There are those people who believe you have to give up your dreams to make a living. Kathi Fillmore is definitely not one of those people! Following her dreams of a life working with horses has worked out just fine!

You’ll find Kathi, these days, at her new farm, Cinnamon Ridge, right here in Amissville. It’s the latest home for the business of horses, her passion. Kathi was in love with horses from the time she was three years old and got her first cowgirl outfit. Back in those days a horse of her own was out of the question. As part of a military family she moved around the country and a horse was not part of the allowed household items! But when she was about 11 the family settled in Virginia and it didn’t take long before she had her first horse, a blind pony that was given to her.

Kathi soon learned to ride and stayed involved with horses all through high school. But her practical family and friends advised her that she couldn’t possibly make a living in the horse business and that she needed a more sensible major. So she got a degree in business management and accounting. Three years in the business world and she knew that for her at least, it was no way to live.

She bought her first farm when she was 24 years old. And horses have been an essential part of both her business and personal life ever since. She’s downsized a couple of times as she fought her way through health concerns including a benign tumor on her spine as well as a bout with Lyme Disease. At one time she had 100 acres and 100 horses. Her 12 acres here on South Poes Road and her 7 horses now seem just right!

Cinnamon Ridge is home to a series of VHSA and BHSA horse shows. And, while the shows are fun, Kathi’s real love is teaching. She gives lessons in hunters and hunter equitation. “I make it fun!” she says as she tells me about the games mixed in with the classes. And she must be doing something right as many of her students have gone on to become horse professionals themselves.

But teaching and the horse shows is only part of what Kathi’s doing these days. She boards horses, although only a few at a time. She breeds Welsh ponies. She still judges horse shows. Believe it or not, from Kathi’s perspective this is semi-retirement! Clearly none of those earlier health challenges was going to keep her down for long!

Kathi took some time to show me around Cinnamon Ridge including the show ring, the 4 stall horse barn that includes a wash stall and an office. And, of course, no visit to the farm would be complete without the chance to meet some of the four legged residents. Joey is her 4 year old Welsh Pony stallion. And she expects the first foals from him next year to be something very special. Katie is her personal horse and a real sweetheart! Actually, I enjoyed meeting everyone on the farm down to the smallest residents, the cat and dog!

Kathi is a confessed workaholic who says she’s mended her ways. Having seen everything going on at Cinnamon Ridge, I’m not so sure about that. But I do know it’s going to be a lot of fun having her in the neighborhood!

Each year around this time a wonderful thing happens in our community. Many people from Amissville come together to help others by way of the community Christmas baskets. I don’t have the exact year this tradition started, but clearly there’s a history of Amissville being a very caring community. The project was started by the Ruritans who were soon joined by the Amissville Methodist Church. Other churches eagerly joined followed by the fire department, the boy and girl scouts and now it’s truly a community endeavor. Everyone has the opportunity to get involved by contributing food in the boxes that will soon appear at various local places of business including the fire department and the post office. We were just reminded of how much we have as we celebrated Thanksgiving. Here’s our chance to share with some of our neighbors who may not be quite as fortunate. The boxes will stay out until the week before Christmas and then will be collected. A group of young people will get together to assemble the boxes of food that will ultimately be delivered to the needy here in Amissville. In a typical year about 25 boxes of food are distributed. Next a group of local women will assemble to put together baskets of fruit. The fruit baskets, along with poinsettias will go to elderly neighbors, shut-ins and anyone they know of who has lost a spouse in the last year. So watch for the boxes and be generous! None of us knows when it might be our turn to need a little help from our neighbors!

This Saturday evening between 5 and 8 p.m., you’ll have the opportunity to continue eating your way through the holiday season! But this time you’ll be able to use the excuse that it’s for a good cause! The Amissville Volunteer Fire Department is once again holding their annual ham and turkey dinner. Whether you go for the country ham, the turkey, the wonderful side dishes or the homemade desserts you are bound to have plenty to eat. While I’m a big fan of the food, I’m also looking forward to running into some of my neighbors that I may not have seen in awhile. It’s a great place to catch up on the latest news. The cost of dinner is $12 for adults, $6 for children 6-12 and free for children 5 and under. Remember that the money goes to help the people who will help all of us when something goes wrong.

