosses.

But with 1.3 million collegegraduates ready to descend on themarketplace — and one in fourstudents sporting tattoos thesedays — employers are realizing“they are not going to let somebody art get in the way of hiringthe best qualified candidate,”

according to John Challenger, whoheads a Chicago outplacementfirm.

Still, Challenger, cautioned:“It’s not like you can let it all hangout.”

If there is no obvious reason tohide a tattoo, his firms advises,“show it off,” but make sure tongueand lip piercings don’t interferewith speech. And don’t wear somuch “bling” that it sets off themetal detectors.

“My advice to young peoplewould be: Don’t try to push theenvelope” in conservative states,agreed Arlington Va., labor lawyerBeth Wolffe.

A recent Mayo Clinic studyfound that 23 percent of universi-ty students have up to three tat-toos, and more than half have atleast one non-ear piercing. A thirdof twenty-somethings have tat-toos, according to a 2003 Harrispoll.

North Carolina research scien-

tist Erin Laskowich got most ofher multiple piercings and tattoosbefore she launched her career.

“I didn’t really think about itthat much. I was dancing to a dif-ferent drummer. I didn’t realize itwould be such a big deal. It’s sortof embarrassing now,” she said,adding:

“I don’t really blend that well inthe professional field that I’m in.”

Laskowich removes most of herbody jewelry during work hours,disguises the holes with make-upand wears clothes that cover mostof the large tattoo on her chest.

“They’re used to me now. Theyknow I’m a good worker. I don’thave to prove myself anymore. Myboss is totally accepting of menow. They [her co-workers] thinkI’m a breath of fresh air,” saidLaskowich, who was hired by alarge Durham-area pharmaceuti-cal company after getting rejectedby another firm that didn’t likeher body art.

Body art no longer a blemishA once taboo expression is now more acceptable in the work, family environment

“My advice to youngpeople would be:Don’t try to push theenvelope.”

JOHN CHALLENGER,BUSINESSMAN

53119425 6/2/2005 4:59 PM Page 2

CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT C3Sunday, June 5, 2005

“Whackety-whack, Jack choppedoff the giants’ heads with his hatch-et, put ‘em in a sack and toted themback to the ol’ king’s house,” I readas cheerfully as I could, hoping mythen 4-year-old daughter would notbe severely traumatized by thewidespread beheadings and casualcarnage of the story.

I had good intentions, but Ishould have stuck with Dr. Seussinstead of pulling that musty copy ofthe Jack Tales - the backwoodsfairytales - off the shelf.

As President George W. Bushonce said, “You teach a child to read,and he or her will be able to pass aliteracy test.” Him really did saythat. Me not making that up.

I frequently read to my daughter,because I know that a love of read-ing develops early and impactsfuture achievement, and because Ihave such warm childhood memo-ries of my family gathering around,opening our favorite book and lis-tening to those magical words:“Tonight, 8 p.m. — Richie’s in hotwater when he gets caught kissingFonzie’s best girl.”

Unable to stomach any moregreen eggs and ham and boredsenseless with Madeline’s emergen-cy appendectomy, I suggested to mydaughter one evening that we readsomething different.

“This book has Jack Tales in it,”I told her. “This was one of myfavorite books when I was a boy.”

Actually, my favorite book was apaperback called “Student NurseConfidential” I found behind aDumpster in sixth-grade, but theJack Tales compilation was in thetop 10.

Feeling very fatherly, I openedthe book and got reacquainted withJack. It had been 25 years or moresince I had read the humorousadventures of the wily mountainboy, and, frankly, I had forgotten -or perhaps blocked out - the violenceand horror.

Over the course of just a few sto-ries, Jack had, as told by the hillbil-ly Shakespeare who compiled thetales, lopped off some giants’ headswith a hatchet, cooked the giants’mama in the wood stove, whackedoff a pesky cat’s paw with his pock-etknife and set a gang of witches a-fire until “ever one of ‘em was burntplumb up.”

The supposedly humorous coun-try dialect didn’t change the factthat Jack was one of literature’smost prolific serial killers.

No wonder I am haunted by reoc-curring nightmares involvingflaming witches and headlessgiants.

“Jack is mean,” my daughtersaid. “I don’t like this book.”