Gray Ghost Winery is holding a Holiday Open House on Saturday and Sunday, December 2^nd and 3^rd. You’ll have the chance to see the world’s largest cork Christmas display with over 50,000 corks! And there’s a 10 foot Christmas tree as well. The event will, of course, feature great food and great Gray Ghost wines. Those of you who have made this an annual event will also have the opportunity to get the 12^th in a series of holiday glasses. The cost of this event is $15 per adult and includes the food, wine and collectible glass. The cost is $7 for those under 21.

I’m not a person who dislikes change. In fact, I seem genetically predisposed to shaking up my life in some fashion about every five years. (Watch out this year everybody!)

But I’ll admit that, like most people, I’m always more comfortable with change I choose than with change forced upon me from the outside. And lately it seems like there is a lot of that going on.

Sometimes it’s the little things. I don’t how it looks from the front porch of your house, but at ours there is a definite shortage of hummingbirds! It seems that every year like clockwork they show up, looking for food. And we had our first couple, right on schedule. But within about a month, we have dozens of the tiny beauties sucking up that nectar about as fast as we can make it! This year we’ve got our two, but no more. Is this true around Amissville? Is this the case around Rappahannock County? If so, what could be causing this? And, most importantly, how do we fix this? I like it just fine the way it worked in the past!

Sometimes it’s more personal. It seems every so often I am inundated with news of friends divorcing. And it once again seems to be that season. I’m not self-centered enough to think any of this is really about me. Change is being thrust upon the family involved, not me. But the truth is there is a ripple of change that goes out from a family that’s breaking apart. It affects many of the people who love them. And there’s a great sadness for a lot of us as we watch and try as best we can to help them through this change.

And then there’s the change in our communities. If you look at surrounding counties you can’t really say that Rappahannock County is experiencing unprecedented growth! And thank goodness for that! And, yet, in my little corner of Amissville it feels like new houses are going up right and left. I’m not saying that they won’t be perfectly nice houses. I’m not saying that the people who eventually move into them won’t be wonderful neighbors. But the truth is that change is being forced upon me again and I’m not pleased about that!

Of course, the biggest change of all, for many of us is the prospect of Dominion’s expanded power lines. As I drive through this gorgeous countryside I begin to imagine what it will look like if Dominion wins this fight. And I’m saddened by what seems like more awful change being forced on a lot of people in these parts.

But there’s plenty of good change around as well! There are new babies, new marriages, new jobs and new homes. There are new neighbors in our communities. And nature is constantly forcing change on all of us. But I never seem to mind when spring gives way to summer. While the storms this year have taken down some old pine trees, I see new seedlings everywhere I look. Some of them will eventually be huge trees. I think this week I’ll look to nature for some lessons on gratefully accepting the changes around me!

I still like the serenity prayer that Al-Anon uses. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Here’s to a wise week for all of us!

The safest way to navigate around our property seems to be to sit down and push yourself along. I’ve become quite good at this new means of transportation and am feeling quite proud of my skills. That, of course, means it’s probably only a matter of time until I make a fool of myself! Meanwhile, do you think they’d consider adding a new Olympic event, Bottom Sledding?

The “Ice That Will Not Leave” has caused the same inconveniences here that the rest of you are putting up with as well. I parked at the top of a client’s driveway this week, put on the parking brake and was just about to exit the car when it began sliding backwards! Not being a complete idiot I decided that I’d drive back down and park on the road. That then left me with the task of walking back up the completely untouched driveway on shoes designed to impress business clients, not navigate icy terrain. Incredibly, I made it to the top without incident. I suggested to my clients that perhaps I should try “bottom sledding” to my car, but they appeared to believe I was joking. So, trying to maintain my dignity I picked my way back down (OK, skated in a completely undignified fashion!)

But the most interesting and challenging part of the ice storm has been some self-inflicted pain. We left ordering the next refill of heating oil a little longer than we should. And, consequently, the oil truck is now unable to navigate our driveway. If we hadn’t also happened to have now run out of oil it wouldn’t be a big deal. But we’ve reverted to a more pioneer lifestyle with the wood stove and fireplace now being our only sources of heat! There have been some other adjustments in our lifestyle as well. Our basement is now toasty warm and we’ve temporarily moved into the guest bedroom down there. The animals are a little curious as to the new arrangements but they’ve adjusted. I refuse to cook in my cold kitchen since the food becomes cold before you can get the fork to your mouth. So we’ve been eating frozen dinners and canned soups that don’t require much in the way of preparation. The first few days of this seems like an adventure. And by the time you read this no doubt the mid-week thaw will mean we have heat again. Meanwhile, it turns out that yesterday’s adventure quickly becomes today’s inconvenience!

And the other adventure that begins for all of us now is fighting the relocation of the Dominion Power line through Rappahannock County. I just hate being considered easy prey! It also seems to me all of us should be asking ourselves what we can do to conserve energy. While Dominion is certainly not running these lines through Rappahannock to serve our increasing needs for power, there’s clearly a case to be made that the more all of us in this country conserve, the less need there will be for these monstrosities to be built in anyone’s back yard!

And I received this from Peter and Valerie Little this week via e-mail:

Anyway - through your column could we yet again thank a veritable Amissville Snow Angel - who anonymously clears our driveway for us 

when the going gets rough.   This has happened before (we have one of 

those long, twisty Rappahannock drives with a gradient) and a snowfall does not make it very easy for us. Sometimes even 4-wheel driving does not cut it very comfortably or safely.

Once again this week our driveway was cleared - and, though one of us was at home, no-one was seen making this friendly and outright neighborly gesture. Can we thank who ever this was through your column? We live on Seven Ponds Road, and again, this sort of thing reiterates our road as being one of the best in Rappahannock County for neighborliness !!

I’d like to ask your help as I continue to try and profile some of our local businesses here in Amissville. If you have a local business and would like to be featured in these pages, please e-mail me or give me a call. I have to say it’s a lot of fun learning about all the local businesses!

And, if you’re in need of bottom sledding lessons, don’t forget to give me a call. You can start practicing by carrying oil drums in your lap and scooting up our driveway!

Where do you go for a good time in Amissville on Monday night? You go to the Amissville Volunteer Fire Department, of course, to play some bingo!

The regular Monday night bingo games have been on our “to do” list here for almost as long as we’ve lived here. We finally took the plunge this past Monday night. We definitely waited too long!

Bingo has been going on at the fire department here for about 25 years. Amissville’s fire department was among the first to try this as a fund raiser. It’s spread far and wide now and some localities have enormous crowds, although it’s hard to imagine a friendlier crowd than the one here!

On an average night there are probably around 3 dozen players. This Monday proved to be pretty average. Prizes range from a few dollars to potentially as much as $1,000.

Bingo starts promptly at 6:45 and it definitely pays to be on time. We arrived almost exactly at 6:45. But we didn’t know we needed to allow time to buy the bingo cards and, of course, get instructions.

Now, I know you’re all thinking that we must be idiots! How much do you need to know to play bingo? Well, you’d be surprised! They had about 28 games Monday night and there was quite a variety. I had no idea there were that many ways to play bingo. And after seeing this I’m guessing we didn’t even scratch the surface!

The evening included games such as “Crazy Ts” and “2 Postage Stamps” that I’d certainly never heard of. I thought of bingo as being about getting a row across, down or diagonally. Apparently I’m way behind the times when it comes to bingo innovation!

Fortunately, we were directed to sit next to a very helpful group. These six women live in Wildwood Forest in Amissville and have been playing bingo together on Monday nights for two years. They were very generous with their time and expertise and were happy to share their secrets to managing all those cards efficiently.

It was not only our ignorance of the variety of games that gave away our inexperience. Clearly there are some bingo pros here. They bring special stands to hold their myriad cards. They bring big bags of bingo supplies. And, fortunately for us, they bring food to share! The Fire Department sells hot dogs and other assorted items. But there’s also plenty of friendly sharing going on and we were offered chocolates and mints. And on other tables I saw cake and cookies and other treats being shared.

We found six cards at a time enough to manage. But some of the bingo regulars are watching anywhere from 18 to 24 cards. I think I’d need some additional practice to pull that off!

By the end of the evening we were starting to feel comfortable with all the varieties of games, happy about the new friends we’d made and even happier about our bingo winnings!

If you haven’t checked out the bingo games for yourself, set aside a Monday night and bring some friends! Or better yet, plan to meet your neighbors and make some new friends!

GET YOUR UMBRELLAS BEFORE SPRING SHOWERS COME

The Rappahannock County Sophomore Class, class of 2009, are selling Panther Golf Umbrellas.The wet weather will soon be upon the folks of Rappahannock and now is the season to purchase one or two (perhaps a gift for a friend in need). These durable, large, blue and gold golf umbrellas are currently on sale for $20 each at several locations that include Rappahannock Elementary School (987-8259), Rappahannock High School (987-8575) or Farmers' Co-op. Please assist the Class of 2009 by purchasing a sturdy umbrella. Stop by or call one of the mentioned locations.