“Here’s a good story aboutJack,” I lied. “He ...uh ... gets to befriends with a giant and ...uh...teaches him about fire safety.”

I made up a story on the fly,pretending to read it from the bookI would surely hide along with mywell-worn copy of “Student NurseConfidential” once story time wasover.

My fake Jack Tale went some-thing like this: Ol’ Jack, well, hisgiant-killing and witch-burningdays were far behind him. He rec-ollected that it was wrong to killand burn, and he commenced totry to make amends for his socio-pathic behavior by meeting thegiant who lived next door anddoing a kind deed for him, such aspolishing - not stealing - his gold.

“Howdy-do,” Jack said to thegiant.

“Aren’t you the feller that lopsoff heads?” the giant asked.

“I realized that lopping, killing,burning and mutilating is very,very wrong,” said Jack. “Now I gofrom town to town talking aboutfire safety. Don’t play with match-es.”

So, ol’ Jack and the giant got tobe good friends, and they wouldsometimes go and visit the witchesnext door. Even though they didnot share in the beliefs of thewitches, Jack and the giant did notset them on fire, because thatwould be wrong.

*No giants, witches or cats wereharmed in the making of thisfairytale.

Scott Hollifield is editor ofThe McDowell News in Marion,N.C. E-mail him at:rhollifield@mcdowellnews.com.

Scott Hollifield

Jack Tales gets a

makeover

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By Tammie SmithMEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

RICHMOND - Southernerslike their fried chicken, cigarettesand afternoons spent lounging ontheir screened porches.

But are these sorts of habitscontributing to higher rates ofsome cancers in Southerners, par-ticularly blacks, when comparedwith other regions of the country?

A federally funded researchproject hopes to follow 105,000people — 70,000 blacks and35,000 others — in 11 Southernstates over decades to betterunderstand cancer prevalence bygeography, race and lifestyle.

For the survey, people likeBernice Hendricks of HenricoCounty, who is black, andCharlotte Matoka Allen ofCharles City County, aChickahominy Indian, are beingasked to answer questions aboutcurrent and past lifestyle prac-tices, such as food choices andactivity habits. They are alsobeing asked to provide a bloodsample or mouth-rinse sample to

collect cheek cells, a urine sample,and to agree to fill out a surveyperiodically in the coming years.

“I don’t have any cancer in myfamily, but that does not mean Inever will,” said Hendricks, 51.

The study, called the SouthernCommunity Cohort Study, isbeing coordinated by VanderbiltUniversity and Meharry MedicalCollege, both in Nashville, Tenn.,one of the states in the study, andthe International EpidemiologyInstitute, a privately run researchfirm in Rockville, Md.

The research is funded by theNational Institutes of Healththrough the National CancerInstitute, which awarded the pro-ject more than $20 million.

Richmond’s Vernon J. HarrisHealth Center, where Hendricksworks and Allen has sought med-ical care, is a local recruiting sitefor the study. It takes about anhour for the interview and to pro-vide a biological sample, saidGwendolyn Daniel, researchinterviewer for the project.

“People tell me it starts themthinking more about their

health,” said Daniel. Other states in the study are

West Virginia, Kentucky, NorthCarolina, South Carolina,Georgia, Florida, Alabama,Mississippi and Arkansas.

So far, about 39,000 people inthe 11 states have been recruitedthrough community health cen-ters, said Bandana K. Chadda, anepidemiologist with theInternational EpidemiologyInstitute in Maryland. Daniel hasrecruited about 390 people andwants to recruit a total of 1,000.

Study organizers want torecruit 55,000 people through thecommunity health centers andanother 50,000 through lettersbeing sent out to a random sam-ple of people selected from pub-licly available data, such as driv-er’s licenses and voter registries.

The initial letters will tell peo-ple about the study. Follow-up let-ters will include the actual sur-vey, participant research consentforms, and a mouth-rinse kit tocollect cheek-cell samples. Letterssoliciting Virginians to participatein the study will probably go out

in July. “We are trying to look for the

causes of cancer and hopefullyfind ways to prevent cancer,”Chadda said.

The large study sample willallow the researchers to look atdisparities in common cancerslung, breast, prostate and colorec-tal — and also less-common can-cers that may occur more often insome racial or ethnic groups. By

taking blood samples and cheekcells, the researchers are compil-ing a databank of genetic materi-al. Such samples may eventuallyhelp researchers look for biologi-cal markers for specific cancers.

Geographical variations incancer have been noted before.The American Cancer Society, forinstance, has an ongoingresearch project tracking cancerincidence.

Will a southern lifestyle give you cancer?Research project to follow residents of 11 southern states to study cancer prevalence

MGNS

Bernice Hendricks puts a batch of banana muffins in her oven.

53119425 6/2/2005 5:00 PM Page 3

C4 CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT Sunday, June 5, 2005

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ket.”After the ewes have

babies they have milk for10 months, Elliot said.

“The moms stay withtheir babies for about a dayand a half to make sure thelambs get the colostrum(the first milk ewes pro-duce after lambing)because it has a high levelof nutrients and a high con-centration of antibodies thelambs need to stay alive,”she said. “After that theyare separated and a wholelot of wailing goes on fortwo days. It’s very sad butthey soon forget about eachother.”

The lambs are put on amilk replacer, which theyare given four times a dayfor a week, three times aday until they’re threeweeks old and two times aday until they’re 25pounds.

“It’s not uncommon forthem (ewes) to have twins,triplets or quadruplets,”Elliot said. “I average two-and-a-half lambs per ewe.They grow up fast too,they’re able to have babiesat a year old.”

Shortly after the ewesgive birth they’re bredagain to keep the cyclegoing.

“After you understandthe process it’s not thatcomplicated,” Elliot said.“Keeping track of all the lit-tle details is the hard part.

You really have to keepyour eyes open to keeptrack of the flock and youlearn what to watch forand how to tell if some-thing isn’t right.”

Elliot said EveronaDairy milks 72 ewes twicea day, seven days perweek.

“You can’t take Sundaysoff,” Elliot said. “The milk-ing usually takes aboutfour hours in the morningand four hours at night.Each ewe takes two tothree minutes to milk butyou have to keep thingsclean and sanitized which

adds time to the process.”After the milking is com-

plete the milk is refrigerat-ed until Elliot or her intern,cheese maker Scott Gates,are ready to make cheese.

“The milk is heated tovarious temperaturesdepending on the type ofcheese being produced,”Gates said. “Culture isadded for flavor whichjump starts the curdingprocess and when the timeis right the rennet is addedfor thickening. It’s not asmuch a process as it is ascience. Different elementsplay into it and there are

all kinds of variables. It’skind of like snowflakes,every one is a little differ-ent.”

After the cheese is thecorrect consistency it isplaced in the molds. Thecurds and whey are sepa-rated and the process offorming begins, Gates said.

The cheese is immersedin a salt brine for one tothree days so that a protec-tive rind will be formed.

“The cheese is thentaken into an (aging cave)for 60 days,” Gates said.“We can manipulate theairflow and control the

temperature, which makesit easier to control theaging process of the cheese.We also wash and brushthe cheeses and turn themto be sure they are agingproperly.”

Everona Dairy’s(Elliot’s) cheeses have wonnumerous awards includ-ing 2003 U.S. ChampionSheep’s Milk Cheese.Elliot is also a member ofThe American CheeseSociety.

“I love trying newthings,” she said. “It’s veryexciting when you developa new cheese.”

Elliot said once you’vetried sheep’s milk cheeseyou won’t want anythingelse.

“The taste is enough towin you over,” she said.“Sheep’s milk cheese hasdouble the vitamins, pro-tein and calcium.”

Elliot’s cheeses go for$18 to $20 per pounddepending on the variety.

For more informationcall Dr. Elliot at (540) 854-4159 or e-mail .

Pamela Kulick can bereached at 540-825-3232 orpkulick@culpepernews.com

SheepContinued from C1

Staff Photos, Pamela Kulick

ABOVE: Scott Gates, cheese maker intern, explains theprocess of making the sheep cheese.

RIGHT: Lucy, an Everona dairy milker, sets up the sheepfor their morning milking.

licensed near the posted licensesfor veterinarians. They will alsousually display the letters LVTafter their names on their nametags.

Q: How can I find reliable infor-mation on the internet?