GRAY GHOST WINS ANOTHER AWARD           

Adieu, a dessert wine from Gray Ghost Vineyards here in Amissville, has won another award. It was the only Virginia wine to win Gold in California’s prestigious Grand Harvest Awards held at the end of February. Adieu had also won a bronze at the Florida State Fair international Wine Competition. If you’d like to taste this fine wine for yourself, stop by Gray Ghost during the month of March for free samplings. They’re located at 14706 Lee Highway, Amissville and can be reached at 937-4869.

It’s amazing to me how long the leaves have stayed on the trees this year and how beautiful everything still is. The heavy freeze this week did finally kill off the rest of the flowers out front. But with all the colors in the trees we hardly miss them!

The Amissville Methodist Church will hold its annual holiday bazaar and bake sale on Saturday, November 11^th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.. This is the 26^th year for this event and it always draws a crowd. The bazaar includes the sale of crafts, baked goods, canned goods, fresh Georgia pecans and a white elephant table. Gerty Poling from Amissville will be providing some of her hand decorated eggs for sale. In case you’re not familiar with Gerty’s work, these are eggs, mostly from geese, that have been transformed into gorgeous Christmas tree ornaments. Rumor has it they’re a huge draw and you’d be well advised to get there early if you want to snag one for yourself! Lunch will also be served. You’ll find soup, chili, sandwiches and desserts on the menu. This event is sponsored by the United Methodist Women and the money they raise goes for missions work. The church is located at 14760 Lee Highway and you can call Kathryn Paul for more information at 937-4911.

Equine Reproduction Concepts, LLC right here in Amissville is hosting its next class in equine reproduction on November 13^th.  This one day class is designed to educate veterinarians on the procedures of embryo recovery and processing for shipment. The intention is to establish a network of veterinarians around the country able to ship embryos. Some of the topics covered in this course are reproductive management of the donor, recipient synchronization and management, embryo identification, handling and processing and packaging embryos for shipment. While this course is designed for veterinarians, they also offer a number of courses for horse owners and breeders as well. ERC is located at 111 Hackleys Mill Road. You can call them for more information at  937-9832. You can also visit their web site at www.equinereproduction.com

Rappahannock Animal Welfare League (RAWL) has started a new feline spay and neuter fund. To raise money for this effort they are in the midst of a raffle. The raffle winner will get a romantic get away for two including dinner for two at the Inn at Little Washington and a one night stay at the Heritage House B&B. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25. They can be purchased at Rose Hill Veterinary Practice or Heritage House B&B. Tickets can be purchased through Saturday, November 11^th and the drawing will take place on Sunday, November 12^th. All prizes have been donated and 100% of the proceeds will go into the new fund. For more information on the raffle you can contact Gary or Michelle Schwartz at the Heritage House B&B at 675-3207. For more information on RAWL or the new Feline Spay & Neuter Fund call Patty Want 937-3283 or visit the RAWL web site at www.rawldogs.org

Welcome to my first column of Amissville news! My name is Julie Emery and I’ve lived in beautiful Rappahannock County about four and a half years now. It’s the most beautiful place we’ve ever lived. Of course, two of the other places we’ve lived were Kansas and New Jersey, so you have an edge!

I was raised on a dairy farm in the Midwest and it’s been a joy to return to a rural area. Our most recent home before Amissville was Miami, Florida. While it was a wonderful place to live, there was nothing rural about it. And hurricane seasons are a lot more fun in Rappahannock County!  But the best part about moving here has been the wonderful friends and neighbors who surround us! I’ve found the people here to be kind, generous and definitely very interesting! And that’s the real reason I’m so excited about the chance to write this column! While I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of you, I already know this will give me the chance to meet a lot more of you and hear your stories!

All of you are now my eyes and ears. I’ll look forward to hearing from you about what local activities are coming up here in Amissville. I love a good story and I can’t wait to hear what amazing exploits you’ve engaged in, what prizes you’ve won and who our newest neighbors are.

You can get in touch with me by phone at 540-937-2315 or via e-mail at Julie@JulieEmery.com I’m eagerly awaiting your contributions!