A: The internet brings a wealthof good information into ourhomes. Unfortunately, there isalso a great deal of misleading orincorrect information on the inter-net. I have posted a list of very reli-able veterinary informationsources on ClevengersCorner.com.A few of my favorites include thepet care library at healthypet.com,the breed selection tool and medi-cal resources at vetmedcenter.com,and the pet health articles atavma.org/care4pets. Be cautious ofanimal health sites that do nothave veterinarian involvement orseek to sell you a particular prod-uct. When in doubt, print the pageand bring it to your veterinarian orveterinary technician for advice.

Dr. Watts is a companion ani-mal general practitionerandowner of Clevengers CornerVeterinary Care. He can bereached through Clevengers-Corner.com or by calling 428-1000.

TicksContinued from C1

foods are not as appealing in theheat of the summer.

“Your body weight fluctuates3 to 5 pounds a year,” she said.The summer months are gener-ally your lighter months.

Also, there are more outdooractivities in which to engage.There are lots of planned events,such as running races andtriathlons. There are organizedsports, such as softball and ten-nis leagues. It’s never too cold oricy to take a walk.

Healy recommends that peo-ple who are struggling to stickwith a resolution start small andchart their accomplishmentsmonthly.

“Some people are so extreme.They say, ‘I’m going to lose 20pounds,’ “ she said.

That’s a huge goal. A better approach would be to

say you’re going to work out atleast an hour extra each weekfor the next month.

Healy said, “After you’veaccomplished that, set anothergoal.”

Patti Williams, director ofACAC Fitness & Wellness, for-merly Riverside Wellness offRobious Road in ChesterfieldCounty, said it’s not surprisingthat people have trouble stickingwith their goals.

“Relapse is a normal part ofbehavior change,” she said. Butfor those who are willing torecommit and try and try again,exercise can become as routineas brushing your teeth.

Maria Howard is a groupexercise instructor for the YMCAof Greater Richmond. Contacther at balance@times-dispatch.com or c/o Balance,Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O.Box 85333, Richmond, VA23293.

KeepContinued from C1

53119425 6/2/2005 5:00 PM Page 4

This is a series of articles fol-lowing the saga of ThomasJefferson’s Corps of Discovery, amilitary exploration of the West,co-led by Capt. Meriwether Lewisand Capt. William Clark. Thearticles follow the expedition upthe Missouri to its headwaters,over the Rocky Mountains anddown the treacherous ColumbiaRiver followed by their returntrip in 1806.

Which fork is theMissouri? On its travelswest up the Missouri

River, the Corps of Discoverycommanded by CaptainsMeriwether Lewis and WilliamClark came to a puzzling junc-ture. Having neither Map Questnor maps of any kind at theirdisposal, they were on their own.As a result, Captain Clark andsome of the party set out toexplore the south fork of theriver, while Captain Lewisexplored the north fork. A mis-call as to which fork was the realMissouri could have jeopardizedthe success of the mission.

Iron-ribbed boat:Before the voyage began,

Captain Lewis had devised aplan for constructing a light iron-ribbed boat which could be cov-ered with animal skins. The ideawas that the light iron ribs couldbe carried with them piecemealfor later assembly as the frame-work for a relatively large butlight vessel for use as theMissouri River diminished insize.

From the Journals Week ofMay 30, 1805 May 30, 1805:“…rain…until 11 this morn-ing…more rain has now fallenthan we have experienced sincethe 15th. of September last. Manycircumstances indicate…a coun-try whos climate differs consider-ably from that in which we havebeen for many months. The air ofthe open country is asstonisinglydry as well as pure…my inkstandso frequently becoming dry…”Captain Lewis May 31: “…Thehills and river Cliffs which wepassed today exibit a mostromantic appearance. The bluffsof the river rise to a hight [height]of from 2[00] to 300 feet and inmost places nearly perpendicular;they are formed of remarkablewhite sandstone which is suffi-ciently soft to give way readily tothe impression of water; two orthre [three] thin horizontalstratas of white free-stone, onwhich the rains or water make noimpression, lie imbedded in theseclifs [cliffs] of soft stone near theupper part of them…” CaptainLewis

June 2, 1805: “…Game becom-ing more abundant this morning

and I thought it best now to looseno time or suffer an opportunityto escape in providing the neces-sary quantity of Elk’s skins tocover my leather boat which Inow expect obliged to use short-ly…killed 6 Elk 2 buffalo 2 muledeer and a bear.” Captain Lewis

June 3: “This morning earlywe…formed a camp on the pointformed by the by the junction oftwo large rivers…An interestingquestion was now to be deter-mined; which of these rivers wasthe Missouri…to mistake thestream at this period of the sea-son…might defeat the expeditionaltogether…our cogitating facul-ties been busily employed allday…” Captain Lewis

June 4: “Capt. Lewis & 6 menset out to go up the Right handfork. Capt. Clark & 5 more Setout to go about one day & a halfwalk up the river & See what dis-coveries they can make…” PrivateWhitehouse

June 5: “…from the ridge atwhich place I struck the riverlast, I could discover that theriver run west of South a longdistance…as this river Continuedits width depth & rapidity andthe Course west of South, goingup further would be useless, Idetermined to return…” CaptainClark

Next week: The captainsagree on which fork is theMissouri, against the opinionsof the rest of the party; andSacagawea becomes ill.

Note: The Lewis and ClarkExploratory Center (LCEC) inCharlottesville has a full-scale

keelboat in the Rivanna River;it has also embarked on afundraising campaign to createa hands-on center for childrenof all ages to participate inLewis and Clark’s adventures.

LCEC will have Center per-sonnel at Darden Towe Park offRoute 20 northeast ofCharlottesville (Stony PointRoad) every Saturday, after

June 4, to show the keelboatand answer questions. Formore information visitwww.lewisandclarkeast.org.

Bill Speiden is a resident ofOrange who works with theLewis and Clark ExploratoryCenter in Charlottesville.Contact him at 672-2596 oroxpwr@yahoo.com.

C6 CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT Sunday, June 5, 2005TRAVEL

Monroe Baisden

Most Europenwines defined

by location

Wines in Europe, pri-marily French, Italianand Spanish wines,

usually do not have the nameof the varietal on the label.Although this practice ischanging to some degree, mostof these wines are still definedby location rather than type ofgrape.

For example, a Rioja fromSpain, a Sancerre from Franceand a Chianti from Italy areall wines with which we maybe familiar, but whose grapecontent is unknown since it isnot on the label.The legal designa-tion of the wine(AOC in France,DOC and DO inSpain, and DOCin Italy) regulatewhat grapes areallowed. It is theresponsibility ofthe consumer tolearn what theyare. With that inmind, here aresome of the morerecognizable winenames with thegrapes that may be used intheir production.

Let’s start with some of theless complicated wines. RedBurgundy from France isalways made from pinot noir.White Burgundy is alwayschardonnay except for Aligotéa rather obscure wine madefrom the grape of the samename.

Red Beaujolais is alwaysmade from gamay while whiteBeaujolais is made from eitherchardonnay or aligoté. Onlyabout 2 percent of allBeaujolais is white, so we don’thave to worry about it anyway.So far, so good. Let’s considerthe Northern Rhone region ofFrance. All red wines comefrom syrah, period. All whitewines come from either viog-nier or a blend of marsanneand roussanne. The SouthernRhone gets a little more com-plicated with Grenache beingthe predominant red grapeusually blended with syrah,mourvèdre, cinsaut and carig-nan. Grenache blanc is a mainwhite grape frequently blendedwith clairette, bourboulenc,roussanne and/or viognier.

In Spain the major grape inred Rioja is tempranillo, whilethe predominant white grape isviura. Next door in Ribera delDuero, where virtually all ofthe grape varieties planted arered, the primary grape is tintofino thought to be a geneticvariation of tempranillo.

Italy, however, gets a littlemore complicated. For examplein the Piedmont region, thewine Barbera is also the nameof the grape, while a Barolo isnamed for the village, Barolo,and the grape is nebbiolo. Thisis also the grape in Barbaresco,the other legendary wine of thePiedmont. Chianti has evolvedthrough a number of changesover the years with the prima-ry grape being sangiovese. Upto 15 percent of the wine mayuse cabernet sauvignon, merlotand other selected red grapes.These wines may also beknown as Super Tuscans insome cases. Just to makethings a little more confusing,some Italian wines combinethe grape and the place likemontepulciano d’Abruzzo.Montepulciano is the grapeand Abruzzo is the place. Let’sadd one more complicationwith Vino Nobile diMontepulciano. The primarygrape is a clone of sangiovesesometimes blended with otherlesser known varieties, and theplace is Montepulciano. Howabout that?

Next week I will deal withsome of the other regions someof which can be very confusing,but I will try to sort those outso they make sense.

Monroe Baisden is the ownerof Chateau du Reaux, a wineshop on East Davis Street.E-mail him at info@culpeperwines.com.

YOURGRAPEESCAPE

Bill Speiden

Corps reached a puzzling juncture during journey

ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE C2

���������������� ��������������� ��������������

Battlefield Travel163 E. Davis Street • Culpeper (540)825-1393 800-752-2773

www.battlefieldtravel-va.com

NEW YORK CITYDecember 9-11, 2005

Escorted with/rail, hotel, show & moreCall for Prices

After last years media cov-erage of the tropicalstorms and hurricanes

that developed throughout the2004 season, travelers are ask-ing a lot more questions thisyear as they book for summerand fall vacations.

With this in mind, I thoughtthat it might be a prudenttime to address some of thosemore commonly asked ques-tions about hurricane season,and what it means to you thetraveler. We’ll start with somebasic info on the season andthen hopefully answer a fewother questions along the way.

To start, the official startdate for hurricane season onthe Atlantic Basin begins onJune 1 and continues throughNov. 30. What this simplymeans is that during this timeperiod the potential for thedevelopment of tropical stormsand hurricanes is greaterbecause of the changing sea-sonal weather pattern for thatregion. What is important toremember here is that though

the probability for storms mayincrease, it is not a forgoneconclusion that every seasonwill bring about a lot ofstorms. Think of it this way.We all know that it is muchmore likely to snow here inFebruary rather than June,but just because the chancesare considerably greater does-n’t in any way gauge howmuch, what day or even if itwill snow at all that month.

Statistically speaking,though the technical start datefor the season is on June 1,history shows us that thegreater percentage of hurri-

canes have developed moretowards the fall of the yearbetween Aug. 15 and Oct. 15.So, does this mean that youshouldn’t travel in this regionduring that time? Of coursenot. Once again these datesyield a greater over all averagebut still give no guarantee ofbad weather. I myself havetraveled through this regionduring those dates many timeswith not a hint of a cloud inthe sky. This doesn’t meanthat you shouldn’t considerthe possibilities of inclementweather at all and ignorethose preparations and optionsavailable to you.

There are some resorts inthe Caribbean that now offerhurricane insurance to reas-sure and encourage thoseclients that prefer to get awayfrom home during the fall andavoid the summer crowds. Alocal provider of travel protec-tion insurance can also helpyou look into to separateinsurance policies that mayinclude clauses for hurricanes

as well. So, don’t completelyblack out your travel dates onthe calendar for those datesthis year just yet. Do a littleresearch first, or ask a travelprofessional to help you planyour trip. Take the time tofind out what travel optionsand specials are available toyou before you lock that lug-gage away for the fall.

I’ll finish on the topic ofcruising during this season.For many, the choice whetheror not to book a cruise duringhurricane season becomes adifficult one. After all, the sea-son technically runs for sixmonths and everyone is shuf-fling around trying to fit avacation in as best as possi-ble. Often times, travelers dis-cover that the most conve-nient time for them to cruisedoes indeed fall in the middleof hurricane season, leavingthem with a decision.

Lets look at some factsabout cruising, however, thatperhaps some people don’tknow. Cruise ships are

equipped with some of themost state of the art weathertracking equipment available,giving the crew advancednotice of declining weatherconditions hundreds of milesaway. In the event that adeveloping storm is detected,the captain of the vesselreserves the right to alter theitinerary and perhaps visit anunscheduled port of call toavoid any stormy weather.Worst-case scenario, youmight end up visitingCozumel instead of yourscheduled stop in Cayman.Just remember, every seasonhas its own set of considera-tions when it comes to travel-ing to particular destinations,the more you learn about youroptions during these times themore opportunities you giveyourself for a positive travelexperience.

Bill Ooten is a travel con-sultant for Battlefield Travelin downtown Culpeper. Hecan be reached at 825-1393.

Hurricane season: What it means for the traveler

Photo courtesy of uppermissouri.com

Modern photo of a toadstool rock formation found on the banks of theupper Missouri. This is one of many curious rock formations men-tioned in the Corps of Discovery journals.

Bill Ooten

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